Notes from 12/6/2011: The Semester Finale!

The skype session with Polin last night concluded our semester on a cliff hanger. After introductions with Polin, the team learned the following information:

1. SC's proposed amendment to Project Wildsmile- asks for a reduction in number of biogas digesters subsidized (from 60 to 40) and requests to use the excess funds to purchase cows and other farm animals to enhance their Agricultural Training Center- a place where villagers can go to get technical support. The team will review this amendment and respond to Polin with our decision via email by Friday. Since the funds would still be used in the spirit of the project and would keep things moving, the team is leaning towards accepting the amendment.
2. Biogas digesters: due to rainy season and lack of contractor, only 8 digesters have been completed. According to Polin, there is not a list of families signed up and waiting for their digesters. If the amendment to the project is accepted by the team, however, then SC will begin advertising the digesters to the community and families will sign up. Polin was receptive to the idea of sending a community member for contractor training.

The team presented to Polin the process of EWB projects and examples of successful projects. Polin could not tell us any needs of the community or potential projects we could work on at this time. He said he will send us the 3H latrine report for us to look at the latrine design and provide feedback. This week, Aleco will send additional EWB documents for Polin's reference and the digester forms.

Notes from 11/29/2011: A jubilant return

Recovering from a mid-semester lull, the team was back in full force last night:

• Aleco, his hat, and Eddy updated the team on their skype call with Polin and Dimang. Eddy sent notes from the meeting via google docs. The big highlights include:

1. 8 biogas digesters have been installed but the contractor left- possibly subsidize new contractor to take biogas digester course?

2. 3H has built 300 latrines in Pursat- regarded as a successful project- given David Scott as 3H contact

3. potential project increasing rice production in 2012

4. renewed contact with SC will be maintained- keep up with biogas digester updates!

• The team created a powerpoint presentation for Polin and Dimang illustrating the EWB process and examples of successful projects.
• David and others created a timeline showing the EWB process- sent to Polin as a visual aid
• Send(t) biogas digester forms to Polin.
• Discussed skyping SC interns in future- Sarah contacted by the Cambodian intern and Aleco can get contact info for another intern
• This week: email David Scott from 3H to gather some info about their project & email Sothea for financial update on Project Wildsmile

Next meeting: Tuesday December 6th @ 7pm- skype conversation with Polin and others with be @ 8pm- Library West

Notes from 10/18/2011- an exciting meeting

October seems to be really heating up after an action-packed meeting last night:

1. We got an email from Soknay! He has returned from attending to family matters and has asked for a skype date. Sagar emailed Soknay back with a proposed skype date of Thursday October 20th 8pm (our time) so we eagerly await his reply.
2. In preparation of our skype conversation, the team brainstormed ideas and Sarah created an agenda which includes the following topics: What is the progress with the 3H latrines? Is our partnership still needed for this?; Are there any projects that community currently needs?; Review our mission statement; Inquire into additional contacts in Pursat, specifically among the younger generation.
3. David updated the team on the communication he has had with his Cambodian student friend, Sopheaktra. In his correspondence, Sopheaktra described sustainable energy, clean water, latrines, access to education, and the threat of preventable diseases as the most pressing needs of the Pursat communities.
4. David, Ashley, and Laureen updated the team on their trip to the EWB conference in Jacksonville last weekend. Some points emphasized were the importance of waiting for a project idea to come to us and not pushing any of our own ideas, the benefits of diversifying the team (ie. incorporating different majors/backgrounds apart from engineering), the benefits of partnering with a professional team (which Ashley is looking into), and the correction of vocabulary.

