Johanna Ochoa: ¨Environmental care begins with simple actions¨

Johanna Ochoa. Coordinator of the Environmental Engineering career, University of Azuay 

In the upper part of Chiquintad, on the outskirts of the city of Cuenca, Professor Johanna Ochoa set up her home. 
In this area of ​​humid forest, close to the paramo, Ochoa maintains his contact with nature and there he revives, day by day, his commitment to protect and care for the environment. 

“From a very young age we used to go to a farm with my family, where I fondly remember the walks and tours we took. 

I marveled at the animals I found, I saw the fish in the lagoon, I contemplated the plants and I loved all of that. That is why it was easy for me to decide to study Environmental Engineering and, later, to be able to share all that passion with other people, through teaching. 

In my career I have been a participant in several local projects for linking with society and research. In Cuenca we have the Environmental Management Commission of the City Municipality, which manages and leads the fulfillment of actions in environmental matters. One of the goals we are working on is to create a guide to good environmental practices. 

We focus on three areas: carpentry, autobody and restaurants. 

This need arose several years ago, because the Commission had complaints from neighbors about the impact of these activities that were carried out; as air emissions from businesses that sell food. 

Therefore, the guide is based on improving people's attitudes for better environmental performance in any of their actions. For example, in carpentry shops so that they can find out what options they have to manage sawdust. 

We are also working on a project to create a circular economy guide to inform people about what it is and what benefits and mechanisms they can apply. 

The document is aimed at companies and all people. From our homes we can apply circular economy and I insist a lot on this with my students. 

We can apply it to the purchase of a new cell phone, because there are modular phones on the market whose memory, battery, and camera can be changed and used again. 

With my work, I have also supported the University of Azuay in the implementation and compliance of some environmental issues. 

We recently received the news that the Ministry of the Environment is going to officially give us the green dot certification. 

The recognition is for the 'ecostructure' and it is because the construction of the Bicentennial Campus was based on complying with environmental parameters from its execution to the finished work. Among them, having a state-of-the-art lighting system, which is not permanently on; on the façade, the use of paints was avoided, endemic flora species were recovered, among other actions. 

As a teacher, I consider that in the universities of the province we are doing a very promising job in the careers of this branch and contributing with knowledge. 

For example, there is information gathering work, which is key to having a baseline to propose solutions. 

In the case of the students of the University of Azuay, we are now more involved in a monitoring project of biotic and abiotic factors, in the area of ​​the Mazar power plant reservoir. 

This will make it possible to recover the stability of the soil, through the planting of native plants and thus avoid landslides and landslides. 

Cuenca is a benchmark city and we Cuencans have environmental commitments, but we must start helping the environment with small actions. 

We think that compliance corresponds to scientists and lifestyles are not changed. 

For example, being responsible by properly separating garbage, using returnable bottles instead of single-use ones, going to the supermarket with reusable bags. They are small things, but if we multiply them by thousands of people, they have a positive effect. 

your trajectory 

Environmental Engineer with a master's degree in Development Practices from James Cook University in Cairns, Australia. She is currently an assistant professor and coordinator of the Environmental Engineering career at the University of Azuay, where she teaches subjects related to environmental management, circular economy and ecology.