we’ve been reading and thinking of the Green Alternatives for rebuilding Haiti.  yes green power and infrastructure will have to be a part of the recovery efforts if Haiti is to step into the present we’re not talking the future, but today.

as you can see from the earthquake and news photos; [...]]]>

we’ve been reading and thinking of the Green Alternatives for rebuilding Haiti.  yes green power and infrastructure will have to be a part of the recovery efforts if Haiti is to step into the present we’re not talking the future, but today.

as you can see from the earthquake and news photos; much of Haiti’s infrastructure is substandard at best.  the buildings are mostly concrete and re-bar.  this is why we are seeing the types and frequency of amputations being performed; to extricate bodies, from collapsed structures in Port Au Prince.  that can not be repeated,  especially in hospitals and schools.

this time around the building process needs to take into account earthquake and hurricane preparedness. this means lots of organic materials should be employed, like Bamboo which grows wild in Haiti and most of the Caribbean.  FYI – bamboo is stronger than steel or concrete and safer used in building projects.  remember the Chinese used it to hold back the mudslide to allow them to rescue their children who were trapped in the school. it worked miraculously.

this is a woman in Asia making her house from Bamboo and Mud.  simple, green and effective. these types of structures are found all over Asia, and the Caribbean.  I’ve seen old houses like this in PR and Jamaica.  one day I wondered out loud how long they had survived only to be told the house was older than Me. WOW.

these houses have everything my house has including plumbing and electricity. they’re just made of bamboo on the outside. notice the floor and the shutters. this is a model home made almost entirely of Bamboo. the construction is green and utilizes many green features that help to reduce the footprint of the house; such as rainwater tank system; whole house greywater and low pressure water systems; passive solar water heater; tempered glass, a flow through roof and shutters; as well as running on power generated from the solar panels which are mounted on the roof. this house was 80% self efficient.even the paint was bamboo and hemp for strength against rain.

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the next time around there will have to be Solar Lights and Wind Turbines generating the nations power; as it should be.  the majority of Haitis’ problems stem from it’s inability to generate enough agricultural or industrial products to export.  the ring of debt that has circled Haitis’ stabilization efforts stretches back to the 1950′s and the papa doc era. you see the imf financed papa doc and baby doc as though Haiti was just their private club, and not a nation of 9 million people.  this is what caused Haiti to remain trapped in the past, with it’s vampire debt.

Haiti has come a long way since then and it’s time that Haiti step up to the challenge of rebuilding it’s nation, with a green focus.  this building above is a 100% green office building, and shopping mall from Asia. this is the standard that the Haitians must insist on following if they are to recover and rebound to become once again the emerald of the Caribbean. international destinations need a draw, and if Haiti wants to draw those international jet-setters as it did in the 50′s and 60′s; it will need that level of commitment from their caricom partners to share the wealth, and visitors.  the rest of the caricom family needs to put their heads together and come up with a hot new brand for Haiti.

Something Mysterious, Something Sexy and Tres Chic.   that always draws the money..

we’ve heard that a couple nations in Africa have offered the Haitians repatriation including a parcel of good farming land.  what a deal.  hopefully some of the Haitian farmers and craftspeople will take this second chance and move forward to establish a new Haitian expat community in Africa; and use their skills to support the rebuilding of Haiti.  Sac Pase’ !

My first thought was about basic things like energy to support life – yes that’s a big one but I think we have it  licked easily.  how about a few large wind turbine farms being erected in the countryside and just offshore; to generate power and to turn waterwheels to supply fresh drinking water to the island.  if they generated enough, they could easily sell some to the DR.

No doubt with Haiti’s deforestation issue, Wind Farms as well as  Solar Farms; will easily pop up in areas outside the city.  allowing an energy co-op to sell the power and make a fair profit for the members.  these should be community projects – not for profit set ups.  if you allow them to be for-profit, you doom the people to continue the deforestation process.  this is the cause of landslides, and the destruction of many communities as we’ve seen over the past few years.

