At first glance, this photo may just look like two women hanging out in an ordinary cement box. But no, this is no ordinary box, and these are no ordinary women.
First, the women are extremely talented engineers and great people to boot. Alissa just got her MS in Materials Science at Berkeley, and Corrina is an Australian mechanical engineer/”retired” investment banker.
Second, the box is made of paper-crete–a lightweight more ecologically friendly material than normal concrete. Third, the box is the frame for an innovative design idea that Alissa and a team from Berkeley developed. It is a prototype of a solar hot water heater that will cost about $75 here in Guatemala.
Although a bit off topic from most of our blogs, I decided share a bit on why I love Guatemala. Specifically, I’d like to describe some of the non-work related cool things about Xela, where I have lived for about two years. I’ll sadly be leaving here in just two short weeks. In this blog I’ll write about some of the natural beauty around Xela.
As seen from the pictures above and below there’s some spectacular scenery and nature here. That’s me and a friend Miguel climbing La Muela last Sunday. There’s an abundance of hiking that is accessible within walking distance from Central Park. The closest is the hills overlooking the park, which I’ve named the Christo Viene hills as there’s a giant single billboard displaying in giant letters “Christo Viene” (Christ Comes) visible from the whole city . About 15 minutes from the city center you can be in trees and cornfields—it’s amazing. Another 45 minutes up into the woods is Los Vahos (natural steam bathes) and still further is La Muela (the tooth/molar), where I went rock climbing. About 20-30 minutes from Xela are 2 hot springs that I’ve frequented on weekends, Las Fuentes Georginas, and Aguas Amargas.
Other nearby great hikes are El Baul (The Trunk) which is right behind the AIDG-Guatemala office, Lake Chikabal (30 minute drive), which is an old volcano with a small lake in it’s crater, and the mighty Santa Maria Volcano that looms over Xela (4 hour hike up). From the top you can see a smaller volcano that burst out its side that is still active and generally erupts every 30 minutes or so.
The real gem of Guatemala is Lake Atitlan. It’s giant lake surrounded by volcanoes, and is hands-down out-of-control amazingly beautiful. It’s about 2.5 hours away, and I made it a habit to sink into a hammock there with a book at least once a month. Below is a photo of my partner Lisa that her friend (and photographer) Debby Coleman took last spring.
AIDG-Guatemala just received 3 badly needed computer systems from Partners in Solidarity–an Oregon based group that works to distribute old computers in Guatemala. I’ve been working with Mateo and Miguel (both from the Eugene area) and they do awesome work–there’s some great pictures on their website. I blogged a week ago about how we helped unload the 300 or so computers and monitors in Cantel. Here are a couple more photos of the AIDG Guatemala interns and volunteers in action. Above is Steve Lee and Alex Surasky-Ysasi stacking the monitors, and below intern Liakos Ariston and volunteer Emily Miller hefting the CPUs.
Yesterday outreach intern Katie Bliss was joined by Anne Romeo (Circuits) on a visit to the community of Chitux (pronounced chitutsh), located in the lush green hills above Xela. Working with community representatives and Dona Marta, the Director of the school, we are investigating the options to install an improved stove or biodigestor in the school kitchen, where they prepare rice milk and snacks for the children.
At the moment, the school is using firewood to cook on an open stove on the floor. The blackened walls hold testimony to the thick smoke that fills the small kitchen. Dona Marta explained how women cooking in the kitchen have suffered from breathing problems and eye irritations. A ‘Mynor’ stove, based on traditional local designs, will ensure smoke is removed from the building through a chimney. The stove is also around 50% more efficient and so will use less wood, saving money and local forest resources…bingo! A biodigestor will make marvelous use of locally available animal waste to produce methane gas for cooking, at the same time producing a safe, non-polluting fertilizer as a by-product.
The stove or biodigestor will be installed, by XelaTeco, as a demonstration site through the AIDG outreach program. Community members will be invited to view the technology, watch it in action and ask question. In exchange the community will contribute materials (sand, pumice and clay) and labor. The community representatives are also keen to continue to work in partnership with AIDG/XelaTeco to promote the purchase of appropriate technologies, improving infrastructure and quality of life in Chitux.
Today we welcomed two more interns! They are the last accepted interns for 2007, bringing our intern population to nine! (this doesn’t include our all-star volunteers). As a result of the rapid growth of our intern program, we’ve expanded to two different housing sites. Now the former Intern House has expanded its office space and decreased its housing capacity. This blog is in fact being written in the new office at the intern house. Corrina, the new intern coordinator, has done a fabulous job setting up the office, with great feng shui to boot!
Beau will be working on solar hot water systems and stoves, while Chase will be focused on a new biodigestor project.
Both gents had quite exciting adventures before arriving to Guatemala–Beau was a white water raft guide and Chase put over 9,000 miles on a motorcycle journey all over the US. Here’s some more info on them both:
Beau Baldock (Middlebury College, Vermont - History of Art and Architectural Design)
A recent graduate of Middlebury College’s Pre-Architecture program, Beau has spent the past several years developing his interest in the building technologies associated with recycled and natural materials. Rammed earth, passive solar, and recycled shipping containers are just a few of the elements he pursued as an undergraduate. Beau was recently trained at the Auroville Earth Institute in South India as to the production and implementation of Compression Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB’s). A combined interest in
sustainability, the Spanish language, and indigenous cultures has led him to AIDG. When time permits, Beau enjoys raft guiding, caving, and skiing.
