The World’s Green Laboratory

This ambitious project was led by the Canarian Government, the Island’s Town Hall, the Technological Institute of Canary Islands and the Electric Company UNELCO Endesa.

Alpidio Armas who is the current President of El Hierro’s Town Hall, prioritises the action plan of Gorona Del Viento. 

Apart from this, the island is also trying to cut other forms of contamination. One of the primary challenges is to fully commit to electric cars because the element of transport has proved to be the most harmful for the environment.

“Gorona del Viento has established several charging points for electric cars throughout the island which are free of charge,” says Armas. “This is our way of convincing people to choose this type of car for their mobility.”

Arranz explains that this species can be found in El Hierro because of how the marine ecosystem has been protected.

In the following video, you will see Ziphiidaes that belong to Blainville, one of the resident populations of the island.

Arranz also highlights the importance of raising awareness and providing developed tools to sea users in order to conserve effectively.

The gastronomy of El Hierro is based on a rural society that has been promoting their local products for a long period of time.

Food distribution companies are not found in the island. Instead the Terencio local chain of supermarkets offers a broad range of goods. Additionally, there are also lands and farms in which people cultivate and either use it for personal use or sell it in local markets which are accessible to the wider public.

Parparcén started cultivating for her home when an economic crisis took place five years ago due to a submarine volcanic eruption. Today she is an ecological farmer and sells her products in local markets. She mainly focuses on growing a variety of vegetables.

Some plant nurseries are sent to her and if not, she uses her own seeds. Therefore, the entire process is completed manually, and cow manure plays an important role. Moreover, The Cropping Association is in charge of pest control and soil quality.

Ingrid Parparcén talks about the positive aspects of producing food ecologically and how we should educate the public about it.

David Pavón started fishing from an early age and instantly understood it was his passion. Today, it his profession.

In the past, the tools and technology used to fish were not sufficient to overexploit the sea. That is why our ancestors practiced an unconscious sustainable fishing. “Today, the human race has evolved so much that we are capable of overexploiting every ocean and its resources,” says Pavón. “And if we want to, we can destroy the entire planet by pressing a simple button.”

But in some places of the world, people are becoming conscious of what it means to have such scarce resources.

That is the case of El Hierro, where they have become a shield to the underwater life by eliminating any art of massive exploitation, creating a marine reserve of fishing interest and building something called profitability of fishing effort.