makes a splendid spring morning in the Parque del Buen Retiro Madrid. Among the joggers and morning sunbathing on the grass, stands a somewhat peculiar group hardly looks up the sky, or more precisely, of the treetops. In the center of the group, a middle-aged man and a white beard that everyone listens carefully explains how to differentiate a one Aleppo pine. Luciano Labajos Man is one of the people who know the gardens of Madrid, and is now teaching a course in the City Council on Traditional and Sustainable Gardening. I meet with him at the end of the tour, on the campus of stoves Retiro, to talk about his passion for trees, shrubs and flowers of this city.
"At first I was dedicated to environmental education, was to monitor camps and taught courses and workshops," says Luciano. "But I saw then that alone could not live, had two sons and it was difficult to live. I had to find something I liked in the options he had, something that interested me, and then there was the gardening. "The year was 1985, and spent five years until he joined the municipal nursery in the House field. There are grown most of the trees and flowers that give life to the parks and streets of Madrid, a fascinating place for a lover of botany as he. Over twenty years later is that nursery gardener official, explaining that "I'm doing the same as a normal gardener, irrigation, prune, transplant them ..." Although many people recognize him as 'a teacher' among gardeners in Madrid, he insists on removing important. "I have no merit," he says simply. What if you care, is what his job entails: "A city without green spaces could not exist."
was clear from the outset that gardening and environmental protection should go hand in hand, a view that inherited from his work as an environmental educator. "Gardening is a very broad field that had not played a lot from this point of view, neither the environmental nor the education," said Luciano. After a moment's hesitation, qualifies His words: "Well, yes they had done things, but I get the feeling you never had deepened too. Us with these courses, and Ecologists in Action with the disclosure and books, I think so that we delved a bit. "So, you consider yourself a 'pioneer'? "I do not dare say that," and emphasizes the last word, strongly denied the suggestion. Luciano is a quiet man, soft-spoken, and this is the only time of the interview which is slightly altered. "There are always people who work and who is not known. Go out there as a pioneer, what's the point? "He asks. "My experience is that people who are of superb, pioneers, always mess up, "he says flatly.
there something I can not deny that was pioneered in part at least. In 1998 he participated in the creation of Ecologists in Action, as founding partner. Surprisingly, the topic did not matter much at first. "What is said in the environmental scene was ... 'gardening? Bah, that's a little thing! " Then one day we discovered that the largest percentage of calls we received were from people who cared for the garden of his door, the neighborhood park because of environmental concerns normal people are the things we see everyday. We started to work on that issue, "he explains. With Ecologists in Action has published most of his books. The most successful of all is the 'Manual of Organic Gardening', which is now the third edition and is a compilation of many articles published in Quercus , most written by him. For years, he has also shared his wisdom from the waves, being a regular contributor to a program of the National Radio Environment: Nature Reserve.
In his most environmental and demanding, it has emerged as an advocate of a traditional gardening and historic gardens in Madrid. "Our grandparents were an organic gardening because there was nothing, had no choice. Now, we do things very similar to traditional, but environmental awareness, not necessity. We realize that, as happens in many offices, the traditional way of doing things is more sustainable, "argues Luciano.
When asked by the state of historic gardens, his mood changes. Luciano laments that "they are fatal, could improve a lot." "There are some who are well preserved, such as El Capricho, but in general are subjected to excessive use, and there is no gardeners or sufficient means "he explains. For Luciano, is impossible to work in the recovery of these gardens when "do not even know how many in the Community of Madrid, because there is no inventory." In addition, Luciano recalls that the powers are dispersed and some are the City, others in the Community of Madrid, CSIC, private ... "It takes a master plan for historic gardens, and then Special Plans for each garden," argues .
The work of the city council in this matter "is clearly insufficient," Luciano says. "The least you have a team dedicated to the very important historic gardens of Madrid, right? But the money they spend on other things. "It does not help the lack of interest from people in these gardens. Luciano speaks enviously of the United Kingdom. "That's very common that every historical garden has a foundation, a group of citizens who are aware of its management and makes a pressure." For him, "if a group of citizens are concerned, things work much better." Ask people to get involved, but does so with a certain pessimism, as if he was tired of not getting answers. Still, he admits that there committed people. "More than meets the eye, but lack organization, and in any case, they remain a minority. "It has established a general feeling of passivity. As I said Iñaki Gabilondo, society is drugged, "says Luciano.
At constant questions, investigations and claims they are already used their superiors. "They still think that we are methicones that we get where we are not called. That is the preserve of management or no management, better, and we should not go in there, "said Luciano. It starts with laughter when I ask why you think that after so many years remain to make case. "What do you think?" He says. "We are the typical cojonera fly," says funny. Clear, though, that "are educated, I have never been disrespectful. I agree. "His many occupations are also common among their peers. "You think a normal gardener would spend a few days of work coming here to take a course in gardening?" He asks. "Some see me as an eccentric, others may think they suck the boat," he says.
certainly not denying that Labajos Luciano is on all fronts. Do you consider yourself more gardener environmental educator or Green? "It depends on time of day, I am changing. I believe very strongly in diversity, not only in the environment, also within people, "he explains. "The good thing is being able to satisfy the various interests that have all the people," argues Luciano. "My luck is that I have a relatively comfortable job with a good schedule, allowing me to take time off to do other things. I dedicate the time for pleasure, for the sake of doing things, "he concludes. I can see that he is serious. Goodbye to me quickly because you are late for an appointment with a partner. They are preparing a permanent exhibition on the history of gardening in Madrid, with old tools and testimonies of veteran outfielders, to bring some more people this ancient and delicate job. Another thing to do, and as always, pure pleasure.
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