2018 PATAGONIA WEATHERIZATION TOUR
In February 2018 Weatherizers Without Borders – WWB went on the First Patagonia Weatherization Tour, visiting 3 cities in 2 different countries.
Bariloche
The existing partnership between the City of Bariloche, Weatherizers Without Borders, Fundación Avina and Citi Foundation -based on a grant provided by the latter within their Sustainable Cities line of action- has led to the successful generation of a weatherization public policy model in Bariloche, in Patagonia, Argentina, and more recently in San Martín de los Andes.
Owing to this success, the WWB team decided to set out on the Patagonia Weatherization Tour. US weatherizers visited these 2 cities, located in 2 different Argentine provinces (Bariloche and San Martin de los Andes, in Rio Negro and Neuquén, respectively) and then flew to Chile, to start a weatherization program in the area of Santiago. As part of the “Tour”, WWB presented at the G20 Energy Transitions Working Group Conference “Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Forum”, Buenos Aires, 2018.
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Mark Jackson, WWB’s Vice President & COO presents at the G20 Energy Forum. BA, Feb 2018.
President of Argentina, Macri at the G20 Forum.
Jackson and Argentine Environment Minister Berman.
Ramiro Fernández, Climate Change Director at Avina Foundation & Nicolas Maggio, WWB. G20 Forum.
Weatherization expert Mark Jackson participated in conferences and meetings in Patagonia in Argentina and Chile. The conferences attracted the attention from officials, experts, professionals and the media. South American weatherizers had the chance to meet with US expert and exchange experiences. Jackson had the chance to visit weatherized homes and learn first-hand from the impacts weatherization is having in Latin America.
In Bariloche, where WWB toghether with the local Municipality and a group of partners (Citi, Avina, Fovisee, CHP, CAF) develop weatherization as a public policy, a conference was held at the Municipality.
WWB’s President and Vice President presenting with the Mayor of Bariloche, Patagonia.
In Bariloche the WWB team also visited the site where they plan to develop the first weatherization training center outside the US, This center is planned to be built this year in Bariloche, in the Argentine Patagonia, with the support of Citi Foundation in alliance with Avina Foundation.
Potential location of the first Latam weatherization training center.
Within Jackson`s resposibilities in the US, he directs the Communitiy Housing Partners Energy Solutions Training Center. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laLXMjHJaUY and https://www.communityhousingpartners.org/276/train.html
WWB officials inspecting the space where to develop the first Latam weatherization training center.
The tour also included working with the weatherization team in San Martín de los Andes, the second city in Argentine Patagonia, where WWB develops a weatherization program in alliance with Citi Foundation and Fundación Avina.
Weatherization team in San Martín de los Andes, Patagonia, Argentina.
The weatherization tour ended in Santiago de Chile, where WWB members met at the US Embassy with the stakeholders who will be part of the weatherization ecosystem in Chile. WWB plans to start a pilot in that country before mid 2018.
WWB’s President and Vice President presenting at the US Embassy in Santiago, Chile.
