Great Results for
Impulso Verde at COP 16
Photo: Fundation Impulso Verde
Santiago de Cali, november 1, 2024
Confirming that “we are truly the Green Impulse* of Colombia” is the banner of results left by the participation of the Colombian-French NGO in the world’s largest Biodiversity Meeting, COP 16 (Conference of the Parties 16) of Biodiversity and Peace with Nature. Strategic alliances, more than 14,000 people sensitized about the importance of environmental preservation, sales exceeding expectations, participation in key spaces, presentation of unique experiences, and above all, reaffirming that as an organization we have already left a mark in the restoration of the high Andean forest and the protection of the páramos, are part of the balance.
The Impulso Verde Foundation continues to accumulate valuable experience and achieve tangible results. This progress is evident from its active participation in various meetings, interactions, and leadership scenarios during COP 16.
“After 12 days of permanent presence, we can clearly say that COP 16 was a success, not only for Cali, neither only for Colombia, but also for us,”
assured Antoine Gérigné, founder and president of the Impulso Verde Kuaspue Foundation.
With a comprehensive vision of the importance of raising awareness and a strong invitation to join with simple but concrete actions on the care and respect for nature, the sensory and educational activities of the Foundation were trending.
“Sharing with thousands of people the experiences, projects, and activities we have carried out for 7 years was truly a great opportunity,” added the founder.
added the founder.
The stand located on the Bulevar del Río stood out for the exhibition of native trees, the didactic beehive that invited children and adults to learn about the queens of pollination; the five senses module that awakened all kinds of feelings by listening to the music of the plants, recognizing the aromas, being carried away by the flavors, textures, and witnessing how living beings manifest themselves.
Both young people and older visitors also participated in the collaborative coloring offered by the French illustrator Charlotte Tantot, adding color and imagination to nature. It was wonderful to see how children wanted to contribute through such a simple and meaningful act as painting, but also managed to inspire adults. A total of 15 collaborative coloring were given to different people and entities as a souvenir of their participation in COP 16.
Impulso Verde highlights the quality of work carried out by its indigenous and peasant communities in the departments of Nariño and Valle del Cauca during exchanges with national and international visitors present in the Green Zone. The Nativa brand with its soaps, oils, body creams, and lip balm made from beeswax and aromatic and medicinal plants was a sensation, but without a doubt, the páramo honey, soaps and lip balm were the most popular.
The Pergola Clandestina was also a venue for meetings led by Impulso Verde during COP 16. Unique experiences such as the two plant music concerts, geobiology workshops, the Forest Collage, and the Biodiversity Collage were part of the offer attended by nearly 500 people, who reported leaving amazed but above all committed to caring for the environment.
“Without a doubt, the unique experience we proposed through the music of the plants, that is, being able to listen to the frequencies emitted by the plants and becoming aware of the interaction each one can have with plants and trees, opens the door to a world that constantly surrounds us, but that most of us are unaware of,”
said Antoine, who also noted that this experience is part of the Foundation’s year-round offer.
In a space promoted by the Cali Mayor’s Office, the experience of “My Friends the Trees” reached the Los Almendros Sports Complex, raising awareness among more than 700 children, young people, parents, and teachers from the city’s public educational institutions.
The symbolism and representation of indigenous and ancestral knowledge were presented in a cultural space in the Training and Culture Pavilion, bringing together communities from Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, and other regions of America in a mandala.
In terms of strategic contacts, the Impulso Verde Kuaspue Foundation managed to consolidate a network of national and international allies, public and private entities.
“During COP 16, our goal was to make visible the work carried out with the peasant and indigenous communities of Nariño, with whom we have consolidated a network to restore ecosystems by planting native trees in the territory. This comprehensive strategy also includes economic alternatives and environmental education, thanks in particular to the support of the French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement – AFD),”
added Antoine Gérigné.
During COP 16, the Impulso Verde Foundation also obtained certifications from The Global Biodiversity Standard (TGBS) with our ally Reforest’ Action, which evaluates the contribution to biodiversity preservation of the community reforestation program in Nariño.
The Biodiversity Meeting was also an opportunity to present to international organizations, together with the French Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), one of the most important tangible legacies consolidated by the entity in Cali. It is the first pedagogical Geodesic Dome built on the premises of the Lycée Français Paul Valery school, with which the NGO has an alliance.
Thus, in terms of results, the Colombian-French organization managed to impact more than 18,000 people during COP 16 and reaffirm that by restoring, conserving, and raising awareness, the Foundation is consolidated as the Green Impulse* of Colombia.
*Impulso Verde
Photos of the article : Fundation Impulso Verde
Contact Communications Fundación Impulso Verde Kuaspue
Vanessa Suárez Játiva / +(57) 317 3723653
Lina María Castaño Toro / +(57) 321 7747801
