Solar Liberia

 Solar Liberia Project  No Responses »
Jul 292011
 

Harnessing Renewable Energy to Address Community Needs

The world has gradually recognized the need for a shift from unsustainable methods of energy generation to clean, more sustainable technology.

In Liberia, the government has undertaken the restoration and reconstruction of the traditional hydro-power plants which were destroyed in the civil war.  Additionally, Solar and Wind farms have also been included in energy production plans. However, as beneficial and important as these movements are, a clean eco-friendly future cannot be secured without addressing the simple micro issues, such as how a person cooks their meal; by firewood, improved cook stove or solar?

At the personal request of Liberia’s President, Ellen Johnson- Sirleaf, NGO Sustainability is planning a project for the Maryland province of Liberia, in which we will introduce environmentally friendly technologies such as solar cookers, improved cook stoves, water pasteurization indicators (WAPIs), and solar lanterns.

Workshops will be held led by trainers who will instruct the community on how to use, maintain and construct these technologies.

A local NGO, “Marylanders for Progress,” will be responsible for the program, for which NGO Sustainability will be assisting.

Funding will be from the UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme (SFP-GEF), with the responsibility to find partners for additional funding sources.

For the past few weeks we have been assessing the technologies which we hope to utilize on the project. We look for not only sustainability but practicality: Can the Solar lantern brightly light a 4m by 5m room?  Can the Solar cooker easily prepare a meal for a family of 5 (which is the average size of a Liberian household)? We believe that the availability of such features will ease the acceptance of the product by the local community.

This project will have an approximate 4 month initial introductory work session.

By the end, we hope to replace the current unsustainable technologies (such as open-fire cooking etc.) in the Maryland province with sustainable eco-friendly technologies. At the very least, we hope to boost the eco-movement in the province by giving the people a green option.

 

 

 Posted by ngo admin at 8:51 pm  Tagged with: , ,

Articles of Interest

 Articles of Interest.  No Responses »
Apr 182011
 
Can We Do Without the Mideast?

Over the past 30 years, US presidents have been urging oil independence whenever the Middle East
experiences turmoil; however, such independence–or at least an end to this dependence–could prove to be difficult, expensive and politically explosive. This author suggests four initial steps to achieve independence: 1) prop up gasoline prices to reduce consumption; 2) boost government subsidies and
taxes to build more high-speed rail lines; 3) encourage truck and bus fleets to switch to natural gas; And 4)
push the development of wind, solar and geothermal energy.


Hopeful Message About the World’s Poorest

Over the last 30 years, Liberia saw great improvements in life expectancy and literacy rates and
a significant decline in mortality rates. Nevertheless, Liberia and other African countries continue to experience stagnant or negative economic growth, due to corrupt governments and inadequate foreign aid. Its economy continues to make Liberia a “story of failure” in the world’s eyes.

Contrarily, Charles Kenny writes in his book Getting Better that even though many African economies show stagnant or negative growth, issues crucial to human survival– such as health and education –are becoming more available and affordable. Kenny believes these issues provide hope in overall improvement for the world’s poorest nations.


Tucking Carbon into the Ground 

The U.S.’s dependence on fossil fuels seems permanent, at least in the immediate future. Thus, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is essential to a national energy policy. The process pushes carbon dioxide into different kinds of rocks with the objective of letting carbon dioxide displace the usually salt water there. Since salt water posses no economic value, this process would not displace drinkable water. Some progress and various parts of the legal framework for carbon sequestration have already taken place.

Trading Pumps for Plugs: We Aren’t There Yet

With gas prices rising, many are considering purchasing electric cars. Luckily, the right combination of technology and policy is now in place to ensure that plug-in cars are almost certainly here to stay. The price of oil, however, is still not considered high enough to persuade a majority of Americans to switch to electric. A reason may be that even though electric cars save long-term costs, most people tend to buy based on immediate upfront costs, rather than long-term operating ones.

Source

 Posted by ngo admin at 7:43 pm  Tagged with: , ,

“Introducing Small Scale Solar in Liberia”

 Solar Liberia Project  No Responses »
Nov 112010
 
NGO Sustainability’s project, “Introducing Small Scale Solar in Liberia,” seeks to support community participation through training in the use and production of solar cookers, improved cook stoves, solar pumps, WAPIs and solar lanterns. It is also anticipated that upon successful completion, this project would be replicated in other parts of Liberia as an initiative that helps in the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.
According to the World Health Organization, “1.6 million women and children in developing countries die from fumes from indoor biomass stoves.“ Close attention must be paid especially to women and children, who are mainly responsible for wood-gathering and cooking. As an alternative, we recommend an ecologically conscious cooking approach that includes both solar cookers and improved cookstoves because they are convenient for rural villages and because they are simple to assemble and cost effective.  Additionally, solar cookers, instead of using fossil fuels, can be used in conjunction with water pasteurization devices. Solar cookers would alleviate the potential health problems associated with people drinking contaminated water, such as cholera and diarrhea.
Liberia population’s dependence on biomass for fuel has accelerated environmental degradation, and has had adverse health, social and economic impacts.Therefore, NGO Sustainability’s project to introduce sustainable energy into Liberia would not only serve the country’s interest, but would also provide a significant example for carbon-neutral energy options in developing countries.
 Posted by ngo admin at 8:50 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,

Our Current Projects

 Events and Meetings, Projects  No Responses »
Nov 062010
 

Currently, UN NGO Sustainability, Inc. is working on four major projects/ proposals:

  • “Creating Sustainable Renewable Energy/ Cities, Islands”
  • “Sustainable CUNY”
  • “Introducing Small Scale Solar in Liberia” 
  • “7th World Chambers Congress, Women’s Empowerment Principles: Equality Means Business, UN Global Compact, UN Women”
Over the next few weeks an entire entry will be devoted to each of these projects/ proposals. These initiatives are very important and exciting both domestically and internationally. Frequent our blog to learn more about our work and to gain an understanding of how to help!

In the meantime, check out our official website: http://www.unngosustainability.org 
 Posted by ngo admin at 6:59 pm  Tagged with: , ,
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