How About a Few Solar Farms in places like Cite Soleil – which in case you don’t know means Sun City

sounds perfect especially if it’s set up as a community based and owned energy farm; who’s earnings return to the community and enlarging their farm.  this could feed alot of people, and give them light in their homes as well – all through green readily available solar power. imagine no more charcoal cooking fires, or wood burning.  Haiti has only 10% of it’s trees surviving due to the extreme need for charcoal, for cooking and heating; used by the 95% of the population too poor to afford cooking gas or a gasoline generator for power.

the schools need to embark on a totally green rebuilding process themselves.  each school needs to be given the tools and support to reconstruct safer green structures.  the schools should include the building trades needed to complete the green rebuilding process, as a part of the schools curriculum offerings. this alone would create a nation of green builders/journeymen who could begin to reconstruct the county’s building trades industry.  the economy would be boosted, and so too the futures of the youth of Haiti who comprise more than 50% of the population. these young green builders could be the green builders of Caricom.

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• parking lots
• streets
• highways
• schools
• parks and recreation
• gas stations
• airports

Haiti needs partners to assist in it’s green recovery, who understand the process and can provide mentoring and initial start up assistance, by-way of the world bank initiative for Haiti. Solar panels are easy to build and cheap once you get the materials and have a market.  Haiti is 700 miles from the USA; who needs solar panels presently.  why not form a partnership to start this growth up to enrich both economies.  many small school co-ops/companies could produce enough solar panels to export for the entire Caribbean, if they had the partners willing to make it happen.

No doubt i’m taking some of you on a ride to a place far far away; but that’s the point. to make it happen we have to imagine it happening; only then we can begin to work out in our minds, the plan to make it happen.

Won’t you dream with me of a beautiful green Haiti, where everyone has a chance to dream, and become The Reality,

Senegal’s president on Sunday called for Africa to make room for victims of Haiti’s earthquake to restart their lives on the continent from where their ancestors were snatched as slaves.

“The repeated calamities that befall Haiti prompt me to propose a radical solution — to take measures to create somewhere in Africa… the conditions for Haitians to return,” President Abdoulaye Wade told France Info radio. “They did not choose to go to that island,” he added, referring to the mass deportation of African slaves to Haiti, then a French colony, from the 16th century.

“It is our duty to recognise their right to come back to the land of their ancestors.”

His spokesman Mamadou Bamba Ndiaye gave further details of the proposals.

“If it is just a few people, we will offer them a roof and a patch of land,” he told the radio station. “If they come in large numbers, we will give them a whole region.“

Related articles by Zemanta

• Deforestation & dams have destroyed Haiti. (socialactions.net)
• Public Health, Health Infrastructure, Humanitarian Aid: Health Crisis in Haiti (creakysites.wordpress.com)
• Nursing home residents still awaiting aid in Haiti (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Harnessing the Sun to Store the Wind (greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Kenya green lights wind farm as Spain eyes expanding African renewables market (businessgreen.com)
• US Faith-Based Group Sends Solar Powered Audio Bibles to Haiti (treehugger.com)
• Senegal offers land to Haitians (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Dominican Republic aid to Haiti eases historic tensions (cnn.com)
• Haiti needs long-term commitment from us all (guardian.co.uk)
• Poor DR Congo offers aid to Haiti (news.bbc.co.uk)

“Guilt has never been part of it,” he said. “It’s excitement instead, presenting people with an opportunity — ‘you have an amazing chance to build a well!’ ”

We Think this guy is one of the smartest guys in the world.  Scott Harrison took his place in history and our hearts when he [...]]]>

“Guilt has never been part of it,” he said. “It’s excitement instead, presenting people with an opportunity — ‘you have an amazing chance to build a well!’ ”

We Think this guy is one of the smartest guys in the world.  Scott Harrison took his place in history and our hearts when he gave his heart to Clean Water.  We’ve written many pieces on water and fundamental rights of humans to clean water; but this guy gave it his all, by dashing his millionaires life to become a photog for a charity who focuses on Children, and of course Water.

All of us could do more to help, and we can all certainly help by spreading the word.

