Tocopilla in Green: A festival to celebrate sustainability and environmental commitment

The “Tocopilla en Verde” Festival was held under the slogan “entrepreneurship, sustainability, and environment”, marking the end of a year of collaborative work between various organizations and students from the town of Tocopilla, together with SQM.

Two outstanding speakers were the stars of the event. One of them is Diego López, content creator and host of the program “Lab Chatarra” on NTV Chile, who shared his passion for science and recycling through his social media accounts.

Journalist and entrepreneur Leo Meyer, host of the show “Academia de Emprendedores” on Radio ADN, was in charge of entertainment, keeping the public interested and energetic throughout the day.

The event also included a fair that brought together several organizations from across the county, highlighting Tocopilla’s diversity and vitality. In their joint effort to build a more sustainable future committed to the environment, participating organizations were able to showcase their projects to the community, thus fostering valuable interactions.

Tocopilla en Verde was executed by Verdical, a B corporation from the Antofagasta Region, which has been actively working with SQM on environmental issues in seven educational establishments, as well as a pilot eco-neighborhood in Tocopilla.

Daniela Núñez, Verdical’s project director, said that they are pleased with the high turnout at the event and explained that this “is a festival that seeks to end the year alongside various organizations working to support the local ecosystem. A number of educational establishments have also come to show what they have been working on during the year.”

Patricia Espinoza, a teacher in charge of the academy of environmental trailblazers at the Arturo Prat school, commented that they have been working with Verdical all year round in the school’s greenhouse, growing medicinal and food species.

She added that these events are extremely important because “when it comes to education, I am convinced that experiential, empirical and demonstrative learning has the greatest impact. Students can test hypotheses, make deductions and apply their knowledge.”

Along these same lines, it is important to highlight SQM’s fundamental role in the event. The company has actively supported various sports, educational and environmental NGOs and ventures within the borough, reinforcing its commitment with the local community.

Carolina Guzmán, head of community relations at SQM, emphasized the importance of collaboration between companies and the community to achieve sustainable development: “In Tocopilla, we have developed different programs of shared social value, underlining sustainability as a key component. We think that opportunities like this, showcasing the programs and garnishing participation by the community, will increase the initiatives happening across the entire county.”

Guzmán added that “the change is not going to happen through the companies alone. It has to be done together with the community and its educational establishments. This is the only way we can create a sustainable city and extend our ideas to the rest of the country.”

The event included a performance of the puppet show ‘Una Sola Tierra’, a creation of the Aire Violeta Puppet and Storytelling Company. The play told a moving narrative that celebrates friendship, recycling, and a deep love of nature; it captivated the audience by conveying a vital message about the importance of caring for our planet.

Two outstanding organizations in the county this year were also honored: the Pedro Aguirre Cerda school and the 21 de Mayo Neighborhood Council. Both institutions have stood out for their commitment and work to make the community a friendlier and more pleasant place for everybody.

This meeting was a sample of the diversity and vitality of Tocopilla in its joint effort to build a more sustainable future committed to the environment. The organizations that participated in this event were: the Voa Foundation, Caleta Urco, Deportes Tocopilla, Delegación Provincial, the Mr Barber Foundation, Kai Tour, Arte y Pintura, Puerto Colores, Cowork El Puerto, SENDA, Ecobarrio Sargento Aldea, Vilti Semann, the Municipality of Tocopilla and TPCH School in María Elena.

Sargento Aldea Eco-neighborhood

An ecological and sustainable initiative is coming to fruition in Tocopilla thanks to the collaboration of the local community. This project, called Ecobarrio (eco-neighborhood), seeks the active participation of its inhabitants, with the primary objective of raising awareness among the population about caring for their environment and carrying out community initiatives in favor of a sustainable use of public space.

SQM, in partnership with Verdical and the Municipality of Tocopilla, is implementing this pilot eco-neighborhood together with the 21 Mayo Neighborhood Council. This urban-ecological initiative aims to raise awareness among neighbors about the importance of preserving the environment and promoting community efforts for the sustainable use of public space.

Verdical has implemented a community strategy focused on imparting knowledge about the growing of plant species and the creation of a cultivation module. This module, consisting of tables for sprouting various species, was developed together with the beneficiaries, thus promoting a joint effort in terms of both design and implementation.

Coralia Saudy, a member of the 21 de Mayo Neighborhood Council, explained that “this brought the neighborhood together, and people from other sectors also came to participate. It was nice because we got to share the experience with outside neighbors.”

Coralia also highlighted the importance of this initiative because “Tocopilla does not have many green spaces. Besides, the things we plant, such as medicinal herbs, lettuce and tomatoes, are expensive, and we can grow and share them with our neighbors.

Through this community-business collaboration, the Sargento Aldea eco-neighborhood is expected to become an exemplary model of sustainability and citizen participation in the Antofagasta Region.