blueNews

The Sunbank

2012-02-22T07:35:00.000-08:00

By Angela Cacciola -- For James Richards the transition from blueEnergy human resources volunteer to entrepreneur “was not a difficult one. I had the idea of going into business long before I ever came to blueEnergy, but blueEnergy gave me the experience, the alternative energy, and the comfort level for what I wanted to do.” Since he is not an engineer by trade, at blueEnergy James tried to get into the workshop and go out on installations as much as possible, “to get my feet wet in the renewable sector.”

One year after returning to the United States and making a trip to China to learn more and determine how to get the solar water heater systems made, James launched The Sunbank from his home in West Virginia in June and July 2011. A rooftop unit, The Sunbank System, “uses evacuated tube solar collectors to absorb between 92-96% of the solar radiation that strikes them.” These solar collectors heat the water in a super-insulated tank, where the hot water is stored until it is used.

One of James’ fondest memories at blueEnergy was building the solar water heater which launched the platform for The Sunbank. “Taking the technology from idea stage to hot showers was rewarding… especially in Bluefields,” which lacks a consistent municipal water system.

Fellow blueEnergy volunteer, Esteban Van Dam, who since working with blueEnergy has started his own NGO in Argentina, was one of the many engineers and individuals good with tools who liked to tinker with ideas. Together, while contemplating solar hot water business idea, the two decided to build a prototype solar water heater for those volunteers craving the luxury of a hot shower.

James and his fellow volunteers, “put together a design and after debating it for a week,” and built a thermosiphon water heater just over the front porch and plumbed it to the shower. In fact, they also built a baby pool, or “sauna,” in the yard behind the house. The heater was “really effective and put out so much hot water that it melted a piece of plastic.”

Solar water heater built by James at blueEnergy.

At blueEnergy, James also enjoyed the “community feeling that blueEnergy had,” which he got from interacting with the house kitchen mammas and also from “going up to the main house every night and cooking dinner together for whoever was there” he said. “There was such a diverse crew from all over the world …everybody kind of melds together and it’s a good bunch of people and no exception when I was there.”

Similar to many volunteers, James loved the daily interaction with the blueEnergy house kitchen mammas. When one mamma’s son had an illness, “We were really worried he was going to die because the doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him.” After James did a little research on the internet, and was able to figure out what the sickness was, he printed it out in Spanish and English, “We took it to the doctor and he was like, ‘yeah, this is correct,’ and after that her son was able to get treatment.”

Right now, James has been working with mostly local businesses, but the company is capable of shipping the product anywhere in the country. In China, solar water heating is very established. In the United States, it is still a very new idea. In 2012, James hopes to focus on education, marketing and picking up sales, “to have an increased impact” and eventually, “become a national brand."

James (R) and his sister in Corn Island, Nicaragua

Intern Austen Brings the Gift of Light to Rocky Point!

2012-02-13T15:10:00.000-08:00

As an intern at blueEnergy, Austen Sybert, a junior at John Hopkins University, USA, helped design, build, and install a solar panel lighting system for a home in Rocky Point, Nicaragua. During his two week trip, Austen also had the opportunity to visit three more communities in the Southern Atlantic Region of Nicaragua: Kahkabila, Pearl Lagoon, and Wawashang, to better understand both the joys and complications of development work in marginalized areas.

Austin and Guthrie preparing for the install,
making a battery box in the workshop.

By: Austen Sybert - Paint was still drying, the solar lighting system was neatly packed and all the tools and spare parts double checked – the design and build phase of my project was coming to a close. The next morning I would load the installation materials on two taxis, a bus, a boat and a horse (not too remote by Nicaraguan standards), to reach the site of my solar install in Rocky Point. The solar array provided 60 watts, an amount sufficient to light two CFL bulbs, convert DC current to a versatile AC outlet and empower a household with the basic service of electricity. The family now had the opportunity to improve their own lives.

The final phase of my project, educating the household about their new solar system, proved to be the most difficult but rewarding phase. The household had a teenage girl, Tisha, enrolled in a technical course on how to install solar systems. Naturally, she was engaged in acute oversight during the installation. Due to her keen interest I explained the steps and components to her as the installation progressed. When it came time to illuminate the dim home by connecting the battery to the system, I requested Tisha make the connection and be responsible for lighting her family’s home. She cautiously agreed, connecting the red positive wire to the negative battery terminal and the black negative wire to the positive battery terminal which blew the current inverter. No light. This lapse in my supervision was far from a catastrophe to the installation process. I reminded her of the current charge of the wires and handed her the spare inverter to connect, which lit her home.

Tisha hooking up the solar panel lighting system.

Several days later I had the opportunity to tour the P.L.A.C.E. school (Pearl Lagoon Academy of Excellence) with the blueEnergy board of directors. In one of the classes we visited, I spotted the girl who lived in Rocky Point and illuminated her home with the solar system I had the opportunity to design, build, and install. This class happened to be the Tisha's technical course on how to install solar systems. I walked over to her, reminded her of my name and asked, “Do you feel like you know more about solar systems then your classmates?” She nodded, easily making this stop at her school the most rewarding point of my trip. To share a laugh before my tour continued I asked, “What’s the charge on black electrical wire and what’s the charge on red electrical wire?” Of course, she nailed the answers.

“Luz de Futuro” (“Light of the Future”) – Women Working for a Better Bluefields

2012-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

By Angela Cacciola - “I’d like to formally introduce Margarita – President, Luz de Futuro,” proudly announces Ivette Luna, Policy Development and Political Organizer for Neighbor to Neighbor in Massachusetts, USA. Ivette accompanied a group of MIT students during their two-week trip in January to work on waste management with blueEnergy and the Bluefields municipality. Margarita strides to the front of the crowded auditorium at INATEC school in Bluefields, Nicaragua. Her body language acknowledges no personal insecurities or any potential difference in status between herself, a waste picker at the Bluefields dump, and the students from MIT, blueEnergy international volunteers and local staff, or various workers from the Bluefields municipality and other NGOs.

Margarita (R) tells the story of her mother,

"Luz," for whom the new cooperative is named.

Margarita begins strongly, and after introducing the rest of the women who comprise the new organization’s board, she explains the significance of Luz. “The name ‘light’ comes from a colleague of ours who worked many years as a waste picker. She liked to work very much, and she got ahead. This woman, she was my mother. She encouraged me to become a waste picker. Now, I pick up everything I can to resell it. Thanks to this work, I have been able to get ahead too. I’ve been able to have my own house and my children… they study at school. One of my boys is in his first year, and the other is in his second year of high school.” She grins and takes her seat.

Ivette continues, “After observing how hard these women work each day, their vision ‘women working for a better future’ couldn’t be more perfect.” She highlights some of the other values of the organization, which include self-reliance, shared work and profits, better working conditions for working mothers (which they all are), and work training. Her presentation concludes with a synopsis of the students’ hopes for the municipality to enter in a contract with Luz de Futuro for the next five years. Through such an agreement, the municipality would provide the space and equipment (conveyor belt, compactor), materials (recyclables collected from homes), and delivery of recyclables to recycling center where Luz de Futuro would be housed.

Families working together

For two weeks in January, the MIT students got to know Margarita and 26 other women who work at the garbage dump in Bluefields. Their work was kicked off by a meeting set up by blueEnergy with Gerardo Bravo, director of the Department of Environment for the municipality of Bluefields. Gerardo stressed the passion of the women waste pickers, who had already started to organize themselves, and who needed to continue doing so for job security. “One morning, there were at least fifteen women waiting for me when I arrived at work, all dressed very well. I thought that maybe I had forgotten about a meeting I had scheduled, and was embarrassed by my own casual clothes. But in fact, there was no meeting scheduled in my day. These women came to me because they wanted to make sure that with the development of the new dump in Bluefields, they would still have access to the garbage they earn a living on.”

After meeting with the women many times at the dumpsite and bringing them to the blueEnergy house where they worked from, the MIT students harnessed their passion to help them formally establish “Luz de Futuro” at the municipal government offices in Bluefields. As an official cooperative, the women now have much greater bargaining power in the public arena. In terms of economic development, they are the first step in the three municipality recycling route MIT professor, Libby McDonald, is working to create with UNDP, blueEnergy, and her students. Recognizing the combined efforts of the MIT students and the local women, Gerardo Bravo stated at the end of the presentation, “It is impossible to just work [in Bluefields] on one problem in isolation. We also have to think about working together. … Today we’re seeing coordination so that our efforts can bear fruitful to this idea of a solid waste management system. I’d like to thank you all in the name of our mayor. I see you as a predominant force in this community that ensures we are going to get closer and closer to our goals.”

Waste pickers at the Bluefields dump

For a closer look at the extraordinary conditions the women of Luz de Future currently work under, see the short video, Snapshot of Life in a Nicaraguan Dump Site, by Libby McDonald and Daniel Alegría. Or, for more information on the work being done by Professor Libby McDonald and her students in Nicaragua, visit the blog they are continuing to update Waste Management Strategies in Coastal Nicaragua.

Women of "Luz de Futuro" sitting in front of blueEnergy
cofounders and directors, Mathias and Guillaume Craig.

The Alternative Spring Break Alternative!

2012-02-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

blueEnergy Nicaragua’s Spring Break Internship Program

is a unique one-week opportunity for individuals who want to learn hands-on about community development, experience new cultures, work hard and have fun doing it! Interns will have the opportunity to learn about and participate in solar panel installations, water filter construction and community development initiatives that directly impact the lives of those less fortunate. Have the experience of a lifetime during your Spring Break while participating in blueEnergy’s renewable energy, water, and community development work on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua!

Internship opportunities

Rural Solar Panel Installations: blueEnergy’s energy team is committed to bringing clean light and the opportunities that come with it to the people of the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. From construction in the workshop to installation in the community, interns will be involved in providing single-home lighting systems to beneficiaries and their families.

Water Filter Installations: blueEnergy’s water team works to provide access to clean drinking water to beneficiaries in Bluefields, Nicaragua. This is a region that lacks municipal water and sewage services. From training to building to installing, interns will be involved in the process of ensuring access to clean water to those who need it most!

Highlights

· A close-up look at international community development

· Hands-on experience in renewable energy implementation

· Hands-on experience in clean water initiatives

· Language immersion

· Exposure to the rich culture of Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast.

blueEnergy’s Spring Break Internship Program is a real-world experience that aims to empower young people to take a leadership role in their home communities and in international development. It will set them apart from their peers and provide necessary skills to help accomplish their academic and career goals. Interns will gain leadership skills, learn to work in culturally diverse groups and expand their knowledge of project development.

More Info

The Spring Break Internship Program runs for one week, with flexible start and end dates. Fees cover room, board, internet, laundry, emergency medical insurance and project-based travel and a one-of-a-kind experience.

Visit our website at blueEnergyGroup.org and click on “Get Involved”

Questions? Contact Emily Castello at Emily.Castello@blueenergygroup.org

blueEnergy invites you to its 2012 fundraising party in Paris!

2012-01-31T15:00:00.000-08:00

Let’s meet on February 9th at Comptoir Général, Paris (80 quai de Jemmapes, 75010) from 7:30 pm to 11:30 pm!

The party will include four different acts! Flibustier de l’imaginaire will open the event with an improvisation theatre play, then Simon Beaudoux will sing (guitar and voice). Génisses dans l’mais’ band will continue warming the party with rural Rock and be followed by Latinamundo and their suave Latin dance steps.

All the while, Caribbean activities will help you discover Nicaragua: mysterious cocktails, crafts, local coffee tasting…

Get your tickets here: http://www.moxity.com/events/soiree-de-soutien-a-blueenergy_2!

Gilma and Denis with their three children and cookstove

To complement blueEnergy Nicaragua efforts in favor of sustainable energies, training and drinkable water access, blueEnergy France has decided to finance 200 cook stoves this year. All benefits will be used for blueEnergy activities, and in particular to finance cook stoves. These cook stoves use only half of the coal necessary for a traditional stove (Nicaraguan families often use wheels as improvised stoves). They also reduce domestic pollution diseases, the coal budget, deforestation and they make micro-enterprise creations, like street canteens, easier.

If you want to contribute, you can sponsor different kinds of stoves here: http://blueenergy.aiderenligne.fr/donner/soiree-blueenergy.html. (In France, you receive a 66% tax-credit for donations. If you donate more than 40 Euros, your party entrance is free!)

Information:

ComptoirGénéral – 80 quai de Jemmapes – 75010 Paris

Subway: Jacques Bonsergent (L5), République (L3, 5, 8, 9, 11) et Goncourt (L11)

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Entrance (with a free drink):

- Discount Ticket : 8 €

- Normal Ticket : 12 €

- To be member: 40 €
- Cook stove : 120 €

We cannot accept credit cards.

Get your tickets: http://www.moxity.com/events/soiree-de-soutien-a-blueenergy_2

Number of tickets is limited!

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blueEnergy’s Work Highlighted This Month in the Green Frog

2012-01-31T10:39:00.000-08:00

By Emily Castello - This month, blueEnergy Executive Director Mathias Craig was featured in The Green Frog, a Silicon-Valley based media publication that features articles on social entrepreneurship, cleantech innovation, venture capital and energy policy. What do you really know about the evolution of blueEnergy? Read on to learn more!

From traveling with a linguist to connecting under-served populations with basic energy and water services: do you know Mathias Craig?

Sometimes you meet someone who goes after a big idea and can enthuse his family, friends and others to join the adventure and to make a difference in this world. It does not happen that often. Maybe more often than none in Silicon Valley, where Apple and Google started in family garages. That is what happened to me when I interviewed Mathias Craig who co-founded blueEnergy with his brother Guillaume and his childhood friend Lâl Marandin to bring basic energy and clean water services to poor population off the grid.

By the end of our chat, I could not help caring about his cause because his passion is not just about finding a technical solution or helping others. It is about connecting people, and this goes beyond infrastructure. More than 1.5 billion people still do not have access to electricity. Actually there are more people without basic lighting today than at the time of Thomas Edison. Some populations like the ones on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua live outside the pyramid, with little resources and in remote areas. That is where Mathias and blueEnergy come in to play.

Read more [http://greenfrog.typepad.com/weblog/2012/01/mathias-craig.html]

MIT students bring Waste Management Solutions to Bluefields

2012-01-27T11:56:00.000-08:00

By Angela Cacciola -Right now, they don’t move any plastic out of Bluefields… or very little.Instead of localizing their garbage, people often toss empty packets of chipsor cookies, bags used in commercial exchanges, soda and juice bottles and othermiscellaneous items in the streets. Mud-smeared trash, piled up everywhere andstinking, does not compliment the wild array of colored houses that couldpotentially attract tourists, or more importantly, help create sanitaryconditions in a town where trash and sewagesaturate the same ground that supplies drinking water.

To address this issue, dressed in homemade newspaper skirtsand hats littered with trash, students from MIT enthusiastically introduced theidea of sorting household garbage to a curious crowd at the main park inBluefields. The event of song, dance, and candy kicked off what they hopecontinues to be a community campaign promoting their projects that will allowBluefields to begin to approach zero waste.

MIT composting team talks with the composteras

For the fifteen students, these projects are the culminationof a fall semester class, D-Lab waste, which offers them the opportunity toexplore and create solutions for waste management in low and middle-incomecountries. For their professor, Libby McDonald, the two weeks spent inNicaragua with her students is part of a project with the UNDP, Bluefieldsmunicipality and blueEnergy, which began almost a year and a half ago.

While this culturally diverse group hails from all ages andprofessions, all arrived in Bluefields with three common goals: to create anindependent worker cooperative with the local waste pickers, to plan for theexpansion of the existing compost program and to design a biodiogester thatcreates methane and fertilizer from waste at the slaughterhouse. The studentsworked all semester but for many of the urban planners in the class, theBluefields experience was, “boot camp for international development.” However,Libby emphasized, “the really important moment is when the student can go fromthe bottom, being despondent and feeling like they have nothing to give, torealizing that indeed, they have worked hard to understand the situation andhave recommendations that are worth sharing.”

Alex connecting pipe on a biodigester

“Originally, I felt nervous going into peoples’ houses andneighborhoods,” said MIT student Alex Marks. “I expected a certain level ofdistain, one based in bitterness caused by contrasting economic means.” Soon he realized that, “there’s noplumbing here, no hot water, but people still live happy and healthy…and theydon’t hate me.” Furthermore, after his experience in Bluefields, Alex, whoinitially said he had no background in development and, “no inkling towards iteither” wants to continue in the development sector, "where you can really have acontribution to growth."

In the end, the group was able to do just that… have acontribution to the growth of Bluefields and its waste management system.Through meetings coordinated by blueEnergy with locals ranging in professionfrom garbage pickers to the city mayor, the students were able to understandthe dilemmas posed by working in a marginalized community. After two weeks,they gave a public presentation on the problems they identified in themunicipality and their recommendations for improvement. Furthermore, onFebruary 1^st, each of the three groups will present a formal reporton these finding to the municipality. To learn more extensively about theirexperience and recommendations, please visit the CO-Lab Radio blog which isstill being updated, WasteManagement Strategies in Coastal Nicaragua.

Over the next two years, blueEnergy looks forward to acontinued collaboration with MIT and Professor Libby McDonald, who plans onbringing more students down to continue building the projects and hopefullycreating the beautiful city Bluefields has the potential to be.

blueEnergy International Board Comes to Nicaragua

2012-01-27T07:58:00.000-08:00

blueEnergy board and friends in Granada

By Bruce Noda - Eager to see the efforts of blueEnergy Nicaragua, the bE International Board scheduled their first board meeting of 2012 in Granada followed by an onsite visit to blueEnergy’s operations headquartered in Bluefields on the Caribbean Coast. Executive Director Mathias Craig presented an annual report on revenue, expenses, personnel, projects and social impact to the Board. This presentation was followed up with further discussions on fundraising activities as well as a presentation on “The Age of Reason” by Mathias and board member Colette Grinevald. As blueEnergy enters it’s seventh year, blueEnergy is in the maturation phase where we can start to distinguish the possible from the impossible and to appreciate true cost and opportunity cost. The age of reason is about understanding how things really are today, envisioning a better future and determining what it will realistically take to get there.

