Let's Build Gonave, Haiti!

Composting Facilities are critical for Haiti Currently Haiti as well as Dominican Republic are in the midst of Cholera crisis.  While this bacterial infection was caused by improper sewage dumping from UN peace keepers, it is causing massive destruction on Hispaniola.  Many people end up drinking contaminated water, which increases the illness. Proper handling of raw human sewage will prevent this situation from spreading further.  Given that there are virtually no sewage treatment plants in Haiti, this can quickly spiral out of control.  Composting human waste is the best thing that Haiti can do.  When you look at the massive cost of building a waste treatment plant, the cost of laying down sewage pipes, the lack of water, having a large scale waste treatment plant for Haiti is not in the cards.  This may change over time, but in the immediate future, composting treatment plant(s) is a solution.  These facilities are inexpensive to build, can...

I received an email today asking additional questions from the group behind the Pollinator Grant.  This would be a $1,000 grant that would be used to beautify the existing Public Plaza, create pollinator gardens, and help with the current deforestation and erosion issues on the island of La Gonave. This is an opportunity to push this project further than ever.  This grant will allow us to go full steam ahead and build up the areas near and around Anse-a-Galets.  Anse-a-Galets will be the starting point for most of our projects from the honeybee program, the honeybee highway, to our reforestation efforts. I will specify in the language we provide to the pollinator grant group that we will purchase Vetiver from Haitian suppliers, which will then be planted by locals.  Vetiver is very important as it will establish a strong root system that will go deep into the soil.  This will help prevent soil run-off, but also help to prevent areas of heavy flash flooding....

La Gonave is currently being studied as a fodder assessment.  This assessment will determine how to stabilize food crops for people, and animals.  Not only that but the assessment will find ways to fast track vegetation in sections of the island. The purpose of re-forestation is to bring the environment back to where it was.  Other programs we are running are finding ways that stoves and ways to produce alternatives to charcoal.  These programs are all dependent on each other.  To stop the massive amount of deforestation a fuel alternative is needed.  Vetiver is an option for cooking fuel.  While other programs such as Sunn Hemp will focus on compost measures, Vetiver will focus on building the environment on La Gonave. Vetiver will clean the area where it is planted, and it stays in place.  So there is no concern about the plant landing in areas where it shouldn't be, in fact the seeds from the grass are sterile.  The plant traps bacter...