Tocopilla en Verde festival successfully celebrates sustainability and the environment

Tocopilla en Verde festival successfully celebrates sustainability and the environment

17/Dec/2024

The 2024 Tocopilla en Verde festival was held at Plaza Carlos Condell in Tocopilla. Organized jointly by various organizations and students from the town of Tocopilla and sponsored by SQM Iodine Plant Nutrition, the festival addressed topics like entrepreneurship, innovation, environment and heritage.

Open to the entire community, the event was organized by Verdical and SQM Iodine Plant Nutrition. It included a presentation by meteorologist Michelle Adam, who gave a talk on climate change and the national and global repercussions it has on the environment. The emcee for the day was journalist and entrepreneur Leo Meyer, host of the show “Academia de Emprendedores” on Radio ADN, who excited the crowd about the event’s diverse activities.

In addition, former Formula 1 driver Eliseo Salazar offered sustainable e-karting tours, a surprise experience for hundreds of students attending the festival.

The gathering brought together various local organizations around sustainability and environmental stewardship, giving these institutions a chance to showcase their work to the community and creating an atmosphere of collaboration among entrepreneurs.

Rachel Cortés, Provincial Presidential Delegate for Tocopilla, spoke about the importance of activities like this, commenting: “It is important for this administration to highlight initiatives like these to recover public spaces, but also to learn about the environment and ultimately propose a Green Tocopilla that moves towards sustainability and freedom from pollution.”

José Robles, Deputy Community Relations Manager at SQM Iodine Plant Nutrition, remarked,  “Tocopilla en Verde seeks to activate the community through concrete actions. Our work with Verdical seeks to recognize innovation, heritage and the importance of protecting our environment, while also taking back public spaces. This initiative aligns with our purpose of developing unique capabilities that transform resources into life and progress.”

Tocopilla en Verde is organized by Verdical, which has seven years of experience promoting education programming together with SQM Iodine Plant Nutrition. Daniela Núñez, Verdical’s project director, commented that they were pleased with the large crowd that attended the festival: “We are proud of these activities. They seek to end the year well, with the various organizations working together to generate real changes in the north.”

The festival also featured vegetable garden workshops by Verdical, experiments in marine currents by Fundación Protección Oceánica and an athletic activity by Deportes Tocopilla.

RECOGNITION

At the event, the Tocopilla En Verde 2024 Spirit Award was presented to students Antonia Corral and Victoria Lara, participants in the environmental program “Speaker En Verde.” Eighteen-year-old Antonia, a student at Sagrada Familia Bicentennial High School, has been participating in Verdical for 7 years. She highlighted: “It’s hard to talk about the lessons that Verdical has taught me because there are so many. I have been with them since I was very young, and from the beginning their teachings have been directly related to recycling, how to take care of the environment and how to be an agent of change in Tocopilla.”

In addition, Rodrigo Varas, a teacher at the República de los Estados Unidos School in Tocopilla, and the Villa Los Andes Tocopilla Neighborhood Board were recognized for their work and contribution to the ecosystem.

This celebration became an opportunity for education and entertainment in Tocopilla, seeking to create a future that is more sustainable and more committed to the environment.

The organizations that participated in this event were: Municipality of Tocopilla, Pájaro Niño, Deportes Tocopilla, Samka, Sembrando Futuro, Taller Esperanza, Puerto Cowork, Lab4U, Mr.Barber, Kai Tour, Protección Oceánica, the Tocopilla Municipal Job Placement Office, Señoras del Salitre, Palpa, Vivero Municipal, Eliseo E-karts and Protección Oceánica.