After the Board meeting, blueEnergy Nicaragua hosted a conference of its partners, including other NGOs, representatives from both the American and French embassies, and Nicaraguan government officials. After a presentation on blueEnergy’s various projects and areas of impact, conference guests were encouraged to discuss their particular experiences working with blueEnergy and invited to give their impressions of the work being done by blueEnergy. It was a highlight of my visit to hear these guests provide such a positive view of the work and impact of bE staff and volunteers in the communities we serve. This was an affirmation of the benefit of blueEnergy’s work by peers and oversight organizations that recognize the needs of our beneficiaries.

blueEnergy board and friends enjoying the three hour
panga journey from Kahka Creek back to Bluefields!

Following the board meeting in Granada, most of the board members along with long-time supporters from France and the US traveled to Bluefields to begin a tour of blueEnergy’s operations on the Caribbean Coast. We had the opportunity to meet with staff members of the water and energy team to learn more about their specific projects as well as met with members of Bluefields’ mayor’s office and government officials of GTRK, the Rama-Kriol Territorial Government. We also had the opportunity to travel to Pearl Lagoon, Kahkabila, Wawashang, and Kahka Creek to see several projects. We also met with blueEnergy staff, volunteers, interns and a group visiting from MIT who were working in conjunction with blueEnergy on several community projects in Bluefields.

This was my second trip to Bluefields. Although I had already visited the area in September of 2009, I continue to be impressed by the work and dedication of our staff. It was great to see that we are committed to employing more local Nicaraguans and that we are able to maintain a strong core of international volunteers and interns. Our management team is strong and effective and continues to reach out to the communities and other organizations with which we share a common goal and vision.

Bruce with the tree he planted in Kahka Creek.

On a personal note, my best memory of the trip was in Kahka Creek. We had an opportunity to help with a reforestation project and I was impressed by the community leader’s devotion and love of the land. He entertained us with songs from his heart of his devotion to the protection of the land and his country of Nicaragua.

Overall, my time in Nicaragua was well spent. I am proud to be part of the diverse blueEnergy team “working for a more equitable, sustainable world.”

Bruce Noda is Chairman of the blueEnergy International Board.

Luke Hulsenback Reflects on his Internship Experience with blueEnergy

2012-01-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

A third-year student at Brown University in Rhode Island, USA, Luke Hulsenbeck, interned at blueEnergy for two weeks in January to apply his engineering skills and knowledge within a real-world setting like Bluefields, Nicaragua. In just two short weeks, Luke helped design and build a new, more user-friendly pump handle for blueEnergy’s baptist wells. The new handle is double acting so that water comes out on both the up and down strokes. It also has a fixed spout, making it easier and quicker for beneficiaries to collect water.

By Luke Hulsenback - The notion of the experience I was about to have didn’t really hit me until I was about to land in the rainforest at the end of my flight from Managua to Bluefields. At first impression, Bluefields, blueEnergy’s project headquarters on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua, was beautiful, surreal, lush and inviting. I had never been to a tropical region before and I was amazed at how green everything was (although I was coming from mid-winter New Jersey). In less than an hour after my arrival, I found myself consumed by the energy and work on one of blueEnergy’s work sites. The blueEnergy energy team was working to install two large wind towers for a wind study. It was exciting to watch blueEnergy in action and I couldn’t help but get involved. I think that’s one of the characteristics about blueEnergy that makes it so appealing–the people really are just full of positive energy and are extremely passionate about and dedicated to what they do. Though the project didn’t go as planned that day (which I came to learn is normal when working in the field), everyone on the blueEnergy team remained motivated to see the project through. This level of commitment and motivation exhibited by blueEnergy staff and volunteers was something that stuck with me throughout my time interning with blueEnergy.

Luke helps prepare a wind tower on El Bluff within an hour of arriving in Bluefields.

The staff at blueEnergy are like a family. They all truly care about each other and are extremely supportive and involved in each other’s endeavors. I had a chance to work in the workshop with a lot of the local people, and even though I knew no Spanish, by the end of my time I found I could joke around with the local technicians and laugh with them just as easily as I could with my friends back home. The combination of working in a beautiful, remote area with great people and working on a project (a hand-pump for the community wells) that had direct impacts on the beneficiaries made for a great internship experience. I am looking forward to returning someday.

Luke (L) learning to use a grinder

bE hosts ¨Exchange Forum of Technologies and Methodologies: Solar Latrines¨

2012-01-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

By Angela Cacciola - When you make a commitment to work in a geographically isolated, former war-zone, where heat, humidity, salinity and hurricanes wreck havoc on obtaining and maintaining resources, logistics are quite complicated.As these problems compound with various social issues, including low-level economic activity, inadequate formal education levels, parallel governments, and multi-ethnic and multi-lingual groups, a holistic approach to the development of marginalized societies becomes required.

As blueEnergy Nicaragua Country Director Guillaume Craig states, Bluefields “is not the ideal place to re-invent the wheel.”Instead, it’s the place to learn how the wheel was made, find the sturdiest, cheapest, most available tools to build a modified wheel, and then find locals who can carry out the technical work.Accordingly, while blueEnergy invests in research and development, a key strategy in its overall plan includes catalyzing national networks and “bringing them together to work on the common goal of community strengthening through… interchanges.” Collaborating technologies and strategies with partners and beneficiaries is vital to blueEnergy’s organizational success.

Angel Rivas explains double pit, waterseal,
composting latrines to conference attendees.

Inthe first week of December, blueEnergy organized and hosted the Exchange Forum of Technologies andMethodologies: Solar Latrines.The two-day conference brought together a variety of local developmentpartners, including FADCANIC and FUNCOS (NGOs), INATEC (technical school), and BICU (university), along with arepresentative from the Bluefield’s mayor’s office. Special guest,Angel Rivas, came from El Porvenir, anNGO based in the United States that works on the Pacific side of Nicaragua.

Over the past 20 years, El Porvenir has completed 740 projects in water, sanitation, reforestation and education.It currently provides 105,000 people with drinking water, and has planted 530,425 trees and built more than 888 improved stoves. In 2009 alone, El Porvenir helped villagers build 584 latrines, 9 washing stations, 26 wells, 2 gravity flow systems, and 151 low-fuel stoves.

During the morning of the first day, Mr. Rivas presented El Porvenir’s style of double pit, water seal composting latrines. These latrines have been well received by their beneficiaries and many of the first latrines installed are still in use today. Mr. Rivas noted the pros and cons of each latrine design, along with their technical standards, material designs, and costs. He also addressed the equally important social concerns of implementing the projects with regards to monetary contributions, labor, and community involvement.

FUNCOS liason discusses the composting process used by the farm.

On the second day, conference attendees visited FUNCOS, which provided technical information on water, sanitation and improved cook stoves. Attendees also visited blueEnergy solar latrines, composting toilets, bio-arena water filters, and Baptist wells. The event culminated in presentations by local partners on additional cook stove technologies and a large group discussion on the potential for implementation on the Atlantic coast for the various technologies presented.

From this knowledge-exchange workshop, Angel Rivas says he is “most interested in the solar latrine,” which he thinks “could be a viable technology for use in the rural mountain areas where El Porvenir works.”blueEnergy will be using the information learned during the conference to identify the best model for future community development projects.Overall, as blueEnergy Nicaragua Country Director Guillaume Craig notes, the gathering was a “very productive and enriching experience,” and yet another progressive step in blueEnergy’s continuous work “for a more equitable, sustainable world.”

L-R, Vladimir (bE), Angel Rivas (El Porvenir), Thibaut Demaegdt (bE), Guillaume Craig (bE) and Jorge Ramos (bE)

Staff Spotlight: Accountant Sandra Pavón

2011-12-28T14:52:00.000-08:00

By Angela Cacciola -- Three years ago, Sandra Pavón managed blueEnergy’s finances on an excel sheet, where she manually entered each transaction. Since those early days, blueEnergy has grown, expanding its local administrative staff from two to six. Today, as the head accountant at age twenty-one, Sandra trains co-employees and writes accounting procedures which revolve around bE’s newly acquired accounting program, Ares.

Fortunately, Sandra doesn’t have a lot of difficulties as the head account because as she says, she’s “been a bE accountant since the beginning, and know[s] how bE works.” However, she favored switching to the accounting program more suitable for conditions in Nicaragua that has empowered the sustainability of the local administration staff. Although blueEnergy acquired an accounting system in between Sandra’s arrival and now, it was in English and all technical support was through the US. This new program has a manual in Spanish and technical support in Managua, making it easier for internal education and problem solving.

Native to Bluefields, Sandra not only works for blueEnergy, she also attends BICU university as a full-time student. This year, she completes her third of a four-year civil engineering program, which she attends three nights during the week. Next year, she begins a five-year business administration program on Saturdays. These classes will help her “understand things like contracts between blueEnergy” and other organizations. “Learning more about the technical part [also] enables me to better understand the administrative part which is largely based around the finances of technical projects,” Sandra says. She also hopes to use her technical knowledge to work with blueEnergy’s energy or water teams in the future.

Sandra enjoys accounting, everything that has to do with analysis, finances, how to improve processes and economics..Her time spent in the administration office makes her work more interesting. The relations between women are good and she also benefits from the culture exchange inherent to working with international volunteers.

(L - R) Sandra with co-worder Yarlenne

“When I started, bE wasn’t well known here in Bluefields because a majority of the work was done in remote communities in the RAAS (southern autonomous region). Everyone would ask me what bE does. Now, with all of the contracts bE has done, especially all the work in Bluefields, it’s given itself to be better known. I believe that in the future, in the next five years, bE will be a big NGO that offers services in more communities, and eventually has the capacity to do projects in the RAAN (northern autonomous region) as well.”

WaSH Team Holds Internal Training

2011-12-21T14:34:00.000-08:00

By Angela Cacciola -- Before beginning her next adventure, French engineer Agathe De La Chaise, held three days of training for blueEnergy’s Water and Sanitation (WaSH) Team to conclude her eight months volunteering here in Bluefields, Nicaragua. Agathe said she was happily “amazed at the response and enthusiasm the team expressed,” despite the significant amount of time the training took away from daily demands. The water team and its supporting members consist of seven locals and two additional international volunteers.

Agathe describing soil types to the Water and Sanitation Team

Even with typical setbacks of a workday in Bluefields, which included a massive fumigation to eradicate mosquitoes, heavy tropical showers on the metal roof and noisy carpentry work next door, the team found a way to make the most of their time spent together. Training was focused on evaluating the five wells that have been dug in Bluefields over the past year and improvements that can be made on the remaining wells that will be dug in 2012. “We want the five or six families who put the effort into building the wells to use them so we are making them easier, more user friendly,” said Thibaut Demaegdt, coordinator of the Water and Sanitation Team.

During the training, Agathe noted that “each of the members contributed with clever ideas and relevant questions and objections. It was more passing information and exchanging technical points of view than teaching.” She continued to say it was quite “exciting to facilitate this giant soup of knowledge.” The team discussed the hydrology of the soil they were digging in, specifically under which conditions it is best to stop drilling the well so it resides in a good aquifer. They examined the drilling process, including the social work necessary to gather people and motivate them. Proposals were made to improve the digging process, such as using a bigger drill bit with stronger materials and developing other tools to help guide the drill vertically. Lastly, they reviewed the installation and activation of each well and came up with ways to make the wells cleaner by using different types of sand and chlorine disinfectant. Local technician, Vladimir, commented, “the training was very important. It was a good experience, one that allows us to better the technical details and criteria of the projects we work on.”

This type of learning is important for the success and sustainability of the water team, who will be lead by a local Nicaraguan beginning early next year when Thibaut heads back to France. This transition is another big step for blueEnergy and the Water and Sanitation Team, who will be the first technical team to undergo local management.

Local technician Ronald explaining well drilling ideas to Agathe

Recent additions to the water team include a member of the municipal government and Alonso, one of the beneficiaries of the wells that have been dug. He knows firsthand the difficulties of drilling a well in extremely hard, clay soil. His leadership qualities and his ability to motivate other beneficiaries throughout the tiresome task make him a highly valuable asset to the team.

Agathe mentioned that she hopes “there will be a good follow up so everything that has been discussed on the training will be taken into account on site.” However, from the eagerness displayed on the faces of the team throughout the training, it is hard to imagine the team will forget what they have learned. The training will undoubtedly benefit the future of the Water and Sanitation Team and the quality of their enormous workload that contributes to blueEnergy’s efforts to create a “more equitable and sustainable world.”

bE Building Global Leaders: Alumns Continuing to Give the Gift of Light!

2011-12-15T11:12:00.000-08:00

By Angela Cacciola - When Luciana Proietti met Esteban van Dam in 2009 while she was volunteering with him forblueEnergy Bluefields, Nicaragua, she never imagined they would fall in loveand start an NGO together. Sincereturning to Argentina in 2010, their passions and experiences have inspiredthem to co-found 500rpm .Similar to blueEnergy, 500rpm recognizes the need to work in both developmentand advocacy. Along with itsefforts to bring wind energy to rural schools in Argentina, it engages tochange the country’s current energy policies. Luciana notes the importance ofaccompanying “our actions in favor of development, with politicalactions on local and even national governments, not only to achievegreater impact, but also to discuss and democratize our ideas.”

Luciana in Bluefields, Nicaragua with local children.

Luciana isnot new to environmental or development work within her country. In 2008, she worked with Greenpeace andAction Against Hunger as a volunteer coordinator on an energy efficiencycampaign. However, she neverimagined or realized that in Argentina “2,000 schools operate without power and2,000,000 people live in the dark!” Fortunately these startling numbers did not discourage her. As a 30-year old finishing her mastersin non-government organizations, she has bright plans for 500rpm to build anArgentina “full of wind turbines, economically and environmentally sustainable,and free of greenhouse gases emissions.”

AtblueEnergy, Luciana or “Luz” (Spanish for “light”) as she became fondly known in the Creole communities,gained priceless experience traveling and working in the capacity building andcommunity teams along the Atlantic coast. blueEnergy Nicaragua Director Guillaume Craig remembers her as “the most bubbly person…but, always very engaged and asking a lot of questions to get to the deeperissues.” Luciana also recalls hertime spent at blueEnergy with delight, “I found everything I was looking for…oneof the best things [being] the people and their cultures!” In fact, the experience “promised allthat interested me: the care of the environment, multiculturalism,, developmentwork and adventure.”

Luciana collecting water from a blueEnergy
biosand filter in Monkey Point, Nicaragua.

500rpm usesthe same type of turbine Luciana and Esteban learned about at blueEnergy thatwas developed by Hugh Piggott, a Scottish engineer of Scoraig Wind Electric. Many development organizations aroundthe world have adopted Piggott’s unique and simple turbine design, as itrequires minimal maintenance and can be constructed manually with localmaterials. 500rpm installs wind turbinesin communities throughout Argentina. The power generated from the turbinesserves as the principal source of energy within these communities.

Luciana at 500rpm demonstrating how to build a wind turbine coil.

Currently,500rpm is strengthening the structure of their organization throughcommunications and fundraising so they may expand their efforts in thefuture. “500rpm wants to implementprojects in all the schools possible,” Luciana says. Even though theArgentinean government is currently working to electrify rural schoolsthroughout the country, “there are still a lot of people without energy. So we have work to do!” For 500rpm,blueEnergy, and the rest of the world involved in bringing light to developingareas, she couldn’t be more correct.

The first wind turbine light installation done by 500rpm.

Community Leaders Learn First-Hand About bE Projects

2011-12-07T13:16:00.001-08:00

By Angela Cacciola -- Earlier this month, blueEnergy happily hosted 25 local community leaders from the Southern Atlantic Autonomous Region of Nicaragua to demonstrate its projects and work areas. The group’s time with blueEnergy was part of a four-segment course being held by the coastal development organization FADCANIC in coordination with local university URACCAN that focuses on understanding how renewable energies contribute to slowing climate change. This collaborative event signified yet another push forward in blueEnergy’s efforts to bring together diverse teams, technology and resources to create opportunities in some of the most challenging contexts that address the pressing global challenges of tomorrow.

The group began their morning at INATEC, the Nicaraguan technical school in Bluefields where blueEnergy houses its workshop and technical systems. The head of bE’s technical team, Pedro Neves, gave an overview of the energy team’s solar dryer and solar panel projects. He recognized the vast amount of knowledge and skills communities have developed to function, and the difficulties brought about when outsiders try to impose their customs or ideas. “What I’ve learned is that in the end, the best solution is the one you get by the community,” Pedro says. “The community people have so much knowledge already. If you add a little bit of knowledge from the modern world, they come up with the rest and you have the solution.”

Pedro Neves explaining the solar dryer

Such is the case with solar dryers, an idea that originated through communities who dry their food to preserve it, but face troubles related to insects and unpredictable rain. Hortencia Hernandez, vice president of the Rama Key Organization of Women, emphasized how important it is to for the women in her community to dry their shrimp and what a blessing it would be to have the solar dryers that would eliminate those problems. She also expressed her joy at attending the course, “This is the first time I’ve been to a place where they show you how they mechanically do the environmentally friendly stuff. It’s a pleasure for me to come here and see what systems you have and contribute to the changing of climate situation.”

Pedro’s presentation was followed up with comments from blueEnergy Nicaragua Director, Guillaume Craig, who said, “We work together. That’s the idea. Most people can’t pay $100 or more for their system, so they come and they contribute [to the building].” This was acknowledged by a community leader from San Vincente, John Sambola, who later commented, “[What we are learning]…It’s very important. All you have to do is let the people work together.”

Jorge explaining the water filters

Local blueEnergy technician Jorge Perez along with French engineer, Thibaut Demaedget, presented the water and sanitation team’s projects of wells, water filters and solar latrines. After visiting a beneficiary home where a well was installed this year, the group was off to their next place of learning. In the future, blueEnergy hopes to continue working with FADCANIC, URACCAN and other local organizations to facilitate similar exchanges of knowledge.

The Gift of Light: Rocky Point, Nicaragua

2011-11-29T20:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYZrw2cZnPM

By Angela Cacciola -- “I didn’t ask for it! But by God, am I thankful. We got light!” exclaims Miss Suzanny after her solar panel installation. Our two days in Rocky Point are filled with emphatic expressions like these. Earlier, Miss Suzanny’s son-in-law, Gene, joked, “To hell with Chonky and his light, I got my own!”

