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My apologies for the long silence in this blog, but please don’t get the wrong impression. A great deal has been happening in the effort to end charcoal. Before I get to that, though, I would like to send out a sincere “Thanks!” to those of you that have continued to support our efforts.

Donations
Our heartfelt thanks go out to Judy J. for her monthly donation of $30, John J. $200, Carrie C. $100, Theresa T. $80, Alex A. $50, Carmen C. $40, and Robin R. $15.

Biomass Briquettes
In our last bog entry, I spoke of my trip to Portland to do a 3-day briquette training with the Legacy Foundation. Since then, Virginia and I have been working closely on the Bukavu briquette pilot, and as those of you who follow her blog know, she has been very successful. Not only are people constantly approaching her to bring a press operation to their village, she has even managed to start selling the briquettes. Our biggest fear, which was that people wouldn’t accept the biomass briquettes as an alternative to charcoal - or “makala” as it is know in the DRC — proved to be wrong. Quite to the contrary, people have said that briquettes burn just like charcoal. The evidence for this is that people are actually willing to buy the briquettes instead of charcoal.

The next phase of the briquette project is to take our operation closer to Virunga NP, the heart of the charcoal trade. Ephrem will be bringing three additional presses to Virunga NP next week. Our goal is to eventually attract the charcoal producers into the briquette market and make them realize that future profits will come from briquettes, not charcoal. The reality is, cutting down the forests of Virunga NP is a financial dead-end, whereas the materials for briquettes — grass and leaves — exist in abundance and can be regrown much more rapidly, all of which translates into sustainability. Let’s not kid ourselves, economic incentives are more powerful than an appeal to peoples’ sense of doing what is “right” for the mountain gorillas — especially when many of these people support their families on $1.00 per day.

The Briquette Project’s Unsung Heroes
I would really like to acknowledge all the help we have received from some key people behind the scenes:

Kizito Nandaka and William Guyot from SoDeRu: Thank you for providing housing, a car, bike, petrol, Internet connection, and security for Virginia — and for all of your encouragement. Also, thanks for putting up with my late night calls!

Sue and Sam: Thank you so much for paying for the first press operation.

Sister Helena Albarracin and the others at the Bukavu hospital: Thank you for being so willing to give this technology a try and for all the resources that you have made available.

Solange Ngobobo of IFRADE in Kadutu: Thank you for your help hosting the first press operation.

The Legacy Foundation: Thank you for all your help and expertise — and good humor.

You are the best!

Bosch-Siemens protos plant-oil stoves
As mentioned previously, Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate GmbH in Munich, Germany has graciously agreed to provide us with 100 protos plant-oil stoves and spare parts to carry out a 3-month feasibility study. These stoves can burn a variety of plant oils, all of which can be sustainably grown in the Congo. Our stoves left Nanjing, China two weeks ago and should arrive in Goma by early August. I will be going to Leyte University in the Philippines to train on the stoves, learn how to grow and press plant oil, as well as to learn about marketing the stoves. From there, I will go to the Congo to train the trainers and help Ephrem with kicking off the pilot, and assist with further developing the briquette program.

Fundraising
As you know, it all boils down to money eventually. I am busy writing grant proposals in hopes of securing the financial backing needed to make these projects successful. Emmanuel and I will be holding several fundraisers in the United States this fall. Several of you have come forward and offered to help us organize a fundraiser in your city — thank you. If you think you might be interested as well, please let us know. And, your donations to this blog continue to be a major help. With each biomass press we buy for $200, we can supply full-time employment for 8 people and get 100 families off of charcoal. Never underestimate the power of your contributions!

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