From Utopia to Topia
The only deserts… are the deserts of imagination
That was Paolo’s philosophical response whenever he was told
repeatedly “It’s just a big, wet desert out there” in reference to his plans of establishing a self-sufficient society in a seemingly hazardous environment. The “big wet desert” was his land of choice, situated in Columbia, for an eco-friendly society which was inspired by, and aims to solve, overpopulation by creating liveable habitats in the most unlikely of places. “They always put social experiments in the easiest, most fertile places. We wanted the hardest place. We figured if we could do it here, we could do it anywhere.”.
It may seem over ambitious to create a self sustaining society in a desert environment, with no electricity and with no funding at all – but it was a dream Paolo had. He dreamed of establishing a village that would be a niche of peace and inspiration for its surrounding world of conflict. His philosophy was that imported solutions also import their problems and dependencies, so the choice to build the society, completely from the ground up, was made.
Where there is a will, there is a way
If
the chosen environment wasn’t daunting enough, external problems were also a concern. Columbia, it seems, is in a state of everlasting conflict in which protests and violence are subject of nearly every Columbians life. This barren part of Columbia also, unfortunately, was home to soil with very high levels of aluminium toxicity which, when the Ph level is lower than 5 (acidic below 7), is toxic to plants and stunts root growth. Dr. Sven Zethelius, a soil chemist at the National University was learned in the tropics and, when asked about the quality of the soil and the possibility of farming in such a place, responded “Probably nothing.”. Aside from their toxicity, the soils around Gaviotas were only about two centimeters thick, Zethelius informed him. “Frankly, they’re the worst in Colombia. A desert.”.
In 1965 Paolo flew over the Llanos with his father and “starting having visions” of how to solve explosive population growth. In 1966 he would round up a group of scientists, artists and engineers for a 15 hour trip out to the Llanos, east of Bogotá – the nearest city. Here they would analyse the potential of Paolo’s vision. Between 1967 and 1970, Paolo escaped out to this 10,000 hectare lot in search of the perfect place to begin his eco-friendly ‘village’. One day, whilst driving, Paolo and his brother, Patricio, found a pair of long, concrete sheds that were full of weeds. These structures were abandoned warehouses of a road construction camp from the failed trans-llano highway. “Were here,” Paolo told his brother, and thus Gaviotas was born.
Paolo exhibits a unique quality that aided in the realization of his dream – his open mind. This, coupled with his determination and curiosity, resulted in an inventive and innovative approach to many of the problems Paolo faced. He persuaded the faculties of various Universities around the country to send their Thesis Students to Gaviotas where he would probe their technical minds for solutions ranging from energy to agriculture. If the students were happy carrying out research for Gaviotas, then they were afforded a place within it – although, in the beginning they could only be offered canvas hammocks under an open-air maloca, that the Guahibo had built, and some mosquito netting.
First Seeds
The community slowly began to grow, with more people becoming interested in the goals of the project. But it was not until a prominent Wall Street Journal published a front-page feature article, about Gaviotas, stating that they had “solved” the energy crisis via sustainable technology, that their real break came. The United Nations Development Program passed a delegation that granted Gaviotas and Paolo a substantial research fund. A series of very precise events and important decisions between 1967 and 1976 made Gaviotas the village we see today.
Gaviotas’ popularity began spreading – in 1978, at the World Conference on Technical Cooperation Among Developing Countries, held in
Buenos Aires, the village was named as the leading example of Appropriate Technology in the Third World. But to restrict this example to only the Third World is unfair, as its achievements speak loud for a more promising future world-wide. Las Gaviotas has gone beyond mere students and researches, it is now a fully fledged village consisting of around 200 residents that all uphold a new value system – one that counts wealth in sunlight, water and their community. They have a unique social system that has transcended the need for a Mayor, a prison or any authority figures whatsoever. The traditionalized ideology of marriage has been replaced with an open partnership configuration, removing the need for all associating laws. The entire village enjoys a prosperous social structure where all their necessities (food, shelter, education) are met without monetary payment, and all without the use of religion of politics.
Technological Masterpiece
Aside from being a social marvel, Las Gaviotas is also a technical masterpiece. Living in this type of climate, many problems were prevalent in this vision – so a new way of thinking was required in order to tackle these issues. This situation has led Gaviotas devising and releasing dozens of inventions with success rates that put some of America’s most prominent technology companies to shame. They invented the likes of; A hydroelectric microturbine that is capable of generating 30kilowatts of electricity at thousands of RPMs from a mere 1 metre drop in a low-fall dam; a system of solar panels, spherical boilers and tanks that can provide hot water for housing projects as large as 30,000 units; and a remote control Zeppelin that utilizes video cameras to detect spot fires in the local forest.
Buildings i
n this village and community, include a communal kitchen, swimming pool, meeting hall, horse stables, playgrounds and delegated areas for animal breeding. A student, named Esperanza Carlo, even designed a hospital that was built there, for free use by its residents, that was voted ‘one of the World’s 40 most important buildings’ by a Japanese architectural journal. The hospital was free of charge for the patients, whether they be residents of Gaviotas, or passers-by – everyone was treated equally. However, due to new laws being passed in the country, and because of ‘wrongheaded’ government thinking, the Hospital was forced to close in 1990. This, in turn, left the province of Vichada – a region the size of Denmark, Belgium and Luxembourg combined – without a hospital.
Unlike the start-ups that ‘dot’ the infamous Silicon Valley, Gaviotas, with its 200 residents and all of its accomplishments, has been achieved with virtually no funding, no well-endowed University backing, no incubators or Venture Capitalists, and no access to a National Power Grid, Airport or Freeway system.
It shows
Although Gaviotas has had its share of ups and downs during its establishment, it stands for a purpose much greater than a community of 200. It has shown that living in a sustainable, monetary-less society, where all the necessities of life are provided for is not only possible, but the preferred lifestyle for many in a country ravaged by violence and corruption.
This village, built in nothing but a “big, wet desert” shows the potential of not only these vastly untapped areas, but for the World as a whole. It shows that we have no excuse, in the developed world, to misuse technology, when we could be applying it for the greater good of mankind and restoration of our environment. Living in symbiosis is possible, just ask Paolo Lugari – in the words of the man himself, in reference to Gaviotas being called a ‘Utopia’ –
“No, not utopia – Topia. Utopia means ‘no place’, a fantasy land. But Gaviotas is real.”.
Contributors:Michael ZupeckiMichael KublerDavid ZwolskiPhotographs courtesy of Katherine Holt Refferences:http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=823 http://yesmagazine.org/article.asp?id=842 http://www.slate.com/id/2097282/entry/2097284/ http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/26/technology/village_saving_planet.biz2/index.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaviotashttp://www.emagazine.com/view/?3414 http://www.friendsofgaviotas.org http://legrandroux.com/gaviotas/
