Building Resilient and Regenerative Territories (Eco-zones)

Colombia faces significant vulnerability to the impacts of climate change due to its geographical features and widespread poverty. Specifically, in the Metropolitan area of Aburra Valley, where our focus lies, the steep terrain and lack of green spaces exacerbate runoff and erosion, heightening the risk of floods and landslides that disproportionately affect low-lying urban areas. Moreover, factors such as gentrification and economic pressures compel people to settle in precarious slope-side areas, amplifying the dangers during the rainy season and leading to substantial economic, material, and human losses when disasters strike. The resulting inundation overwhelms sewage systems, further diminishing citizens' quality of life. Beyond the metropolitan area, numerous informal settlements face heightened susceptibility to climate change impacts, stemming from poverty, rugged terrain, deficient infrastructure, and governmental neglect, all of which exacerbate the climate crisis effects. These communities must devise their own localized adaptation strategies, rendering rapid response and recovery efforts often ineffective. Moreover, securing adequate financing presents a formidable challenge for community organizations, hindering the potential for impactful action.

When climate events occur, predominantly floods and landslides, the resulting losses and damages are immeasurable, with repercussions extending to approximately 1 million inhabitants across various municipalities in the metropolitan area.

At Low Carbon City, we collaborate closely with communities, equipping them with the tools and knowledge to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Our approach encompasses strategies such as urban agriculture and forestry, tactical urban interventions, social technology, mobility initiatives, and water and waste management. Each intervention is complemented by workshops focusing on low-carbon practices, resilience, and climate change adaptation, emphasizing social and environmental renewal. We have conducted two pilot projects in 2016, funded by the Envigado Mayor's Office, which served as a catalyst for the establishment of four additional eco-zones within the same municipality of the metropolitan area, in collaboration with local residents and municipal authorities. In 2023, we undertook another pilot project in a slope zone, financed by four private entities, in support of Fundacion Conciencia, a local organization providing community dining and a range of educational and cultural programs benefiting approximately 300 children, adolescents, and youth. Through this initiative, we assisted in the implementation of a composting system, enhancement of the community orchard, and installation of a rainwater harvesting system, accompanied by the provision of seedlings and water purifier filters for cooking and irrigation purposes. The workshops focused on orchard management strategies. It is worth noting that as a result of the orchard's enhancement, soil erosion has been reduced, thereby mitigating the risk of landslides. 

An eco-zone constitutes a defined urban area aimed at reducing CO2 emissions while implementing low-cost adaptation and mitigation techniques, constructed collectively through five components: mobility, habitat and biodiversity, agriculture and forestry, renewable energy, and waste management. The primary objective of these zones is to enhance environmental and habitability conditions, prioritizing citizens' quality of life by improving air quality, public spaces, safe and sustainable transportation, food security, environmental balance, and social cohesion, with citizens playing a pivotal role in the solution. The project focuses on bolstering climate governance to empower communities to manage their territories, fostering territorial autonomies to implement climate crisis solutions and addressing knowledge and resource gaps through theoretical and practical workshops on food sovereignty, low-carbon solutions, efficient natural resource utilization, and territory management. We train children, adolescents, and youth to tackle climate change, transforming them into agents of replicable solutions. This year, we aim to expand our impact to more territories within the metropolitan area, establishing two or more new eco-zones and reinforcing previously impacted communities with additional prevention and adaptation techniques drawn from indigenous and peasant knowledge.

The process comprises four phases: a diagnostic stage where we identify potential communities and forge alliances with public and private sector stakeholders, conducting diagnostics on ethnographic conditions, mobility, air quality, waste management assessment, and energy source analysis. Based on this information, we design a project encompassing all environmental components, beginning with co-creation and socialization workshops involving key stakeholders. Subsequently, we formulate intervention strategies, establish monitoring indicators, and develop didactic guides to sensitize inhabitants and ensure the continuity of proposed strategies. During implementation, we benefit from the guidance and expertise of urbanism and social technology specialists, conducting workshops on project management topics before, during, and after our intervention, covering areas such as allelopathy, agroecology techniques, nature-based solutions, and social technology interventions. Upon completion, we compile a report detailing results, recommendations, and risks, and collaborate with entities to ensure strategy continuity. Subsequently, our role shifts to monitoring and follow-up to document changes pre- and post-project, compliance with indicators, improvement options, and future intervention opportunities. The social technologies applied draw from indigenous and peasant knowledge and techniques, including soil revegetation to prevent erosion, ground flattening for orchard implementation, and the creation of digester bales and rainwater collection systems. This year, we plan to introduce additional strategies such as planting native trees with robust roots, slope containment mantles, and an educational component on nature-based solutions, adaptation, and resilience.