We’re suggesting our blogging buddies make themselves a part of the effort. Do One Day a Week of Public Service Blogging and Feel the Rewards Instantly.  Each One Reach One; and Each One Can Teach One.

Use Your Power Bloggers – Lets Save The Children,

Clean, Sexy Water

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

People always ask: What can I do to make a difference?

So many people in poor countries desperately need assistance. So many people in rich countries would like to help but fear their donations would line the pocket of a corrupt official or be lost in an aid bureaucracy. The result is a short circuit, leaving both sides unfulfilled.

That’s where Scott Harrison comes in.

Five years ago, Mr. Harrison was a nightclub promoter in Manhattan who spent his nights surrounded by friends in a blur of alcohol, cocaine and marijuana. He lived in a luxurious apartment and drove a BMW — but then on a vacation in South America he underwent a spiritual crisis.

“I realized I was the most selfish, sycophantic and miserable human being,” he recalled. “I was the worst person I knew.”

Mr. Harrison, now 33, found an aid organization that would accept him as a volunteer photographer — if he paid $500 a month to cover expenses. And so he did. The organization was Mercy Ships, a Christian aid group that performs surgeries in poor countries with volunteer doctors.

“The first person I photographed was a 14-year-old boy named Alfred, choking on a four-pound benign tumor in his mouth, filling up his whole mouth,” Mr. Harrison recalled. “He was suffocating on his own face. I just went into the corner and sobbed.”

A few weeks later, Mr. Harrison took Alfred — with the tumor now removed — back to his village in the West African country of Benin. “I saw everybody celebrating, because a few doctors had given up their vacation time,” he said.

Mercy Ships transformed Mr. Harrison as much as it did Alfred. Mr. Harrison returned to New York two years later with a plan: he would form a charity to provide clean water to save lives in poor countries. But by then, he was broke and sleeping on a friend’s couch.

Armed with nothing but a natural gift for promotion, and for wheedling donations from people, Mr. Harrison started his group, called charity: water — and it has been stunningly successful. In three years, he says, his group has raised $10 million (most of that last year alone) from 50,000 individual donors, providing clean water to nearly one million people in Africa and Asia.

The organization now has 11 full-time employees, almost twice as many unpaid interns, and more than half a million followers on Twitter (the United Nations has 3,000). New York City buses were plastered with free banners promoting his message, and Saks Fifth Avenue gave up its store windows to spread Mr. Harrison’s gospel about the need for clean water in Africa. American schools are signing up to raise money to build wells for schools in poor countries.

“Scott is an important marketing machine, lifting one of the most critical issues of our time in a way that is sexy and incredibly compelling — that’s his gift,” said Jacqueline Novogratz, head of the Acumen Fund, which invests in poor countries to overcome poverty.

Mr. Harrison doesn’t actually do the tough aid work in the field. He partners with humanitarian organizations and pays them to dig wells. In effect, he’s a fund-raiser and marketer — but that’s often the most difficult piece of the aid puzzle.

So what’s his secret? Mr. Harrison’s success seems to depend on three precepts:

• First, ensure that every penny from new donors will go to projects in the field. He accomplishes this by cajoling his 500 most committed donors to cover all administrative costs.

• Second, show donors the specific impact of their contributions. Mr. Harrison grants naming rights to wells. He posts photos and G.P.S. coordinates so donors can look up their wells on Google Earth. And in September, Mr. Harrison is going to roll out a new Web site that will match even the smallest donation to a particular project that can be tracked online.

• Third, leap into new media and social networks. This spring, charity: water raised $250,000 through a “Twestival” — a series of meetings among followers on Twitter. Last year, it raised $965,000 by asking people with September birthdays to forgo presents and instead solicit cash to build wells in Ethiopia. The campaign went viral on the Web, partly because Mr. Harrison invests in clever, often sassy videos.

One popular video (Posted at the top of this blog post ) shows well-heeled Manhattanites stepping out of their luxury buildings and lining up to fill jerrycans with dirty water from a lake in Central Park. We watch a mother offer the murky water to her small children — and the upbeat message is: you can help ensure that other people don’t have do that, either.

