The Sustainability Oscars in Latin America: Premios Verde 2015. Energy category winner: La Casa G, La Casa Sustentable.
On September 25, 2015, Premios Verdes ceremony was held in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It is the annual celebration of the growth of environmental awareness in Latin America and the meeting point of a regional community committed to the same cause. This international award is an initiative of the consulting firm Sambito, together with the Ministry of the Environment of Ecuador and the government of Guayaquil.
The 2015 edition of “Premios Verdes” included 23 Latin American countries plus Spain as a guest country: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica , Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Saint Vincent, Uruguay and Venezuela.
A technical committee evaluated more than 1,000 environmental cases, selected the 500 most prominent cases and the three finalists in each category: Water, Biodiversity and Forests, Human Development and Education, Waste, Emissions, Energy and Sustainable Finance.
The 500 best cases of environmental practices in Latin America were exhibited on 23 and 24 of September in the Convention Center of Guayaquil, using structures made of bamboo, which were reused after the event to build houses. The two-day event also featured a wide array of lectures by prominent guest speakers, such as Hunter Lovins, president of Natural Capitalism and World Promoter of Sustainable Development, considered “Planet Hero of the Millennium” by Time magazine. Undoubtedly the event was a space for reflection and inspiration, aiming to encourage change agents to create a greener Latin America.
The awards ceremony was held at Palacio Cristal (Crystal Palace), designed in 1907 by Gustave Eiffel. For 90 years it was used as a market for vegetables, fruits and fish, among other food products. It was declared historical heritage of the city for its spectacular architecture and is currently used for major cultural exhibitions and important public and private events in the city.
The award ceremony was similar to the Oscars awards, with regard to the suspense and excitement generated in the process of the envelopes opening. The hosts of the event were Monica Fonseca, recognized Colombian actress, ambassador of the environment of the United Nations and Roberto Manrique, a leading Ecuadorian actor and social communicator. Instead of the classic red carpet, the entrance was made through a green path made by a variety of recovered and recycled fabrics. The event also featured performances by the Cateura orchestra from Paraguay, who make their own instruments from solid waste materials. Its members are children from one of the poorest neighborhoods in the region and learn the art of music in the school created by Favio Chavez, director of the orchestra. Soon we will know all the details of the event through DirecTV channels, one of the main sponsors of the event.
Following the eco friendly spirit of the event, the clothing of the hosts was made following the principles of “slow fashion”. Monica dress was made using fabrics that were previously a set of curtains from a house and the jewelry she wore, were produced using recovered materials as silver and Tetrapak (plastic, cardboard and aluminum). Roberto’s suit was “carbon neutral”, meaning that the CO2 emissions throughout all the production process of the fabrics and clothing were calculated; then a number of trees were planted to compensate (absorb) the equivalent of the CO2 generated.
The jury that chose the winning case in each of the seven categories consisted of representatives from: EARTH University of Costa Rica, Development Bank of Latin America -CAF, Inter-American Development Bank — IDB, World Wide Fund for Nature — WWF, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change — UNFCCC and the whole process was audited by PWC.
The winners of each category were:
Water: Biosem, South Ecuameridian S.A., Ecuador.
Biosem is a compact aerobic wastewater activated sludge treatment plant inside reclaimed shipping containers. It uses no chemicals and is environmentally friendly.
Biodiversity and Forests: Chocolate for conservation Waorani Women’s Association of Ecuador, Ecuador.
Waorani Women’s Association created WAO brand chocolate, using only organic cocoa to protect their forests in Yasuni.
Human Development and Education: Diseclar; Design and green manufacturing, Colombia.
Diseclar reuses urban and industrial waste to produce furniture such as chairs, tables, desks and benches among other products. They reuse 300,000 kg. of plastic and 192,000 kg of agro-industrial wastes per year.
Waste: Sierra Viva “two cultures together for a purpose,” Horizons Corporation project with the community, Colombia.
Sierra Nevada, Santa Clara city. Enables the community to collect, transport and recycle all solid waste that accumulated for years in the north of Colombia. 300,000 kilos of waste has been removed.
Emissions: Carbon Neutrality Country Program, Ministry of Environment and Energy, Costa Rica.
Initiative led by the Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment of Costa Rica. By 2021, the country hopes to achieve carbon neutrality.