We aim to reach the most vulnerable communities affected by climate change in the metropolitan area, spanning both urban and rural zones, where local organizations facilitate community articulation and active participation in climate action within organized territories. Traditionally, in Antioquian culture, proactive measures are lacking, with a tendency to react only after a negative event occurs. This poses significant concern, especially in areas characterized by steep slopes, common in cities like those in the enclosed Aburra Valley, where approximately 50% of the valley extends into these high-risk zones. Despite being designated as uninhabitable in territorial planning, many slopes are currently inhabited, giving rise to informal settlements, often excluded from official planning. Residents in these illegal settlements lack access to basic services such as clean water, sanitation, energy, and adequate infrastructure, as well as facing barriers to accessing healthcare, education, and other essential services. Furthermore, due to substandard services and poverty conditions, the most vulnerable to climate change effects are identified as children, adolescents, youth, and the elderly, who possess limited adaptive capacities and struggle to recover from rapid changes, affecting their mental and physical development. Research indicates that food insecurity, limited access to public spaces, inadequate education, and poor landscape conditions significantly impact cognitive and growth development in children and adolescents, while contributing to an increase in mental health issues and new diseases among the elderly.

We endeavor to mitigate the aforementioned challenges through the establishment of community organic orchards, promoting the production of nutritious food and fulfilling the requirements for growth and brain development, thus enhancing food security. The orchards and planted vegetable species contribute to soil improvement, erosion prevention, and landslide mitigation, reducing territorial vulnerability and climate event occurrences. Rainwater collection systems ensure water availability, while purifier filters enhance water quality, making it suitable for cooking and irrigation. Leveraging indigenous techniques, we reinforce infrastructure using natural inputs and repurposing materials for constructing natural containment walls and other solutions. Workshops focus on imparting management, monitoring, and continuation techniques, incorporating indigenous practices such as agroecology, allelopathy, seed conservation, and syntropic agriculture, among others. Finally, the implementation of infrastructure for harnessing natural resources like solar panels facilitates community energy autonomy in a sustainable, continuous, and cost-effective manner, ultimately contributing to an improved quality of life.

We consistently collaborate with local organizations, leveraging their established leadership structures to coordinate community activities. Our project supporters are integral members of each community, selected based on their active involvement and shared capabilities. Within each community, a designated individual leads subgroup, overseeing activities and members, and facilitating effective communication and progress tracking. The diverse populations represented within these organizations, spanning from children to adults, enrich our projects by ensuring inclusivity, innovation, and resilience, fostering widespread community engagement and project continuity. Additionally, we provide ongoing monitoring to ensure project sustainability while fostering replication and enhancement through the introduction of new and improved strategies.

Collaborating closely with local organizations ensures that our implementation strategy aligns effectively with community needs and priorities, as identified and defined by residents themselves. Together, we co-create a preliminary work plan and establish communication channels to determine the focus areas and methodologies. We then manage financial and material resources to fulfill these objectives, solidifying the work plan in collaboration with the community, specifying teams, schedules, responsibilities, and material procurement routes when necessary. Community leaders facilitate engagement sessions with active members, fostering dialogue, idea exchange, feedback, and constructive criticism, culminating in collective agreements that guide project execution.

In 2017, we initiated the implementation of two eco-zone pilot projects in Envigado, Antioquia, Colombia. These projects encompassed interventions in urban agriculture, mobility, and waste management, including the establishment of front gardens and orchards in public spaces, installation of digester bales, design and deployment of a virtual platform, and measurement of carbon, water, and waste footprints in 11 educational institutions and 6 municipal administrative headquarters where interventions were conducted. The engagement of citizens and the educational community in workshops, surveys, and operational activities was pivotal. These strategies, internationally recognized for their efficacy in reducing CO2 concentration, prompted the Envigado Mayor's Office to replicate the model by establishing four additional eco-zones after 2018, employing the methodology pioneered by us. In 2018, we collaborated with local organizations in Moravia, a low-income neighborhood, to implement various urban sustainable strategies aimed at enhancing community quality of life through initiatives such as urban gardens, orchards, rainwater harvesting systems, and dry bathrooms, all supplemented with environmental education. These efforts garnered numerous national and international accolades, awards, and leadership opportunities. Finally, in 2023, we applied a similar model in Nueva Jerusalen, a self-built neighborhood in the city's north, with a greater emphasis on prevention and adaptation strategies through nature-based solutions.

