The 1960s green 'Utopia' in Colombia, known as Los Llanos, has been a self-sustaining community for over half a century using its own inventions to survive in a harsh environmental and political climate in the Colombian savannah. The inventions, which range from low-cost solar water heaters to a children's see-saw that doubles as a water pump, have been successful in replicating them elsewhere in Colombia and beyond. They include edible forest gardening and biofuel, some inspired by traditional methods used by local indigenous communities, while others have stood the test time. Paolo Lugari, founder of the community, founded the community in the 1960s and bought a plot of land in the Vichada province in 1971 with about 20 people. The community grew to over 200 self-sufficient inhabitants in the late 1970s. Despite facing challenges, the climate in Los Lllanos is notoriously brutal and violent, and armed groups fought for control of the land and profiting off drug trafficking and coca production. The innovative inventions have been replicated elsewhere and inspired other similar projects.