InterIntel Working to Bring Environmental Solutions to Haiti

Daniel Schnitzer is Co-Founder and Director of Project Management at InterIntel, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity based in Cambridge, MA.  InterIntel works at the community level to improve energy services and environmental management with empowering, self-sustaining projects.  They are presently organizing three projects on the southwestern peninsula of Haiti. In this post, Dan explains how he started the organization with the goal of “democratizing sustainability”:

Back in August of 2008, during my first trip to Haiti, I was standing in front of the heaviest paperweight I had ever seen in my life. It was a perfectly new 170 kW diesel generator, connected to a non-functional streetlighting grid in a coastal town called Tiburon on the western tip of Haiti’s southern peninsula. My Haitian friends had told me that the local congressman spent tens of thousands of dollars and a great deal of effort into developing this project. But now that he had been re-elected, no one was sure whether this generator would ever give light to Tiburon. Electricite d’Haiti built the grid, but had since abandoned it.

During that trip I encountered many other symptoms of the governmental and market failure we read and hear about most often in the form of statistics like these: 800,000 children and 500,000 women die worldwide each year from respiratory disease caused by indoor air pollution from dirty biomass cooking fuel; in 2004, Tropical Storm Jeanne killed 3,000 people in Haiti; in 2008, Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike tore paths of destruction through Haiti, causing untold property damage and killing at least 800; each year 30,000,000 trees are cut down in Haiti, which now has just 1% of its land under forest cover.

These symptoms are inequitable for the obvious reason that they disproportionately affect the poor, the oppressed and the disenfranchised. InterIntel and many other organizations operate on the conviction that solutions for many of the root causes of symptoms like illness, disasters and poverty are readily available. Further, we believe that solutions can go one step further than economic development; they can foster social justice.

However, time and again, the “solutions” pandered to the governments and people of least developed countries by the IMF, World Bank and USAID not only failed, but in many cases made situations worse. This is hardly surprising, though. What little participation countries receiving aid from these organizations have is controlled by their finance ministers, who represent the interests of the business elite – not the people.

That is why InterIntel takes a community-based, participatory approach to its projects. We use surveys to discover the needs, constraints and desires of residents, and depend on facts, not ideologies, to guide our work. In order to truly solve the root problems so ubiquitous in the developing world, we must engage in empowering, self-sustaining activities that put people to work, prevent capital flight, and transfer knowledge.

For example, InterIntel discovered through its surveys of 265 residents in the community of Les Anglais that the payback period on a $20US solar-powered LED lamp could be as little as three months, and typically at most fifteen months, based on the amount presently spent on kerosene and candle-based lighting. If such lamps were available, residents would have the option to use a light source that is better for their health and their budget. Our solution is to build a clean energy retail store to stock appropriate energy technologies like solar lamps, solar home systems, and efficient charcoal stoves. We have introduced three key features of this project – cooperation, training and microfinance – to ensure that it has the greatest possible impact.

I encourage you to read more about this and our other projects on our website, www.interintel.org.  In order to make these projects a reality though, InterIntel needs to raise a minimum of $20,000.  We estimate our total costs for the year to be $80,000.  Since receiving our 501(c)(3) status in mid-January of 2009, we have raised over $2,500 from individual donors and greatly appreciate donations of any size – even $25 is enough to purchase and ship two solar LED lamps to Les Anglais. Donations can be securely made through PayPal on our website: www.interintel.org. If you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website to learn more about us and send an email. You can also support our cause by sending our website to friends, family and colleagues, or by becoming a “fan” of InterIntel on our facebook page.
-Daniel Schnitzer

This is our first post from guest blogger Daniel Schnitzer. If you’re interested in blogging for us, send an email to dorothee@see3.net.

Garbage Warrior: An Eco-Architect Fights to Build Off-the-Grid

What do beer cans, car tires and water bottles have in common? Not much unless you’re renegade architect Michael Reynolds, in which case they are tools of choice for producing thermal mass and energy-independent housing.

Shot over three years in the USA, India and Mexico, Garbage Warrior is a feature-length documentary film telling the epic story of eco-architect Michael Reynolds and his fight to introduce radically sustainable housing or “Earthships”. According to the website, Earthships are defined as “passive solar homes made of natural and recycled materials with renewable energy and integrated water systems.”

Sounds cool to us, let the man build!

