NC/Bolivia Partners hosted Jose Miguel Valdivia, a young architect and environmental activist from Cochabamba, Bolivia in September. He visited numerous environmental organizations in the Triangle area to exchange best practices in preserving natural areas.
He gave a well-attended speech at Duke University titled “A Green Building Emergency,” cosponsored by the Working Group for Environment in Latin America and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Duke, UNC, and NC State. The talk detailed the severe water problems facing Cochabamba due to poorly planned development.
Mr. Valdivia is the president of the Cochabamba Society of Landscape Architects, and he was able to give another speech and make some great connections at the NC State College of Design with local Partners member and landscape architect Rodney Swink.
He met with new and prospective Partners members, including a group of Bolivia Peace Corps Volunteers led by Erin Shown, to socialize and encourage others to get involved in the partnership. Lee Moore also hosted him for a roundtable discussion at the Paradise Garden Project which opened at a Durham art gallery.
Finally, he got to visit several prominent green building projects, the Duke Lemur Center, and much more. He says he loved North Carolina and got a range of new ideas for his work back home. A million thanks to the many Partners members who volunteered to host Jose Miguel and show him what North Carolina has to offer!