The Vision

The Casa Verde project will propel Chile’s rural Patagonia region into a self-sufficient future.  It will provide economically and environmentally sustainable alternatives to the impending, destructive development projects that are currently promising financial rewards.

Casa Verde will begin with the development of Patagonia’s first four-season greenhouse that will serve as a model for other sustainable development plans in an isolated region that is in need of secure jobs and independent food security.

The project will also support ecotourism — currently the major industry that shows signs of viably preventing irreversible, tragic damage through industrial construction and the damming of pristine waterways.

Localized Economy and Self-Sufficiency

The project will be hosted in Coyhaique, Chile, a town often referred to as the capital of Patagonia about 1200 miles south of Santiago, close to the same latitude as Portland, Oregon.  Coyihaique has a population of about 50,000 and is the center of agriculture, education, and government administration for what is known as the 11th region of Chile (also called Aisen).

Introducing four-season greenhouse technology is imperative in a country with geographic and geological conditions like Chile. In February 2010, Chile was hit with a shocking 8.8 earthquake that afffected over 70% of the population and left half the country in crumbles. Although the earthquake did not directly affect Patagonia Chile, the fear was that delivery trucks would not be able to deliver food and gasoline to the remote, Patagonia region of Chile.

Coyhaique is an agricultural community.  Most people grown their own food but are forced to buy expensive imported goods at least one season every year.  If Casa Verde is successful, it will serve as a prototype for affordable Four-Season Community Greenhouses where locals will be able to use “plots” all year-round.

Eco-Tourism vs. Industrial Development

As Chile’s economy grows it faces dramatic choices about how to treat its natural resources.  Patagonia is still largely wild, but industrial developers see it as an untapped resource: there are plans to build destructive hyrdroelectric dams and clear-cut thousands of miles of forest for power lines.

If Patagonia can prove that eco-tourism is a viable source of economic development, then the government will be incentivized to join the fight against these destructive energy projects.

Casa Verde is sited on the land Ruth Cohen owns in conjunction with the Patagonia Guest House, an existing ecotourism establishment. Casa Verde will provide crops for the Cohen family and the Patagonia Guest House and will serve as an educational facility for locals and guests.