Let's Build Gonave, Haiti!

Building a mini bus line is something that I have been talking about for the last few posts.  One indication of when we are planning stuff here is when we put a lot of conversation into it. The mini bus line will allow for the island to have better transit, but also those who don't/won't use transit, it will build roads which will allow for more industry to enter into the market. So with that said, how much will the fares be for the minibus system?  I think that many things have to be considered when building a transit system, and the cost of fare and where the system will go are very important.  The idea is for the transit system to pay for itself.  Advertising banners can be added to the interior of the bus, either on a display screen, or ad banner on the wall.  The stations could also have advertising, as well as ads on the outside of the bus.  The other parts of financing will be building retail and residential units that are part of the bus stops.  This fills not only

I have been writing a bit about transit and moving people around.  When I started this blog I wrote about the need of improving transit and trains were one of the ways. While I still believe in trains for moving people and goods, the amount of investment needed is something that the island simply can't afford.  Building a highway network is also something that the island can't afford, nor has the financial ability to do.  On top of that, the logistics are not there. Limited basic roads in the city of Anse-a-Galets is important as it will move people and goods through the city, stimulate growth, and allow for tourism.  Building a small mini bus system is key as well, so that people can go throughout the city, which will eliminate the need for more vehicles on the current small dirt roads, on the island.  The last thing La Gonave would need is a massive amount of vehicles. Given that the island is a blank canvas of sorts, the island can build small transit projects now.  W

I wanted to touch base on the video sharing site that will be based on La Gonave.  As mentioned this will not only connect Haiti into more of an IT world by having a software company based there, but will also bring the world to Haiti, and more specifically La Gonave. Our initial plan was to have a live streaming service where users could be anywhere in the world and stream from their phone.  Not only are they a few companies that currently are doing this, but the amount of investment to do this is tremendous.  Given that we won't have the ability to effective do this and compete, we decided to not build a live streaming platform.  We will still live stream from La Gonave using one of those other third party streaming companies.  This will allow us the ability to reach the entire planet and even notify member/subscribers of when we will go online.  We will have different channels on our video sharing platform and users can comment on, but they will not be able to upload their ow

Our first year of honey operation will start next year, however harvesting honey probably won't start until the following year.  Why?  Well one way of providing a good insurance policy is to allow the bees to collect honey in their new environment and keep it all.  This new territory of La Gonave will have different flowers, trees, temperature, etc than what the bees are use to.  The bees will have to scout the land to find locations of water, pollen, and nectar.  So literally the first year the bees will be getting use to La Gonave, and their hive setup. During that year however, we will be building hive boxes, building the honeybee highway, and continuing education for those interested in beekeeping.  We will setup workshops that will educate people on ways to harvest honey.  Also during that year we will be planning locations for our expansion, building/planning where the observation hive will be, and of course raising more money for the program.  We will then be making pur

Above are the initial honeybee suits that will be sent to La Gonave Haiti as part of the honeybee program.  These suits will be needed to protect our beekeepers from honeybee stings.  These suits are light and not bulky.  This is really important in hot environments.  Some of the bee suits that were sent to Haiti (mainland) are suits that are designed for more of a northern climate.  All suits no matter how thick will get wet with sweat, which will make all of them cling to your body.  When that happens stings are more likely to happen if the bees are very aggressive. Typically honeybees will be pretty tame under the correct conditions during hive inspection and if the beekeeper is aware of when to do a hive inspection. We can't wait to see local Haitians on La Gonave wearing these suits. Stay tuned!  Go Gonave!

I created an idea of the initial mini bus line that would be the full route.  The route connects the public wharf, to the public plaza, the outdoor market, and on to the airport.  This route takes into account the current paved sections of road that is in the city of Anse-a-Galets. This route connects the most nodes, or important areas of the city together.  If we were to pave the first 1 mile of road, it would connect from the wharf, all the way to the outdoor markets.  The route could either be done in concrete, or with concrete pavers.  The pavers are easy to replace, but very labor intensive. Depending on funding, the city could buy a large portable mixer that can help with the concrete option, but still this will be a labor intensive job.  What is really needed is a large concrete mixing truck that can pour a large amount of concrete at a time.  Since logistics make this nearly impossible for a concrete mixer truck, a large portable mixer that is pulled by a truck will have t

So I mentioned a bit about how La Gonave could easily build a mini bus system that would mainly focus on Anse-a-Galets.  The hub of the entire network would be in Anse-a-Galets.  I mentioned the phases that would make logical sense and what the people of La Gonave must be willing to do.  Moving people from place to place will help build the economy of La Gonave.  I looked at the Country of Barbados.  That tiny country is a little bit smaller than the island of La Gonave.  So it peaked my interest since transit can be modeled after other places.  They have different types of buses there, but one type of bus, the Reggae Bus, is one that I will talk about today. This bus pictured below is a diesel powered manual bus.  These buses seat about 20 passengers per bus.  What makes these buses ideal is their size and capability.  So my opinion is to use a bus like this to connect Anse-a-Galets to Pointe-a-Raquettes as a commuter bus line.  Here is why the local mini electric bus wo

