Tuesday August 21, 2012

$2 in Action: We're creating a LOT of renewable energy this month!

This month our $2 in Action series, we are excited to tell you about our newest project: 14 biodigesters in San Juanillo, Matagalpa. Similar to many community-level projects in the past, this one is a partnership with the Peace Corps. A Peace Corps Volunteer has been promoting biodigesters and educating community members of San Juanillo about the benefits of this technology with hopes to develop interest in a large project. As a result, EOS is installing biodigesters at 14 different homes in the community this month.

In case you were not aware, a biodigester is a plastic vessel that converts animal waste into organic fertilizer and clean-burning gas fuel for cooking. The picture above shows one of our biodigesters full of gas. By simply adding one five-gallon bucket of manure/water mixture every two or three days, the biodigester will produce five or more hours of gas every day for cooking!

Here’s what this means for these families:

• Healthier lives – this will nearly eliminate smoke and indoor air pollution from their kitchens

• More discretionary time – cooking will no longer require finding/chopping wood and making a fire

• Better performance in school – their children will now be able to eat breakfast before going to school

• A cleaner environment – less deforestation and organic fertilizer to use on their crops

In a future e-newsletter, we’ll share information about the beneficiaries in San Juanillo so you can see pictures and hear their perspective on the impact and benefits of this project.

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New EOS dry-fit shirt on sale! Taking orders through August 31st

EOS has a team running in the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon on October 7th to raise money for our work in Nicaragua. Now, you can support EOS and our runners by purchasing our new Run for a Better Future T-shirt. Moisture wicking and sweat resistant, these shirts are perfect for representing our cause while exercising. Whether you’re participating in a marathon, a 5-k, or an occasional run/walk through the neighborhood, you will look great and feel great in this shirt, because you are creating a better future.

Here's a link for a closer look at the shirt: EOS Run T-shirt

Each shirt costs $50, which includes shipping. To place an order, please e-mail Greg at gregory.mcgrath@eosintl.org with desired quantity and sizes.

You can pay with a credit card or a check. Make a credit card payment via PayPal or you can make a check out to EOS International and mail it to the address below:

EOS International
c/o Joseph Lamusga
607 Lord St.
Indianapolis, IN 46202

The shirts are available in XS, S, M, L, and XL. Payment must be received by August 31st to get in on the first shipment, so order your shirts today!

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Summer Intern Recap - Linda Geiger, Hands-on Testing & Development of Appropriate Technology

Linda Geiger, a fourth-year student at Iowa State University in Agricultural Engineering and Global Resource Systems, spent her summer in Nicaragua working as a Technology Development Intern for EOS. She worked with biodigesters and improved ovens - helping install, measuring their fuel consumption compared to traditional designs, and obtaining user feedback. A biodigester generates gas for cooking and Linda’s tests proved that, when connected to a portable gas stovetop, the gas fuel from an EOS biodigester is 74% more efficient than a wood stove! She also identified opportunities to improve the design of an artisanal gas stovetop that EOS makes for use with a biodigester.

To give you an idea of what it’s like to intern with EOS in Nicaragua, we interviewed Linda to capture her reflections and insight. Here’s what she had to say:

Why did you want to work with EOS?
I needed an international internship to graduate for my Global Resource Systems major and EOS was the perfect group to work with because I speak Spanish, wanted to work for an NGO, and they do engineering projects. I hoped to get a better idea of what working for an NGO internationally was like, and I believe that I now have this experience.

What was your favorite part of the internship?
My favorite part of the internship and working in Nicaragua was being able to immerse myself in the culture. I lived with a host family for a month and a half of my internship. The family has an improved oven and a biodigester. I was able to conduct my tests on their technologies and gain experience with the technologies and how people use them.

What was your biggest learning experience?
Learning that knowledge is not everything. I thought I had all the knowledge I needed about the technologies that EOS installs and promotes. However, I lacked experience. Most of my learning this summer came from experiencing the technologies first hand. For instance, it seems like it would be easy to start a fire in a wood stove and cook with it. However, I was never able to master it. Luckily, I acknowledged and accepted this and asked my host family to help me with my stove testing.

Outside of work, what did you do this summer?
I had the attitude of trying everything and travelling to interesting places, so that I would leave with no regrets. I feel that I left the country without regrets. I volcano boarded, fished with a spear gun, climbed a volcano, saw waterfalls, explored cities, learned to make Nicaraguan food, and many other things.

Describe the impact you made at EOS through this internship.
I believe I have impacted Nicaragua by helping to improve a technology aimed at helping poor producers. The new stove design should increase the efficiency of a biodigester. The biodigester, in turn, uses waste that would otherwise pollute water bodies and turns it into something useful, such as methane gas for cooking and fertilizer for crops. The data I produced will help the technicians to better promote the technologies and sell more. This will save wood and labor, as well as protect the health of families.

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Summer Intern Recap - Christopher Fay, Working for Sustainability with EOS

In May, Christopher Fay (pictured right, in the blue shirt) of Ipswich, Massachusetts finished his first year of a Master’s in International Development Studies at George Washington University. Later that month, he joined the EOS team in Nicaragua as a Business Development Intern. Chris served with Wes in the Peace Corps and was able to use his fluency in Spanish and familiarity with EOS technologies as well as Nicaragua, to build internal capacity and improve communication for EOS. Here’s Chris’ take on his internship with EOS this summer:

Why did you want to work with EOS?
I was looking for an internship opportunity and Wes is a friend from Peace Corps so I asked if EOS could use someone in Nicaragua. I hoped to get experience and learn about NGO activities and administrative processes abroad. I believe I got a lot more than expected because of the complete access I was given.
 

What did you accomplish this summer?
I was able to assist communication between EOS in the US and EOS in Nicaragua, to begin to define and express the sustainability concept in a way that Nicaraguans can understand. I investigated and wrote a report on a sub-initiative within EOS. I also worked to develop reporting and communication tools to facilitate cross-cultural communication of necessary data.

What was your favorite part of the internship?
My favorite part of the internship was working with field technicians Walther and Salvador to install systems. I built 3 ovens, 2 biodigesters and 1 drip irrigation system with them. I also enjoyed working on the real problems of EOS in Nicaragua. I also enjoyed the level of mobility and access to events with the team, such as events with local mayors and excursions to learn about Nicaragua.

Describe the impact you made through this internship.
By working with EOS I have ensured that one NGO can do a better, more efficient job in promoting technology that drastically improves the quality of life for Nicaraguans. If that means that EOS installs one more technology per month over the course of the year that is at least 60 people that gain the benefits of less smoke in their daily lives and more money in their pockets.

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Stay tuned for next month's newsletter

Next month, we will be releasing a new video (our best one yet!), recapping the work of  our third summer intern (JoAnn Pho), and bringing you closer to the beneficiaries of EOS technologies.

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