9052: Re: 9051: Re: braking and breaking the charcoal cycle in Haiti (#9044) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg McKee <mckeegreg@hotmail.com>

>Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 10:21:21 -0500 (CDT)
>
>
>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.
>
>  Agree, but this will soon change. The price of charcoal is rapidly 
>increasing and will soon be either unavailable or simply too expensive for 
>the average person. Now is the time to begin anew and continue to emphasize 
>alternative methods. The culture will either change to a different source 
>of fuel or it will change to eating cold raw food. Bio-mass or solar 
>cooking is not as big a change as raw rice and sushi.


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