Recycling Project in María Elena to Represent Chile at RedEAmérica International Forum

The Mr.Barber Foundation and its robust recycling and environmental education program were selected to take part in the Red América International Forum (FIR) to be held in Peru in March. It was the only Chilean organization chosen to participate with entities from other Latin American nations.

At the XII RedEAmerica International Forum, to be held in Lima, projects from Colombia, Brazil, Peru and Chile will on display, with the objective of fostering changes that strengthen sustainability in Latin America. According to the forum, “we must generate a social agreement and a new way of effective, democratic, ethics-based governance with participation from governments, companies, civic organizations, community organizations and academia.”

With support from SQM and the Municipality of María Elena, the Mr.Barber Foundation created a robust recycling and environmental education program entitled “Recycling from the Classroom and Home,” where the foundation works alongside the community to create an active recycling culture, with different collection sites and logistics that make the city much more sustainable.

At just 33 years of age, Carolina Elgueta Delgado is the director of the Mr. Barber Foundation and the María Elena Sustainable Tourism Foundation. With a degree in business administration, she has lead institutions with an environmental and social focus in towns in the region since 2011, strengthening and contributing to environmental education, effective recycling and community development through tourism.

The Mr. Barber Foundation and its María Elena recycling project competed in the category of “Youth and Climate Change” and was the only project from Chile selected. “We are very proud as this is one of the most important conferences in Latin America,” remarked Carolina Elgueta. She also added, “More than the recognition, it is fantastic to have the opportunity to tell other young people about the concrete actions that a place as inhospitable as the Atacama Desert is doing to help the environment. I am also very happy to be the only female presenter in the category of youth and climate change and to represent our region and country.”

FIR 2020 is organized by RedEAmérica, a corporate sector network formed with a collaborative spirit designed to share valuable experiences, knowledge and good practices to fulfill the mission of promoting sustainable communities in Latin America. Its members include more than 80 corporate organizations in 14 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The purpose of the forum is to generate reflection on the social-environmental challenges faced by the region and the role and contributions of companies and foundations to work with other players to boost sustainable development.

First Recycling Center in María Elena

The space that made recycling a way of life among María Elena residents functions as a xxx and collection center. From here waste is transported to a recycling plant in Antofagasta and processed into raw materials for new products. The initiative was backed by SQM, the Mr.Barber Foundation and the local municipality.

The recycling center was built on Pasaje Orella, a strategic location where residents sort waste into labeled bins for cans, plastics, paper and cardboard.

In addition to opening the “Recycling Center”, 16 “Mini-Centers” were installed in several locations around town to bring recycling closer to the community and promote an active chain of recycling driven by María Elena’s own residents.

This project was made possible through a public-private partnership between SQM, the Mr. Barber Foundation and the Municipality of María Elena, whose joint efforts were designed to mobilize–through recycling–boys and girls in the community to take care of the environment and act as agents of change by transferring knowledge to their families and other social circles.

In this spirit, these initiatives are part of a robust environmental education program being implemented at schools in María Elena: “Recycling from the Classroom and Home” uses fun, educational workshops to develop skills and technical-practical knowledge so that students can identify opportunities for environmental improvements in the community and determine how they can contribute, from their surroundings, to sustainable development in María Elena.