Here are a few videos of electric vehicle that runs on solar.  The first video of the 15 passenger bus shows a handicap ramp, however La Gonave wouldn't need this ramp.  This video shows you how the vehicle operates and is driven around. The second video shows more of what will be on La Gonave.  In this video the bus is blue, but isn't driven. This video shows another manufacturer of electric buses and this bus is pulling up to a station stop.  This stop is similar to how La Gonave have their stops in an bus box in the road. Final video shows the electric bus in mixed traffic and how well it moves. The electric bus has many different names from minibus, shuttle, or simply an electric bus.  This vehicle will meet the needs of handling the commuter traffic on La Gonave. When it comes to connecting outside of Anse-a-Galets an alternative would have to be developed. What are your thoughts?  Do you think that a mini bus system is the way to go? Go Gonave!

About 5 days ago I mentioned the idea of scheduled mini-bus system on La Gonave.  The importance of having such a system, and the benefits of this type of project are listed on that blog. One major thing to consider is the costs of the system.  While the buses can range from $20 - $40,000 per bus, the biggest issues are not the cost of the bus.  Road construction, stops, and maintenance buildings are the biggest issues.  In the post I made 5 days ago I mentioned the route could start from the public wharf or the airport.  While the wharf has some pavement, this is also very limited, but could prove to be a better starting point for the mini bus system.  The mini bus system would be an inner city system, but again, the infrastructure must be there.  How do you pay for all of this to get the system started. One idea, which maybe controversial, would be a tax on ferry and boat landings to and from the island of La Gonave per passenger.  While this will be a very small tax, it woul

La Gonave Honeybee Project hive building will be an opportunity for local woodworkers to build the hives.  This will allow for local experience in building the hives, but also will lower overall costs of building the hives.  The hives will be built using plastic barrels but many aspects of the hive will still be wood, such as the top bars. There will also be the traditional wooden hive boxes as well, which will require 100% wood.  Based on market prices in Haiti for wood, these types of hives may not be on a large scale production.  Still we hope to start the production of hives as early as summer 2016.  This will allow us to have the stock of hives ready for new beekeepers.  Our goal is to produce one hive per week.  While that sounds like a very small number, 4 hives per month will be more than enough to end out 2016.  We expect that the number of hives built each month to double starting 2017. Each hive will have everything needed for a hive to go operational, and proper vents.

I wrote a bit ago about the need for light rail on the island of La Gonave.  To connect such a mountainous rugged land, a train of some type would work well.  Especially moving people and cargo around.  While Ultra Light Rail is by far cheaper than Light Rail due to the tracks being cheaper, installing track, and trains, but it is also easier to put the system in place. Still a ULR system would cost a few million just to cover a few routes in Anse-a-Galets.  To connect Anse-a-Galets to say Pointe-a-Raquettes, would need a bigger Ultra Light rail (ULR) and would be a big investment.  Currently the need for such a system isn't needed.  Not only is the ridership not there, but also the lack of people who could afford to ride the system is very limited.  Initially we pegged the price at about $2-$5 US just for a one way trip.  While that isn't expensive for Americans, it is very costly to many Haitians.  Until the incomes are there, La Gonave can't have such a system.  An in

The La Gonave Honeybee Association will follow the International Queen Marking Colors.  In many beehives the queen honeybee is marked so that she can be quickly locate the queen, but also it can let you know the age of the queen, or when it was introduced to the hive. This is very instrumental in how future beekeepers on the island raise bees.  By introducing established international practices it will allow the association to set recognized standards.  Below are the color codes that we will start with on La Gonave. International Queen Marking Color Code: Color: For Year Ending In: White (or gray) 1 or 6 Yellow 2 or 7 Red 3 or 8 Green 4 or 9 Blue 5 or 0 Given that the hives will be introduced on La Gonave in 2016, the queens will be marked white regardless of their age to represent the year hives were in operation on the island. Go Gonave!

By now you know where my main objective is.  The overall improvement for the people on La Gonave is to start with agriculture.  When you look at it, people have farmed for many generations on the island, however poor tools, lack of innovation, poor soil, lack of water, lack of seeds, etc.  There are many things that can be done, but La Gonave must have farmers who will become experts in the crops that they raise. Some NGO's are supplying seeds to farmers, and even go as far as providing water catchment systems, but the support ends there.  Providing seeds and water simply isn't enough.  Sure the farmer will raise the crops more successfully than they would have without adequate water, but again, this simply isn't enough. Farmers have to understand how to conserve and be strong supporters of conservation.  Conservation of trees, land, water, etc.  Then they have to be supporters of strong self sufficient farming practices.  This includes more education, becoming SME'