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Julio E. Perez on Permanent Culture

In 1978, Julio began searching for a way to build places in which to live self-sufficiently, in harmony with nature. This is how he began a long path of researching organic gardening techniques in urban environments in Chile.

He then continued researching low-cost construction systems to develop self-built dwellings, at the same time incorporating the concept and elements of appropriate technologies used to live in them.

Julio has dedicated a great part of his life to researching and experimenting, which he has shared with others by teaching what he knows. This work has been dedicated and developed together with the poor, children and school teachers and never receive money for them.

Between 1985 and 1989, he was part of the Chilean Permaculture Center “Murumé”, an experimental, demonstration and living center for the development and research of permaculture, located in Lo Hidalgo, 5th Region,Chile.
In 1990, he developed applications for permaculture in the experimental self-building of a house in Viña del Mar, Chile

In 1992, after building the Camila Ecovillage in the Olmué Community, a place on its way to live within a permanent culture, he learned that working in favor of nature and not against it, requires making lots of mistakes, starting all over again and making new mistakes until finally finding the right spot where everything starts to grow and develop the way you had dreamt it would. This has required much patience and perseverance, realizing that we have walked away from the knowledge of the simple things of life, things that our grandparents and the indigenous people already knew, and then we embarked in search of technological development that did not correspond with living harmoniously with nature.
In 1995, Julio taught the First International Permaculture Design Seminar in the Camila Ecovillage, with the mexican architect Alejandra Caballero.

In 1996, he participated in the creation of Chile Permaculture Associated Consultants, a not-for-profit organization consisting of four professionals, with the objectives of developing a permaculturist movement, organizing seminars and conferences, publishing educational material in Chile and Latin America, and technically assisting projects related to building private houses and ecovillages.
In 2000, Julio taught the Advance Permaculture Seminar in the colombian jungle in Sasardi Ecovillage with Albert Bates ( Ecovillage Training Center ,USA ) and Jeff Clearwater ( Sirius Ecovillage USA )

In 2001, Julio taught the Fundamental Permaculture Seminar in the Ecovillage Traning Center , The Farm Ecovillage , Nashville USA with Albert Bates And Patricia Allison ( Earthhaven Ecovillage Usa.)

In 2002, Julio taught the Second Design Permaculture Seminar and Ecovillage , Cotra ,Viña del Mar Chile 2002.

After traveling a long road, Julio has understood that all we can do is to gather all our strength and to begin recovering little by little what permanent culture we have left in our countries, and from there, start to recreate our future as inhabitants of the mother earth . Looking from the deepest part of our souls and asking the upper world or great spirit for help, we will have the possibility to create a world filled with love or light that sees, peace and harmony for all the beings inhabiting this planet.

With the prime objective of orienting our development toward a permanent culture in harmony with nature, many conferences have been given in Chile and abroad; advice has been given to several regional and communal governments; several introductory , permaculture design courses and advance permaculture courses have been taught in Chile and abroad; natural self-construction workshops in Barcelona , Spain , different urban organic gardening techniques, construction of elements using appropriate technologies, and documenting everything related to the different techniques of this life experience.

Julio has recently moved to Norway and is member to GAIA INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECT network.