9051: Re: braking and breaking the charcoal cycle in Haiti (#9044) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: amedard@gte.net

> An age-old and well researched alternative fuel source is
> briquetted bio-matter.  It is, in fact, being done in Haiti on a
> limited basis already.

Actually, the idea of briquettes ws introduced in Haiti at least 20+ years ago.  As a consultant to one of the government departments (it was back in ~1980 or thereabouts, so I don't recall for sure which department ... maybe Agriculture???), my husband was working with a project related to bio-matter briquettes.  Briquette materials were researched and briquettes were fabricated.  [I do not recall what materials were used, but I do recall that several different recipes were researched.]  In spite of the essentially unlimited access to bio-materials, the simple technology and the similarities between charcoal and briquettes, the idea of cooking with briquettes just did not set well with the people at that time.  I am thinking that there may have been an odor, smoke or other unpleasant aspect associated with some briquette
recipes.  We tried some basic solar cookers, as well.  We had our own personnel give it a try and it worked without problem, but the idea was too foreign to the culture and likewise, that option never took hold.  As Dave said,


> I don¹t think that enough people will be willing to change such a fundamental aspect of their culture to have a major impact on the problem.