January 3, 2009
By natural law, energy is neither created nor destroyed – it simply transforms from one medium into another. No matter where you are, it is always there for the taking. One might even say that it is so close, that most people are unable to see it! One should always use all the locally available energy first – tap all locally available resources first – before even thinking of bringing in energy from somewhere else. In that spirit, here is what Gaviotas has done recently:
For years, Gaviotas has been generating its electricity by means of a steam turbine running on wood culled from its forest. This year, the villagers have developed a novel fuel mix made of turpentine (distilled resin tapped from the pine trees in the forest) and plant oil (extracted from the fruit of the palm trees in the forest or from recycled cooking oil) that now runs all their diesel engines – electric generators, tractors, and soon trucks as well. All that was needed were stainless steel filters (developed in-house) to replace the regular paper oil filters in their engines. This new fuel mix doesn’t require any changes to the engines’ diesel fuel injection pumps.
Gaviotas features a community dining hall that is very popular with the villagers. Its kitchen makes about 200 meals a day. The massive cooking stoves have now been equipped with internal piping through which water is heated to near boiling and is then circulated without a pump, simply via natural convection (thermosiphon). This new heat exchange system replaces the 30 solar collectors that used to sit on the roof of the dining hall. The old collectors (also thermosiphon with no moving parts) are still in top shape, so they will simply get a new paint job and be sold for $1,000 a piece!
Biodiversity in the Gaviotas forest continues to increase. The villagers have planted a mix of pine and palm, and now fruit trees, and nature is adding the rest: hundreds of native plant and animal species are emerging that had not been seen on these arid plains in ages.http://www.friendsofgaviotas.org/Updates/Entries/2009/1/3_Travels_Through_The_East.html
Watch this excellent 25 minute film about Paolo Lugari at:
http://web.mac.com/giocondaperezsnyder/Site/Paolo_Lugari.html
Alan Weisman @ Duke University.2008. Reflections on the 10th Anniversary of his book:
http://web.me.com/giocondaperezsnyder/Alan_Weisman/Alan_Weisman.html
Buy the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gaviotas-Village-Reinvent-Alan-Weisman/dp/0930031954/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t
An excellent Amazon review:
interesting, December 17, 2004
http://web.me.com/giocondaperezsnyder/Alan_Weisman/Alan_Weisman.html
Buy the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gaviotas-Village-Reinvent-Alan-Weisman/dp/0930031954/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t
An excellent Amazon review:
interesting, By
Wendy
This review is from: Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World (Paperback)
In 1998, journalist Alan Weisman collected and presented information about a little known, yet quite monumental, village known as Gaviotas. To get there, one must travel 16 hours by car from the nearest major Columbian city, Bogotá. Even then the path there is not a smooth one; rough, muddy roads and severe political unrest serve as some major barriers in getting to Gaviotas. So why then is such an arduous trip worth it; in essence, Gaviotas is yet another tiny village located in a generally uninhabitable region and possesses none of the modern modes of transportation or communication that we are accustomed to. While in a sense these aspects may be true of Gaviotas, it is also undeniable that this community holds as one of the most efficient, supportive, and thoughtful communities on the planet. 
