Black background- saving energy!

Note the switch to the black background today. Not only does it look cool, but it actually saves energy. Something for everyone to consider when designing web pages and blogs in the future, especially for those of you whose energy comes from coal...
Here in Costa Rica my computer is powered by hydroelectric dams, which have quite a large ecological footprint in terms of habitat destruction, rerouting of bodies of water, and endangering most of the local fish species, but once they're built they have virtually no emissions. Similar dilemmas to those we face in the Pacific Northwest. Cheap, clean energy...kind of.

Anyway, in light of my current course (last class this semester!) on human vulnerability and climate change, and my upcoming internship working on renewable energy, I thought that I might as well change my blog background to an energy-saving color. Enjoy!

blueEnergy

It's official, I'm leaving for Bluefields, Nicaragua on May 5th to begin my 3 1/2 month internship with blueEnergy. I'll be working in rural Afro-Caribbean and indigenous communities on the Atlantic coast where blueEnergy has been working to install hybrid wind and solar energy systems in order to supply the people with electricity for community centers, schools, and their homes. My position is going to be a sort of community liaison, where I'll actually be based out of one of the small communities, doing evaluation and assessment of the project, teaching in the school on energy and energy use, and learning and teaching about the operation of the wind and solar systems.

Below is information on the organization and their work in Nicaragua from their website (http://www.blueenergygroup.org/):

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blueEnergy is a nonprofit organization that provides a low-cost, sustainable solution to the energy needs of marginalized communities through the construction, installation, and maintenance of hybrid wind and solar electric systems. blueEnergy manufactures wind turbines that are specially designed for simple manufacturing, robustness and efficiency in low wind speeds. blueEnergy manufactures the systems locally, near their point of usage, to keep energy costs low, improve equipment serviceability, and create employment where it is desperately needed.

In Nicaragua, blueEnergy’s initial project country, half of the roughly 5 million inhabitants do not have access to electricity; the situation is particularly grim in the Caribbean Coast region of the country where nearly 80% of the inhabitants go without. In part because of this, and in part the cause of this, the region is the poorest in Nicaragua, itself the second poorest country in the western hemisphere.
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Check out this awesome video on the installation of an electric system in Monkey Point in 2007:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK-7-ZSvTyA

I won't be one of the people actually building or installing the systems, but am hoping to learn something about that as well.

Gardening continued...

It's official- we have a garden! And even a few spinach, radish, and mustard plants beginning to sprout! We're leaving in a few weeks for Nicaragua, but hopefully we'll be able to munch on some of the garden goodies before then. As for the rest of the summer, our sub-letters and neighbors have offered to care for and enjoy the garden.
Check out the pictures below. This was quite the process, but things are looking good.

Gardening Costa Rica style: Machetes, Bamboo, Bee Stings, and Broken Pipes

So I'd been telling David for weeks now that I thought we should get a machete for the house, if not for whacking away at the out of control bamboo "hedges" in our yard, then just for fun or maybe for killing snakes. He was doubtful about our need for a machete, but since picking one up at the hardware store in town this week we've both developed blisters on our hands from going at the invasive bamboo that had begun to take over our yard and back porch. A machete may not be the most efficient gardening tool, but it sure is fun. And that is how Ticos (and most people in Latin America as well as other parts of the world) do their yard work.
After hacking away at the bamboo off and on over a few days, we discovered a sort of hidden garden next to the house. Earlier in the semester I'd discovered a giant oregano plant in that area and had wondered what else might be lying back there, hidden by the out of control bamboo. Indeed, we found a couple of spearmint plants, several aloe plants, and other unrecognizables. We got carried away today and spent hours clearing out the garden, enduring blisters, blood, two bee stings, and then breaking a water pipe. Yes, it was quite the adventure, a la Lynn. We were lucky enough to be able to get ahold of a local guy pretty quickly who came over and fixed the damaged pipe (after a bit of panicking over what to do of course). After that fiasco, I dragged myself down to campus to visit the UPeace nurse who gave me two shots- one in each butt cheek- for the bee stings that had together swollen up to the size of a watermelon, hot and throbbing, on my thigh. It was a productive and exciting day, although a bit painful. Definitely worth it!

Pictures of the garden will be coming soon!

Adventures in Blogging, Day 1

So I decided it was time to jump on the blogging bandwagon since I have so many pictures and so many stories to tell these days, and so many people who I want to know what is going on in my life. This is my first time blogging, we'll see how it goes.

As most of you who are checking this out already know, I'm currently studying for an MA in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development at the United Nations-chartered University for Peace in Costa Rica, as part of a dual-degree program with American University in D.C. After 2 solid years of school, I'll be graduating in the summer of '09 with the MA from UPeace as well as an MA in International Affairs from AU. Hopefully that will leave me set up for an awesome job, preferably somewhere in Latin America or on the West Coast of the good ol' U.S., working in the field of environment and international development.

I've been here in Costa Rica since December and have had many adventures already, from surfing the Pacific and Caribbean coasts to volunteering on a permaculture farm on the Island of Omotepe in Nicaragua (and many many things in between, including of course classes). I will soon be off on the next big adventure, which is a 3 1/2 month internship where I will be in Nicargua, El Salvador or Guatemala. Hopefully I'll be figuring this out soon, as I'm supposedly leaving in about 3 weeks. It's alright though, I'm on Tico (aka Costa Rican) time.

Now I'm going to attempt to post some pictures and other fun things here. Enjoy!