Forty families live in Rocky Point, a small farming community located between two larger coastal towns in the Southern Atlantic Autonomous Region of Nicaragua. Although the power lines pass through these lands, there are no plans to connect the houses here to the grid. Up until blueEnergy arrived in late November, candles and kerosene lamps produced the only light found in the little wooden homes at night. This has proven to be a dangerous solution to lighting needs. Last year two children died in a house fire in a neighboring community caused by a candle burning in their room. Now, two homes in Rocky Point are graced with 30-watt solar panels which provide four hours of light daily. Starting next year, blueEnergy hopes to continue its joint efforts working with the local governments and the local Peace Corps volunteer to provide solar panel systems to rest of the families who need light.

Installing Solar Panels in Rocky Point

Each solar panel system installation takes between four to six hours, and everyone around contributes to the efforts. The women cook delicious local specialties, the men chop down the posts necessary to raise the solar panels above the house and help with the electrical installation and the children retrieve whatever tools the men require.

Our first beneficiary, Chonky, greets us enthusiastically from his porch. Today his grandchildren are not around, but he does not remain alone for long. Soon enough, five friends arrive to help with the installation. Hours of laughing and good-natured joking, usually concerning the universally masculine topics of women, wine, and song, follow our brief, informal introductions.

Chonky's house is even dark in the daytime

Chonky is thrilled to finally be able to cook and read at night after work. “I read my bible,” he says. “I read these (pointing to magazines) what have notes of what going on in the world.” He holds up a half dozen spiral-bound manuals, “I am a technic man…I have a lot of course that I take and reference back to the material.” At night, Chonky’s lights can be seen shining from the hammocks close to his house where we sleep. On, off. On, off. A fundamental service like electric light can serve to amaze those who acquire it for the first time.

Panel at Chonky's house

Shortly after dawn, Gene leads us to his mother-in-law’s house for the second installation. The approach to Ms. Suzanny’s house is a picture perfect walk though a coconut grove flanked by enormous piles of coconut husks. Orange and cacao trees, sugarcane, corn, yucca, and beans, scattered throughout the grove provide ample amounts of food for people and animals alike. In the back sits a dilapidated, three-room, wooden house, complete with a hammock swinging from the front porch. The abundant coconut husks do not only remain in the forest; many are pressed into the dirt around the house, sufficing as a walkway to endure the sodden, muddy earth. Pigs relish in these mucky conditions, and can be seen competing with the chickens for scraps. If you stick around long enough, horses and cows will come by, and you might be able to catch a glimpse of the skittish calf left orphaned by disease.

The second install takes place with relative ease, as the panel fixed on the top of the wooden post chopped down from the bush is tied into the charge controller and battery. Gene’s two young sons take a shy interest and soon warm up to us. They make great helpers, responding quickly to find tools or help hold materials. We explain the difference between positive and negative, how a battery works, AC vs. DC and what the lights on the charge controller mean. Gene is just as fascinated as the boys, and repeats our explanations in his own words. He wants to be the first person the community calls on if there is any technical trouble.

Gene and Casey from blueEnergy running wire

Rocky Point the Community

Throughout the day, the family imparts their own knowledge upon us as well. Gene shows us how to properly use a long stick to shake coconuts from the tops of the trees and open them with the machete. His boys demonstrate the best way to forge through the jungle, swinging low with each slice of the machete to kill any potentially lethal snakes before stepping on them. They also boast their skills with slingshots, quickly returning with a bird. Miss Suzanny offers her kitchen expertise, the manner which to grate coconut and make tea from “cowfoot” leaves, along with hours of local history.

Gene's kids help Casey secure the solar panel

During her mouthwatering lunch, Miss Suzanny takes out a poster board covered in pictures of the community’s progress over the past year. She talks about the communal house that was built and the weekly educational sessions that are to the adults who never had an opportunity to get much education. Clearly this farming community lives much more intimately than those in many places who have access to instantaneous communication resources. “If we see someone needs help, we will be right there doing whatever we can,” Miss Suzanny affirms. “We work together here. If he needs ten pounds of corn to plant this season and I have it, I will give it to him. Next time I need something, he will give it to me too.”

Ms. Suzanny and Gene with Gene's kids

The people of Rocky Point do not have much, but they share with us all that they can. We bring them their future, and they remind us of our past. The 30-watt solar panel blueEnergy installs in each house cannot power a factory, but it is enough to power two 9-watt bulbs. Two light bulbs are enough to give Chonky a few more hours a night to study his continuing education manuals and Gene’s kids time to finish their homework before they go to bed. Two light bulbs are enough to give both families peace of mind, instead of worrying about an open candle flame burning inside their homes. For the first two families who received light in Rocky Point, two light bulbs are a blessing.

It is because of stories like the one above that blueEnergy remains committed to providing basic energy services to people in some of the hardest to serve regions in the Western Hemisphere.

We ask for your support to help us help many more Chonky’s and Ms. Suzanny’s. Every amount counts as our network of support grows and we find strength in numbers.

Join us to make sure that everyone gets a chance. Give the gift of light.

Renovables Coordinates Carbon Credit Deal for Nicaragua

2011-11-28T06:59:00.000-08:00

What is Renovables ?

By Lâl Marandin -- Founded in June of 2010, the Nicaraguan Association for Renewable Energy and the Environment, known as Renovables is a nonprofit organization whose mission is "to organize and strengthen Nicaraguan actors to expand a fair and efficient use of renewable energy in both the public and private sectors in Nicaragua”. Renovables’ vision is to create impact through projects, national and international partnerships, the development of public policy, dissemination of good practices, scientific research, public awareness and formal education for a sustainable energy future.

The ultimate goal of its 2015 Strategic plan is to promote the access, production, sustainability and of renewable energy in Nicaragua. Renovables proposes the following objectives in the short and medium term:

• Strengthen the working sector in renewable energy at the national level

• Position the organization at the national and international level

• Promote changes in Nicaraguan law and regulations to better incentivize renewable energy for domestic and corporate uses

• Create a project portfolio to involve all member organizations.

As of the fall of 2011, Renovables is comprised of more than 30 institutions that promote, support or implement clean energy project in Nicaragua, utilizing all possible sources of renewable energy: hydro, wind, solar, geothermal and biomass.

The association aims to contribute, in collaboration with the public and private sectors, to maximize the use of the country's renewable energy potential and to increase renewable energy’s contribution to the energy portolio, in alignment with the National Administration’s “National Energy Strategy”.

Renovables and carbon credits

In this context, the Renovables association began a process in 2011 of identifying alternatives to carbon markets where Nicaragua is eligible so that local developers of renewable energy could take advantage of opportunities for additional income through the sale of Certified Emission Reductions (CER), that are issued on regulated or voluntary markets aiming at mitigating greenhouse gas emissions or sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The mechanism has two main components: the creation of the credit through a certification program and the sale of the credit to a buyer on a credit market.

Renovables had been approached since its creation in 2010 by several actors of the carbon credit markets (Southpole, GIZ, HIVOS) but no deal was in sight.

The catalyzing role of blueEnergy

blueEnergy joined forces with two other Nicaraguan NGOs in 2009 to foster the creation and launch of Renovables, and was instrumental in its early growth. Being recognized for that action, blueEnergy was voted Secretary of the Board of Renovables at its inaugural assembly, an event that brought together more than 100 key people of the Renewable energy sector and over 50 institutions in June 2010. Taking this responsibility very seriously, blueEnergy appointed Lâl Marandin (blueEnergy co-founder and Managua Office Director) to support the growth of the young and promising association, and provide any needed support.

Forming a dynamic team with Renovables appointed Executive Director, Lizeth Zúniga (former country director of BUN-CA in Nicaragua), Lâl identified and negotiated a quick-win opportunity to utilize the Kyoto Protocol market through one specific clean development mechanism (CDM): the Program of Activities (PoA) Guacamaya, which was designed for small-scale hydroelectric projects.

This PoA is one of the two existing PoAs that have been developed for Nicaragua. The PoA structure is relatively new in the Kyoto Protocol proceedings, and is designed to group projects that use either several clean technologies in one given country, or the same technology in several countries. This new CDM structure was developed to allow smaller scale actors to take advantage of the complex Kyoto Protocol Market, through the sharing of registration and monitoring costs between the energy projects that join the Program.

How could Nicaragua take advantage of this opportunity? blueEnergy made this idea a reality in two ways:

1) by having established throughout the years a very complete database of actors and contacts, blueEnergy helped track down many current and potential project developers in the hydro sector, so that they could be presented with the program and decide to join.

2) by coordinating with several actors, and with the financial support of the ECNER project funded by the Common Fund for Governance in Nicaragua, blueEnergy made possible the organization of a workshop on “Carbon Credits for Nicaragua” under the leadership of Renovables and EcoRessources in Managua on August 3rd, 2011.

The event clearly highlighted for the public the general gaps and opportunities on the CER topic in Nicaragua, and created the conditions to present and explain the PoA Guacamaya’s specific requirements and benefits. It also helped identify other options for other types of power generation, through the Kyoto Protocol market or Carbon voluntary markets. More than 50 key actors were in attendance, including project owners and developers, actors from the Renewable Energy Sector in Nicaragua and government officials.

Left to right: MarlyngBuitrago, President of Renovables. Patricia Rosenthal, representative of
MABANAFT, Gianluca Merlo, EcoRessources; Christian Giles, Anaconda Carbon

This specific opportunity is seen by blueEnergy and Renovables as a first step towards the utilization of the largest quantity possible of CERs in Nicaragua, and blueEnergy is currently supporting Renovables in identifying other opportunities for other technologies.

Renovables’s strategic agreement with EcoRessources

As part of its contribution to the development of clean energy in Nicaragua, with the aim of exploring opportunities to enter the regulated carbon market under the Kyoto Protocol, Renovables signed a very important framework partnership agreement in July 2011 with the owners of the PoA, to allow Nicaragua to join the program. By doing so, it automatically allowed Nicaragua to benefit from the Kyoto mechanism for certification of emissions credits for the small-scale hydro sector for the next 28 years, when this door was closing for good: the Kyoto Protocol will indeed be terminated in December of 2012, with no clear vision of what comes next.

Also importantly, the agreement signed by Renovables with EcoRessources and the owners of the PoA includes a percentage of any CER transaction made for Nicaragua to be donated back to Renovables, supporting the financial sustainability of the Association.

More information of the Guacamaya PoA :

The Guacamaya PoA was originally developed for Honduras, Costa Rica, and Guatemenla by Anaconda Carbon (a firm based in Honduras that works with companies and organizations to achieve their corporate social responsibility and sustainability goals and acts as the coordinating body for the program); Mabanaft (a private group of German origin founded in 1947 who is the buyer of credits) and EcoRessources, a Canadian company with representation in Nicaragua, developing offset projects and carbon credit management for emerging markets of voluntary compliance.

The ultimate goal of this agreement is to foster the identification and promotion of hydroelectric projects under 15 MW in Nicaragua.

The eligibility criteria for the Guacamaya PoA are:

• Small-scale hydroelectric projects (less than 15 MW, can also be applied to new repowering projects total power less than 15 MW)

• Must operate run-of-the-river with no more than a daily control reservoir, if any

• Must comply with laws and regulations of Nicaragua

• Must have a Power Purchase Agreement with the national network (PPA Power Purchase Agreement)

The strategic importance of opening the Guacamaya PoA to Nicaragua lies in the possibility of selling credits into the European carbon market after the end of 2012, when the Kyoto Market will close. The European market is guaranteed to exist for the next 10 years.

This program will allow small-scale projects generating carbon credits to access the carbon market with zero upfront costs by the project owners. It also offers an attractive purchase agreement (ERPA) with Mabanaft (cash flow guaranteed and an opportunity to benefit if the carbon market is on the rise), simplified compliance process, and the possibility of exchanging information with similar actors in Central America.

Anaconda Carbon and Mabanaft are currently in talks with financial institutions to use the ERPA as collateral for bank loans. All parties involved have strength, experience, local presence and financial backing.

It is important to note that the Guacamaya PoA has a validity of 28 years for the certification of CER credits. So any project may now register itself over the next 28 years, at the time it is launched, and produce CER credits that it can then sell on voluntary markets and on the European market for carbon credits, which will be active for at least the next 10 years.

A Passion for Clean Water in Bluefields: Alonso's Story

2011-11-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

By Casey Callais -- It's been about four months since blueEnergy started working with families in barrio Santa Rosa in Bluefields. We already told you about Celia from Santa Rosa, now we would like to tell you about the head of another family who lives a block away.

Alonso Rodriguez and his family were some of the first beneficiaries of a biosand water filter and a baptist well in their neighborhood. They are very grateful; the water quality situation in their area is not a good one. "In this part of St Rosa, our wells dry up," said Alonso. "Thanks to blueEnergy we have solved our problem with water.”

The family and the water filter

The closest well that Alonso is referring to is owned by a neighbor but is used by the all of the surrounding houses. It is also at the end of a sidewalk where garbage is collected weekly for pickup. It is from this well that his family was drinking unfiltered water.

The well that Alonso was using before. Notice the garbage piled up in front.

He lives with his wife and two sons who were both born blind and with learning disabilities. She stays with the kids full time, he drives a taxi part time in the evenings. They share their house with another young family who also have two children. Water is abundant, but clean water is a valuable commodity. When asked about if his family had noticed a difference in the quality of water since their filter was installed back in June, he said they haven’t had stomach problems or skin breakouts due to the contaminated water. Because of this they feel safe and confident of the quality of their water.

Alonso and family with their filter

The neighbors and the Baptist well

Drilling the wells is a simple but time-consuming practice of lifting a boring pipe up and slamming it down into a water-filled hole, which shoots water and sediment through the end. After completion the wells are closed to prevent contaminants from entering the water supply from the top. They are also drilled at a considerably cheaper cost than the traditional open pit-style wells. Usually it takes about a week to drive it to the desired 70' - 80' depth. Though they are much narrower than traditional wells, they access the water table down to a much greater depth, allowing for a more sanitary water source away from contaminated ground water.

Neighbors from six houses contributed to boring the well in Alonso’s yard and will share it when they need water. Barbara Blandón lives one house over and has a small store that sells cold drinks. In the months when her well may be dry, she can rely on the Baptist well to make the frescoes (fruit juices) that she sells.

blueEnergy intern Andrew Peterson drilling the well with the locals

Alonso shows off the finished well

Alonso and the next step

Alonso's hard work during the building of the filter and well and his first-hand experience with the way blueEnergy executes projects on the community level has landed him a job working with blueEnergy's Water and Sanitation team.

According to Thibaut Demaegdt, head of the Water and Sanitation team, for future projects blueEnergy will have two groups drilling wells simultaneously. Because Alonso demonstrated a great work ethic during the drilling of the well at his house and was able to motivate the neighbors when the energy levels got low, he was the first choice as someone who could lead the second team.

Alonso on the left giving a thumbs up during a water team meeting

The future of the blueEnergy water team is a bright one, as is the future for the beneficiaries in Santa Rosa. And of course for Alonso and his family, the future couldn't be brighter.

bE ecostoves: Improving Quality of Life

2011-11-16T09:18:00.000-08:00

By Angela Cacciola -- On any given night, volunteers walking back to the blueEnergy house from their days’ work greet Yessenia Rodriguez who cooks and sells customary dishes from her front porch. Like many other women born and raised in Bluefields, Nicaragua, Yessenia falls into the traditional gender role of cook and mother. She supports her large family with the small amount of money she works hard to make. However, unlike many of her female counterparts, Yessenia now uses the ecostove she purchased from blueEnergy to do her cooking. “It is the best I’ve ever had,” Yessenia raves “It is very advantageous for people here, if they can have them. The stove is hot, but I can stand next to it, because the heat is contained.”

blueEnergy volunteer, Gabriella LaRocca,
explains the proper use of the ecostove to Yessenia

A 33-year-old single mom with five children ages three to eighteen, Yessenia provides for the eight people living in her house. Although she only purchased her stove in May of this year, she has been selling various dishes, including fried chicken, enchiladas, tacos, and tajadas (fried banana chips) for two years. Yessenia likes living in Bluefields, but she is trying to find work in other areas. “Life is difficult here,” she comments, and this fact is quickly apparent by the lack of economy and ensuing safety issues in the community.

The primary source of fuel in Bluefields and on the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua, charcoal is mainly used for heating stoves because it is cheap and readily available. However, the industry places a big strain on the local almendra trees. As immediate resources are depleted, people go further into the national forest reserve to cut down these ancient, towering giants. Once the trees are buried and burnt, they scrape out the charcoal and leave everything else behind. The charcoal sells at almost four dollars a sack.

Yessenia's old, inefficient stove.

Like most new technology, successful adaptation of environmentally friendly ecostoves that would reduce the charcoal market must be economically favorable to its consumers, and Yessenia is no exception. Despite her situation, she makes the best of what she has. Fortunately, her ecostove saves her more than $13 a month, a significant amount of money in a region where salaries are highly subsidized by remittances from family members working abroad. Now when Yessenia cooks, she has to use half the amount of oil in the pan as she did before. Additionally, her new stove is "very, very economic because it doesn't use a lot of charcoal. Yessenia now buys just one sack of charcoal per month, as compared to the one sack per week she purchased when using her old stove. Even on such a small scale, blueEnergy's efforts work toward its mission of a more equitable and sustainable world.

Ecostoves were initially designed and manufactured by Proleña, a blueEnergy partner and NGO in Managua, Nicaragua. The charcoal-burning adaptation has been distributed by blueEnergy in Bluefields, Nicaragua. It lasts three to five years, significantly longer than its competition which last roughly six months. Its efficiency undoubtedly drastically improves the quality of womens’ lives and can reduce deforestation and carbon emissions. If you are interested in getting more involved and supporting the purchase of a cook stove so that blueEnergy can help many more Yessenia’s, please click HERE.

Aman iman. (“Water is life, and life is water.”)

2011-11-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

–Tamachek saying

By Angela Cacciola -- The application of this concept seems like barely an afterthought for those fortunate enough to live with the assurance of basic services. However, the African Tamachek people resemble those who inhabit the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. They value clean water as precious, but struggle with its daily acquisition because their country’s history is rife with corruption, political strife, and countless rebellions.

Welcome to Bluefields, Nicaragua, where an ever-increasing population creates serious problems concerning the inadequate supply of clean drinking water. blueEnergy not only builds wells within Bluefields, it also installs biosand filters to purify water with the local people it services. Beneficiaries take a class on water hygiene and sanitation and then spend time in the blueEnergy workshop making their filter. blueEnergy finds participation in this educational and technical process emphasizes the value of the filter, and thus, improves the quality of care and longevity of the project.