Through these initiatives, we have directly impacted approximately 700 individuals, spanning children, adolescents, youth, and the elderly. The Envigado eco-zones alone reached 384 people, while the Moravia project benefited 100 children and adolescents, and the Nueva Jerusalen initiative reached 250 children, adolescents, and youth.

One of the distinctive features of Low Carbon City is its emphasis on forging alliances and engaging in multi-sector co-creation. We firmly advocate for the transformative potential of collective action, recognizing it as a pivotal driver of change. As such, our efforts are consistently directed towards fostering networks, communities, and collaborative, multi-stakeholder initiatives aimed at developing effective solutions that truly address societal needs. Our approach prioritizes leadership, knowledge generation, and skill-building to empower communities, beneficiaries, and stakeholders to replicate and sustain our strategies. To this end, we have developed a robust strategy to facilitate exchange with other actors operating in similar thematic or socioeconomic domains. This strategy entails identifying and collaborating with allies at both national and international levels, forging strategic partnerships with organizations and entities that share aligned objectives. We actively seek to cultivate collaborative projects with these allies, leveraging their specialized expertise and experiences in relevant thematic areas. We place a premium on embracing diverse perspectives and approaches, engaging allies locally and internationally to enrich and fortify our initiatives. This strategic orientation not only taps into the expertise of our allies but also contributes to nurturing a broader network of collaborative endeavors aimed at driving socio-ecological transformations essential for addressing climate change. In pursuit of this vision, we are actively engaged with environmental organizations and territorial voices networks in Medellín, aiming to influence public agendas on climate change, equip more communities with the tools and knowledge necessary for climate change prevention and adaptation in urban and rural settings, and foster climate-resilient communities.

Through this call, we aim to glean insights from cutting-edge techniques and methodologies to execute adaptation and resilience projects efficiently. Our objective is to establish a foothold in the market through a robust project portfolio, which enhances value for our allies, donors, and clients. This is supported by technological tools that streamline our approach, making it easier, more effective, and continuous. Additionally, we aspire to spearhead climate action networks at both national and international levels. All our strategies are intricately tied to economic considerations. To execute the majority of these strategies, we require financial resources to operate effectively, provide high-quality support, foster innovation, and leverage technology to bolster productivity and efficiency. This, in turn, engenders transparency, reliability, and loyalty among multisectoral stakeholders, underpinning our impact measurement efforts.

We advocate for collective solutions, fostering societal-wide accountability for addressing environmental challenges. Our initiatives promote heightened environmental consciousness and interventions geared towards resilience and adaptation to Climate Change, aligning with the latest commitments outlined in international climate conventions. Our focus extends beyond mitigation efforts to encompass comprehensive solutions that also prioritize adaptation to environmental impacts. The methodologies we employ are scalable and readily adaptable to diverse geographical contexts, allowing for implementation in various locations while accommodating specific territorial conditions. While the methodology remains consistent, the outcomes and implementation may vary, integrating diverse solutions and approaches tailored to the unique characteristics of each territory.

Through our proposed strategies, we incentivize cost savings in food, water, and energy services. Additionally, we facilitate the emergence of new business ventures centered around the production and sale of organic foods and inputs, directly enhancing community well-being and fostering self-sustaining economic models. Beyond tangible benefits, our projects cultivate a deeper connection with the environment, facilitating a seamless integration of climate change adaptation measures into diverse territorial realities. Ultimately, our initiatives contribute to the societal and urban development, fostering resilient societies and cities poised to thrive in the face of environmental challenges.

The solution presented here directly tackles the identified needs of communities, which have been determined by the communities themselves, focusing on adaptation and resilience to Climate Change. By targeting the most vulnerable communities to Climate Change, our initiative promises to deliver highly effective positive outcomes, filling crucial gaps in resources that these communities urgently require. This underscores the inherent value of the solution we offer. Furthermore, our approach extends beyond addressing tangible or visible needs; it incorporates a comprehensive training, capacity-building, and empowerment component. This additional dimension not only enhances the solution's effectiveness but also adds significant value to the community, fostering long-term resilience and sustainability.

