麻豆影院

奥丑别苍听Brian Ladd聽(Bus鈥�99) graduated from CU-麻豆影院 in 1999, he and two friends headed to South America with backpacks and bicycles, pedaling from Peru south through Chile and on to Argentina鈥檚 Tierra del Fuego.

Those four months biking through 鈥渟ome of the most incredible landscapes鈥� left a mark on Brian, 35, a residential agent and developer in Bend, Ore. So a decade later when he read a magazine article about聽聽鈥� a budding land conservation enterprise trying to turn a profit by preserving ecosystems in Chile 鈥� he jumped on board.

鈥淚t really struck a chord with me,鈥� says Brian, who joined Patagonia Sur in 2011 as a consultant charged with developing the company鈥檚 membership program, ecotourism offerings and university partnerships. 鈥淚 was inspired by the goals of the company. They truly value the ecosystem.鈥�

That ecosystem includes pristine Patagonian wilderness stretching from the Pacific Ocean 鈥� where Patagonia Sur biologists study blue whales 鈥� inland to snow-capped Andean peaks.

The company sells carbon-offset credits and operates an 鈥渆co-brokerage鈥� for Patagonian property in partnership with local communities. It also pursues 鈥渆co-friendly鈥� agriculture, aquaculture and forestry.

Members can purchase exclusive lifetime access to the Patagonia Sur Nature Reserve, and the reserve鈥檚 wilderness lodges are open to well-heeled ecotourists as well. Visitors have the option to add activities such as tree-planting (Patagonia Sur plans to plant one million native trees this year alone), organic farming and wildlife biology to their vacation itineraries.

鈥淧atagonia Sur Reserves, situated within 60,000 acres of private conservation lands in the remotest regions of Chilean Patagonia, are the real deal: ideally isolated, eco-elegant and breathtakingly beautiful,鈥� travel writer Ellen Barone posted in a March 2012聽National Geographic听谤别惫颈别飞.

Brian, a fourth-generation builder, says if the project is successful it can redefine the value of functioning, intact ecosystems.

鈥淭hat hasn鈥檛 really been addressed in the business world,鈥� he says, referring to the value of healthy ecosystems. 鈥淚f we can make money by reforesting, we鈥檙e proving that we were giving up value before by letting carbon go without cost. If people are willing to pay a lot of money to go to these last beautiful places, it proves that there鈥檚 value.鈥�

Brian wants to apply Patagonia Sur鈥檚 鈥渃onservation capitalism鈥� model closer to home in his own development work, incorporating open space, using green building techniques, limiting footprints and planning for sustainability.

鈥淢y personal pride comes from continuing to push my beliefs on responsible development and environmentally conscious development to the forefront,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f I could bridge the gap between environmental conservation and development, that would be my proudest accomplishment.鈥�

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