Eco-Vision
Ecosystem - Recovery of the Taruma Park
Recovery of the Taruma Park started in 2001, with Ecosystem 1.0, the first non - profit electronic music festival environmentally sound to take place in the Amazon rainforest and one of the largest parties that has ever happened in Brazil.
Located in the region of the Taruma waterfall, approximately 360,000 square meters of land has been allocated by the government of the Amazonas state for the creation of the ecological park. During the 80’s miners exploited the area leaving quarries and more recently, the inhabitants of Manaus have been using it as a place for leisure. Over the years it’s become degraded and used for as a dumping site until a few months before the festival. It’s a place of outstanding beauty with its four lakes, rocky plateaus and white sand beaches, as well as being surrounded by secondary forest and with a small stream passing through that is a tributary of the Negro River.
The Ecosystem project managed to bring together representatives from the government, NGOs and artists in aid of a common goal. It shows that the event embraces different sectors of society and that it is a real public interest event as well as it’s fun and cultural side, it has both content and official endorsement.
The government of the Amazonas state is working on recuperating the degraded area and on building the permanent structure for the Park, as well as giving structural support such as security, health aid and cleaning facilities.
Greenpeace has been involved in the project to supply the producers with ideas, guidelines and solutions that minimize the environmental impacts of such a big event. Although the organisation will not be participating, such guidelines should be used on upcoming editions to maintain the integrity of environmentally friendly event.
Liquid Sky, from New York, is in charge of the artistic direction (line up and inviting artists) and the promotion of Ecosystem around the world, using music and electronic culture to raise young peoples awareness about the protection of the Amazon rainforest.
Skateboarding championship
During Ecosystem 2 the venue hosted one round of the Brazilian Skateboarding Championship.“For the first time in skate’s history, one stage of the Professional Brazilian Championship, the most important contest of skateboarding in Brazil, will take place in Manaus. The competition will be the third round of the 2002 Brazilian Circuit, on the vertical category and will score points for the Brazilian ranking with a prize of R$ 10,000 (USD 5,000). The best Brazilian skateboarders will participate on this event, which is a partnership between the Brazilian Skateboarding Confederation (CBSK) and Ecosystem. The best ramp architect in Brazil is building the competition ramp: George Rotatori. The ramp will be part of the permanent structure of the Taruma Ecological Park therefore becoming available for the population of Manaus. This event is a landmark for Skateboarding as it is taking a high level competition to the Brazilian Amazon”Alexandre Vianna, head of the Brazilian Skateboarding Confederation (CBSK)
Skate Ramp
With the idea of tying a cultural event to the skate community, the proposal was to build a FSC certified skate ramp as part of the permanent facilities of the Taruma Ecological Park. It was the first FSC certified skate ramp on the planet creating a model that could be easily adopted in other countries, besides setting an example for the huge young crowd that is fond of skating.
Skating is an ecological sport, as it does not consume energy or huge amounts of natural resources. Although it’s typically an urban activity, Manaus has a chance to integrate it with the local environment in a unique way, attracting crowds of young people that experience freedom on a small wooden board.
Total engagement from the artists
Every artist and performer that participated in Ecosystem 1.0 and Ecosystem 2.0 played for free to help make the party come true. They also became Ancient Forests Guardians and signed a petition supporting the Greenpeace demands for the protection of the world’s ancient forests.
The Structure-Building certified Tents
The two main structures that have been built so far are wooden huts inspired on the Yanomami indigenous people’s architecture. Only FSC certified timber was used on the construction - FSC certification is a way to guarantee that the timber came from legal and sustainable logging. Each hut is around 30 meters diameter and can host up to 1,500 people.
At Ecosystem 1.0, such structures were the main dance floors. Maloca Jungle and Maloca Tekno, as they were called, hosted a lot of good music and the joy of thousands of young people. The acoustic was praised by several DJs and the maloca’s natural air conditioning systems made Manau’s weather bearable. Both tents were used in the same way at Ecosystem 2.0.NGOs and integration with local culture.Some organizations that have been developing environmental education and campaigns to protect the Amazon were present at the festival with booths to publicize their work and promote their products. They were Fundação Vitória Amazônica, Oficina Escola de Lutheria da Amazônia and COIAB.
Woodstick
More attention will be given by the producers to this space, where the Dj equipment will be open to amateur artists or to whoever is interested in playing for a little while. The structure will be similar to last year, a DJ booth and a nice open area for the public.
Cleaning and Garbage collection
Before the creation of the park, the lack of infrastructure to collect the garbage from the public left behind almost a ton of waste such as plastic bottles and aluminium cans. Such waste was collected, separated and sent to recycling /reusing after a careful cleaning operation was carried out by the Manaus municipality and oriented by Greenpeace just before Ecosystem 1.0. More than 70 car tires were removed from the lakes, evidence that the site was being illegally used as a dumpsite.
As for during the 4 days of Ecosystem, 160 drums painted in the international recycling colours were spread all over the venue for the selective collection of the garbage. All the waste generated during the event was collected, separated and sent to recycling (such as aluminium cans and plastic bottles) or reused (such as the organic waste). Another initiative was the attempt to reduce the amount of garbage, minimizing the use of disposable materials such as plastic glasses, which were replaced by returnable glasses.The public showed involvement and collaborated to keep the venue clean. Several European DJs and articles published in the international press praised the garbage collection system.
Toilets
The 70 toilet cabins used a biodegradable chlorine free product. The sewage was taken to a treatment station to avoid pollution.
The other cleaning products used at the venue were also biodegradable.
The same procedures will be adopted in 2002.
Toxic Materials
Only metal-free paint was used on the construction, and biodegradable materials such as straw replaced plastic roofs on the structures.
The giant inflatable figures used to decorate the venue were made of nylon, a better alternative than PVC, which is a toxic plastic. PVC was also avoided on the tickets, promotional banners and identification cards.
Fiberglass replaced asbestos.
All promotional material concerning the event was printed on recycled, chlorine free paper.
Food Plaza
All necessary measures to ensure the reuse of the water, proper disposal of garbage, energy efficient equipment will be taken on the restaurant areas. The restaurant structure must be built with certified timber, again giving preference to biodegradable materials that are harmonic with the rest of the Park’s structure.
With regards to food, the guideline is to use local food once again such as acai and guarana and avoid GM foods (an updated list with the GM foods being sold in Brazil will be made available to the caterers). The promotion of organic food should also be a priority.
Water Treatment Systems
The water used on the showers and food plaza must be treated without clhorine. There are alternative clhorine free technologies which need to be researched until the best option is identified.
Renewable energy and air pollution
The site offers different opportunities for generating electricity from renewable sources. Ecosystem is working to have solar pannels in place to generate electricity enough to supply the park’s demand. The goal is to prove that it is possible to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels that are contributing to global warming and climate change.
Another measure is to push for the use of collective transport and reduce CO2 emissions, buses will be available to the public leaving from central points in Manaus to the venue. The government is committed to establish permanent bus lines to and from the park as part of the environmental guidelines.
Outdoor Furniture
FSC certified timber or metal benches and tables should be placed at strategic locations of the Park to offer more confort to the public and make better use of the space.
Reforestation
Some areas of the Park need to be reforested with native species. Part of the reforestation will be done during the festival (day time) offering the public and the artists a chance to plant a tree in the Amazon, on a truly public engagement initiative