December 27, 2018
From Nov 27 to 29, Arizona State University welcomed representatives from the University of Guyana, Conservation International and the International Institute for Environment and Development. Over three packed days, the 18 guests toured ASU and surrounding cities to learn about ASU and the variety of sustainable projects within Phoenix and Tempe. The visit was in support of Guyana: Resilient and One initiative, a program to advance Guyana’s sustainable economy through investments in education, research, sustainable management and conservation of the country’s vast ecosystems.
“Arizona State University is pleased to collaborate on building capacity within Guyana for a more desirable, sustainable future, through this partnership with UG and CI,” said Gary Dirks, director of ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability.
The agenda focused on introducing the visitors to ASU’s capabilities in global capacity building and resilient infrastructure, with presentations given across a number of ASU departments and faculty specializing in these areas. ASU attendees also learned about UG and CI’s work in Guyana, with presentations given by UG Vice Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith and CI Senior Vice President Daniela Raik.
Each partner recognizes the need for an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to advance a green economy in Guyana. ASU will support GRO through its existing knowledge base in sustainability, economics and energy solutions, scalable education programs and programmatic networks.
“This is only one example of the kind of opportunities that are possible through partnership,” ASU-CI Relationship Manager Amy Scoville-Weaver said. “We look forward to working together to leverage our respective strengths in conservation and education to advance solutions for Guyana.”
GRO is a collaboration established between CI, ASU and UG and is funded through a grant agreement between the ExxonMobil Foundation and CI.