Next meeting: Team mom competition/movie-pajama party, Ashley's house, Tuesday October 25th @ 7pm

Notes from 10/9/2011

The following items were covered at last night's meeting:

• update on communications with Cambodian students (David and Ashley are handling this)
• Soknay emails- still no response
• Rotary Pursat; the 3H latrine project- according to their report, Pursat is included in the scope of their project. Also, the Cambodian government will begin offering 10,000 free latrines at the end of 2011.
• thus, feasibility of our latrine projects looks bleak
• feasibility of other projects in Pursat- Soknay previously mentioned water management projects and teaching engineering to students
• Aleco will contact Joshua Knight/call EWB-USA this week
• Laureen, Sarah, and Briana emailed following Cambodian agencies to inquire about possible project ideas and contacts: Ministry of Rural Development, the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia, and the NGO Forum on Cambodia

Next meeting: Tuesday October 18th - time?

Notes from 10/2/2011

Last night's meeting was a splendid reunion. After being disengaged for the past few weeks, our faithful leader Aleco has brought the team back together. The following topics were discussed:

• Update on the conference call with Joshua Knight
• Reestablishing contact with Soknay (Sagar sent an email to Soknay during the meeting)
• Questions for Dr. Lindner
• Presentations of research by Laureen, Sarah, and Sagar pertaining to water collection and eco-village
• Establishing new weekly meeting time: Meetings will be held on Tuesdays at 7PM except for the weeks of the General Body Meeting. On these weeks, meetings will be held on Sunday night.

Ideas that arose during the meeting:

• Ashley suggested the idea of having an interpreter of sorts at the next Skype session with Soknay.
• Aleco and David will talk to Joshua Knight again within the next few weeks, clarifying our current position and seeking possible guidance.
• The team discussed looking to the Cambodian teenagers for project ideas based on what the villages really need. Ashley will make first contact.
• Eddy reemphasized that our team should wait for a project idea to come to us rather than attempting to create an idea on our own to avoid possible overlap in implementation from another NGO.
• Briana will research more about 3H to find out where they are with their latrine project, specifically if they are in the Pursat region.
• Ashley alerted the team to a fundraising opportunity on Tuesday October 11th during Cirque du Soleil- check your email for more information.

Next meeting: Sunday October 9th at 8:00 PM, 3rd floor Marston

Notes from 9/6/2011

At today's assembly, David updated the team on his meeting with Dr. Lindner. It was determined that staying in Cambodia is the best course of action due to the bureaucratic element of the EWB organization, in addition to the fact that we have already invested time and resources into getting to know the area. At this point, David will have a conversation with Dr. Lindner and Soknay to reestablish our connection with SC and help them to grasp our initiatives. In the future, we agreed that we need to act more quickly with our projects and maintain constant contact with Soknay to ensure that our project does not become overlooked. If it remains difficult to work with SC, we will try working with another NGO in Cambodia. Sagar told the team that he has already been in contact with Glovesco, an NGO working in Cambodia. But whichever direction we chose to go, we must decide quickly- time is of the essence!

In other news:

• The team discussed the presentation that we will be giving at the first EWB general body meeting this Thursday night. Ashley showed us her beautiful bio-latrine powerpoint.
• Sagar started emailing Joshua Knight, etc to schedule the post-assessment trip interview/call.
• Alex brought up the idea of thinking about cheaper, more sustainable materials that we can use in our future designs.
• Sarah alerted us to the presence of the International EWB Cambodia team in the country now.

Next meeting: Tuesday September 13th @ 11:30 am in Marston

Notes from 8/30/2011

Today we had the first meeting of the year- whoo hoo! To start of the new (school) year, the team discussed moving away from the latrine project in Cambodia and moving on towards something that would be more fruitful for all parties involved. Alex sent out the biogas digester forms out to the team for review- please review these quickly so that they can be sent to Soknay. In addition to reviewing these forms, everyone should investigate possible projects via EWB-USA and/or a NGO. Keep in mind that we are looking for a project with people that know what they need and are asking us for help.

