IPS-English CHILE: Pots and Pans Against Climate Change Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:36:08 -0800 Daniela Estrada SANTIAGO, Dec 17 (IPS) - The vegetarian restaurant El Huerto, here in the Chilean capital, is the country's first to take steps towards reducing its production of climate-changing emissions. And now, thanks to an independent initiative, anyone can join the effort via the Internet. El Huerto, with a seating capacity for 100 people, opened its doors in 1980 in the wealthy Santiago neighbourhood of Providencia and today enjoys fame among those who love healthy food and nature. Faithful to their ecological conscience, owners José Fliman and Nicole Mintz decided in June to go beyond their famed artichoke pies and grilled vegetables to neutralising their carbon footprint. They wanted to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide -- the main greenhouse gas -- produced by their kitchen and by the service to their customers. ”We wanted to reduce our energy consumption and compensate for what we couldn't eliminate ourselves,” Fliman, who obtained help in the process from the non-governmental Institute of Ecological Policy (IEP), told Tierramérica. The IEP first conducted an energy analysis of El Huerto, which was found to emit 64.65 tonnes annually of carbon dioxide through its consumption of electricity generated from fossil fuels, and direct consumption of fossil fuels like natural gas, paraffin, coal and benzene. Then IEP drew up an energy saving plan for 12 percent monthly, providing practical advice and workshops to change the habits of the more than 20 workers at the busy restaurant. ”The presentation that they gave us about climate change made us aware of the seriousness of the problem,” server Isabel Carvajal told Tierramérica. The standard light bulbs were replaced with more efficient bulbs, air leaks in the building were sealed to reduce the need for heaters in the winter, and awnings were installed on the windows to keep out the sun's heat in the summer. The kitchen staff now covers the pots to reduce the time needed to cook the food, hot water is stored in thermoses, and unnecessary lights are turned off. The final evaluation of the process will be conducted in November 2008. Meanwhile, the restaurant's owners decided to compensate for all the carbon dioxide emitted in 2007 by purchasing ”clean” electricity and carbon bonds, earmarked to finance projects with low or zero production of greenhouse gases. El Huerto purchases electricity from El Rincón, a hydroelectric plant that makes use of the natural energy in the flow of the rivers, without using dams to store water in reservoirs. In August, the IEP certified that El Rincón produces clean energy, respecting the environment and the population, according to the standards of the European Green Electricity Network. El Huerto also purchases carbon bonds from Climate Care, which utilises the revenue to implement clean development projects in the name of its clients. The restaurant paid 770 dollars for the ”carbon compensation” for 2007. On Nov. 30 it paid about 295 dollars to El Rincón, which generates 2.4 kilowatts per hour. Climate Care, which issues certificates or permits to emit one tonne of carbon for the price of 15 dollars, is due around 475 dollars. The owner of El Rincón, the Canal Association of Maipo, the principal river supplying water to the city of Santiago, will use the contribution for operating the energy plant and for maintaining the network of canals that feed it, general manager Alejandro Gómez told Tierramérica. Climate Care will invest the money in its portfolio of non-conventional renewable energy projects and energy efficiency efforts. ”This will strengthen our image among consumers. If I were an exporter, I wouldn't think twice about competing with companies from other countries,” said Fliman. Twenty percent of the food the El Huerto uses is produced organically, without agro-chemicals. They would like to increase that proportion, explained Fliman, but Chile's domestic market for organic products is small and there are problems with distribution. ”Taking responsibility for your ecological footprint brings the companies the benefits of improved image and competitiveness on the market,” says Matías Steinacker, Climate Care's representative in Latin America. But the trend is just now beginning in Chile. In November, the carbon emissions associated with a meeting organised by the government with investors in renewable energy and Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) were compensated for. Through CDMs, part of the international climate change agreements, governments and businesses in industrialised countries, which are required to curb greenhouse emissions, can meet part of their quota by investing in ”clean” projects in developing countries, thereby obtaining low-cost emissions reduction certification. For restaurant owner Fliman, the most satisfying was to see El Huerto's employees change their own habits, ”because that way a whole network is created.” According to United Nations figures, Chile is the Latin American country that had the biggest increase in annual carbon emissions between 1990 and 2004: from 35.6 million tonnes, it nearly doubled to 62.4 million tonnes. But Chile's contribution to global climate change is just 0.2 percent of the total. Carbon emissions per person in this country are 3.9 tonnes annually. To convince Chileans to join efforts against climate change, the IEP launched its ”Zero Carbon Dioxide” campaign, including an Internet site where anyone can calculate their carbon emissions and learn about ways to reduce their eco-footprint. ***** + Instituto de Ecología Política (http://www.iepe.org/) + Climate Care (http://www.climatecare.org/) + Zero CO2 (http://www.ceroco2.cl) + CLIMATE CHANGE: Forward, Hopefully Past the Hurdles (http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40492) + CLIMATE CHANGE: Brazil Announces Voluntary Fund to Protect Amazon (http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40481) + Confronting Climate Change - More IPS News (http://www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/kyoto/index.asp) (END/IPS/LA/EN DV CV CS KP CR/TRASP-LD/DE/TA/07) = 12172018 ORP008 NNNN