Dump in Diecinueve de Julio

Last week, blueEnergy installed ten filters in the barrio Diecinueve de Julio (19th of July neighborhood) of Bluefields. Starting the day on the edge of this community’s somking dump, where children and adults roam barefoot scrounging for scrap metal and food, knocks a person into the reality of living in the second poorest country of the Western Hemisphere. Here is a bit about some of the beneficiaries:

Reina Isabelle Fernandez will no longer have to make the twenty-minute journey twice a day to the well for a five-gallon bucket of water. With the aid of her biosand filter, she decontaminates the water from the well just behind her house, for the first time certain its consumption will not breed sickness. While only four people live in her house, the newly filtered water also services the neighbors who buy the fresco (fruit juice) Reina and her husband sell from their home.

Reina and her husband with their fresco and new water filter

The range of poverty in this community varies. Reina owns her plot of land and is fortunate enough to have separate areas for sleeping and eating in her house. Just around the bend, six other beneficiaries live in a one-room house with barely enough space for a bed and small table. They don’t own their land; they are considered squatters. Three generations share the house. There are no windows, people and endless flies enter and exit through the only door, through which the smoking dump can be seen.

Carrying the filter to a one-room squatter house by the dump

Down the road in another beneficiary home, a single mom, Connie works all day for her four kids, selling women’s shoes in the street. As a grin spreads across her face, Connie explains how the filter is “very important… a blessing from God,” because now her family can drink purified water. “Sometimes we get sick because we drink contaminated water,” she says. Connie cannot afford to be sick because if she does not work, no one else provides for her family. Thus, while tending to the water filter is yet another chore Connie’s children will be assigned when Connie works, it is one they gladly welcome.

blueEnergy Super Alum Fernando de Samaniego Steta Raises over $2000 on behalf of blueEnergy!

2011-11-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

By Emily Castello -- Last month, blueEnergy super alum Fernando De Samaniego Steta ran a marathon and raised over $2,000 on behalf of blueEnergy! Fernando volunteered with blueEnergy for four months in 2009, working primarily on blueEnergy’s renewable energy initiatives on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. Fernando fondly remembers this time, referring to it as an “amazing experience that I greatly enjoyed thanks to the blueEnergy team on the ground and the wonderful Nicaraguans from the Atlantic coast.”

Fernando’s passion for renewable energy continued long after his volunteer stint with blueEnergy. Currently, he works as an analyst at Suntech Power, the largest global manufacturer of PV modules, in primarily business development and project finance. He also assists the Southern European markets develop solutions unique for each market. When asked how he likes working in the solar industry, Fernando states: “It is a very interesting time to be working in the solar industry, since this year prices of PV modules have dropped dramatically and solar is becoming affordable for everyone. At the same time, it is a consolidation stage for the PV industry, where a weak demand and an over capacity scenario have pushed some companies into bankruptcy.”

Fernando working hard with blueEnergy in Set Net Point

Fernando decided to run the Berlin marathon and fundraise on behalf of blueEnergy because of his passion and belief in the mission and work of blueEnergy. After four months of intense training, Fernando completed the marathon in 2 hours, 59 minutes, and 37 seconds! This was Fernando’s personal best time, which he credits to the weather (“sunny but not too hot”) and rousing support of the other 35,000 participants for helping him achieve his best. In addition to reaching his personal record, Fernando raised $2,241 for blueEnergy through an online fundraising campaign. This was the second time Fernando ran a marathon and fundraised on behalf of blueEnergy. In total, Fernando has raised close to $5,000 cumulatively for blueEnergy through his fundraising efforts. Fernando plans to run another marathon in 2012, with the hopes of pushing his running and fundraising limits further.

Fernando during the marathon

blueEnergy would like to thank Fernando for his continuous support! If you would like to learn more about how to set up your own fundraising initiative like Fernando, please contact Emily at Emily.Castello@blueenergygroup.org.

Celia's family drinks clean water

2011-10-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

By Casey Callais -- Celia and her family live in Santa Rosa neighborhood in Bluefields. Her husband works long hours as a taxi driver, her three kids are all in school and she works from home selling cooked beans.

Celia's house. Notice the contaminated well on the right.

Not having clean water is an inconvenience few people in developed countries have to face. For Celia's family, it has been a way of life. With no running water, they were having to haul buckets of water from a well in their backyard. When that became too contaminated to drink or even bathe with, they started using a communal well several blocks away which cost about $.50 per bucket. Unfortunately, the contamination levels in the communal well increase in the dry season as the water level decreases and eventually runs dry. Celia's family is an example of a typical Bluefield's household.

Celia washes her hands with well water stored in the green tub

The first part of blueEnergy's water program methodology is to give classes on sanitation and cleanliness. While sanitary conditions in a typical Bluefield's home are not ideal, a little soap can go a long way.

Thibaut helps Celia fill out the paperwork for the water filter

Celia worked with blueEnergy to build her own biosand water filter and drill a new Baptist well that is shared with several surrounding families.

Celia and her daughter showing off their water filter

Celia stand with her daughter in front of their new Baptist well

This year blueEnergy plans to help 200 households in Bluefields build and install their own filters. 30 of them will work to build shared Baptist wells. Check out our gallery to see more photos from the project!

bE innovations: Cement Vibrator

2011-10-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

By Casey Callais -- Here is bE water technician Jorge Perez showing us how blueEnergy innovations are helping to increase the structural integrity of the biosand filters.

Link to: http://www.youtube.com/embed/KdacNR1rlXA

Renovables Gets Formal Status

2011-10-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

By Lâl Marandin -- Founded in June of 2010, the Nicaraguan Association for Renewable Energy and the Environment, known as “Renovables” is a nonprofit organization whose mission is "to organize and strengthen Nicaraguan actors to expand a fair and efficient use of renewable energy in both the public and private sectors in Nicaragua”. “Renovables” ’ vision is to create impact through projects, national and international partnerships, the development of public policy, dissemination of good practices, scientific research, public awareness and formal education for a sustainable energy future. "

The ultimate goal of its 2015 Strategic plan is to promote the access, production, sustainability and of renewable energy in Nicaragua. “Renovables” proposes the following objectives in the short and medium term:

• Strengthen the working sector in renewable energy at the national level

• Position the organization at the national and international level

• Promote changes in Nicaraguan law and regulations to better incentivize renewable energy for domestic and corporate uses

• Create a project portfolio to involve all member organizations.

As of the fall of 2011, “Renovables” is comprised of more than 30 institutions that promote, support or implement clean energy project in Nicaragua, utilizing all possible sources of renewable energy: hydro, wind, solar, geothermal and biomass.

The Association aims to contribute, in collaboration with the public and private sectors, to maximize the use of the country's renewable energy potential, and to increase renewable energy’s contribution to the energy portolio, in alignment with the National Administration’s “National Energy Strategy”.

The founders of "Renovables", June 17th, 2010

What the “Personería Jurídica” is and why it’s a big deal

Obtaining “Personería Jurídica” means filing and being awarded a legal status as a nonprofit in Nicaragua. It requires a majority vote by the National Assembly (Congress) and is a process that can take up to five years.

Three major factors made it very important for “Renovables” to obtain it as quickly as possible, but also made it complicated:

1) Nonprofits in Nicaragua have been under very strict surveillance since the start of the new Ortega Administration in January 2007. There has been increased controls and audits of many nonprofits, especially those receiving funding from international or multilateral aid agencies.

2) Adding to the tension, the energy sector is absolutely strategic for Nicaragua, a country that doesn’t currently own fossil fuels reserves and has the most expensive electricity in Central America. The government and its Ministry of Energy and Mines play a central role, and debates on energy prices and strategy are constant in the media.

3) Large private energy groups have gained a very strong importance in the country. Some of them had a tendency to shift the legal and political weight towards their specific interests. It was key to counter balance their influence and overcome any possible hindrance they could have created, preventing “Renovables” from obtaining the Personería Jurídica.

For these reasons, and many more, it was of paramount importance that “Renovables” be able to legalize its legal status in the country, giving it the ability to speak with a strong a clear voice for the sector it represents.

The catalyzing role of blueEnergy

blueEnergy joined forces with two other Nicaraguan NGOs in 2009 to foster the creation and launch of “Renovables”, and was instrumental in its early growth. Being recognized for that action, blueEnergy was voted Secretary of the Board of “Renovables” at its inaugural assembly, an event that brought together more than 100 key people of the Renewable energy sector and over 50 institutions in June 2010. Taking this responsibility very seriously, blueEnergy appointed Lâl Marandin (blueEnergy co-founder and Managua Office Director) to support the growth of the young and promising association, and provide any needed support.

With the financial support of the “ECNER” project, awarded in March 2010 to blueEnergy (and its partners ATDER-BL and AsoFenix) by the Common Fund for Democratic Governance in Nicaragua, blueEnergy assembled a legal team to achieve the legal status of Personería Jurídica for Renovables.

Since the launch of Renovables in June 2010, Lâl has worked to motivate and coordinate the association’s staff in order to advance the process. This has required constant problem solving and clear decision making to make sure the process did not get derailed. blueEnergy wishes to thank Roberto Sosa, Marlyng Buitrago and Lizeth Zúniga for their support to Lâl and their key role in making this happen for “Renovables”.

“Renovables” is now an official Nicaraguan Nonprofit!

On September 2nd, 2011, the National Assembly of Nicaragua awarded the Personería Jurídica to “Renovables”. This success happened 12 months exactly after the original filing of the paperwork, which is a very impressive performance given the challenges encountered along the way.

As an example of the challenges, it was ruled at some point in the process by a legal counselor of the National Assembly that private institutions cannot be founders of a non-profit organization. This statement has no legal base in the current nonprofit law #147. The Supreme Council of the Private Enterprise (COSEP), representing the private sector in Nicaragua since 1972, offered its support to “Renovables” to counter the argument, with legal action if necessary. Fortunately “Renovables” was able to resolve the conflict outside of legal action.

“Renovables” will now have to comply with all the required nonprofit regulations in Nicaragua, which is all it has ever hoped for!

Copy of the statement of Personería Jurídica,
awarded by the National Assembly of Nicaragua,
September 2nd 2011

bE innovations: Electric Sand Sifter

2011-10-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

By Casey Callais -- blueEnergy innovations help make it easier for beneficiaries to build their own biosand water filters. bE water technician Jorge Perez explains:

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/embed/EBpiP9O4SlQ

bE Supporter Josh Rogol Hosts a Successful Event on behalf of blueEnergy!

2011-10-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

By Emily Castillo -- Last week, blueEnergy US staff Mathias Craig and Emily Castello headed to Boston for a night of conversation, cocktails, and hors d’oeuvres. Josh Rogol, a new 2011 blueEnergy supporter, hosted an event on behalf of blueEnergy as a way to raise awareness and money for blueEnergy’s community development work on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. Josh Rogol was first introduced to blueEnergy by his uncle, longtime blueEnergy supporter Michael Rogol and had the opportunity to visit our site in Bluefields, Nicaragua this past June.

Upon returning from his week-long stay in Bluefields, Josh was inspired to get more involved and wanted to introduce his network of friends to blueEnergy’s community development model on the Coast. The event served as a perfect environment to introduce blueEnergy to the young professional community of Boston! Josh opened the event with personal anecdotes from his June trip to Bluefields, sharing his personal connections and motivations for getting involved in blueEnergy. The floor was then turned over to Mathias who provided a succinct overview of blueEnergy’s major program areas and vision. The night continued with conversation and laughter, as a slideshow of some of Josh’s photos from his trip played in the background. The night’s attendants were poised to learn more, asking a variety of questions from why the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua to what are your long-term plans for development.

With over 50 people in attendance, the night turned out to be a great success! New friendships were forged, new ideas were presented, and perhaps most importantly, a new group of Bostonian blueEnergy supporters emerged.

A special thank you to Josh Rogol for his enduring support and to everyone who came out to Clerys in support of blueEnergy!

Josh constructing a water filter during hisJune trip to Bluefields!

bE innovations: Sand drying rack

2011-10-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

By Casey Callais -- blueEnergy water technician Jorge Perez describing the need and use of one of blueEnergy's latest innovations in the water program.

Link to: http://www.youtube.com/embed/TqnIRyiFSQc

bE innovations: Filter mold improvement

2011-10-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

By Casey Callais -- bE water technician Jorge Perez explains one of the latest innovations in the water program. With 200+ water filters to build, the need for higher efficiency is very apparent.

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/embed/TIhDktNf03o

Promoting the sustainability of Renewable World programs

2011-10-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

By Casey Callais -- Just seen in Renewable World's latest newsletter:

Find out more about Renewable World and their programs: http://www.renewable-world.org/

Updates on the Bluefields water program

2011-09-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

By Casey Callais -- The last six months have seen big changes brought to the blueEnergy water program and the local beneficiaries of our latest water projects.

Leoniza and her family with their water filter

A summary of our accomplishments so far, direct from the water program coordinator, Thibaut Demaegdt:

We have installed 34 filters. We have built a total of 77 filters built, so 43 are waiting to be installed. We also have drilled seven wells and the eighth is under construction.We have improved our working equipment (to make the construction process more efficient):We have a concrete mixer, concrete vibrator (to reduce air in the mix), electric sand sifter (of our own design), water recycling machine (to automate sand washing and reduce water consumption, also of our own design) and have built sand drying racks.We have certified approximately 100 families through our classes about water, sanitation and hygiene.

Alonso with the well he shares with 6 families

The plan is to build 200 water filters and 30 wells in Bluefields, and we have nearly reached the halfway mark. We have contracted more water team technicians and have been given a larger space to work. This coupled with the aforementioned improvements, we hope to achieve our goal by December of this year.

bE Hosts Solar Energy International Workshop

2011-09-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

By Casey Callais -- It was an exciting week for blueEnergy and a small group of participants enrolled in Solar Energy International's Sustainable Community Development: Wind Power for Rural Communities class hosted by bE Nicaragua.

Alex works winding a coil

The SEI group of five was introduced to how and why blueEnergy works with renewable energy and clean water solutions on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. Mornings of presentations were followed by afternoons of hands-on work where the participants had the opportunity to wind a stator coil, assemble, mount and balance a set of turbine blades and build water filters.

Kieth and Thibaut mixes cement for water filters

The participants also took part in a three-day trip to Monkey Point to perform turbine tower and battery maintenance. Upon returning, a tour of some of the Baptist wells and the solar latrine was given, as well as a visit to see the Independence Day parades and several locations of interest in the city of Bluefields.

Guthry works with Alex to connect the wiring

Reid and Tasha's work overseen by Ronald

This was the second SEI workshop hosted by blueEnergy and we hope to make it a regular event. Special thanks to Laurie Stone from SEI for making this workshop possible!

blueEnergy: The Ultimate Fieldwork Preparation for a Career in Development

2011-09-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

By Ben Hyman -- This month I moved to Mumbai, India, to work as a research associate on a project that aims to implement and evaluate the country’s first emissions trading scheme—also known to many as a “cap and trade” program for particulate matter (pollution). As I explore the customs of this new country, the challenges of working closely with the Indian government, and the institutional processes that facilitate getting work done here, I can’t help but feel that this experience is eerily familiar—one that blueEnergy has trained me for.

My year and a half working with bE has a lot to do with how I came to both this exciting job opportunity in India, and a relative state of calm in the face of challenging new development projects. At the beginning of 2008, I joined bE as a wide-eyed volunteer, fresh out of undergrad, ready to get my hands dirty with infrastructure development in Latin America. During my first few months in rural Nicaragua, I learned a key lesson popular among bE field workers: hurry up and wait. While this unofficial motto was half an observation of how we were doing business and half a coping mechanism for sometimes frustrating aspects of the project, it also said something deeper about the importance of patience and adaptability. In Nicaragua, I came to understand the craft and diplomacy that goes into getting business done in a place like Bluefields—a skill that I find myself using every day as I forge new relationships and address new deliverables in India. Just like in Nicaragua, projects here don’t happen overnight, and you can’t expect to mold a long-standing system of processes to your own vision of efficiency.

But perhaps an even more substantive role that blueEnergy played in my path, has to do with the fact that I first explored impact evaluation in a serious way while at bE. After having focused on communications and community relations, I wanted to become more involved in understanding the trade-offs between different rural electrification strategies, and bE saw value in the change of focus. Getting my first taste of data management and survey design, I would eventually quench my thirst for research and enroll in graduate studies at MIT, which ultimately led to my current job placement.

Today, when I face questions like “how do you measure a household’s income when the household head does not know how much they make or only trade goods for goods? “ or “this government agency is not responding to any of my calls to implement further projects, how do I expedite the process?” I am grateful to have had my time with blueEnergy which permitted both self-exploration and the development of key skills and tools that are central to development projects and policy around the world.

Bonboy, a blueEnergy system operator in Monkey point, and Ben Hyman

bE Throws its 5th Trivia Night!

2011-09-19T07:44:00.000-07:00

By Jess Goddard -- blueEnergy did it again! On Tuesday, September 13th, blueEnergy staff, volunteers, sponsors and friends gathered for its 5th Trivia Night Fundraiser in San Francisco. The event contributions totaled $2500 that will go directly to supporting blueEnergy’s critical work in Nicaragua! The scene was packed: 81 attendees joyously scribbled on trivia scorecards to keep pace with MC Fritz’s mind-puzzling questions (How many teeth does a grown canine have? 42, in case you were wondering!). Congratulations to the first place winners, Back in Black and Veatch, as well as the second and third prize winners High Voltage and Volcanes de Información!

Trivia Champions Back in Black & Veatch

blueEnergy would like to thank Bradley & Company, Private Wealth Management, Latham & Watkins LLP for sponsoring the event, Maggie McGarry’s Pub for once again hosting and contributing to blueEnergy’s cause, Mermaid Sweets for providing the delectable cupcakes, and Fritz Zimmerman for providing his expert trivia hosting services.

Event Sponsor Latham & Watkins LLP

Trivia Night host MC Fritz Zimmerman

On behalf of the entire blueEnergy team and our beneficiaries, thank you for your continued commitment to our sustainable development, renewable energy, and clean water projects in Nicaragua. Make sure to check out our Facebook page to “Like” us, see photos of the event, and stay posted about next quarter’s Trivia Night!

