Luis Camargo
Luis Alberto had an early life that most Colombian’s would envy. From a strong family, he attended Bogotá’s top schools before leaving his home to study Mechanical Engineering in the United States. But the older he grew, the less comfortable Luis Alberto felt with his life. Convinced that his vocation was the root of his unhappiness, he made a career change to pursue a graphic design and communications master’s degree in New York. But while this new profession did not resolve his unease, something surprising in New York did: nature. Luis Alberto reveled in his discovery of forests, edible plants, and wild species among the city’s cement blocks. His eventual thesis topic, drawing on the communications side of his degree, looked at the personal motivations and attitudes behind environmentalism.
Reflecting on his past, Luis Alberto recognized the power nature had always held to bring him happiness. This had been true from his earliest years, on trips to a family farm and on vacations outside the city. Always active in clubs and outdoor youth groups, Luis Alberto returned to Colombia determined to do something more for Colombia’s environment.
At first working with activist groups and later helping draft and push through Colombia’s first environmental legislation, Luis Alberto became dissatisfied with the state of what he describes as “9 to 5 environmentalism” in his country. He fulfilled his deeper longing to connect with nature by organizing and leading several expeditions, including the first Colombian expedition up Mt. Everest. But this only strengthened his desire to give others what he had gotten from nature and to move environmentalism beyond the realm of public policy.
For years, Luis Alberto had been collecting a set of experiences that he felt were leading him toward a dream of helping all of Colombia’s youth connect to nature: his expedition to Mt. Everest, years of wilderness guide training, work with U.S.-based models for wilderness and experiential education. Nine years ago, Luis Alberto found himself on an 11-month tour of 50 national parks in South America. As he guided a group of his companions through their newly found awe in nature, his longtime dream become a concrete proposal. At the age of 29 he returned to Colombia and founded OpEPA.
Participation on Humanity Rising
Day114 Bouncing Beyond To A Regenerative World
HR!Day160 City & Community as Living Systems with Consciousness, Culture & Complex Adaptive Dynamics Day 163 - Cities & Communities Are Vehicles for Regeneration When We Take Responsibility for Our Relationship With the Ecoregion Enabling Relationships of Reciprocity