Figs and Ginger, Whimsical Eco-Friendly Jewelry

Eco-friendly jewelry makers Figs and Ginger, a husband-and-wife team based in Asheville, North Carolina, produce some of the cutest earrings, necklaces, rings and brooches you’ve ever seen. Creativity clearly comes easily to Rhonda and Elijah Wyman, who create Figs and Ginger jewelry from a minimum of 50% recycled/reclaimed silver and gold in their backyard studio.

Inspired by nature, Figs and Ginger designs feature silhouettes of birds, fawns, deer, bunnies and trees with a striking simplicity that has proven very popular – all necklace designs are sold out on their website at the moment. But, you may still be able to find some locally – check out their Where to Buy page to find a shop near you.

Link [Figs & Ginger]

A Chair Made from Hair

In the ever-expanding search for renewable materials that are kind to the environment and perform well to boot, there are occasionally a few surprises. This is one of them. Ronald Thompson, ex-hairstylist to the stars, made this ‘Stiletto Chair’ from a human hair-based composite that can be molded into almost any shape and mixed with almost any matrix.

From Trendhunter, via Ecolect:

His prototype was made from 4.5 pounds of discarded hair sweep up in barbershops and hairdressers of London.  The 49 year old Thompson found his inspiration while on the set of a movie.

“As part of my course I was doing a work placement on the set of the Batman Begins movie and, as you do on placement, was sweeping the floors which reminded me of my hairdressing days,” he said. “I picked up a piece of fibreglass, which snapped when I stretched it. Then I did the same with a strand of hair, which didn’t. That sparked my thinking about how we could make use of all this spare hair to make a stronger fibreglass-type product that is environmentally friendly and sustainable.”

He hopes that his eco-friendly alternative to fibreglass will find a use in additional products, such as structural beams, shoes, clothing, mascara, and boat parts.

Human hair can be dyed to any color, is very strong and can be collected for free from salons and barber shops. It’s kind of gross to imagine sitting in a chair made from the hair of dozens or even hundreds of people, though.

Thompson’s prototype Stiletto Chair isn’t exactly the best example of how this material could be applied in an economically feasible way – it’s coated with bronze and costs $15,000. However, Thompson is looking into developing less expensive models.

Link [Trendhunter] via [Ecolect]

Wine Bottle Packaging Turns Into a Lamp

Now here’s some inspired packaging design. This wine box by Ciclus coverts into a table lamp with no extra parts required, and surprisingly, it looks fantastic. The box, which houses a bottle of ecologically produced Cava – Spanish sparkling wine – is made with wood from local managed forests and recycled cardboard. The bottom of the box holds the hardware that converts the wine box into a lamp, as well as a CFL bulb.

Smart and beautiful – if only more companies would put such serious thought into the life their products and product packaging will have after their initial intended usage. This product was designed as a corporate gift by Hera Holdings, an ecological waste and resource management group in Spain, so it’s not commercially available, and that’s too bad – but hopefully others will be inspired by their creativity.

Link [Inhabitat]

World’s First Sustainable Dance Club

Sure you like to party, but did you know that dancing could help power your favorite club? Check out this video which profiles the Sustainable Dance Club in Rotterdam (NL).

According to The Lohasian,

The club uses proven technologies such as grey water circuits, sustainable (renewable) materials, wind turbines and solar panels. But goes even further by integrating human movement and human experience into the sustainability design.

Moving, sweating, body heat all interface with the environment, from powering LED lights through a movement powered dance floor, to changing wall colors effected by body heat.The innovative design truly pushes the boundaries of sustainable thinking, by creating an incredibly interesting value chain between the DJ who is to inspire the club attendees who power the “light show” and various other elements of the the club – creating the ultimate atmosphere and experience.

For more information, visit sustainablerotterdam.com.

Innovate or Die: A Bike Makes Clean Water

In addition to reducing pollution by taking cars off the road, bicycles can be used to bring clean water to people around the world. Team Aquaduct won the Innovate or Die contest by creating a pedal powered vehicle that transports, filters, and stores water for the developing world.

The YouTube description explains how the Aquaduct works:

A peristaltic pump attached to the pedal crank draws water from a large tank, through a filter, to a smaller clean tank. The clean tank is removable and closed for contamination-free home storage and use. A clutch engages and disengages the drive belt from the pedal crank, enabling the rider to filter the water while traveling or while stationary.