Thursday, June 28, 2007

DONATIONS FROM ESCONDIDO (CA) SUNRISE ROTARY CLUB PAY FOR TWINE-MAKING UNITS

Donations to SRE from the Escondido (CA) Sunrise Rotary Club and Rotarian Kathy Barton - facilitated through Ayala Foundation-USA - have helped to pay for several twine- or rope-making units that are then distributed to villages and certain families. Other units are used for training purposes.

"The donations couldn't have come at a better time," explains Perla Manapol, SRE President and herself a Rotarian with the Rotary Club of Metro Kalibo (Aklan). Several typhoons late last year and early this year devastated thousands of homes, including those of SRE workers. Many more lost their jobs, thus creating an urgent need for alternative livelihood.

"One twine-making unit can provide jobs for five, even seven, persons, and the twines themselves are woven into nets by another set of workers," Perla explains. In addition, the typhoons opened up opportunities in an expanded domestic market because the rehabilitation of roads and highways that were destroyed requires the use of cocofiber nets.

"SRE and hundreds of beneficiary families are grateful for these timely donations," says Perla, who spends time in the U.S. making presentations about SRE's coconut-based project to various organizations. "No donation is ever too small. Just imagine, one twining unit that costs under $30 can benefit at least five persons," Perla adds. "I can't think of a more cost-effective livelihood-generating mechanism!"

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

SRE WELCOMES INTERNS FROM BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

SRE recently welcomed two engineering students from Baylor University (Waco, Texas) as a first step toward a potential collaboration in adding value to waste coconut dust and coconut shells.

Ms. Anna Morton, a senior specializing in appropriate technology, and Ms. Elisa Guzman, a Mechanical Engineering graduate of Colorado State University who will take up graduate studies at Baylor, are members of the University's "Engineers with a Mission." They spent three weeks studying SRE's coconut coir processing activities in Ibajay, Aklan. Their observations and recommendations will serve as a basis for a potential collaboration between SRE and Baylor University in perfecting technology that will produce high-quality construction materials including fiber board and fiberglass. The University has been experimenting with a method of producing fiber board without the use of a binder, as well as producing fiber glass from finely-ground coconut shells, under the direction of Distinguished Professor Dr. Walter Bradley. Initial tests of these new products at Baylor University's laboratories have shown promising results.

"We are delighted with the prospect of expanding our product line that is currently focused on geotextiles," notes SRE president Perla Manapol, especially as there is a "growing interest in so-called 'green' construction materials in countries such as the United States."

In the past few years SRE has hosted other interns and volunteers from Canada and the U.S.