MIT video: Waste pickers from Bluefields

2011-09-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

From MIT comes a video on life at the Bluefields dump. It's a real eye-opener for people who haven't experienced a visit yet.

Waste pickers, Bluefields, Nicaragua 2011 from Erik Flakoll Alegría on Vimeo.

http://colabradio.mit.edu/snapshot-of-life-in-a-nicaraguan-dump-site/

By Casey Callais -- The MIT Community Innovators Lab partners with D-Lab on a fall course where students collaborate with wastepickers, the UNDP, blueEnergy, and the municipality of Bluefields to develop waste management strategies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create enterprise opportunties for the women featured in this film.

blueEnergy Experiments with its First Solar Latrine

2011-08-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

By Andrew Peterson and Mark Allison -- As the world population approaches eight billion people, basic sanitation and waste management will become an increasingly difficult and important topic. Mismanagement of waste can contaminate potable water sources, spread disease and contribute to diarrhea, the second leading killer in developing countries. To address this issue in the Bluefields community, blueEnergy gave Service Learning (SLI) interns, Mark Allison and Andrew Peterson, the task of implementing solar latrines into the water and sanitation department of blueEnergy. Overall the goal is that solar latrines will help offer a sustainable and sanitary solution to waste management in Bluefields.

Many latrines in the Bluefields community are basic pits dug into the ground and have the possibility of contaminating gound water sources, affecting the families that use them. This was the case with the family that was selected to be the first beneficiaries for a blueEnergy solar latrine. The family was selected due to their location (solar radiation, a garden, no close ground water source, and available space for construction), their interest in the solar latrine project and the need for a more sanitary waste management system. The latrine that the beneficiaries were using before blueEnergy’s project was a rustic latrine that had one pit for garbage, solid, and liquid waste. The rustic latrine also did not have adequate walls for privacy or ventilation for bugs and smell.

fig 1. Solar Latrine Beneficiaries

fig 2. Rustic Latrine previously used by the Beneficiaries

As mentioned before, solar latrines are sustainable and sanitary. Using a solar collection chamber (fig. 3) human waste is cooked and dried, effectively killing any harmful bacteria and leaving rich compost that can be used to improve crop yields. The chamber is divided into three sections into which waste is raked every 15 days. To make sure that the human waste dries completely, the solar latrine has a toilet bowl that contains two different bowls (fig. 4). Solid waste goes into the larger back chamber, while liquid waste goes into the front bowl and then into a separate pit outside the latrine (fig. 5).

fig 3. Solar collection chamber

fig. 4 Toilet seat with divisions

fig. 5 Urine filtration chamber

In the following weeks blueEnergy will be performing follow up evaluations and further education with the beneficiaries. As part of the contract that was signed, blueEnergy will be permitted to make regular visits to the site to take temperature readings of the chamber, evaluate the compost and make sure that the beneficiaries are using the latrine correctly. Depending on the outcome of these visits blueEnergy will be able to determine if solar latrines are successful in Bluefields or if a different type of latrine should be built and tested by future SLI’s.

Mark and Andrew and future latrine builder

Teaching kids to teach themselves about the environment

2011-08-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

By Marcy Ostberg -- For the past four years I have been a teacher in Boston, Massachusetts. During the school year my focus is devoted to the student’s questions and interests. As a result I like to spend my summers traveling and exploring my own personal questions. This year I had the opportunity to spend three weeks as a service learning intern with blueEnergy. I came to Bluefields wanting to learn more about alternative energy, but as I reflect on my time here I realize I have learned far more than originally expected. I have witnessed the resilience of a community up against many challenges and along with the bE staff have grappled with the complexities of finding sustainable solutions to these problems. I have filled many pages of my journal with new ideas and deeper questions. In this Blue News article I will focus on one small snapshot of my experience here, an opportunity I had to see how education can be used as a catalyst to change.

Marcy distributing trash

Unfortunately one of the first things I noticed as a visitor to Bluefields was the trash. The streets and waterways are littered with plastic bottles, water bags, chip bags, and other items such as diapers, cigarettes and beer bottles. I began asking questions looking for the cause. I learned that part of the problem is an ineffective waste management system. There is an open dump on the outskirts of the city yet the trash pickup is inconsistent at best. Although the dump trucks have a schedule it is rarely kept and therefore the residents are unsure when to bring out their trash. It is also difficult to get trash to the trucks, especially for families who live down winding alleyways, deep within the barrios. This ineffective waste management leaves few options and many choose to pile and burn.

One of the first steps to improve this situation is teaching the community to reduce the amount of waste they produce. blueEnergy wanted to capture my experience as a teacher and asked me to develop a lesson plan around this topic. The goal was to help students in Bluefields critically think about this issue and introduce waste reduction as one part of the solution.

Gabriella helping Marcy teach about waste in Bluefields

The lesson was designed around a teaching strategy called experiential education. The basic idea is that students have an experience with the topic, reflect on the experience, learn more about the topic and then apply what they have learned. I wanted to use this strategy to help the students really engage. For the initial experience students made hypothesis about the type of trash that would be most common. They then tested their hypothesis by sorting through trash I had collected from the street and counting the most common items. They found that the small blue bags for drinking water were the most common item, followed closely by chip bags and plastic bottles. Following this experience students brainstormed questions in response to the prompt. They came up with some excellent questions about why this problem exists, how does waste management work in Bluefields and what are possible solutions. I was impressed by their concern for their city. One student said in her reflection, “I love the topic because I learned about how to help my Bluefields.”

Students asking tough questions

Many of their questions were then incorporated into a lesson about how to reduce waste. There final reflections demonstrated that they learned a lot from the lesson. Many of the students made comments about no longer throwing their trash on the streets and had ideas of ways they could improve the situation. One student wisely commented, “It starts from home with your family.” Some students left the lesson really wanting to make a change. One such student said, “We can try something. I promise you when you have a next visit you will see everything change.” We even had some future environmentalists in the group like this student who wrote, “And a word of advice to all. We have to learn that if we continue putting the rubbish in the street it will harm the environment and can cause many diseases such as malaria or dengue. Please do not throw trash on the street and protect our environment.” With comments such as these I felt the lesson was a huge success and left hopeful that the situation would change. I turned back as I left the classroom and saw the school motto painted brightly on a sign. It read “knowledge is power” and after my experience here I would add to that, knowledge is the first step towards change.

Creole-speaking high school, Bluefields, Nicaragua

From Boards to Blades: Challenges working in the developing world

2011-08-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

By David Olmos -- The past two months in Bluefields, Nicaragua has given me a fresh perspective on the challenge of implementing renewable energy technology in the developing world. As a Mechanical Engineering student at UC Berkeley, my studies focused on optomizing design for peak efficiency using cutting-edge design techniques. However, in Bluefields the objective was to build a robust and reliable turbine using as much local materials and workmanship as possible.

My first week in the office was spent mostly on the computer, sketching CAD models of what I envisioned the turbine would look like and investigating what would be the optimal airfoil shape for the local wind conditions. In the following week I spent time helping to refurbish “el taller” and getting to know the people at the workshop who were able to demonstrate local blade manufacturing techniques that cannot be found in any coursework or textbooks.

These techniques made it possible to transform 2x4s into fully functioning wind turbine blades. However, this process is not easy. The main challenge faced was figuring out how to make bent pieces of wood into straight turbine blades. It was somewhat of a jigsaw puzzle, choosing where to lay each of the sections of 2x4s that composed each blade in order to avoid weak knots, cracks, or bends. I was impressed by how staff member Gilberto was always able to use what was available in the workshop to overcome such obstacles. A recurring challenge that blueEnergy has faced has been passing on accumulated information from one volunteer to the next. I was glad to help document the techniques and knowledge that I had learned this summer so that it may be compiled into a consoldated manual that will guide future volunteers.


Gilberto, Jorge, Matthieu, Alex, Marcy, David, Pedro and Guthry

By the end of my stay, the three turbine blades were successfully constructed and I have come away with a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience regarding implementing alternative energy solutions in the developing world. With the completion of this 3kW turbine, this installation will have the potential to provide energy for three times the amount of households compared to the current bE turbine system. All in all, it was a summer I will never forget.

blueEnergy Efficiency Report: Bluefields, Nicaragua

2011-07-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

By Jess J. Goddard -- In the energy-lingo of today, “energy efficiency” is a buzzword that permeates policy aiming to reduce costs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and work toward a better balance between demand and supply side management. So far, most of us are aware of how energy efficiency might benefit a country like the US, where demand is high, the grid complicated, and fossil fuels a source of constant debate.

This article of the blueNews is eager to share the findings of Dan Conner, a recent blueEnergy intern, and his colleague Craig Jacobson from Unity Technical Consulting (UTC). Dan spent two weeks in the field researching what energy efficiency means in a decentralized and low-energy demand setting like Bluefields, Nicaragua. Upon completion of his internship, Dan worked closely with Craig to analyze the data and produce a comprehensive report, “Keys to Energy Efficiency,” on the state of blueEnergy’s energy usage in Bluefields.

The report focuses on “climate-specific energy audit techniques” to recommend energy and cost saving strategies that foster conservation efforts. Their investigation of five blueEnergy properties provides blueEnergy with an up-to-date analysis of the company’s energy consumption, equipment, costs and pricing structures. blueEnergy would like to thank Dan Conner and Craig Jacobson of Unity Technical Consulting for their contribution to blueEnergy’s energy strategy moving forward. Please see the full report here.

Alumni Spotlight: Mike Dow

2011-07-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

By Jess Goddard -- blueEnergy is constantly looking to continue its relationships with intern and volunteer alumni, and this alumni spotlight feature looks at what one intern has done since working abroad withblueEnergy. Mike Dow interned with blueEnergy for five weeks between May and June of 2010, updating and expanding the Maintenance and Operation Manual for training new wind turbine workshop employees in Bluefields, Nicaragua. Mike also aided the technical teamtohelp assemble the first 14 foot turbine prototype – from balancing the blades to hoisting the turbine up and watching the wind turn the blades for the first time – “a very rewarding and memorable moment.”

Mike Dow with the 14' diameter turbine

Mike’s passion for renewable energy and emerging enterprise continues to define his day-to-day life as an MBA student at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to a unique real-world setting and gain exposure to blueEnergy’s community development model provided Mike with an interdisciplinary experience that prepared him for industry in the US.

Such an influence has affected Mike’s choices in pursuing his MBA in Boulder; he writes: “There is a great amount of renewable energy action going on here, from businesses to nonprofits, government laboratories to academia.” He is currently working with a local PV solar installation company and aspires to engage in local energy politics. We look forward to keeping in touch with Mike and encourage our current and past interns to do the same—he made sure to let us know: “My door is always open to bE alums!” blueEnergy wishes Mike Dow the best of luck in 2011!

Evolutions in our impact model (Part 3 of 4)

2011-07-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

By Mathias Craig -- blueEnergy found itself in 2009 facing internal and external pressures to significantly grow its impact. As discussed in Part 1 of this series, blueEnergy’s community development approach on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua specifically targets severely marginalized communities that are beyond the edge of the market. There is no one silver bullet to help these communities alter their fundamental situation – a holistic approach is needed to create basic opportunities that can be leveraged by community members to better their own situation. But employing this type of approach beyond the edge of the market is relatively resource intensive on a “per person served” basis, complex and slow...read more

En espanol y Frances...

RENOVABLES meets in Bluefields

2011-06-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

By Lal Marandin -- On May 18th and 19th 2011, blueEnergy helped organize the Regional Conference (RAAS) of the National Campaign to improve the skills of Primary School teachers on "Energy Effiency and Renewable Energy" in Nicaragua.

Participants gathered around to listen

This major event was co-hosted by the Renovables Alliance (www.renovables.org.ni), the Ministry of Energy (MEM) and the Ministry of Education.

Over 100 participants, including 80 primary school teachers met during the two days in Bluefields, where they received general training on Energy, Energy Efficiency and the principles of Renewable Energy. On the second day, quite ironically, Bluefields suffered a major power outage, allowing blueEnergy to demonstrate very clearly the benefits of local and renewable sources, as eight Trojan Batterias and a 4kW Xantrex Inverter powered the computer, projector and many fans, allowed the activity to be completed in optimal conditions.

(left to right): Kenia Joiner (bE), Ing. Coralia Robbleto (MEM), Abdelia Aleman (Renovables), Lâl Marandin (Renovables y blueEnergy), Ing. Lucett Martinez (MEM, y Guillaume Craig (bE)

Team MASAH’s Experience With Efficient Cook Stoves in Bluefields, Nicaragua

2011-05-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

By Saul Hernandez-Morales -- Team MASAH is composed of four mechanical engineering students – Miguel Gomez, Abimael Bastida, Saul Hernandez, Alejandro Lobato – and a faculty advisor – Dr. Hohyun Lee – from Santa Clara University. The team’s mission was to design and build an efficient cook stove in the hopes of one day implementing it in Nicaragua. In order to gain first-hand knowledge of the cooking methods currently employed in the region, and to therefore more accurately measure the impact of an efficient cook stove in Nicaragua, Miguel Gomez and I traveled to Bluefields, Nicaragua during the last week of March 2011. The trip to Nicaragua surpassed our expectations and we were able to enhance our prior understanding of the current cooking methods. We successfully implemented three Proleña efficient cook stoves and witnessed the positive impact they provided to the Nicaraguan people. Following our work in Bluefields, blueEnergy plans to continue implementing the Proleña-designed efficient cook stoves within the community.

Local cook explaining traditional cooking methods to Saul Hernandez
and Miguel Gomez at a Bluefield's restaurant.

Implementing the Prolena efficient cook stove

Miguel Gomez, AJ Bastida, Saul Hernandez, Alejandro Loboto before presenting the
MASAH Stove at the Senior Design Conference in Santa Clara University.

In addition to the field research conducted, we also established contact with various companies and NGO’s working on efficient cook stove technology to further help us in our mission. As a result of the trip to Nicaragua and the research conducted, we were able to make essential modifications in our design that will hopefully ensure cultural acceptance of our efficient cook stove model. Furthermore, Team MASAH was able to finalize its “MASAH Stove” design, which focused on improving fuel combustion within the structure by providing adequate air flow to the system. The air flow is created with a fan, which is run by power-generating thermoelectric modules. The efficient cook stove uses concepts based on renewable energy, green technology, and social ethics. This should result in socioeconomic benefit to the beneficiary by decreasing the amount of fuel needed to run the stove, thereby increasing individual household savings.

Low-Tech Coconut Shell Activated Carbon Filter

2011-05-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

By Ami Cobb and Mikell Warms -- We discovered our passion for water resource management, specifically water quality in the developing world, during our college career at Santa Clara University. As undergraduate engineering students, we were required to submit a senior design project highlighting our interests and the knowledge we gained during our four years of study. blueEnergy was introduced to us during this period, and as part of the senior design process, we had the incredible chance to visit Bluefields, Nicaragua in order to fulfill our project goals. Our project was a low-tech coconut shell activated carbon filter. Simply put, it’s like a Brita filter that can reduce pesticides, tastes, and odors in drinking water.

Mikell attacking the charcoal dilemma

Activated carbon in the United States is often produced using steam activation, a process that requires temperatures ranging from 900-1200˚C. It produces a high quality activated carbon, yet cannot be produced in places such as Bluefields or other remote developing locations. Through our research we found that chemical activation could be used to produce activated carbon at lowered temperatures of 300-500˚C. We also learned that coconut shells were the best carbon media that one could use to produce activated carbon, and since they are so abundant in Nicaragua, we were in luck! While in Bluefields, we burned coconut shells using the oil drum method, which is currently used to produce charcoal for cooking purposes, and then attempted to chemically activate them using calcium chloride, an inexpensive and readily available chemical in the United States. After a week and a half in Bluefields, we were finally successful using this technique. We knew that our carbon had in fact been properly activated by using methyl orange, a soluble organic chemical indicator. A reduction in the orange tint of a methyl orange solution, after it has been treated with the activated carbon, is a very positive indication that it will also reduce pesticides and other organics in the water. Since pesticides are insoluble, they have a greater affinity for activated carbon than a soluble organic chemical, such as methyl orange. Thus if our activated carbon could adsorb the methyl orange, it could adsorb pesticides at an even higher rate.

However, it was a bittersweet accomplishment since we understood that calcium chloride would probably not be found at the local market. In a desperate attempt to salvage the situation (and ingenious if we do say so ourselves), we tried sodium chloride (table salt) knowing that calcium chloride was also a salt. It’s cheap, readily available, and as we found out, another agent which can activate carbon! Once we returned to the labs at Santa Clara University, we did quantitative experimentations using a spectrophotometer and, as expected, found that it was not as good as the high quality carbon that is manufactured in the United States, but it was indeed successful and yielded comparable results to the charcoal activated with calcium chloride.

Ami filling the barrel with coconut shells

Although Bluefields was our pilot location, we hope that our activated carbon can eventually be applied in developing countries globally. At blueEnergy, we will probably be remembered best as the only volunteers to ever wash Cookie (a very old, slightly senile blueEnergy guard dog), but we hope our project will inspire people to filter their water in a simple and inexpensive fashion. Apart from making progress on our project in Bluefields, we had an unforgettable experience with the exciting culture and the new people, and we would like to thank all the employees and volunteers for helping out in any way and cheering us on.

Thanks Ami and Mikell!

blueEnergy Celebrates Its Most Successful Trivia Night to Date in San Francisco

2011-05-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

By Emily Castello -- On Tuesday, May 10th, blueEnergy hosted its 4th Trivia Night Fundraiser at Maggie McGarry’s in San Francisco, CA. With support from Bradley & Company Private Wealth Management, Latham & Watkins LLP, Mermaid Sweets, Pacific Brewing Laboratories, Maggie McGarry’s Pub, trivia master Fritz Zimmerman, and 150 blueEnergy Bay Area supporters, it was our largest, most successful Trivia Night to date. We raised $3,200! All of the proceeds from the event will go directly to support blueEnergy’s continued work in Nicaragua.

Trivia wizard & MC Fritz Zimmerman explaining the rules to a packed house!

blueEnergy was thrilled to welcome former and current volunteers, long-time supporters, and new friends at the event. Within the back room of Maggy McGarry’s, new friendships were forged, long-standing competition between the Stanford and Berkeley groups ensued, and the proper term for the groove running between your nose and upper lip (the Philtrum) was introduced.

