Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Sabana Grande
For the next two weeks we met at the center and learned what we could about it´s history, its mission, and how to harness the sun´s energy. Typically, volunteers pick a project to work on that will help advance the center´s ability too bring renewable energy to the surrounding communites. We were able to see two of these projects in action during our short stay. One voluenteer from London was building a solar tester that would provide more information on the power of the sun´s rays, helping to eliminate the current practice of one individual looking at the sun to determin its strength. Two other voluenteers (one from Germany, and the other from Alaska) were in the process of building a wind turbine that would trickle charge a battery that could be used for power at the center, and providing an example of other renewable resources avaiable for the communites.
As we learned more about how solar energy can be converted to usable energy, we had the opportunity to build our own solar battery chargers for us to take back to the U.S. with us. Carefully over the next two days, we soddered the solar cells together, tested the charging capacity, build a housing frame and put it all together with lots of silicon. Our charging station for the batteries consisted of a wooden base with two fixed metal plates which we were able to adjust depending on the size of battery we wanted to charge. Before we knew it, we had the finished product in hand, ready to use! Not only do we have wonderful memories to take back home with us, but also a very practical outlet for our new understanding of renewable energy.
-Meg
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Building Solar Ovens
For our first two weeks in Nicaragua we worked on several projects at the Grupo Fenix Solar Center. One of these projects was collaborating with women from the local community, in building two new solar ovens. We helped them reach a total of 101 ovens that the center has produced.
Before beginning construction we first learned the physics behind how the solar ovens concentrate heat from the sun to reach a temperature high enough, for instance, to bake cake or roast coffee. Some of the techniques they use are lining the insides of the ovens with metal printing plates and covering it with two panes of glass to maximize insulation and absorption of the sun’s energy. The cover of the solar oven is lined with aluminum foil to reflect more light into the oven.
During the actual construction, we worked through our language barrier with the local women to saw pieces of wood, attach them with silicon to the solar ovens and nail everything in place. At the end, we painted the outside blue, like the Nicaraguan flag. During the time we were there we ate many lunches made in the solar ovens, proving to us how useful they can be. The women use these ovens instead of firewood stoves that put them at risk of developing many diseases caused by the smoke. We also baked cake and cookies on two separate occasions in the solar ovens. The local women are continuing to learn and improve the current design of the solar ovens to better meet their cooking needs.~Alissa
Heifer Project Time (Langue, Honduras)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Sustainable Harvest International
After leaving Copan, we hit the road and headed into the mountains to begin working with Sustainable Harvest International (SHI). We arrived at the training center after an interesting ride which included a van to pick-up switch that was necessary to combat the mud from 10 days of straight rain (during the dry season). Sleeping arrangements were dormitory style, and after placing our travel gear in our rooms we set out to learn about our surroundings. Acobo, the training center manager, showed us some basic uses of the property including the various foods grown there: passion fruit, avocados, bananas, plantains, beans, pineapple and others. Being 100% organic there were some differences between this farm and the others in the area. Unlike typical farms, this place did not have a monoculture of one crop, but the plants were varied, and often native. Fertilizers came from crop rotation and compost. There weren't any pesticides used, and Acobo said there was a type of plant which could be added to the soil as a form of pest control when needed. One of my favourite discoveries from the trip (and now the first of many we have seen) was a biodigester. Essentially this very simple technology uses the pig waste to produce methane gas which is then piped directly to the kitchen to fuel the cooking stove. This helps to prevent deforestation by providing an alternative to a wood burning stove. We finished our day with a presentation by Mercedes, another member of the SHI staff, explaining to us the overall goals of SHI, their local partner FUCOHSO, and how both organizations were helping to educate local communities and school groups on ways to sustainably farm the land. This was one of my favourite stops on our trip and one that will stay with me for years to come.