First stop in Chile: Pio Pio farm and tree planting day

After a few days in Santiago walking around, visiting the city (thanks to Tours4Tips) and admiring the colorful murals, I headed out to the farm Pio Pio, about 2 hours away from Santiago, north of Vina del Mar close to the sea. Pio Pio is a place I had initially planned to volunteer at: an environmental education center and urban farm. But Carolina, the owner, decided to make a pause in the volunteer program for several reasons until further development of the project. Instead, she recommended me to contact her friend Edo who also has a great project a few hours south of here, so I did. Carolina and I had still gotten along really well, exchanging messages and talking before my arrival, so when I got to Chile, she invited me to come spend a few days at Pio Pio.

And it was perfect timing. I arrived just in time for a great occasion: tree planting! On Saturday, Carolina's roommate Andres and his colleagues of the NGO Huella Viva (living trace/footstep) were organizing their first open public event: an action day to plant native trees on Pio Pio's land. Over 30 people came and 63 trees were planted! The group first did an introduction of the NGO, the project and the basics of how to plant a tree, its needs and which kinds of trees were chosen. After that introduction part, people got into small groups, picked up a small tree, some compost and a little round fence and went to find where the holes were dug up. It started at 5 pm so we had time to prepare the holes for the trees that day and cut the pieces of fence to protect the trees once planted. Protect them from what? Rabbits! These animals apparently have also been introduced in the country in the past and they are now keeping the small native trees from growing. Rabbits won't eat eucalyptus, they will only the trees that are needed to grow!

  

People at the event had come from the towns and area around and also friends of the organizers. All were super motivated and came back for more trees to plant until all of the 63 trees were planted. The trees were prepared and donated by the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Quillota, from which students are doing their internships with Andres, Carolina's roommate who is a teacher there and collaborates to make great use of the land as a place to teach and grow plants. Their next step is a vegetable garden cooperative. I was helping out digging the holes and cutting the fences and handing out to participants the material they needed. At the end I did have time to pick a tree and plant it, according to instructions of course. Hope it will grow well! Have you ever planted a tree? If yes which tree and where?

My first tree planted! A 'peumo' tree native to Chile, the 'Chilean acorn'

How to plant a tree: first add a layer of compost at the bottom of the hole, then a layer of soil, then a layer of compost again and a layer of soil then water and then the tree (removing it from the plastic bag without breaking the bag to be reused ;-)) and soil all around it then water again and at last the little fence to protect from the rabbits.


Trees planted, all native species from this area in Chile:
- Maqui or Chilean Wineberry
- Peumo or Chilean acorn
- Quillay or soap bark tree
- Mayten
- Molle
- Belloto del Norte or Northern acorn tree


Carolina even had the great idea: to close the event with a Zero Waste challenge/game, inspired by the way I got into Zero Waste in the first place. In a circle people each got a number which corresponded to a Zero Waste challenge to do during the next 2 weeks. Each number was given twice so that you had a buddy with the same challenge to share the progress and outcome with. Not surprising, several people thought their challenge was not hard enough. Here is the list. Do you already do some of the things in the list?

Challenge for two weeks:

1. Choose food that only comes without packaging
2. Find solid and package free shampoo and soap
3. Start compost at home and locate a place who can receive your compost
4. Bring your coffee mug for your coffee/tea to go, if you forget it: skip coffee/tea
5. Find a place close to where you live where you can bring your container to fill (cheese, peanuts, rice, etc.) Start bringing your container to buy food there
6. No shopping except for daily food
7. Drink without a straw and refuse straws at restaurants
8. Drink homemade drinks only, refuse plastic bottles, aluminum cans and glass
9. Take your take-away food in reusable containers or eat in the restaurant/cafe with washable service
10. Buy your next clothing item you really need secondhand
11. Repair 3 items in your home or in your closet
12. Switch from paper towels to sponges and cloth towels

What a great day and meeting really nice people!