Minutes for 5-6-08
- Introduction of attendees
Chris Webb and his involvement with EWB
- Chris
- Involved in 2003 and helped support the forming of chapters in WA for awhile.
- EWB
- Interdisciplinary in its approach but at its core is intending to put forth engineering solutions.
- Works with partnering with NGO’s to give technical solutions.
- Doesn’t go into a community as its own entity but comes and supports a community.
- Does development (works in the long run) not relief (short term solutions).
- Ex Still working in Sri Lanka after the hurricane to this day.
- Not a funding agency but fundraise for particular projects.
- EWB is about 2/3 student chapters.
- Professionals act as mentors for the student but the students really work with the projects (a dual mission).
- Idea is to use engineering knowledge to create partnerships and long term care.
- Power is when you can do a new way to think about a local material that creates a partnership—not just a one off solution but allows the community to learn and create a micro management long term business.
- Sustainability is the other core of EWB.
- Have to find a balance between what they think of as sustainable and EWB’s knowledge.
- Major funding between EWB and Rotary clubs.
Projects
Previous Project- Thailand
- Went to Thailand and built a septic system in Northern Thailand.
- Had three parts.
- Project followed the academic calendar of UC Santa Barbara.
- Three other universities helped build a dormitory.
- It was a hub village—within a day’s walk of other towns but too far away to commute there and back.
- Thai government will give money where there are students but since there was no place for students to stay they couldn’t go to school very often causing the Thai government to not give a teacher.
Possible Project- Guatemala
- Chisec in the middle north part of Guatemala.
- Mayan village and many of the older women don’t speak Spanish.
- 2,000 people or so and is very much a hub village.
- Many connections to this place.
- Ex-Peace Corp’s volunteer and extended his stay to four years and plans to go back and live there after going to medical school at University of WA.
- Another family sponsored kids to go to school.
- Current Peace Corp person and NGO’s.
- Peace Corp teaching locals to becoming cave guides to have ecotourism.
- Environmental and economic issue because of seasons (rainy vs dry season).
- As a really simple first project simply building a clothing wash station (lavanderia) up away from the river.
- Set of pilas—concrete wash basins—treat the water (which would be captured from rain) before it was put back into the river.
- Something like this was built in a nearby town.
- Most feasible because it’s achievable.
- Has biology and understand logistics, safety.
- Has 4 engineers from Puget Sound Professional chapter interested in the project.
- Asked the village if the idea of pilas are what they want and things seem to be going.
- Have a local connection to a Rotary club in Guatemala creating good incentives for Rotary clubs up in Bellingham and EWB matching funds.
- Process is to format a core group of 10-12 to have design meetings.
- Pretty straight forward and allows our group to work through it.
- Do this through the year and follow the Thailand timeline.
- Initial assessment trip in a few months.
- Village has to apply for the project and make sure it can get through the application and technical review committee and have it assigned to
- 2-4 people would go down there in two months and official site assessment.
- Official exchanging with Hunta—memorandum of understanding.
- They will provide labor and some materials so they can have involvement.
- About applying engineering approach
- Hard technical part is minor
- Architects Without Borders may help
Next Step for Guatemala
- Become a fully qualified chapter.
- Create a core group.
- Need personal commitment.
- See if we can get a core group.
Slideshow
- Civil war for thirty years that ended only ten years ago.
- Mayan’s grouped in with the left wing guerillas and this area was right in the middle of everything.
- A lot of pain and poverty in the area.
- Other problems—water from the hill
- Sebastian working with Peace Corp and knows everybody, has a lot of credibility.
- Really his idea for the lavanderia (why it may be even more of a success).
- Go to the river, same river used to wash the clothes, and collect water.
- Rampant intestinal disease because of terrible sanitation conditions.
- Other issues- hand washing and dental.
- Start in September creating a project that is finished by December.
- Then around the holidays and January fundraise after having the project approved.
- Go to the place during spring break.
- Do an assessment from Spring Break to the end of the year.
Anaerobic digester experiment at WWU
- Methane produced as organic waste decomposes
- Decided to use campus food waste and use it as something useful.
- We’ve got AS funding and Sodexho permission to collect the waste.
- Health and Safety Department and Fairhaven Outback Farm permission
- Currently building units
- Installation and building day Sunday May 11
- Research project and take the learning we get and bring it back to EWB National as they evolve in other projects.
- Town is halfway between Flores and Guatemala City
Timeline—used in Thailand project
- Start in September creating a project that is finished by December.
- Then around the holidays and January fundraise after having the project approved.
- Go to the place during spring break.
- Do an assessment from Spring Break to the end of the year.
Anaerobic digester experiment at WWU
- Methane produced as organic waste decomposes
- Decided to use campus food waste and use it as something useful.
- We’ve got AS funding and Sodexho permission to collect the waste.
- Health and Safety Department and Fairhaven Outback Farm permission
- Currently building units
- Installation and building day Sunday May 11
- Research project and take the learning we get and bring it back to EWB National as they evolve in other projects.
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