Next meeting: Tuesday, September 6th @11:30 am in Marston

In other news, today we welcomed Eddy back to the group and witnessed the passing of the leadership torch from Sarah to Alex. Thus, this post shall be dedicated to Sarah Grace Katz, our former fearless team leader. Thank you for all your hard work, inspiration, and dedication to our group as well as your "unbelievably delicious" cookies. To Alex, congratulations on your new position and good luck!

Notes from 4/12/2011

• **Date change** -- Poopluck has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 21st at 9:00 PM
• Discussed banquet; Sarah's conversation with the Bolivia team leader
• Summer plans: What do we need to do this summer to be on track for next semester and an assessment trip in December? We need to know what materials are available in Cambodia. If the materials that we're looking for are not available, one option would be to design a cheaper version of a preexisting, tested model.
• Correspond more often with Ronald- send him our mission statement. Use him for the social aspect of the project since he has experience with how similar projects are conducted in Southeast Asia. In other words, consult him for nontechnical information.
• Think about: (1) where the funds for Soknay's World Toilet trip will come from (2) finding a technical expert (3) ways to keep in touch over the summer/how to progress with the project while we're apart
• Also, during the meeting, we reviewed forms (512, mission statement, etc); created the biogas digester report forms

Next meeting (last of the semester?!): Tuesday, April 19th at 9:30 AM Library West

Please note, everyone should feel comfortable posting on the blog whenever they would like to. If you find an interesting article, more latrine research, information about Cambodia, or anything else that you'd like to share...post it!

Notes from 4/5/2011

Today's agenda:

1. Review of Meeting with Dr. Wilkie
a. Pep Talk -- Be proactive and take initiative! Be forward thinking! If there is something you see that needs to be done or if you would like to do something- do it! Example: Alex will be creating a drawing; Ashley created our new Mission Statement

b. Organize All Research About Latrines - Technical Stuff, Info from SC, Other Projects in Cambodia, etc. -- Set up a meeting to review all of the information with Dr. Wilkie

c. Monitor Funds for Project Wild Smile - Forms for Each Digester and Promotion Event -- Alex will be creating the the form

d. Extend Dropbox Invite to Dr. Wilkie

2. Banquet on Wednesday Evening - Laureen, Sagar, Jon
a. Have you paid for your ticket? If not, bring your $25 check tomorrow
b. Review 512 -- Ashley revised the 512 to fit our current project

c. Final Decisions for the Presentation

3. Review Mission Statement

4. Respond to Soknay's E-mail -- Jon sent Soknay a conditional "yes" to fund the World Toilet trip with funds from our Boeing grant

5. Post-Assessment Form
a. Please read this document. It is very helpful in the further understanding of the trip and the history of the project.
b. Any response from EWB about an interview?

6. Summer Plans - Brainstorm what we should do to continue progress while we are in different places. -- Find out what other projects do during the summer. --> **Important: Soknay will be in Gainesville May 14th-31st**

7. End of the year event! Last chance to make friends with each other! -- "Poop-luck" Wednesday, April 20th (tentatively) at 9:00 PM, Ashley's place

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park 3/25/11

Highlights from our trip to Marjorie Rawlings State Park:

-Dr. Wilkie and 3 of our group members took a tour of Marjorie Rawlings home in Cross Creek
-Marjorie Rawlings spent most of her time in her home writing many of her famous novels, including Cross Creek and The Yearling
-Marjorie hosted a "toilet party" for the first flush of the toilet installed her house
-The most important highlight of the tour (at least for our team) was the outhouse
-The outhouse (which is the background to our blog)

• Constructed from pieces of wood
• Inner seating area consisted of 3 planks of wood with a carved hole in the middle
• The 3 planks were removable
• The system is that all the excretion is collected in a pot or some vessel which is kept beneath the planks and the planks can be removed to remove the vessel in order to empty or maybe throw it.
• There is a red flag on the outside suggested by Marjorie Rawlings for privacy
• The top of the outhouse was angled for ventilation