Mr. Harrison’s underlying idea is that giving should be joyous, an infectious pleasure at the capacity to bring about change.

“Guilt has never been part of it,” he said. “It’s excitement instead, presenting people with an opportunity — ‘you have an amazing chance to build a well!’ ”

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOhhhhhh I want this as soon as it hits the market, ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…..

Everyweek we get fresh flowers or a plant to freshen the deskspace. this would be wonderful, and entertaining at the same time. better than virtual pets as you could watch them grow and enjoy the interaction with your real fish on your [...]]]>

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOhhhhhh I want this as soon as it hits the market, ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…..

Everyweek we get fresh flowers or a plant to freshen the deskspace. this would be wonderful, and entertaining at the same time. better than virtual pets as you could watch them grow and enjoy the interaction with your real fish on your desk.

- IMPORTANT  NEWS – For Our FORMER LINK PURCHASERS -

Due to Widespread Problems with Google PR for Many Folks we’ve decided to DE-Link our Friends. that should help your pagerank climb; as well as ours.  If you’d still like to be linked to our site, hit us up on our comments from this post and we’ll get right back with you, on the possibilities.

Thanks for Understanding – because we only wish our friends the best

Do You always have a Plant or Flowers on Your Desk ?  how about a desk pet ?

what fun !

Floating Garden Freshwater Aquarium Concept Uses 100% Vegitation Filtration to Keep Fish Happy [Aquariums]

By Adrian Covert on Green

If this aquarium doesn’t qualify as green innovation, then I don’t know what does. Because using a small garden to filter out nitrates from your freshwater fish tank is pretty damn eco-conscious.

Designed by Benjamin Graindorge and Duende Studio, this tank not only looks nice, but uses some simple ingenuity to accomplish the task of water filtration.

Here’s how it works: nitrate-heavy water from your fish tank is pulled up into the garden, where it is passed over a layer of river sand, which uses bacteria to convert impurities into nitrates. The water is then passed over some plant life, which naturally absorbs the nitrates as nutrients. Then the purified water is thrown back down into the fish tank, where your gilled friends can swim at ease.

CoolHunting says there are plans for the Floating Garden to go into production in 2010, both in plastic and ceramic iterations. [Duende Studio via CoolHunting]

Eco-boat powered by human fat attempts round the world speed record.

The fastest eco boat on the planet will attempt to break the round the world speed record using fuel made from human fat.

Pete Bethune, the New Zealand skipper of Earthrace, said the attempt to circumnavigate the globe would begin from Valencia in Spain [...]]]>

Eco-boat powered by human fat attempts round the world speed record.

The fastest eco boat on the planet will attempt to break the round the world speed record using fuel made from human fat.

Pete Bethune, the New Zealand skipper of Earthrace, said the attempt to circumnavigate the globe would begin from Valencia in Spain on March 1 next year.

Bethune and his wife mortgaged their house and sold everything they own to help make the project happen, while continuing to seek support from sponsors.

Record breaking attempt: Earthrace will attempt to circumnavigate the globe running 100 per cent biodiesel, and with a net zero carbon-footprint.

Earthrace is a 78 foot alternative fuel powered wave-piercing trimaran, it can carry 3,000 gallons of fuel, and weighs 23 tonnes when fully fuelled

Demonstrating further commitment to the cause, Bethune underwent liposuction and donated enough to produce 100ml of biofuel, while two other, larger volunteers also had the procedure, making a total of 10 litres of human fat.

This in turn produced seven litres of biofuel, which could help the boat travel about 15km.

Earthrace is fuelled on 100 per cent biodiesel and has a net zero carbon footprint.

The announcement was made at the QE2 pier in Greenwich where Earthrace is being hosted by Greenwich Council until January 1.

Circumnavigating the globe represents the pinnacle of powerboat challenges, and more than 24,000 nautical miles is the world’s longest speed challenge.

Pete Bethune, the New Zealand skipper of Earthrace, believes the boat can help advance biodiesel as a genuinely viable alternative to petroleum diese

The current record holder is British boat Cable and Wireless Adventurer which took 75 days in 1998.

