More than 500 people are expected to participate in the new version of the Environmental Program in Tocopilla
Verdigal, an Antofagasta-based company, partnered with SQM Yodo Nutrición Vegetal to foster sustainable communities through an environmental program that empowers and trains agents of change.
This seventh version of the program will benefit more than 500 people from the Estados Unidos, Bernardo O’Higgins, Carlos Condell, COSAFA, Pablo Neruda, Arturo Prat and Pedro Aguirre Cerda schools, as well as two neighborhood councils from the municipality.
Leonor González, Head of Pampa Community Affairs for SQM Yodo Nutrición Vegetal, remarked, “We are very proud to be part of this program, which generates shared social value and helps us build communities that embrace the environment. The project is open to the community, creating an extremely interesting environmental and social fabric that will improve local quality of life.”
Importantly, the program includes a series of workshops on topics like school gardens, vertical gardens, ecological preservation practices and sustainable use of public space.
Daniela Núñez, a founding partner of Verdical, explained, “This year, we will work with seven educational establishments and two neighborhood councils to promote education on topics like vegetable garden beds, greenhouses, composting, vermicomposting, which we will address throughout the year with several groups of children, adolescents and adults.”
Ebolett Amaro, a sixth-grade student at the Estados Unidos School, was among the students who participated in the inaugural event. He expressed his enthusiasm: “This is a unique experience. I would like to learn more things like this, for example, how plants grow and how to do projects. The plants in our city have been drying up lately. Now that we know this, we can plant them ourselves.”
Finally, the school’s director, Gloria Rojas, said, “The fact that children learn about protecting the environment, recycling, composting and reusing organic waste is part of an unofficial, overarching curriculum. This is a great opportunity for children to develop awareness that will allow them to contribute to their community.”
This program reinforces Tocopilla’s commitment to sustainability and forming environmentally-aware communities that actively protect the environment.
