Journalist, writer, environmental consultant and ecology activist, Santiago Vilanova -"Santi"- is an Ecoropa member since 1976. He is President of the association "Una Sola Terra " ("Only One Earth"), member of Eurosolar and of the association "Journalistes-écrivains pour la Nature et l ' Écologie" (" Editors -writers on Nature and Ecology"). He founded the "Col.lectiu de Periodistes Ecologistes de Catalunya "("Group of Ecology Editors of Catalonia") as well as the magazine "Userda ", the first ecology periodical in catalan language.
He is one of the pioneers of the ecology and antinuclear movement in Catalonia and in Spain; co-founder of the Comitè Antinuclear de Catalunya and the green party Alternativa Verda. He stood as a green candidate in several regional and European legislative elections.
Santi was director of the daily "Diario de Barcelona ", awarded the Journalism Prize of the City of Barcelona in 1983.
He is author of numerous ecological essays, particularity as a critic of nuclear energy, the only European editor who published three essays on the accidents of Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima: "El syndrome nuclear.El accident de Harrisburg y el riesgo nuclear en España" ("The nuclear syndrome. The Harrisburg accident and the nuclear risk in Spain", Bruguera,1980; "Chernóbil :el fin del mito nuclear " ("Tchernobyl, the end of the nuclear myth"), Anthropos, 1988, and "Fukushima: el declive nuclear "("Fukushima: the nuclear decline", Icaria, 2012.
He defended the idea of Europe on the basis of "eco-regions" or "bio-nations" in his writings "L' econacionalisme.Una alternativa catalana dins una Europa ecològica"("Econationalism.A Catalan alternative in a ecological Europe"), Blume, 1981, and "L ' Estat ecològic. Una proposta per a l ' Estat català del segle XXI" ("The Ecology State. A proposal for a the Catalan State of the XXIst century"), Base, 2013.
His militant actions include the opposition to the nuclear power stations of Ascó and Vandellòs, in Tarragon and his fight against the pollution caused by the thermal power station in Cercs. Alternativa Verda won the law suit against the electric utility company Fecsa, owner of the plant, on the basis of environmental offence. Also: the protection of the volcanic zone in the Garrotxa region until it was declared a Natural Park; a campaign against the multinational Chevron to prevent uranium prospection in Catalonia; the defence of natural sites on the Costa Brava against large urban developments. He also conducted environmental campaigns on renewable energy, bioclimatic architecture and green urbanisation.
Santi wrote four ecology inspired novels: "Acció Paral.lela" ("Parallel action"), La Magrana, 1984, a critic on the authoritarian use of new communication technologies; "El secret d' Hiva Oa" ("The secret of Hiva Oa"), Laertes,1997, about Paul Gauguin, against the environmental and cultural destruction of Polynesia; "L' ull blau de Sibèria" ("The Blue Eye of Siberia"), Cossetània, 2013, about Lake Baikal and "L' ànima del volcà" ("The Soul of the Volcano"), Base,2015, for the safeguard of the ecological, archeological and cultural heritage of Easter Island (Rapa Nui).
In his essay "La bomba atómica de Franco" (Índex, 2011) he investigated the military objectives of nuclear energy in Spain.
From 1989 to 2010 he organised the international symposia Una Sola Terra with the participation of pioneer members of Ecoropa and the others pioneers of the ecology (WangarI Maathai, Vandana Shiva, Alexander King, Haroun Tazieff, Edward Goldsmith, Marie Thérèse Danielsson, Thor Heyerdahl...)
In December 1995 he organised with Marc Dubrulle an international homage to Denis de Rougemont, attended by the major political authorities from Catalonia and distinguished green European thinkers.
Santi initiated a project for a Constitution for the Catalan republic, based on the Earth Charter, the environmental rights, the access to information, the precautionary principle and the public control on natural resources.
He is married to Pilar Sentís, a psychologist, recognised for her distinguished contributions to eco-feminist in the years' 80. As an artist painter he held several exhibitions. He is passionate about lyrical arts.