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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 333 EAN: 9781603580564 Edition: 10th anniversary ISBN: 1603580565 Label: Chelsea Green Publishing Manufacturer: Chelsea Green Publishing Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 240 Publication Date: September 03, 2008 Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Studio: Chelsea Green Publishing Editorial Review: Product Description: Los Llanosthe rain-leached, eastern savannas of war-ravaged Colombiaare among the most brutal environments on Earth and an unlikely setting for one of the most hopeful environmental stories ever told. Here, in the late 1960s, a young Colombian development worker named Paolo Lugari wondered if the nearly uninhabited, infertile llanos could be made livable for his countrys growing population. He had no idea that nearly four decades later, his experiment would be one of the worlds most celebrated examples of sustainable living: a permanent village called Gaviotas. In the absence of infrastructure, the first Gaviotans invented wind turbines to convert mild breezes into energy, hand pumps capable of tapping deep sources of water, and solar collectors efficient enough to heat and even sterilize drinking water under perennially cloudy llano skies. Over time, the Gaviotans experimentation has even restored an ecosystem: in the shelter of two million Caribbean pines planted as a source of renewable commercial resin, a primordial rain forest that once covered the llanos is unexpectedly reestablishing itself. Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez has called Paolo Lugari Inventor of the World. Lugari himself has said that Gaviotas is not a utopia: Utopia literally means no place. We call Gaviotas a topia, because its real. Relive their story with this special 10th-anniversary edition of Gaviotas, complete with a new afterword by the author describing how Gaviotas has survived and progressed over the past decade. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - I love this bookThis is one of my favorite books. I recommend it to anyone who will listen. I just love it. I've read it twice and I'll probably read it again sometime. I want to live in Gaviotas! Rating: - Gaviotas - inspiringWonderful book, highly recommended, inspiring. A real look at sustainable development in a highly unlikely place in the world. MUST READ!! Rating: - Must ReadThis is an amazing story about an amazing REAL place... It is an obligated reading for all of those who care about sustainability and renewable energy and wonder whether there is an alternative for our society. Read this and you will be full of hope and energy for action. Rating: - Engaging StyleThis book shows people solving ecological problems as a community. Weisman engages the reader by showing the people involved, not only the ones with training in certain disciplines, but also natives with practical solutions for living in a Columbian village. Even the children got involved in problem solving in Gaviotos. They have learned to live in a place where there are many dangers due to drug wars, yet their survival skills are exceptional. I highly recommend this ... Read More Rating:  - Not DIYThe vision described in the book is inspiring and very hopeful. The idea is to use our ingenuity in ways directly adapted to our environment so that small towns can be self-sufficient. Along the way, very clever uses of wind and water are discovered and described. If the reader is looking for great general ideas or approaches, this book would be hard to beat. On the other hand, if you are a garage-tinkerer and would delight in building the clever devices described, this book is close but no cigar. ... Read More |
