By Habib Rahman

Weston - Last Sunday, Peter Haas, a lifelong Weston resident and co-founder of AIDG, presented one vision of empowering the world’s poor by developing economically viable environmentally friendly businesses in the developing world. It has successfully established several renewable energy projects in Guatemala and, contingent on funding, is hoping to start similar operations in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. AIDG was founded in 2004 by Peter Haas and his friend Benny Lee, also a Weston resident. Two other lifelong Weston friends joined the board of directors – Adam Hyde and Grey Lee.

AIDG’s mission is simple – empower the poor in developing countries by creating indigenous small self-sustaining businesses that generate green energy. To this end, they have interns and volunteers, primarily students from top colleges like Berkeley, MIT and Stanford, work with local villagers, helping develop renewable energy plants.This summer a group of 10 Weston High School students and two chaperone teachers will go on a Teco-Tour to Guatemala under the auspices of AIDG. The students will travel through the country and work on renewable energy projects with local villagers. The operations are by design small and have to be affordable to locals, most of whom live on less than $2 a day.

"Our goal is to transform society one village at a time," Haas said.

Here is a sampling of some of the products developed by AIDG.

Biodigesters are appropriate technologies that take advantage of the energy naturally present in animal waste and kitchen trash. As these wastes break down, whether in the ground, a compost heap, landfill or biodigester, they release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. In contrast to the other waste storage and disposal methods mentioned, a biodigester traps the methane and stores it for heating, cooking or lighting.A turbine to generate hydroelectric power was developed by AIDG. AIDG is currently working on three different sized hydroelectric projects – custom designs that provide 5 to 50 kilowatts of electricity (one kilowatt is like ten 100-watt light bulbs burning at once; a more standardized design which can produce 1 to 3 kilowatts; and a "pico-hydro" turbine which produces 50 to 100 watts, enough for basic lighting and cell phone charging for a family.

Solar heating is one of the oldest uses of solar energy. AIDG’s low-cost collector can easily meet the hot water needs of a small family.

Slow sand filtration is an inexpensive chemical-free method of water purification. For communities with access to sand, this filtration technique is one of the most cost effective and environmentally friendly forms of water treatment available.

AIDG is a tax exempt nonprofit organization. It is seeking individual and corporate sponsorship as well as venture capital funding to continue its mission of developing sustainable renewable energy businesses in the developing world. For more information visit their Web site and lively blog at "www.aidg.org".

The Weston Climate Group meets on the first Sunday of each month. Please join us at our next meeting on Sunday, June 3 at 4 p.m. at Forbes Room, Brook School Apartments, Weston. Please park on School Street.

Submitted by the Weston Climate Group and written by Habib Rahman.

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