Trivia Participants discussing one of Fritz’s many challenging questions

The evening’s competition was fierce, but only one team could come out on top. Congratulations to “Catawania Trivia Association of America” for taking home the grand prize, and to "Pee on the Tree" and “Energia Elotica” for coming in a close second and third. Pictures have been posted so please visit our Facebook Fan page HERE to check them out.

Congrats to Catawania Trivia Association of America

On behalf of the entire blueEnergy team and our beneficiaries, thank you for your continued commitment to our sustainable development, renewable energy, and clean water work in Nicaragua. Stay tuned for news about next quarter’s Trivia Night!

Evoluciones dentro de nuestro modelo de impacto 2/4

2011-05-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

(traducción Hervé Chavagnon) blueEnergy es internacional por esencia. Desde el inicio, nuestras acciones se han apoyado sobre la participación de personas de todas partes del mundo para venir a trabajar sobre un objetivo común de proporcionar el acceso a servicios básicos como la energía en comunidades marginalizadas. En este sentido, blueEnergy ha servido de canalizador para llevar el talento y tiempo de internacionales donde hacía falta, enfrente de la amplitud de los terribles desafíos de estas comunidades aisladas.

Con el tiempo hemos empezado a darnos cuenta de que más allá de la “linda” experiencia, los voluntarios internacionales que venían a trabajar con blueEnergy salían transformados por su experiencia sobre el terreno. Pasar tiempo en la vida de otros y ponerse en su lugar para entenderles les abría una nueva perspectiva y extendía su empatía hacia los demás. Además, al vivir más cerca de los recursos que consumían, como por ejemplo el agua, la energía y los alimentos, se volvían más atentos a su consumo.

Y mientras mirábamos crecer nuestra red de los que fueron voluntarios internacionales en blueEnergy, hemos notado que ellos ahora empezaban a entrar en programas de post-grado prestigiosos, a asumir empleos en empresas líderes en energías renovables o en grandes agencias de desarrollo internacionales, y hasta empezaban a desarrollar su propia organización sin fin de lucro en el sector social. Seguían adelante después de blueEnergy y evolucionaban hasta ocupar puestos importantes. Hasta el punto que con su nueva filosofía personal y trabajo en harmonía con la misión de blueEnergy, su impacto como antiguo voluntario abría una nueva dimensión en el impacto de blueEnergy. Nos hemos dado cuenta entonces de que estábamos participando en la construcción del movimiento, un aspecto fundamental en cualquiera estrategia para tratar la escala de los desafíos.

Hemos también observado que este efecto no se limitaba a nuestros voluntarios y al personal internacional, sino que también se extendía al personal nacional (Nicaragüense). Los internacionales y nacionales trabajan juntos en un mismo equipo para proporcionar el acceso a servicios básicos en comunidades marginalizadas, y por eso el aprendizaje y aumento de la empatía hacia los demás ocurre en ambos sentidos. Al mismo tiempo que los internacionales viven una experiencia que les va transformando, el personal nacional aprende nuevas tecnologías de comunicación, y mejoran sus capacidades para manejar complejidad mientras aumentan su comprensión de los asuntos transversales e internacionales.

El modelo integral de desarrollo comunitario que emplea blueEnergy sobre el terreno es orientado de tal manera a crear oportunidades de desarrollo económico en comunidades altamente marginalizadas, siempre en acuerdo con su cultura y el medio ambiente. Es un compromiso a largo plazo que procura crear estabilidad en la sociedad a través de la reducción de la brecha entre pobreza y oportunidades. Fomentamos el desarrollo de estas oportunidades de una manera sostenible para el medio ambiente, con el uso de energías renovables, para que más en adelante, cuando estas comunidades aumenten su riqueza material, lo hagan de una manera que perjudique menos al planeta que el actual modelo en el Norte.

Sin embargo, la realidad es que es la gente rica del Norte quién tiene el mayor impacto negativo sobre el medio ambiente. El planeta no está en peligro por los pobres y el exceso de carbón expulsado por sus viejos vehículos. Esta contaminación es insignificante en comparación con el consumo de recursos per cápita de los países ricos del Norte y sus efectos sobre el medio ambiente.

Para alcanzar una verdadera sostenibilidad desde una perspectiva humana y también ecológica, debemos construir equidad para los pobres, pero también debemos construir una cultura de la riqueza que sea sostenible. Debemos crear sistemas de valores alternativos que redefinan lo que significa riqueza, para que cuando los pobres de hoy construyan suficiente equidad y lleguen a tener riqueza, el planeta pueda sostenerlos a ellos y a nosotros.

Por esta razón, hacer evolucionar las mentalidades en el norte es la manera más eficiente de alcanzar un cambio ecológico en el corto y en el mediano plazo. Pero esta evolución requiere un tremendo aumento de la empatía y cambios fundamentales en nuestros modelos de crecimiento, y los que pasaron por blueEnergy están en buena posición para jugar un papel de liderazgo en este sentido.

Un importante desafío a la hora de alcanzar la sostenibilidad es que nosotros humanos requerimos crecimiento para prosperar. Nuestro sentido de la felicidad está estrechamente vinculado con la percepción de un cambio en una dirección que juzgamos positiva y que se encuentra mucho más allá de nuestra situación actual. Porque la satisfacción del avance de ayer hoy ya se desvanece. Eso fomenta y guía nuestra necesidad continua de crecimiento. En el Oeste y en el Norte, el crecimiento ha sido a menudo definido como el crecimiento de la riqueza material. A esto a veces se le denomina crecimiento exterior. En algunas tradiciones orientales, el crecimiento puede tomar la forma de un crecimiento espiritual y de conciencia. A eso se le denomina crecimiento interior.

Cuando no se cumplen las necesidades básicas, la forma de crecimiento prioritaria es generalmente del tipo material – una mejor alimentación, un mejor hogar, mejor ropa. Incluso cuando se cumplen las necesidades básicas, sigue existiendo el deseo para la acumulación de más riqueza material, para una mejor salud, una mejor educación, etc. Pero llega un momento donde la acumulación de más cosas sólo proporciona una felicidad efímera con menos sentido; pasado este “punto de inflexión en la riqueza material”, el deseo de crecimiento interior comienza a predominar naturalmente.

Mientras nosotros humanos empujamos hacia los límites ecológicos del planeta y nos expandimos en número de personas, nos encontramos forzados a interactuar más y en situaciones más complejas. Fomentar el entendimiento entre personas provenientes de mundos y culturas muy diferentes para crear crecimiento para todos sin destruir la biosfera ni incitar conflictos armados para los recursos es el nuevo desafío. Y para conseguirlo, debemos mover el “punto de inflexión de la riqueza material” hacia otro que sea ecológicamente sostenible, aún proporcionando una alta calidad de vida.

Eso es un desafío global que requiere nuevas capacidades para nuestros líderes internacionales – capacidades basadas en la empatía, la conciencia de los recursos y su consumo, y una nueva visión de la riqueza en la cual el crecimiento interior destaqué mucho más que en el modelo de actual.

Entonces, más que un canalizador para llevar talento internacional a comunidades aisladas, blueEnergy actúa como un puente de doble sentido, donde los internacionales prestan sus talentos a comunidades aisladas y regresan transformados, y donde los nacionales ayudan a abrir la perspectiva de los internacionales, a cambio de que aumentan su propia capacidad para entender y participar en asuntos transversales y globales que les afectan. En este sentido, una de las áreas de impacto más significantes de blueEnergy está en el fortalecimiento del liderazgo internacional para el mundo de mañana.

Como nota personal, quiero decir que no me sitúo afuera del “rico Norte”. Me encuentro dentro del grupo de personas que deben cambiar sus hábitos de consumo, que deben evolucionar hacia una cultura de vida más sostenible. Pienso en eso cada día y trabajo en esta dirección, buscando maneras de reducir mi impacto en la Tierra sin abandonar mi calidad de vida ni la “habilidad para contribuir de maneras que tienen sentido”. A veces es fácil. Pero a veces no lo es y requiere un cambio en el sistema de los valores. Pero seguir este camino es lo que significa ser un miembro del equipo de blueEnergy.

Este artículo fue escrito con una contribución significativa de Guillaume Craig.

Evolutions dans notre modèle d’impact 2/4

2011-05-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

(traducion Hervé Chavagnon) blueEnergy est international par nature. Depuis le début, notre action a reposé sur des personnes de tous les coins du monde pour venir travailler à un objectif commun de fournir l’accès à des services basiques comme l’énergie pour des communautés marginalisées. En ce sens, blueEnergy a servi de canalisateur pour apporter les compétences et le temps d’internationaux là où ils étaient nécessaires, en vue de la taille des terribles défis de ces communautés isolées.

Avec le temps nous avons commencé à nous rendre compte qu’au-delà de la “belle” expérience en elle-même, les volontaires internationaux qui venaient travailler avec blueEnergy sortaient transformés par leur expérience sur le terrain. Passer du temps dans la vie des autres et se mettre à leur place pour les comprendre leur ouvre une nouvelle perspective et développe leur empathie envers les autres. Par ailleurs, vivre au plus près des ressources qu’ils consomment, comme par exemple l’eau, l’énergie et les aliments, les a rendus plus attentifs à leur consommation.

Et alors que nous regardions grandir notre réseau d’anciens volontaires internationaux étant passés un jour par blueEnergy, nous avons constaté que certains commençaient à présent à entrer dans des programmes de Master prestigieux, à assumer des postes au sein d’entreprises leaders en énergies renouvelables ou dans de grandes agences de développement internationales, et lançaient même leur propre organisation à but non lucratif pour le secteur social. Ils allaient de l’avant après être passés par blueEnergy et évoluaient jusqu’à occuper des postes importants. A tel point qu’avec leur nouvelle philosophie personnelle et travail en harmonie avec la mission de blueEnergy, leur impact comme ancien volontaire ouvrait une nouvelle dimension dans l’impact de blueEnergy. Et nous avons alors réalisé que nous participions à la construction du mouvement, un aspect fondamental dans n’importe quelle stratégie visant à s’attaquer à l’échelle des défis.

Nous avons également observé que cet effet ne se limitait pas à nos volontaires et au personnel international, mais qu’il s’étendait aussi au personnel national (Nicaraguayen). Les internationaux et nationaux travaillent ensemble au sein d’une même équipe afin de subvenir aux besoins essentiels de communautés marginalisées, et pour cette raison l’apprentissage et le développement de l’empathie vers les autres se fait dans les deux sens. En même temps que les internationaux vivent une expérience qui va les transformer, le personnel national apprend à maîtriser de nouvelles technologies de la communication, et développe ses compétences dans la gestion de sujets complexes tout en augmentant sa compréhension des enjeux globaux.

Le modèle de développement intégral qu’emploie blueEnergy sur le terrain est orienté de façon à générer des opportunités de développement économique dans des communautés très marginalisées, qui soient en harmonie avec leur culture et l’environnement. C’est un engagement sur le long terme qui cherche à créer une stabilité dans la société par la réduction du fossé existant entre pauvreté et opportunités. Nous promouvons le développement de ces opportunités d’une manière qui soit durable du point de vue de l’environnement, avec l’utilisation d’énergies renouvelables. De cette façon, le jour où ces communautés réussiront à augmenter leur niveau de richesse matérielle, elles le feront d’une manière qui nuise moins à la planète que le modèle actuel utilisé dans l’hémisphère Nord.

En fait, la réalité c’est que ce sont les personnes riches du nord qui ont le plus grand impact négatif sur l’environnement. La Terre n’est pas en danger à cause des pauvres et au rejet de dioxyde de carbone de leurs vieilles voitures. Ce type de pollution dans le Sud est insignifiant en comparaison avec la consommation des ressources par habitant des pays riches du Nord et ses effets sur l’environnement.

Afin d’arriver à un développement qui soit véritablement durable d’une perspective humaine et aussi écologique, nous devons donc construire une équité pour les pauvres, mais nous devons aussi construire une nouvelle culture de la richesse qui soit durable pour la planète. Nous devons créer un système de valeurs alternatives qui redéfinisse ce que signifie la richesse, pour que quand les pauvres d’aujourd’hui parviennent à construire suffisamment d’équité et puissent accéder à un niveau de richesse plus élevé, la planète puisse l’absorber.

Et pour cette raison, faire évoluer les mentalités dans le nord est la façon la plus efficace d’atteindre un changement au niveau écologique notable sur le court et le moyen terme. Mais cette évolution requiert une énorme augmentation de l’empathie et des changements radicaux dans nos modèles de croissance, et ceux qui sont passés par blueEnergy sont en bonne position pour jouer un rôle de leadership dans ce sens.

Un défi important pour le développement soit durable est que nous les humains avons besoin de croissance pour prospérer. Notre idée du bonheur est étroitement liée à la perception d’un changement dans une direction que nous jugions positive, et qui se trouve bien au-delà de notre situation actuelle. Car la satisfaction du progrès d’hier aujourd’hui déjà s’évanouit. Cela est au cœur de notre besoin permanent de croissance et le guide. Dans l’Ouest et dans le Nord, le développement ou la croissance ont souvent été définis comme l’accroissement de la richesse matérielle. On appelle parfois cela le développement extérieur. Dans certaines traditions orientales, la croissance peut prendre la forme d’une croissance spirituelle et de la conscience. On appelle parfois cela le développement intérieur.

Quand on ne peut pas pourvoir à ses propres besoins basiques, la forme de croissance prioritaire est alors généralement de type matérielle – une meilleure alimentation, un meilleur logement, de meilleurs vêtements. Et même quand l’on peut subvenir à ces besoins basiques, il persiste encore un désir d’accumulation de richesse matérielle, pour une meilleure santé, une meilleure éducation, etc. Mais il arrive un moment où l’accumulation de choses ne procure plus qu’un sentiment de bonheur éphémère qui perd de son sens. Une fois dépassé ce “point d’inflexion dans la richesse matérielle”, le désir de développement intérieur commence alors à prédominer naturellement.

Alors que la pression de l’Humanité pousse la planète à ses limites et que nous continuons d’accroitre notre population, nous nous retrouvons forcés à interagir plus et dans des situations plus complexes. Promouvoir l’entente et la compréhension entre des personnes provenant de mondes et de cultures très différentes afin de créer un développement pour tous sans détruire la biosphère ni inciter de conflits armés pour les ressources naturelles est le nouveau défi à tenir. Et pour y parvenir, nous devons déplacer le “point d’inflexion de la richesse matérielle” vers un autre qui puisse assurer un développement durable, tout en préservant un haut niveau de qualité de vie.

C’est un défi global qui requiert un nouvel ensemble de compétences chez les responsables internationaux – des compétences basées sur l’empathie, la conscience des ressources et de leur consommation, ainsi qu’une nouvelle vision de la richesse dans laquelle le développement intérieur ait une place bien plus importante que dans le modèle actuel.

Donc plus qu’un canalisateur pour apporter des compétences d’internationaux dans des communautés isolées, blueEnergy agît comme un pont à double sens, où des acteurs internationaux mettent leurs compétences au service de communautés isolées et en reviennent transformés, et où les acteurs nationaux aident à élargir la perspective des acteurs internationaux, et en échange développent leur propre capacité à comprendre et participer aux sujets transversaux et globaux qui les touchent. En ce sens, l’un des domaines d’impact les plus significatifs de blueEnergy est dans le développement d’un nouveau leadership au niveau international pour le monde de demain.

Comme note personnelle, je souhaite dire que je ne me situe moi-même pas en dehors du “Nord riche”. Je fais partie de ce groupe de personnes qui doivent changer leurs habitudes de consommation, qui doivent évoluer vers une culture de vie plus en phase avec l’environnement. J’y pense chaque jour et je travaille de mon mieux dans cette direction, cherchant de nouvelles manières de réduire mon impact sur la planète sans pour autant abandonner ma qualité de vie ni “l’habilité à contribuer de manières qui aient du sens”. Parfois c’est facile. Mais parfois ça ne l’est pas et cela requiert un changement dans le système de valeurs. Mais avancer sur ce chemin, c’est ce que cela signifie que d’être un membre de l’équipe de blueEnergy.

Cet article a été écrit avec une contribution significative de Guillaume Craig.

Evolutions in our impact model (Part 2 of 4)

2011-05-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

By Mathias Craig -- blueEnergy is fundamentally international in nature. Since the very beginning we have relied on people from around the globe to come together to work towards the common purpose of providing marginalized communities with basic services such as energy. In this way, blueEnergy has served as a conduit, channeling international talent and time to remote communities where there is a shortage of human capacity relative to the daunting challenges faced there.

Over time we started to realize that more than just having a “neat” experience, the international volunteers that came and worked with blueEnergy were being transformed by their experience on the ground. Spending time in others’ shoes was opening up their perspectives and deepening their sense of empathy. Furthermore, by living closer to the resources they consumed, such as water, energy and food, they became more mindful of their consumption.

As we watched our international alumni network grow in size, we noticed that our alumni were getting into top graduate programs, finding employment at leading renewable energy companies and global development agencies, and starting their own nonprofits serving the social sector. They were continuing on after blueEnergy and moving into positions of influence. To the extent that their personal philosophies and new work aligned with blueEnergy’s mission, their impact as alumni opened up a new dimension of blueEnergy’s impact. We realized we were involved in movement building, a fundamental part of any strategy to address the scale of the challenges.

We also recognized that this effect was not limited to our international interns, volunteers and staff; it also extended to our national (Nicaraguan) staff. As the internationals and the nationals worked together as one team to provide marginalized communities with basic services, the broadening of experience and increase in empathy was a two-way street. At the same time that the internationals underwent their transformational experience, the national staff learned new communication technologies, deepened their ability to manage complexity and grew their understanding of global affairs.

The holistic model of community development that blueEnergy employs in the field is geared towards creating opportunities for economic development in severely marginalized communities in alignment with culture and the environment. This is a long-term engagement that seeks to create stability in human society by narrowing the poverty & opportunity gap. We promote the growth of these opportunities in environmentally sustainable ways, such as with the use of renewable energy, so that down the road, when these communities grow in material wealth, they do it in a way that is less harmful to the planet than the current models in the north.

However, the fact is, wealthy people have the biggest footprint on this planet. The planet is not in peril because of the poor and the extra soot expelled by their inefficient vehicles. Their inefficiencies pale in comparison to the per capita resource consumption and ensuing environmental effects of the wealthy North.

