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María Elena officially inaugurated the town’s first bike path, which is also a first for the entire Tocopilla Province. This community space was refurbished for María Elena residents to promote sports and provide a safe place for the cyclists and athletes that will use this new path.

The community held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate this important milestone, the result of collaborative effort involving the community, the municipality and the private sector, specifically contributions from SQM as part of its Healthy Living community work in towns near its operations.

On the topic, SQM’s Senior Vice President of Nitrate Operations, José Miguel Berguño, commented: “As a company, one thing we do is to help improve the quality of life of millions of people around the world through our products. That is part of our sustainable outlook. We also work together with the community, which is something that is built through dialog, conversation and a direct relationship. It is very motivating to see our neighbors take interest in something and witness their capacity for community organizing with the municipality to challenge us to build a bike path here and help contribute to tourism by encouraging healthy lifestyles.”

Daniela Vechiolla, a delegate for the Tocopilla Province, also spoke about this important milestone, the first transport-related initiative of this size in the province. “We are very happy to see how a private company is forging bonds with communities, creating this important bike path that offers a safe alternative for exercising.”

According to Natalie Guerrero, a María Elena resident and cyclist attending the activity with her daughter: “The opening of this bike path is very cool. It is a great idea because we are going to have a recreational space that encourages physical activity, which is important for everyone. This bike path has motivated many children, teenagers and adults to get out and have fun.”

Tourism Hub

The Mayor of María Elena, Omar Norambuena, emphasized the importance of this bike path, which is aligned with the community plan of adding value and developing local tourism. He recognized the joint work and partnership with SQM, which enabled the town to refurbish a symbolic space, the path connecting this nitrates office to Pedro de Valdivia, and also provide added safety for local athletes and bikers. “Through this initiative, we are gaining space and joining forces to move forward, develop and improve our district,” the local authority said.

The president of the Sustainable Tourism Foundation, Carolina Elgueta, underscored the importance of this milestone because “we are working to add value to this territory with tour guides and tourism service providers, and this bike path will make a big contribution, not only for tourists and visitors, but also to positively impact healthy living, recreation and people’s wellbeing.”

The bike path is 29 km long and makes a detour to the Coya Sur cemetery. It features a map of the route and signs marking each kilometer along the entire path, plus four rest stations or points located: In María Elena, in front of Coya Sur, at the ‘arbolito’ sector and in Pedro de Valdivia.

At the ribbon cutting ceremony, volunteers and community leaders who led campaigns to clean up the area near the bike path were also recognized. These included Mario González and Roberto Guzmán, and councilpersons Juan Carlos Viera and Carmen Zamora.

This initiative was completed thanks to support from professionals from SQM’s Ground Transport Area, as part of the company’s community work plan, which focuses on engagement strategies and shared value with towns near its operations in order to contribute to sustainable development and quality of life.