Energy: La Casa G: La Casa Sustentable, by Charly Karamanian, Argentina.
The purpose of La Casa G is to promote the rational use of materials, good environmental practices, energy and water saving and sustainable lifestyle. Charly Karamanian and his family set out to demonstrate that it is not only possible but also convenient to build using sustainable technologies and techniques.
Sustainable Finance: Banco Procredit, Ecuador.
The third distinction for Ecuador was awarded to Banco Procredit and their Sustainable Management project in the category of Sustainable Finance.
The fact that “Premios Latinoamérica Verde” was held in Ecuador was not by chance. This country was the first in the world to recognize and incorporate the rights of nature in the national constitution (2008). Not only it managed to reverse deforestation but recently was awarded a Guinness record for the “Plantatón” action, whereby the whole country contributed to the planting of over 600,000 trees in one day. On the other hand, the country issued regulations related to EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility), applied to tires, glass, batteries, cell phones, agrochemicals and PET; On the latter, the country has a rate of recovery of 106%. This means that they are not only able to recover and recycle all PET containers produced in the country, but receives containers from neighbor countries.
Premios Latinoamérica Verde is not only a source of inspiration for companies in the region and a recognition for those who propose real and replicable solutions for environmental protection, but is the kickoff to generate an invaluable database, which will allow to know actions led within each country and find points of contact and synergies in the region. Although Latin America is responsible for only 5% of CO2 emissions, it is beginning to show that they not only have a wide variety of natural resources, but also have a lot of people willing to contribute in the search for best practices to preserve “the common house”.
About La Casa G: La Casa Sustentable
Our homes are responsible for over 50% of CO2 emissions and primary energy consumption of the planet; they are directly responsible for the greenhouse effect and climate change; the loss of biodiversity, pollution of rivers, seas and soils. Paradoxically we build our homes to protect ourselves from the weather and thus are contributing to climate change, threatening our survival and the lives of future generations.
La Casa G: La Casa Sustentable is a private non-profit venture, which aims to foster the rational use of materials, promote good environmental practices, energy and water saving and sustainable lifestyle. We set out to show that currently in Argentina it is not only possible, but that it is convenient to build using sustainable techniques and technologies.
La Casa G was opened in December 2013; since then, it has been inhabited by its creator, Charly Karamanian and his family. Besides being one of the most “eco-logical” houses in Latin America, it was promoted through main local and international media as a leading case and source of inspiration for sustainable lifestyle. La Casa G was used among other things, to make a documentary about sustainable construction and several feature films and short videos for the promotion of renewable energy and other sustainable technologies.
Since the launch of La Casa G, Charly Karamanian has published a wide variety of articles promoting the rational use of resources and sustainable habits at home and has given numerous lectures and conferences, including: Argentinean Chamber of Construction, Expo Real Estate Buenos Aires, Green Drinks Buenos Aires, Sustentator & Ser Sustentable Sustainable Conference, ITBA University, Torcuato Di Tella University, National Environment Ministry, and has been a speaker at TEDx Bahia Blanca “De la cueva a la casa sustentable” (From the cave to sustainable housing).
La Casa G is the first house in Argentina to “mine” SolarCoin (SLR), the ecological cryptocurrency that promotes renewable energies; recognized by international entities such as IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency), Solar Power Europe (European Photovoltaic Association) and the United Nations Climate Change Convention.
The Sustainable House Online Course. All the experience and best practices were used in the creation of an online multimedia course, including presentations, audio, videos, complementary material and a series of proposals so that we can build and inhabit our homes in a more sustainable way, seeking the balance between comfort and efficiency. If we put our minds to it, we can improve our quality of life, benefiting from energy savings and caring for the environment.
Finally, La Casa G has its own free App: La Casa Sustentable, created to promote the adoption of more sustainable habits at home. It incorporates a series of useful and simple tips aimed at reducing the consumption of water, energy, waste generation and environmental pollution. They can be read at any time of the day or configure the App to receive a daily advice at a specific time. You also have the possibility to propose your own advice and thus help us improve the App. You can also join this initiative to make this world a better place!
For more information:
Images: Courtesy of SAMBITO by Michelle Dager and Valeria Plaza.
Versión en español: hace clic aquí