Chase Nelson (Michigan Technological University, Environmental Engineering)
While a student at Michigan Technological University (MTU) Chase completed semesters at the following universities (through exchange programs); Curtin University (Perth, Australia), University of Alaska-Fairbanks, and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. At MTU he took advantage of many service work opportunities to enhance his training as an environmental engineer and to help those less fortunate. In the fall of 2006, he designed a storm water drainage system for a village in Bolivia. In May 2007 Chase graduated from MTU with a degree in Environmental Engineering.
This past weekend a friend of AIDG-Guatemala asked us to lend him a hand unloading some computers. To my surprise, there were more than a few computers–hundreds of computers and monitors needed to be unloaded in the rural town of Cantel, about 20 minutes from Xela. Matthew Ruttman of Partners in Solidarity has been organizing computer donations from Oregon for the last 6 years. He partners with Next Step Recycling and brings computers to rural schools in need of computer labs. So this past Saturday, most of the interns and I, along with over 40 school kids, worked up a sweat hauling computers from a shipping container to a modest house for safekeeping. In the next few weeks the computers will be tested (they were all loaded with Windows 2000 and educational software before they left the US), before they are distributed to over 35 communities.
Matt organized a solid crew of local students (mostly young boys) to help move the monitors. Amazingly, all the monitors (that probably weighed as much as some of the kids) all made it to storage without a hitch. Pictured above is Steve Lee in full swing, and below two local boys helping heft the monitors.
The AIDG interns have been creative in thinking about how to expand the Intern House. Finding an abundance of used 5 gallon water jugs that have slight cracks in them, the interns started scratching their heads. Why not use them as a beautiful wall that lets light in? Steve Crowe, the Guatemala Program Director, will soon have a new office, flanked with a bamboo wall, a brick/recycled glass bottle wall, and this to-be-built water jug wall.
I quickly searched the web and I couldn’t find anything remotely like it–so I think we’re pushing the boundaries of recycled water jug eco-construction and possibly doing something completely new and different. Pictured above is Carlos Poza, an all-star volunteer who has been helping the interns with the eco-expansion project, with the jugs. I’ll post more when it’s finished!
The Intern Program is expanding. Currently we have 7 interns, and 2 more are arriving next week. As such, we’re going to rent out a second space to house them all. This week we’re finalizing arrangements for a “steal” we found right above Parque Central with a great view. The first week of October we’ll have Chase Nelson and Beau Baldock joining us, hence the pressure to expand the housing. Because the interns are adding so much to our incubated business and our organization in general, we’re also going to bump up their communal food stipend a bit. If anyone is feeling extra generous to supporting the intern program, please make a donation and suggest that your funds “Feed the Interns!” or something to that effect. For more information on the backgrounds of all the interns, please follow this link.
Pictured above are the AIDG-Guatemala Crew: Liakos Ariston and Corrina Grace (bottom), and from left to right Katie Bliss, Steve Lee, Alexandra Surasky-Ysasi, Steve Crowe (Director), Carlos Poza (superstar volunteer), Anne Romeo, Emily Freeh, and Benny Lee (Director).
Well, the newest intern has safely arrived to Xela. Liakos Ariston will be working primarily on efficient stoves and ram pumps. Before arriving to Xela, he was working on two interesting projects in Portland, Oregon. One was greening a large roof for a warehouse, and the other was making bamboo bikes. Click the following link to see a video of Liakos talking about the construction of bamboo bikes.
A bit on Liakos:
Liakos received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University. His passion for appropriate technology developed while working in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa on ram pump and biogas digester installations. Liakos is working in Portland, Oregon on vegetated rooftop implementations. He is also the co-founder of Daedalus Cycles, which designs and builds custom bamboo bicycles.
Below is an abridged version of the weekly AIDG-Guatemala minutes that are sent out internally.
Intern Meeting Minutes
Date: Tuesday, 18th September 2007
Attendees: Benny Lee, Steve Crowe, Steve Lee, Katie Bliss, Anne Romeo, Alex Suraski-Ysasi, Corrina Grace, Emily Freeh
Next Meeting: 8:30am, Tuesday 25th September 2007
AGENDA
1. Welcome and introduction
2. Intern housekeeping/issues
3. IT Needs/Issues
4. Project status/updates
5. Supply/volunteer requirements
6. Social
7. Other business
(just projects are posted here)
4.1 Katie – Outreach Project
4.2 Steve C AIDG – Program Coordinator
4.3 Anne – Micro-Hydro (Hummingbird Circuits)
4.4 Steve L– Collaboration/Information Sharing
4.5 Benny – Education and Outreach Director
4.6 Alex – Micro-Hydro (Pelton turbine)
4.7 Emily – Business and Finance
4.8 Corrina – Intern Manager/Coordinator
Although a bit off topic from most of our blogs, I decided share a bit on why I love Guatemala. Specifically, I’d like to describe some of the non-work related cool things about Xela, where I have lived for about two years. I’ll sadly be leaving here in just two short weeks. In this blog I’ll write about some of the natural beauty around Xela.
At the moment, the school is using firewood to cook on an open stove on the floor. The blackened walls hold testimony to the thick smoke that fills the small kitchen. Dona Marta explained how women cooking in the kitchen have suffered from breathing problems and eye irritations. A ‘Mynor’ stove, based on traditional local designs, will ensure smoke is removed from the building through a chimney. The stove is also around 50% more efficient and so will use less wood, saving money and local forest resources…bingo! A biodigestor will make marvelous use of locally available animal waste to produce methane gas for cooking, at the same time producing a safe, non-polluting fertilizer as a by-product. 