To achieve true sustainability on this planet, both from a human perspective and an ecological perspective, we must build equity for the poor, but we must also build sustainable living culture in the wealthy. We must create alternative value systems that redefine what it means to be wealthy so that when the poor of today build enough equity and get to “wealth”, the planet can sustain them and us.

For this reason, evolving the mindset in the north is the most powerful way to affect ecological change in the short and medium term. This evolution requires tremendous expansion of empathy and fundamental changes to our growth models and blueEnergy alumni are well positioned to play a leadership role.

A key challenge to finding sustainability is that we humans require growth to thrive. Our sense of happiness is tied to our perception of change in a positive direction far more than to our current position. The satisfaction from yesterday’s advancement is fleeting today. This drives our need for continual growth. In the West and North, growth has often been defined as growth in material wealth. This is sometimes referred to as outward growth. In some Eastern traditions, this growth can take the form of increased spiritual awareness and mindfulness. This is sometimes referred to as a type of inward growth.

When basic needs are not met, the desired form of growth is typically in the material realm – better food, better shelter, better clothing. Even once basic needs are met, there is motivation for further accumulation of material wealth that allows for better health, better education, etc. But at some point, the accumulation of more stuff provides ever less meaningful and ever less lasting happiness; at this “material wealth tipping point”, the desire for internal growth naturally dominates.

As we humans push out towards the ecological limits of the planet and swell in numbers, we find ourselves forced to interact more frequently and in increasingly complex situations. Building understanding between peoples with differing world views and finding ways to create growth for all without destroying the biosphere and inciting armed conflict over resources is the new challenge. In order to achieve this, we must redefine the “material wealth tipping point” to one that is ecologically sustainable while still delivering a high quality of life.

This is a global challenge that requires a new skill set in our global leaders – a skill set based on empathy, mindfulness around resource consumption and a new vision of wealth that emphasizes internal growth far more than the average model today.

So more than a one-way conduit channeling international talent to remote communities, blueEnergy serves as a two-way bridge, where internationals lend their talents to remote communities and walk away changed themselves, and nationals help broaden the perspective of internationals and in turn increase their own capacity to understand and participate in global affairs. In this way, one of blueEnergy’s most significant impact areas is in strengthening the global leadership for tomorrow’s world.

On a personal note, I want to say that I do not separate myself from the “wealthy North”. I put myself in the box of people whose consumption habits must change, who must transition to a more sustainable living culture. I think about this daily and work on it in spurts, looking for ways to lower my footprint without giving up quality of life and “ability to contribute in a meaningful way”. Sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes it’s not and requires a change in a value system. But being on this journey is what it means to be a member of the blueEnergy team.

Significant contributions to this post by Guillaume Craig.

Studies of Renewable Energy in Rural Communities

2011-04-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

If you aren't already convinced of the role renewable energy can play in the development of rural communities, check out these studies posted by the Alliance for Rural Education: http://www.ruralelec.org/38.0.html#c1936

Developing and Promoting Renewable Energy on Stanford's Campus

2011-04-29T15:24:00.002-07:00

By Mathias Craig - On the weekend of April 23rd and 24th, blueEnergy hosted a wind turbine building workshop at Stanford University. The workshop was organized in conjunction with the Stanford Solar and Wind Energy Project (SWEP). SWEP is a student led organization with the mission of "Developing and Promoting Renewable Energy on and near Stanford's Campus" and 18 of its members participated in the workshop. Helping make the workshop a reality was Phil Homer, a blueEnergy alum who volunteered in Nicaragua for 6 months in 2010 with the wind turbine team and is now a graduate student in the Atmosphere and Energy Program at Stanford.

Mathias explains the woodworking tools

Making up the blueEnergy team were Christian Casillas, Lizzie Reisman, Julie Karel, Peter Lawrence and myself. The workshop opened with an extensive safety training by the Teaching Assistant for the Model Shop (the location of our workshop). I followed this up with by a brief presentation on the design of Piggott-class turbines, before we split up into groups and got busy with our hands.

The workshop consisted of several stations including blade carving, coil winding, stator casting, magnet placement and assembly. Students were free to chose the work that most interested them and many rotated between stations. The goal of the workshop was to learn about locally produceable small-scale wind turbines and to nearly complete a wind turbine for SWEP to have on hand for experimentation and a possible installation in the future. In order to achieve this in such a short time-frame, we had all the metal work pre-done. Unfortunately, after the close of the workshop on Saturday, there was a small fire that damaged the shop's table saw, some of blueEnergy's tools and some of the turbine's hardware (no one was hurt). This created some obvious setbacks, but we adapted on Sunday and worked out in the breezeway and got close to our initial goal. A blueEnergy team will return to the Stanford campus in May for a half-day work session to complete the planned work.

blueEnergy Board member Matt Flannery makes a guest appearance and helps carve a blade

We are grateful to Stanford and SWEP for giving us the opportunity to teach this workshop and hope to be back on campus for another one in the near future.

Workshop participants

blueEnergy work highlighted in New Energy magazine

2011-04-29T15:24:00.001-07:00

From New Energy magazine:

For the community living in Nicaragua’s isolated Monkey Point, a three hour boat trip from the nearest hospital (or ten-hour walk if the sea is too rough), renewable energy doesn’t just light homes and power businesses, it can save lives.

The article goes on to highlight the refrigeration system blueEnergy recently installed in Monkey Point:

In this remote location without grid connection, the solar power system is the only way to provide power for a fridge/freezer which can store children’s vaccines, HIV tests, insulin and snake antivenom at World Health Organisation standard. The solar panels also provide power for lighting – essential for safe treatment and childbirth at night in the clinic, as well as powering appliances such as a nebuliser.

Midland School sets the stage for renewable energy, personal growth

2011-04-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

By Christian Casillas - A blueEnergy team consisting of Mathias Craig, Lizzie Reisman, Andreas Karelas, and Christian Casillas just got back from blueEnergy’s first wind turbine building workshop hosted on US soil. The team spent two days at Mathias’ alma mater, the Midland School (http://midland-school.org/), near Santa Barbara. It was part of a new blueEnergy strategy for raising revenue as well as enlarging blueEnergy’s impact.
Our workshop took up two days of the sophomore class’ yearly energy week, in which the students focus on hands on projects related to renewable energy. Two days is typically not enough time for the inexperienced to fully complete a wind turbine, but the students advanced much further than we expected! By the close of the second day, they had two of wooden blades almost completely carved, all the wire coils wound and soldered for the generator, had practiced magnet placement on the rotors, and built what may be one of the best looking tail vanes we’ve seen (a blue cow in a pasture of grass!). And more than that, the students and teachers continued to stay engaged with probing questions, demonstrating how quickly they were taking in all of the new information.

Placing the free-range tail vane on the new turbine

The workshop also gave us an inspiring glimpse into the life at this rustic little school, and some insight into blueEnergy co-founder Mathias’ early development. The meals in the dining hall were reminiscent of a large family, as students, teachers and visitors all rubbed elbows while enjoying the fresh food. On a nearby chalkboard was a list of the veggies from Midland’s nine acre garden, with asterisks next to those that were currently in production and finding their way into the menu. The steak we ate at an evening barbeque was one of Midland’s own grass-fed cows who wander freely on their 3,000 acre property. Every night before showering, the kids have to load up a boiler with firewood if they want hot water. There is no doubt that these kids are going to have a much deeper understanding and respect for where their energy and food comes from than most urbanites the world over. Upon our departure, the students were digging post holes for 3 kW of grid-tied solar that they would be installing over the next three days, adding to the schools existing 22 kW of installed solar.

A quarter of the staff live with their families in their own little houses on the campus. I saw herds of little ones, from who knows how many families, frolicking together on the soccer field or in the nearby woods every day. One parent, who’d been there 18 years, told me that she loved the integration with students – she never had a problem finding a babysitter, or playmates.

Herd of big ones

It seems clear that the western world could use many more Midlands. I’m skeptical about our near-term future and current adults’ willingness and ability to change. The needed transition to more sustainable means of food and energy generation in the US will most likely come from market signals (incorporating negative externalities like carbon dioxide emissions or aquifer depletion into prices), which isn’t going to happen unless law-making bodies pass regulations, which isn’t going to happen unless their constituencies demand it, which isn’t going to happen with the world view and values with which most people grow up. The truth is, we need Midlands in many more places where ‘family values’ and world views are passed on from generation to generation – kids are indoctrinated with their parents' views at an early age, when they should be out exploring their own truths.

Sophmore class with their new turbine

Hopefully, this new endeavour of small wind turbine building workshops will allow blueEnergy to interface with other inspiring educational programs like Midland. But we also hope that we can find opportunities to hold workshops at the many underfunded and forgotten public schools, where a hand built renewable energy generator may capture the imagination of future generations, much more so than a wall socket.

Gracias!

Wind Turbine Building Workshop – Training the Trainers

2011-04-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

By Julie Karel - I’m a 4th year PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering at University of California – Berkeley, and I have been a blueEnergy volunteer in San Francisco for almost 2 years, helping with research projects and event coordination. Recently Mathias asked me to help teach various groups in the Bay Area how to build and assemble wind turbines. I immediately said “Yes, that sounds great!” The only catch is that I’ve never built a wind turbine before. As it turns out, there aren’t many opportunities to work with wood, copper, fiberglass resin and steel when you live in an apartment in San Francisco. No problem though, there would be training sessions to get us geared up. So, we gathered at Mathias’ house in Berkeley on a Saturday afternoon in early March for some turbine building lessons. In attendance were Christian Casillas, Lizzie Reisman, Phil Homer, Andreas Karelas and myself (i.e volunteers, staff and alumni). First, Christian Casillas and Mathias reviewed the physics and mechanics of blades in horizontal axis wind turbines – arguably one of the most important parts of the system. We learned all about angle of attack, blade twist, lift, tip speed… and much more. We had the opportunity to ask a lot of questions, and Mathias and Christian had the chance to perfect their pedagogical skills.

Christian teaching blade dynamics

After a nice lunch, we got down to business - blade carving. I can’t say that I’ve ever built or carved anything – functional or otherwise – with wood, so suffice it to say I had a lot to learn. First, I had to learn the exact functionality of all the tools. Luckily, everyone was really helpful in explaining what we needed to do. We spent the next couple hours measuring, cutting (I got to use a Skilsaw!) and carving our blades. We didn’t quite finish before dark, but I got the general idea. I really loved working with my hands, learned a lot and definitely have a newfound appreciation for the craft of woodworking.

Lizzie measuring

Later that week, a skeleton crew (Christian, Lizzie and I) went back to Mathias’ house to discuss coil winding and soldering. I work in a condensed matter physics lab on thin film magnetism, so this topic I know a little about. We spent a lot of time talking about permanent magnets, electromagnetism, current, voltage, AC, DC, batteries, etc. It was interesting for me because I had never really thought about how the wind turbine actually produces electricity. Again, we didn’t get as far into the coil winding and soldering as we wanted, but I learned a lot and had a lot of fun! I feel like I will be ready to teach at the workshops thanks to a lot of help and patience from Mathias and Christian!

WindEmpowerment is Born!

2011-04-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

By Mathias Craig - On April 8th, 2011, WindEmpowerment was born. WindEmpowerment is an association that grew out of years of build up and a milestone meeting of organizations involved with Hugh Piggott class wind turbines in Dakar, Sénégal in February of this year. blueEnergy played a lead role in the coordination of this historic meeting and in the formulation of the association's charter.

The adopted charter states:

WindEmpowerment supports the development of locally built wind turbines for sustainable rural electrification. This is achieved by strengthening the capacity of its members through:
1) Building and sharing financial and human resource connections
2) Performing joint technical research, sharing technical information and collaborating on key vendor relationships
3) Strengthening understanding of business and social models for effective implementation of small wind technology

Initial meeting in Dakar, Sénégal. February 2011

The founding members of the association are: • Tripalium • ÉolSénégal • blueEnergy (International, US, France, Nicaragua) • Ti'éole • Scoraig Wind Electric • Otherpower • Solarmad • AJA Mali • Comet-ME • The Clean Energy Company • I-Love-Windpower Mali • I-Love-Windpower Tanzania • Renewable World • Volunteer WindAid • WindAid • Green Empowerment • AEETEC • HIDRORED

WindEmpowerment is open to new members and an outreach initiative to grow the association is underway.

blueEnergy and Schneider Electric in Madrid

2011-04-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

By Julie Petrucci -- Between February 17th and 22nd, blueEnergy France organized, with the support of Schneider Electric, a challenge for the graduating class of 450 students of MBA (IE Madrid). The aim was to create an electric product which can improve the living conditions and generate new income for developing communities. The target for the challenge was the 257 inhabitants of Monkey Point. At the end of the week of competition, two teams were rewarded for their hard work.

We warmly thank IE Madrid for its hospitality and our partner Schneider Electric.

blueEnergy Seeks New Development Director

2011-04-01T00:00:00.002-07:00

blueEnergy is seeking a proactive, adaptable individual with a strong commitment to social change to grow and lead our US development group. As Development Director, this individual will join the dynamic, international team that is blueEnergy and play a pivotal role in helping us build a more sustainable, equitable world. This full-time position is located in San Francisco and will report to the Executive Director.

The Development Director will be responsible for increasing blueEnergy’s revenue generating capabilities by growing the organization’s internship and research programs, submitting grant proposals, and coordinating events in the Bay Area. Other responsibilities include working closely with the Executive Director, France Country Director, and Nicaragua project team.

Candidates must have exceptional teamwork and communication skills, and be able to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

Please review the job description here and, if interested in applying, send a copy of your resume and cover letter to Lizzie Reisman at job@blueenergygroup.org.

Evening of Support 2011 was a great success!

2011-04-01T00:00:00.001-07:00

By Julie Petrucci --The annual blueEnergy Evening of Support, which gathered approximately 200 guests, took place at the Comptoir Général, Paris. According to its projects 2011, blueEnergy went with a water theme and invited people to sponsor a bio-sand water filter.

Several highlights of the evening: tasting of wine of the Domaine Modat, a close-up magician, theater of improvisation of the Flibustiers de l’Imaginaire, the Mezcla del Paris and their flamenco rhythms, and to finish, les Génisses dans l’maïs playing a tune of gypsy jazz.

The joke of the evening was a little "present from Nicaragua". It was labeled as a bottle of water filtered by blueEnergy bio-sand filters, but in reality, the water was from a French spring!

The evening was a success for blueEnergy, thanks to the support of the participants, our financial partners, Alto and Drillscan, the Domaine Modat and the bakery " Certains l’aiment chaud ".

Thank you!

blueEnergy adds refrigeration capacity in Monkey Point

2011-03-05T00:00:00.003-08:00

By Caroline Dehais - blueEnergy recently made a trip to Monkey Point for two key installations: the second communal freezer donated by HIVOS and the special refrigerator for vaccines donated by Renewable World. Both of the systems are powered by autonomous solar arrays with batteries donated by Trojan.

Fridge for the Health Clinic

Fridge for the health clinic in Monkey Point

The blueEnergy team departed Bluefields the morning of the 21^st and thankfully the sea was quiet! The team was composed of Cindy from the social team, Ronald, Guthry, Vincent and Caroline from the technical team, and Franklin Sanchez from the MINSA, the national ministry of health.

The first task was the installation of the health center’s refrigerator, which meant attaching the solar panel to the old and corroded roof, passing the cables inside the roof, making the connections to the control panel and batteries and making all the electrical connections for the lights of the health center. The next morning we turned on the fridge and by the afternoon the temperature had dropped to the required temperature for vaccine storage.

“When they came in December asking me if a freezer for the health center would be useful, I said yes,” Carla, the charge nurse, said. “But I thought it would never come because nothing comes to my health center. And then two weeks ago they tell me the fridge would be installed soon, I thought I was dreaming, I’m so happy to have that vaccine fridge for my community!”

Freezer for the community


Carla's house with panels installed in front

The freezer donated by HiVOS is the second installed in Monkey Point. After studying how the first freezer, a common model found in department stores, performed over nearly a year, it was decided the second freezer should be an ultra-high efficiency DC model. The system has two 135w solar panels charging four 12v 105ah Trojan maintenance-free batteries, allowing for five days autonomous use.

The freezer now belongs to the energy commission and is being rented to Carla for about $1/day (energy commission proceeds go to maintenance of the electrical systems). Carla had submitted a business plan to blueEnergy which consisted of using the freezer to sell meat, fish and other goods. It is now located in her house which is very close to the communal house and easily accessible.

Return to Bluefields proves difficult

The return on Thursday afternoon was a complete adventure, although it began without any trouble. The sea was not particularly rough, but the waves became much more turbulent as we arrived at the critical point called la barra where the sea meets they bay. The tide heading out from the bay meets the swells coming in from the sea, creating big chop.

Allen steering the panga being towed in the bay

As we entered the bullseye of la barra and the waves became worrisome, the motor lost power and died. Without any forward direction, it didn't take long for the waves to turn the panga broadside and begin to break in the boat. The passengers quickly sprang into action to empty the panga anyway we could using water jugs, pots and even flip-flops. Guthry, one of the bE staff, was in the bow with the paddle trying to keep the panga facing the oncoming waves as Allen, the panga driver, struggled to start the motor. It seemed we had miscalculated the amount of gas needed; the tanks were nearly empty. Allen consolidated every drop we had which was enough to start the motor, and we made it to the calm safety of the bay.

It was not enough to make it home, however, and about 1 km before arriving to Bluefields’s wharf, the gas was finished and we were left stranded once again. Luckily we hitched a tow to the shore from a little dory with a 2hp engine where Casey met us with a gallon of gas.

Piggott-style wind turbine conference in Dakar, Senegal

2011-03-05T00:00:00.001-08:00

Participants of the wind-power conference in Dakar, Senegal

By Pedro Neves - For the first time in history the majority of the organizations working with Piggott-style wind turbines gathered in one place to discuss their experiences and come together to form a global association to further their efforts. The innovative conference on small wind power took place during the 2011 World Social Forum in Dakar, Senegal between the 7^th and 11^th of February at the Cheik Anta Diop university in Dakar. Not officially part of the WSF, it was organized by CIFRES, EolSenegal and blueEnergy as an opportunity to share techniques and applications of small wind in rural communities.