1. Enhanced access to fundamental services: We quantify the number of communities or beneficiaries now enjoying enhanced access to essential public services like potable water and electricity, contrasting the current status with the project's outset. 

- Indicator: number (#) of individuals accessing fundamental services.

2. Strengthened community resilience: This metric is assessed through pre- and post-project surveys and interviews to gauge the community's perception of climate change and their knowledge on the subject. At project initiation, we measure their understanding and perception, followed by an evaluation of their perceived capacity to withstand and recover from extreme weather events by project's end. 

- Indicator 2.1: number of individuals surveyed

- Indicator 2.2: number of individuals exhibiting improved resilience perception towards climate change.

3. Expanded environmental education: This measure evaluates the population's comprehension of climate change-related topics and potential community-level solutions. It encompasses climate risk management, community resilience, sustainable agricultural practices, and waste management. We utilize perception surveys to gauge knowledge levels. 

- Indicator 3.1: number of individuals surveyed

- Indicator 3.2: number of individuals displaying enhanced environmental education.

4. Deployment of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS): This indicator quantifies the implementation of NbS and community acceptance compared to conventional solutions like retaining walls and grey infrastructure. Community acceptance is assessed via surveys. 

- Indicator 4.1: number of NbS implemented

- Indicator 4.2: number of individuals with improved NbS awareness.

5. Effective waste management: This metric assesses the adoption of sustainable agricultural techniques and waste reuse methods within NbS implementations, thereby diverting solid waste from landfills. 

- Indicator 5.1: number of waste management solutions implemented

-Indicator 5.2: kilograms of solid waste diverted from landfills.

We use some ancestral techniques from the indigenous and peasant knowledge of our country, to apply strategies related to NbS, both operational and educational. To date we have made use of agroecological techniques and allelopathy, planting orchards and collecting and conserving seeds, and for this year, through the solution proposed here, we will implement the planting of species that provide grip and structure to the soil, mantles for the erosion control in hillside areas and other NbS. We will rely on social technologies to implement solutions that allow the use of natural resources such as solar panels and rainwater collection systems.

Our core team consists of two full-time personnel overseeing general management, a project and alliance manager, and a part-time communications specialist. Additionally, we have three administrative support staff managing administrative, accounting, and tax auditing duties. Notably, our team comprises predominantly dedicated and skilled women who hold pivotal roles across various project areas. Furthermore, we are fortunate to welcome two valuable European volunteers who contribute part-time, leveraging their experience and enthusiasm to enhance our initiatives.

Quantity: 8 people 

Our organization has implemented the methodology presented here since 2016, that is, approximately 7 years ago, which has been modified in accordance with the new problems and international commitments that have been presented and celebrated. This attests that the methodology proposed since 2016 took into account the adaptation factor according to different contexts an times, as well as replicability and scalability.

Throughout our operations, we have cultivated diverse teams comprising individuals of varying genders, ages, nationalities, and professions. This diversity enriches our projects with innovative perspectives and facilitates international expansion. Some members of our operational and executive staff initially joined as volunteers and have since become integral members of our core team, assuming administrative and leadership roles alongside new volunteers. Given our widespread recognition and extensive engagement, we frequently receive invitations to participate in various forums. Thus, we afford all team members, including both coordinators and volunteers, the opportunity to represent the organization actively. This inclusive approach fosters empowerment among members, allowing them to bolster their skills and knowledge, thereby enriching our projects.

It's worth noting a significant point of pride for us: throughout its history, the foundation has been led by female executive directors, many of whom have since moved on to hold prominent positions in other organizations, the majority of which are international, and are also recognized as national entrepreneurs. This serves as a testament to the caliber of professionals who have been part of our journey and underscores the instrumental role that Low Carbon City has played in their career development.

We prioritize creating integration spaces to strengthen both our professional and personal relationships. These spaces facilitate improved communication, identification of members' strengths to enhance operational efficiency, and foster a healthy and highly collaborative work environment. Ultimately, these efforts translate into heightened motivation, a sense of belonging, and sustained commitment across our entire team.
Presently, our core team predominantly consists of women, totaling seven members, most of whom hold managerial or leadership positions. This composition reflects our steadfast commitment to fostering empowerment and leadership among our team members.

