January 19, 2016
After almost 24 hours of traveling, we finally arrived in Buenos Aires. The porteña’s hot weather and humidity, as well as two taxis, awaited us at at the airport to transport us to the hostel. After settling in at EcoPampas Hostel, we changed into more comfortable shoes and hit the streets to explore the wonderful city of Buenos Aires, commencing our journey in our neighborhood of Palermo, a vibrant and youthful district in the northeastern sector of the city.
In the afternoon, we rendezvoused with Nicolas Maggio, president of the Foro de Vivienda Social y Eficiencia Energética (FOVISEE) and Weatherizers Without Borders (WWB), and Paula, the programs’ architect. Both Nicolas and Paula warmly welcomed us to Argentina and to the WWB project. Dr. Maggio outlined the details of the following two-days of weatherization training, mentioning topics such as Energy Auditing and the retrofitting of dwellings. He also clarified the details of the three-day trip to the Municipality of Campana, where we would perform energy assessments, provide recommendations, and retrofit the homes of participating low-income families.
– Written by Anna Casals
Tomás Crowder-Taraborrelli 