When one isolated village in Guatemala decided to wire itself for electricity for the very first time, they decided to step out of the past and go straight to the future with renewable energy. They were able to do it with the help of Xela Teco and the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group. Xela Teco installs and repairs sustainable power generators in rural Guatemalan communities that otherwise couldn't afford electricity. The company specializes in hydroelectric systems and biodigesters that turn animal waste into methane gas to fuel stoves. Many Guatemalan villages are too small to build power plants and too remote to establish transmission lines. That's where Xela Teco comes in. With support from the U.S.-based AIDG, Xela Teco uses local expertise to service the technologies that can deliver water, electricity and heat without harming the environment. In one village near El Palmar, Xela Teco recently installed a solar water heater and a complete micro-hydroelectric system. Forty families there can now enjoy electricity in their homes for the very first time. Amazing considering some villagers make as little as $2 a day. They are showing the rest of us that you don't have to have the green to go green on energy.

Original article can be found clicking here.

G4B's Monthly CSReport ~ Issue Twenty-Nine 

by Alexander Görlach

www.aidg.org stands for everything Club of Pioneers believes in: a sustainable and fair future for everybody on this planet. We see in the discussions about global warming and climate change often a very self-centrated point of view. There might be a slight tendency to lower the efforts if one own's country seems not to be affected that much.

To www.aidg.org it is clear that we all have to stand united and build a future for everybody - for example by working on it that each and every one has access to clean water.

The organisation offers internships for those who want to take a stance by acting, working for a sustainable future.

The original blog post is available at:

http://www.clubofpioneers.com/blog/alexs-blog/2/comments/114/

by John Barrie 

I follow the work of the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) pretty closely. Through education and business development AIDG promotes sustainable technologies that improve the quality of life in developing countries.  AIDG has identified several sustainable technologies that can be made locally, with local “eco-engineers”. One technology AIDG is promoting in Guatemala is the use of Biodigesters.

Fast Company, October 2006

Written by Josie Swindler

"There's an unfortunately predictable formula for infrastructure projects in developing countries: A well-intentioned nonprofit comes in, spends a small fortune installing promising equipment, then moves on or runs out of money. Inevitably, a screw comes loose, and with no one there to fix it, the whole project crumbles."

Rob Katz at WRI's Nextbillion.net wrote in to nominate the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group to our informal "Best of 2006" Innovations in Emerging Markets.

Description: AIDG tackles infrastructure development - energy generation, clean water, sanitation, cooking - though a combination of locally-appropriate design and small business development.
Link: http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2006/11/03/appropriate-infrastructure-development-group and http://www.aidg.org
Why: AIDG is taking business for development local, and partnering it with innovative design. The project has everything - job creation, technology innovation, good partnerships, and a growth strategy - that should be looked for in a BOP project. And they have a great blog! http://www.aidg.org/blog

Post your nominations through the comments section!

The original post is available at:

http://ifcblog.ifc.org/emergingmarketsifc/2007/01/infrastructure_.html 

by Christine Bowers

Peter Haas and his nonprofit AIDG have an excellent idea to bring low-tech solutions to basic problems of energy, water and sanitation in developing countries. Their first project is a 10-man shop in Guatemala that will build a 40-home microhydroelectric system as part of a UNDP contract. Since the workers are locals, they'll be around to fix it later. Haas envisions a network of self-sustaining businesses that build and repair low-cost technologies. Hats off. Kudos too for the impressive website - complete with blog and volunteer opportunities abroad.

I saw the article in FastCompany just in time, as it seems that Mr. Haas himself will be speaking at the Bank's auditorium today as part of a UN Week conference on Youth, Innovation and Development. I can't make it, but would love to get any comments from staffers that can.

The orginal blog post is available at:

http://psdblog.worldbank.org/psdblog/2006/10/appropriate_tec.html 

Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group 

by Robert Katz

It is a familiar story: post-college volunteer (Peace Corps, etc.) returns from the developing world with a desire to help the community in which he or she has been staying. The subsequent projects are also familiar – they often involve selling local handicrafts to first-world markets, or aggregating donations of used computers and cell phones to send back to the community. I don't question the motivation behind such initiatives, and I applaud some of them for attempting to bolster the local economy or jump-start development with first-world technology. More often than not, however, these small projects operate much like typical top-down development projects; that is, they depend on human and physical capital that only the donor/benefactor can provide. In order for such projects to become truly sustainable, they must be able to stand on their own.

Peter Haas knows this story well, having spent years traveling to and volunteering in low-income communities, where well-intentioned development projects often failed without constant donor intervention. With his first-hand knowledge of the problem, Haas set off to find a solution, founding the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) in 2004. The AIDG web site describes exactly what it is they do:

Written by Benny Lee

Photo Courtesy of AIDG