Moreover, our board of directors comprises professionals from diverse fields of expertise, encompassing both men and women. Their role is to provide support and guidance to the core team's decision-making processes, leveraging their unique perspectives to add value and ensure alignment across the organization. They play a pivotal role in driving the expansion of our team and projects, fostering strategic alliances, and bringing their wealth of expertise to bear on the educational events we spearhead.

It should be noted that in each of our recruitment processes, we extend invitations to individuals from all backgrounds, irrespective of race, gender, or origin. Our sole emphasis is on evaluating the personal and professional competencies and expertise of each candidate relevant to the required role. This approach ensures fairness, equity, professionalism, and inclusivity in our selection procedures.

We cater to two beneficiary categories: the direct recipients, including communities or populations benefitting from our projects, and strategic allies offering financial or in-kind support. For communities, benefits stem directly from project implementation and execution, while strategic allies gain brand visibility through our activities, publications, and events, aligning with their business sustainability, CSR, or ESG objectives via community engagement and training initiatives. In return, we secure funding and recognition. Additionally, we offer tailored advisory services, workshops, and courses for both private and public stakeholders. Currently, we are broadening our service portfolio to engage a wider array of allies, aiming for self-sustainability and operational autonomy, complemented by external financing mechanisms such as calls, awards, and subsidies. These diversified services encompass talks and training on climate change-related themes for the private sector, bootcamps, development of social projects tailored to corporate needs, planning of climate action-related educational events, and public sector consulting services, exemplified by our collaboration with the Envigado mayor's office on eco-zone implementation and methodology transfer.

Brand benefits are extended through logo placement in social media content, monthly newsletters, event posters, and presentations for enhanced public visibility. For our upcoming business strategy, we aim to streamline engagement with allies and potential clients at environmental events where we are participants or organizers. Building on this, relationships are nurtured by identifying socio-environmental needs and climate change trends, facilitating the delivery of bespoke services or projects. We are exploring the integration of artificial intelligence tools to expedite information management, systematization, and analysis, focusing on our organizational pillars (climate justice, resilience, and regeneration) and client sustainability goals. Additionally, we are developing user-friendly information tools to bolster capacities through digital and asynchronous resources.

Given the imperatives of international environmental agreements, there is a growing imperative to infuse fresh perspectives into sustainability, CSR, and ESG frameworks across sectors. Thus, we aim to address emerging challenges and opportunities posed by climate change, including risk measurement and prediction for the private sector, corporate resilience building, and CSR enhancement through socio-environmental projects. Furthermore, we aim to assist territorial entities in fulfilling national and international climate change commitments and SDG compliance, offering consultancy services to implement tailored methodologies, as evidenced by our successful collaboration with the Envigado mayor's office in 2016-2017.

Our sustainable operational model has traditionally revolved around providing educational services, primarily tailored courses and workshops, and securing resources through donations, subsidies, and awards on both national and international scales. Noteworthy instances include a 100 million Colombian pesos subsidy from Echoing Green in 2017 and a subsequent 50 million pesos subsidy in 2023 for the network of voices from the territories, earmarked for territorial meetings and network reinforcement. Additionally, a donation of 70 million pesos was received from the TMF Group in 2022. Notably, we secured a grant of 200 million Colombian pesos from Fondo Acción in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Protection, and Nuclear Safety of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2021 and 2022, facilitating the implementation of the "Influencers for the Climate" project. This initiative engaged 230 individuals, including children, parents, caregivers, educators, and decision-makers across three Colombian departments, fostering knowledge exchange and co-creation for climate change management. In 2024, we are establishing collaborative workspaces via a climate hub, serving as a platform for private sector entities to exchange experiences and foster synergies, thereby enhancing organizational capacities both internally and externally. Through corporate talks and networking events, members gain access to exclusive content and visibility opportunities. Furthermore, we organize educational events on climate change, often accessible to the public at no cost, targeting diverse sectors nationally and internationally, with past events held in Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Paris. Leveraging our extensive experience, we are considering offering event organization services related to climate change to clients, both private and public. Simultaneously, we are exploring the provision of consultancy services tailored to the public sector, akin to our past roles as contractors and project implementers. These strategic endeavors aim to foster self-sufficiency and organizational autonomy while upholding our non-profit status. It's noteworthy that we remain committed to seeking donations and subsidies to bolster sustainability and international market entry efforts.