Nothing excites the Yestermorrow community as much as finding a kindred-spirit out there in the world. Ana Maria Gutierrez is one such person.

The Colombian-born, American-educated architect recently traveled from her home country to attend Yestermorrow’s Advanced Plasters course. During her stay, she made a presentation to the students on campus about her own organization, Fundación Organizmo, which she founded in 2008 along side Itamar Sela, an Israeli horticulturist and landscape designer at the New York Botanical Garden.

Organizmo is an education and design center for sustainable habitats, bio-architecture, and intuitive technologies. Their goal is to take concrete steps toward the development of vulnerable communities by educating, empowering, and promoting the rescue of indigenous construction techniques and the revitalization and rediscovery of local resources.

At their EcoCampus in Tenjo, about 30 kilometers from Bogota, Gutierrez and her cohorts are experimenting and teaching workshops in building with straw, earth and recycled materials, utilizing alternative technologies, promoting the principles of Permaculture, and creating unique living roofs, walls, and eco-domes.

In addition to running courses, Organizmo has created a robust volunteer/intern program, welcoming individuals looking to learn and experiment. For more information about courses, programs, volunteer opportunities, or other ways to support their mission, visit their website.

-Dan