Daniela Torres grew up in the awe-inspiring location that is Quito, Ecuador. Her father, a scientist and an economist, worked for the Ministry of Environment, and encouraged her to pursue the then-new field of environmental engineering. “I really loved how environmental engineering combined chemistry, statistics, biology, and resource management all in one degree,” Torres said. “Plus it was a new field which was motivating.”

Today, Torres leads the sustainable resources and climate technical team at ICLEI, a global nonprofit organization that was formed out of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The organization’s members are cities, and its mandate is to help those local governments implement sustainability measures across the value chain – including waste, energy, and water.

In addition to the full video, you can check out a written recap via our blog post.