Participants view a Piggott-style turbine

The first days of the conference were dedicated to the presentation of the different organizations present. From the groundbreaking experiences of Scoraig Wind to new ventures such as I Love Windpower Mali and Tanzania, commercial experiences of SolarMad, the activism of Tripalium, the integrated support of Renewable World and the holistic experience of blueEnergy, the hardest-working names in small wind had an opportunity to corroborate. The presentation of the organizations was followed by the carving of blades and winding of coils for a small experimental penta-bladed machine. During the first days of the conference two technical discussion sessions - by Noam Dotan from COMET-ME and Pedro Neves from blueEnergy -were also held alongside an exposition by Aurore Valverde and Julie Zarka from blueEnergy on the social aspect of using small wind turbines for rural electrification. The intent of the first was to put all the organizations present sharing the problems they face and the solutions they have found for them. The second intended to share the difficulties of implementing small wind turbines without the proper social intervention.

Mbay Mbay

On the fourth day of the conference a visit to the community of Mbay Mbay allowed the participants to see one of the wind turbine systems installed by EolSenegal. Mbay Mbay is a rural community focused on agriculture, relying on diesel water pumps to irrigate the fields. Together with another Senegalese NGO, EolSenegal installed a well pump, irrigation system and associated electrical system. Currently the system is not working as there is a dispute between the ownership of the irrigated fields. Once again the social side reveals itself as a key element in rural electrification.

The presence of several organizations that work with small wind turbines was the perfect base to establish the foundations of a global association of small wind turbine organizations. Upon returning from the visit to Mbay Mbay the ideas and possible objectives of such organization were presented by Mathias Craig from blueEnergy. In the following day these objectives and ideas were further defined - sharing funding leads, sharing technical research and sharing socio-economical models. Workgroups on the practical aspects of the organization, such as the website, name and others were formed and put to work on site. This resulted in the launching of a global association.

To close the week of conferences a round-table session on rural electrification and development was held. The round table drew upon different experiences and knowledge from different organizations such as Scoraig, Renewable World, Aja Mali, Solar Mad as well as Comet ME. This diversity motivated the expressive participation of local students and business development actors that asked questions and intervened on the topic of hybrid solar-wind rural electrification.

Hugh Piggott's visit to bE in 2008

2011-03-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

We invite you to get a little nostalgic and visit Hugh Piggott's photo album and account of his visit to blueEnergy Nicaragua way back in 2008. It was a great time and we learned a lot from his visit!

Jono, Seb, Hugh, Clem, Loic, Mathias and Olivier...the dream team!

http://www.scoraigwind.com/blueEnergy/index.html

Evolutions in our impact model (Part 1 of 4)

2011-03-04T00:02:00.000-08:00

blueEnergy was born out a commitment to a place, the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. This commitment to place implied the need for a flexible model that could adapt to the context. This is a fundamentally different approach than many organizations take where they develop a product or service and then go find the right “market” to implement it in.

By Mathias Craig - So what is the context of this place? Communities in this region are extremely isolated and poor, but more significantly than that, they tend to lack most basic services like electricity, roads, clean water, communication, financing, etc. These are the very services that entrepreneurs rely on and leverage to launch their ventures in market based economies and even poor, “edge of the market” or Bottom of the Pyramid communities. But here, without these services, entrepreneurialism is stifled. So the question is, how do you get things started in a place like this so that people can help themselves?

To make a long story short, blueEnergy started off as a wind power organization, building and installing energy systems on the Caribbean Coast. To be sure, we did a lot of training and discussing with communities, but our focus was on the technology. As our understanding of the context of this place deepened, it became clear that to have a real impact, we would need to broaden into energy services, meaning that in addition to energy production, we needed to get into energy management and end-use of the energy. Because of the context you couldn’t make the assumption that energy in = productive use out because so many links of the chain are missing.

After a couple more years, we looked around and saw that we had invested so much in relationships, infrastructure and processes in order to reach out to the most remote, marginalized communities. It didn’t make sense to make this investment and to be positioned as the “last 40 miles” (a la “last mile) service provider to these communities and limit ourselves to just energy. Better to leverage our up-front investment to create impact in the same communities in other areas such as clean water. In the end, system change requires a combination of services, not just one alone.

We had evolved into a holistic community development organization, using renewable energy and clean water, along with other services, as a way to stimulate local entrepreneurship.

But employing a holistic model in extremely harsh conditions has implications: for one, your work moves slowly. Everything is based on relationships and they don’t scale well. Also, the culture is not used to rapid change, so that limits how fast you can move forward. Finally, moving forward in these conditions, even slowly, is very resource intensive.

Our impact was growing, but mostly in the depth dimension. We shunned “community hopping” and focused on creating fundamental, deep change in a modest sized group of people (about 3,000 in 2010). But it’s hard to measure depth of impact, while it’s easy to measure number of beneficiaries, so our impact is sometimes harder to see. It’s easy to distribute a container full of solar lights and claim you have “impacted” 10,000 people; it’s a lot harder to work with people to understand their culture, develop joint plans, build infrastructure and work to link this infrastructure to life-changing activities. The latter approach, the one used by blueEnergy on Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua, produces a good resource / ”depth impact” ratio but a bad resource / “number of people impacted” ratio, which is the one most understood by people.

The need for growth that could easily be understood by people (ie. number of beneficiaries) could be felt everywhere, from the staff to the co-founders to the funders to the general public. With our commitment to our “depth impact” model on the Caribbean Coast and the fact that the context of this place constrained our “number of beneficiaries” growth to be organic, we asked ourselves how we could scale our impact in other ways.

In our most recent evolution, in 2010, we recognized that we were having impacts outside of the most marginalized communities and that we had a role to play on larger stages where we could grow our impact very cost effectively, primarily through two mechanisms – imitation and movement building.

To be continued in Part 2.

Evoluciones dentro de nuestro modelo de impacto

2011-03-04T00:01:00.001-08:00

blueEnergy nació de un compromiso en un lugar concreto, la Costa Atlántica de Nicaragua. Este compromiso requirió una flexibilidad del modelo para permitir adaptarse al contexto local. Esto es un enfoque fundamentalmente diferente al de muchas otras organizaciones que primero desarrollan un producto o un servicio y luego buscan un “mercado” adaptado donde implementarlo.

Por Mathias Craig (traducción Hervé Chavagnon) – Cuál es el contexto de este lugar ? Las comunidades de esta región son extremadamente aisladas y pobres, pero aún más grave, carecen de acceso a la mayoría de los servicios básicos como la electricidad, las carreteras, el agua potable, las telecomunicaciones y el financiamiento. Sin embargo, estos son los servicios sobre los cuales los emprendedores se basan y que valoran para poder montar su empresa en un contexto de economía de mercado, incluso en las comunidades pobres que se encuentran abajo en la pirámide económica y en margen del mercado. Pero allí, el espíritu empresarial se encuentra ahogado por la ausencia de servicios básicos. La pregunta es entonces como arrancar la máquina económica del desarrollo para que las poblaciones puedan satisfacer sus necesidades?

Para resumir lo que ya es una larga historia, blueEnergy empezó como una organización especializada en energía eólica, construyendo e instalando sistemas de energía en la Costa Atlántica. Hemos organizado muchas formaciones y discusiones con las comunidades pero estábamos enfocados en la tecnología. A medida que nuestro entendimiento del contexto local iba mejorando y profundizando, empezaba a estar claro que para tener un impacto real, era preciso desarrollar los servicios derivados de la energía. De tal manera que además de la producción de energía, debíamos también implicarnos en la gestión de la energía y sus usos. Por el contexto, no era posible afirmar que energía en entrada = uso productivo en salida porque faltaban muchos eslabones en la cadena.

Después de dos años más de trabajo y mirando a nuestro alrededor, veíamos toda la cantidad de esfuerzos realizados en el desarrollo de relaciones, infraestructura y procesos para alcanzar las comunidades más aisladas y marginalizadas. Y no tenía sentido hacer toda esta inversión para estar cerca de las comunidades aun estando lejos, y limitar nuestro servicio a la producción de energía. Era al contrario más juicioso capitalizar nuestra inversión ya realizada y procurar multiplicar sus efectos con el fin de crear impacto en las mismas comunidades pero en otros sectores que la energía como por ejemplo el agua potable. Al fin y al cabo, un cambio del sistema requiere el desarrollo de una combinación de servicios, no de uno solo.

Habíamos evolucionado hacia una organización de desarrollo comunitario con enfoque integral, usando las energías renovables y el agua potable en conjunto con otros servicios para estimular los esfuerzos empresariales locales.

Pero emplear semejante modelo de desarrollo integral en condiciones tan difíciles tiene implicaciones: por una parte, el trabajo avanza lentamente. Todo está basado en las relaciones que se han podido desarrollar, las cuales siempre forman una red incompleta. La cultura también tiende a frenar los cambios demasiado rápidos, lo que limita la velocidad a la cual se puede avanzar. Finalmente, avanzar incluso lentamente en estas condiciones consume muchos recursos.

Nuestro impacto iba creciendo, ganando en profundidad. Evitábamos las acciones puntuales e intervenciones discontinuas para enfocarnos en la creación de un cambio continuo y en profundidad en grupos de gente de tamaño modesto (aproximadamente 3000 en 2010). Pero es difícil medir la profundidad de impacto, mientras es fácil medir el número de beneficiarios, por eso nuestro impacto es a veces más difícil de apreciar. Es por ejemplo fácil distribuir un container lleno de lámparas solares y proclamar 10,000 personas “impactadas”; pero es mucho más difícil trabajar mano en la mano con gente para entender su cultura, desarrollar proyectos en conjunto, construir una infraestructura y vincularla con actividades que cambian la vida de estas personas. Este último enfoque, el que es utilizado por blueEnergy en la Costa Atlántica de Nicaragua, da una buena relación recurso / ”profundidad de impacto” pero una mala relación recurso / “nombre de personas impactadas”, que sin embargo es la que más fácilmente entiende la mayoría de la gente.

De la misma manera, la necesidad de un crecimiento a nivel de la organización que sea facilmente comprensible por la gente (es decir en número de beneficiarios) podía sentirse por todas partes, desde el personal de la organización pasando por los cofundadores y los donantes hasta el público en general. Nuestro compromiso para un modelo de “impacto profundo” en la Costa Atlántica junto con el hecho que el contexto particular de este lugar restrinja el crecimiento de nuestro “número de beneficiarios” a ser de tipo orgánico nos empujaron a preguntarnos de que otras maneras podríamos extender nuestro impacto y llevarlo a mayor escala.

Durante la última fase de nuestra evolución, en 2010, hemos podido observar que teníamos diferentes tipos de impacto afuera de las comunidades más marginalizadas, y que también teníamos un papel importante que jugar en ámbitos más amplios donde podríamos desarrollar nuestro impacto a menor costo y eso a través de dos mecanismos – la imitación y la construcción del movimiento.

Seguirá en la segunda parte.

Evolutions dans notre modèle d’impact

2011-03-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

blueEnergy est née d’un engagement dans un lieu précis, la Côte Caribéenne du Nicaragua. Cet engagement a demandé une flexibilité du modèle afin de permette de s’adapterau contexte local. Ceci est une approche fondamentalement différente de celle de beaucoup d’autres organisations qui développentun produit ou un service et cherchent ensuite un “marché” adapté pour l’y implémenter.

Par Mathias Craig – Quel est donc le contexte de cet endroit? Les communautés dans cette région sont extrêmement isoléeset pauvres, mais encore plus grave, l’accès à la plupart des services basiquescomme l’électricité, les routes, l’eau potable, les télécommunications etle financement font cruellement défaut. Ceux-ci sont les services en particulier sur lesquels les entrepreneurs se reposent et qu’ils valorisent pour pouvoir lancer leur entreprise dans un contexte d’économie de marché, et même dans des communautés pauvres tout en bas de la pyramide économique eten marge du marché. Mais là-bas, l’entreprenariat est étouffé sans ces services basiques. La question est donc de savoir comment lancer la machine du développement économique afin que les populations puissent elles-mêmes subvenir à leurs besoins?

Pour résumer rapidement ce qui est déjà une longue histoire, blueEnergya débuté comme une organisation spécialisée dans l’éolien, en construisant et installantdes systèmes d’énergie sur la Côte Caraïbe. Nous avons organisé de nombreuses formations et discussions avec les communautésmais étions focalisés sur la technologie. Au fur et à mesure que notre compréhension ducontexte local s’approfondissait, il devenait clair que pour avoir un réel impact, nous aurions besoin d’élargir les services dérivés de l’énergie. De telle manière qu’en plus de la production d’énergie, nous devrions aussi nous impliquer dans la gestion de l’énergie et ses usages. En raison du contexte il n’était pas possible de supposer que énergieen entrée = usage productif en sortie parce que beaucoup de maillons de la chaine sont manquants.

Après encore deux ans, en regardant autour de nous nous voyions la quantité inimaginable d’efforts dépensés dans le développement de relations, infrastructure et procédés afin d’atteindre les communautés les plus isolées et marginalisées. Cela n’avait pas de sens de faire tout cet investissement pour être le dernier camp détachéau plus près et pourtant encore loin de ces communautés, et de limiter notre service à la production d’énergie. Il était au contraire plus judicieux de capitaliser notre investissement déjà réalisé et d’en démultiplier ses effets afin de créer de l’impact dans les mêmes communautés dans d’autres secteurs que l’énergie comme par exemple l’eau potable. En fin de compte, un changement du système requiertune combinaison de services, pas un seul isolé.

Nous avions évolué vers une organisation de développement communautaire avec une approche intégrale, utilisant les énergies renouvelableset l’eau potable conjointement avec d’autres services de manière à stimuler l’entreprenariat local.

Mais employerun modèle de développement intégralsemblable dans des conditions aussi difficilesa des implications: d’une part, votre travail avance lentement. Tout est basé sur les relations que vous avez tissées, lesquellesforment toujours une toile incomplète. La culture aussi tend à vouloir freiner les changements trop rapides, ce qui limite la vitesse à laquelle vous pouvez avancer. Finalement, avancer même lentement dans ces conditions consomme beaucoup de vos ressources.

Notre impact allait en grandissant, gagnant en profondeur. Nous évitions les actions ponctuelles et interventions en dent de scie pour nous focaliser sur la créationd’un changement continu en profondeur chez des groupes de gens de taille modeste (environ 3000 en 2010). Mais il est difficile de mesurer la profondeur d’impact, alors qu’il est aisé de mesurer le nombre de bénéficiaires, c’est pourquoi notre impact est parfois plus difficile à apprécier. Il est par exemple facile de distribuerun conteneur rempli de lampes solaireset de proclamer 10000 personnes “impactées”; il est en revanche beaucoup plus difficile de travailler main dans la main avec des gens pour comprendre leur culture, développer des projets conjoints, construire une infrastructure et la relier à des activités qui changent la vie de ces gens. Cette dernière approche, celle utilisée parblueEnergysur la Côte Caribéenne du Nicaragua, donne un bonrapport ressource / ”profondeur d’impact” mais un mauvais rapport ressource / “nombre de personnes impactées”, qui est pourtant celui qui est le plus facilement compris par la plupart des gens.

De la même manière, le besoin d’une croissance au niveau de l’organisation facilement compréhensible par les gens (c’est-à-dire du nombrede bénéficiaires) pouvait être ressentie de tous côtés, depuis le personnel de l’organisation en passant par les co-fondateurs et les donateurs jusqu’au public général. Notre engagement pour un modèle “d’impact profond” sur la Côte Caribéenneetle fait que le contexte particulier de cet endroitcontraigne la croissance de notre “nombrede bénéficiaires” à rester organique nous ont poussés à nous demander de quelles autres manières nous pourrions étendre à plus grande échelle notre impact.

Durant la dernière phase de notreévolution, en 2010, nous avons observé que nous avions différents types d’impacten dehors des communautés les plus marginalisées, et que nous avions aussi un rôle à jouer dans des domaines plus vastes où nous pourrions développer notre impact à moindre coût, et ce à travers deux mécanismes – l’imitation et la construction du mouvement.

A suivre dans ladeuxième partie.

blueEnergy hosts Solar Energy International workshop

2011-01-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

Wrapping up the end of the 2010, blueEnergy was proud to host a December workshop held by Solar Energy International (SEI). SEI is a non-profit leader in renewable energy education and training.

The six-day workshop was comprised of both lectures and hands-on work, as well as a trip to Kahkabila to help blueEnergy perform much-needed maintenance on the community's turbine installation.

The first several days were spent learning about blueEnergy, the communities we work in and the problems they face. The SEI group was given the opportunity to begin carving turbine blades and try their hand at winding stator coils. They also helped prepared the blades for Kahkabila's replacement turbine.

On the fourth day we brought the replacement turbine to the community of Kahkabila. The SEI team was set to change the old turbine to the upgraded blueDiamond 4 model, replace rusty guy wires and perform standard battery maintenance. Led by the blueEnergy's technical coordinator, Pedro Carvalho Neves, the SEI team worked all day for nearly three days, eating meals in shifts, and learning first-hand the challenges of working in communities in Nicaragua's Atlantic coast.

blueEnergy and Solar Energy International work to replace the turbine in Kahkabila

Kahkabila locals assist with replacing the tower sections

Tightening the nuts on the replacement blades

After returning from the community, the SEI participants spent the last two days learning about other blueEnergy programs and worked to build a biosand water filter, as seen in the following video:

Both blueEnergy and the Solar Energy International participants throughly enjoyed the week-long workshop. It was a great opportunity to perform much-needed turbine maintenance with the advantage of so many helping hands, as well as a chance to educate about the needs of communities on the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua.

SEI participants and blueEnergy volunteers in Kahkabila

blueEnergy’s “Gift of Light: 2,000,000 Hours of Light” Campaign

2011-01-15T18:59:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who helped us with this year’s Gift of Light: 2,000,000 Hours of Light campaign. With your incredible support, we were able to raise $23,000! The campaign was once again a truly international phenomenon, with funds raised from all over Europe, the United States, and Central America.

blueEnergy would like to extend a special thank you to this year’s Gift of Light Ambassadors. Through their grassroots marketing and outreach, they collectively raised a large portion of our final total. Congratulations to Gabrielle and Jonathan Clarke for winning our Ambassador Challenge with $1,505 raised on their own!

From the entire blueEnergy team and our beneficiaries, thank you!