The original exhibition, "Verde viento, verdes ramas", (Green breezes, green branches), was organized by the EcoMinga Foundation to raise funds for its environmental work. Forty-four famous local artists, photographers, sculptors, and jewelers offered their works in support of this cause. The exhibit was shown in late November and early December at the Galleries of Centro Cultural Itchmbía, a public space belonging to the municipal government of Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Thirteen thousand people visited the exhibit during its run of three weeks.

Participating artists have agreed to continue supporting EcoMinga’s work through this virtual version of the exhibit. The works illustrated here are those still available for purchase. Fifty percent of the value of each work goes to the artist, and the other fifty percent goes to the EcoMinga Foundation. This Foundation hopes to save the large number of endemic Ecuadorian plant and animal species that are not protected by national parks, through establishment of strategically placed nature reserves. In addition the foundation supports community involvement in conservation and ecotourism, supports reforestation efforts that benefit local people, and education initiatives aimed at local and foreign students. The foundation hopes to bring together Ecuadorians and people of all nationalities to try to conserve one of the most important centers of biodiversity on the planet. In so doing, the foundation helps preserve Ecuador’s natural and cultural heritage and avert the ecological and human disaster that will result if nothing is done.