A garden for the OSF

Apr 24, 2023 | News | 3 comments

Tags: ALMA

☆☆☆☆☆
When Francisco went to make an inspection, he found a surprise: “I never imagined that the most beautiful place in the observatory would be the Wastewater Treatment Plant,” says Francisco Herrera, Management Control and Administrative Assistant in the CFG area.

There, in the middle of an arid desert, he found a green place, full of native plants, cactus, and red, yellow and purple flowers.

How did this come about?

That was exactly what Francisco Cisterna, Contract Supervisor of the CFG area, had wondered before. Last year it had come to his attention that the treatment plant was taking on a green and sometimes multicolored hue. Its operation and maintenance had recently been awarded to the contractor Resiter. There, José Pincheira and his supervisor Christian González were working magic.

“I asked them what the secret was and they pointed to a field where the material that cannot be biologically processed at the plant is dried and then disposed of as organic waste,” says Francisco Cisterna. The key to this product is that it becomes a kind of “charcoal” that serves as an excellent fertilizer for the soil.

When Francisco Herrera learned this, he proposed to his boss, Donald Tait, to take this idea to the OSF Technical Building.

“Most of the observatory workers spend half of their time at their workplace. Contact with nature is a fundamental principle for all living things, and in many cases we get used to being cooped up in houses, apartments, offices. Based on these ideas, I started working to achieve greener environments for all my colleagues at ALMA,” says Francisco Herrera.
The initiative gives priority to desert plants that naturally grow in these sectors, thus avoiding seeds from outside.
The challenges

One of the main obstacles facing the project is preventing donkeys from entering the garden, so “papal fences” were put up. However, on one occasion they entered and ate all but a few of the plants.

The second challenge is water. The gardens have an automatic watering system, which has not been used for more than 10 years, and is completely broken.

“Our team is investigating how to repair the irrigation system. This is a dry place, there are not many plants that grow here naturally. If we want to have a ‘made garden’ then we’re going to have to put in effort to artificially supply water and protect the plants from being eaten,” says Donald Tait, CFG Manager.

Until the automatic system is activated, the plants are watered manually with water jars, although a water connection to use a hose is already in the works.
“The end result I have in mind is a green, multicolored environment, with native plants, which would increase the quality of life for the workers. I’m sure that when this garden starts to look very green, co-workers will be volunteering to care for and water the plants. As an ad-honorem, healthy and anti-stress activity”, concludes Francisco Herrera.

3 Comments

  1. Liza
    Liza on April 25, 2023 at 4:12 pm

    Maravilloso!!

    Reply
  2. Thodori Nakos
    Thodori Nakos on April 26, 2023 at 10:49 pm

    Genial, felicitaciones!!

    Reply
  3. Gloria Branchadell
    Gloria Branchadell on May 29, 2023 at 1:16 pm

    Excelente iniciativa, bravo!

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Post