Washington, DC, May 16th, 2014 – Maria-Paz Gutierrez, a Senior Fellow in the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), will be traveling on May 19th to May 23rd to participate in meetings and events in Colombia including advising the Colombian government on the Low Carbon Resilient Development (LCRD) program and its implementation. Senior ECPA Fellow Maria-Paz Gutierrez is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

During her visit to Colombia, Maria-Paz Gutierrez will advise the Government of Colombia on how to implement the Low Carbon Resilient Development (LCRD) program for cities and investigate potential sustainability design opportunities in several Colombian cities while sharing knowledge with the local management team of the program. Maria-Paz will also hold meetings with the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Mining and Energy (specifically UPME, their energy and mining planning section), and the National Department of Planning (DNP) to discuss the experiences and the expectations of adaptive housing. She will also meet with donors supporting sustainable urban planning and hold an informative discussion with the Colombian Council for Sustainable Buildings. Finally, she will meet with representatives from Universidad de La Salle to discuss energy programs and collaborations.

The Senior ECPA Fellows program is a network of high-level technical experts in the fields of climate change and energy who travel between countries in the Western Hemisphere to consult with governments or other institutions. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemispheric Affairs and is administered by Partners of the Americas. There are currently 10 Senior ECPA Fellows who participate in these international exchanges. The main areas of focus for the program are: energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy infrastructure, energy poverty and access, sustainable forestry and land use, and climate change adaptation.

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Partners of the Americas is an international network that promotes social and economic development in the Americas through leadership, voluntary service, and development programs. Its mission is to connect individuals, volunteers, institutions, businesses, and communities to serve and to change lives through lasting partnerships. Partners envisions an interconnected hemisphere that maximizes the social and economic potential, and leverages the full diversity, of the Americas.