From the start in Valencia the boat will cross the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans and travel through the Panama and Suez Canals..

From there the boat will cross the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans as it thunders along the planet’s circumference at a maximum speed of 40 knots.

When it attempts to break the Round the World Speed Record, the goal is to do 20-25 knots (23-29mph) almost continually for 65 days.

The not-for-profit project aims to promote awareness of the environment and the sustainable use of resources.

Inside Earthrace: The not-for-profit project aims to promote awareness of the environment and the sustainable use of resources

Earthrace, which cost about £1.5 million to build, can carry 3,000 gallons of fuel, and weighs 23 tonnes when fully fuelled.

The boat is designed to cut through waves rather than sail over which enables the boat to go faster through big seas compared to conventional craft.

Bethune believes Earthrace can help advance biodiesel as a genuinely viable alternative to petroleum diesel.

He said: “Governments have a role to legislate to make biofuels happen.

Route to success: The boat will cross the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans and travel through the Panama and Suez Canals

“If it were up to market forces, biofuels wouldn’t happen at all.

“Politicians in Western Europe must be prepared to stand up to the oil industry, and be more supportive of the biofuels industry to make sure the production of biofuels is sustainable.”

A successful attempt by Earthrace would mark the first time in history that an official UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique – The International Powerboating Association) Powerboat world record has been broken using only renewable fuel.

Growing crops in salt water is becoming necessary to overcome shortages of fresh water, say researchers writing in the journal Science.

They suggest the domestication of wild plants that grow in [...]]]>

Seawater holds key to future food

Salt and freshwater mix in river estuaries

Growing crops in salt water is becoming necessary to overcome shortages of fresh water, say researchers writing in the journal Science.

They suggest the domestication of wild plants that grow in salty conditions could help reduce global food shortages.

Only 1% of the Earth’s water is freshwater.

Around the world, many agricultural areas are becoming less productive as salt levels in water supplies increase.

“Salinisation is irreversible,” says Professor Jelte Rozema from the department of systems ecology at the Free University, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. “Sooner or later mankind has to accept the world is becoming more saline.”

The scientists say we will have to make use of salty environments for agriculture. Farmland is becoming increasingly salty as global sea levels rise, but plants which already thrive in salty areas may provide a ready food source.

Wild plants

Future crops could come from plant species that grow in brackish water, around the mouths of rivers, where salt and freshwater mix, say the researchers.

The rising cost of bringing in freshwater to irrigate traditional crops may force producers to turn to salt water agriculture.

Samphire grows in many coastal regions

“We have limited amounts of freshwater – most of it is used for drinking water. Gradually it will be profitable to think of brackish water and sea water as a resource.” said Professor Rozema.

The scientists suggest the best way forward is to domesticate wild plants, crossbreeding them to produce higher yields.

Plants such as sea kale and asparagus-like samphire, which grow along the coast in many countries have been eaten for thousands of years, but it is only recently that their potential has been seen as a substitute for more traditional commercial crops.

In The Netherlands sea kale is now farmed commercially and finds a ready market says Professor Rozema.

“There’s a company cultivating it on shingle beaches, its a big success in the Netherlands, people like to get new vegetables, they know sea water is not bad for them.”

Biofuel bonus

The researchers say plant breeders also need to look at domesticated plants that are salt tolerant, spinach and beetroot are closely related to samphire, and crops such as sugar beet can grow well in salty conditions.

“Its a salt tolerant plant, this salt tolerance has not been reduced during domestication.” said Professor Rozema.

Samphire is good with seafood

Genetic modification experiments have been conducted for more than 30 years to try to make crops such as wheat or rice salt tolerant.

But the scientists say trying to induce salt tolerance has so far proved impossible. They now believe the genetic manipulations necessary to achieve this may too complex to be achieved at present.

The researchers also say some species of plants currently growing in salty environments could have a future use as biofuels.

They cite one particular type of samphire, the seeds of which produce more oil than soya beans or sunflowers. The plant grows well on subtropical desert coasts.