For Nelson Institute alumna Carolina Toapanta, the University of Wisconsin-Madison was not only a place of education, but inspiration. In fact, a trip to the giant, iconic terrace chair at the Memorial Union became the impetus behind the creation of a giant bamboo chair that now serves as a roadside attraction and symbol of hope for an artisan cooperative in Ecuador. Developed thanks to the leadership of Toapanta, who serves as the Executive Director of the Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation in Ecuador, this cooperative, and the chair, are helping artisans impacted by the pandemic to safely sell their products while bringing additional resources to their communities.
Read the full article at: https://nelson.wisc.edu/from-the-terrace-to-tropical-conservation-how-a-terrace-chair-inspired-community-conservation-efforts/