-After the tour, Dr. Wilkie treated us to some dinner at The Yearling Restaurant
-The Restaurant featured historical photos of Majorie Rawling's home
-We noticed there was another outhouse located on the side of the Restaurant
-This outhouse had two holes, "His" and "Her's"
-The outer structure was similar to the outhouse in Marjorie Rawlings house

-Dr. Wilkie suggested that shrubbery can be put to absorb the urine and thus the feces can decompose to manure efficiently

-Dr. Wilkie suggested the back of the outhouse have an opening in order to shovel out the build-up

-She also suggested there may also be a metal rod beneath, to mix up the sludge

Notes from 3/22/2011

Today we reviewed the REB-VIP Latrine drawing and information that Jon put together. We discussed what documents to send to Soknay. In addition to the REB-VIP Latrine drawing, we are sending a list of materials for REB and squatting plates to get information on availability and cost, and Laureen's EarthBag presentation.

Don't forget: Trip to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Park with Dr. Wilkie this Friday March 25th @ 3:15 pm

Notes from 3/20/2011: Skype with Soknay

Highlights from our conversation with Soknay:

• Latrines should not only be raised (flooding ~0.5-1 meter), but also fenced to protect from animals.
• Thatching (bamboo, palm fronds, etc) is readily available. Local families generally have some access to and knowledge of how to construct thatched structures. Thatched structures have ~2 years durability but can be easily fixed due to widespread availability of the materials. This means that our model can exclude the surrounding structure and cost can be saved by having families build their own.
• Soknay asked us to send him drawings of our potential design along with lists of materials.

Next meeting: Tuesday March 22nd @ 9:30 am in Library West

We will be brainstorming the drawings and material information to send to Soknay. Also, David will be sharing important information that he learned at a recent social entrepreneur seminar.

Notes from 3/15/2011

Today's meeting was a skype session with a new guide, Mr. Ronald Mierau. Here's what we learned:

• During the 1960s and '70s, Mr. Mierau worked as a civil engineer with a humanitarian group in Vietnam.
• Projects that he assisted with: (1) constructing a 26 mile irrigation system of canals for water distribution and (2) refugee housing. Houses were built simplistically to maximize the number that could be built with the group's funding.
• One lesson learned from the irrigation project was that it did not carry water to families farther away, partly because of social constraints.
• Mr. Mierau gave the team helpful information about outhouses and also mentioned how he encountered toilets built over fishponds. As for the outhouses, Mr. Mierau emphasized the importance of including a screened smoke stack painted black; wood is not a suitable material to build with in Cambodia; 1-3 years for 6 people to fill latrine pit.
• Confirmed that he is able to help the team with working in an Asian culture. (Can be a social adviser)
• Suggested that the team look for latrine information from the WHO, Peace Corps, and IVS

The team also discussed upcoming events:

• Skype with Soknay on Sunday March 20th
• REB demonstration Friday March 18th @ 2:00-3:00 pm
• Meeting. Sunday March 20th @ 2:30 pm
• Farm trip with Dr. Wilkie: Dudley Farm and/or Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park
• Remember to watch the video of the $35 latrine that Richard sent us. Here's the link.

Notes from 2/27/2011

Agenda/what we accomplished:

• Organized Powerpoint slideshow presentation for the March 2nd meeting with Richard and Susan
• Discussed what to include in a Handbook for Richard and Susan:

- overview of contents

- 512

- copy of the Powerpoint presentation

- Post-it reminder for for banquet and winter break assessment trip target

- contact info

- list of questions

- timeline (to be prepared by Jon)

- first half of post-assessment forms

- notes from skype meeting with Soknay and Polin

- assessment trip goals

• Formulated a list of questions for Richard and Susan:

(1) What are some pressing needs of the Cambodia people that you feel are important to address?

(2) Is this latrine project feasible?

(3) Does it address the most current pressing needs of the Cambodian people?

(4) Are you knowledgeable of other latrine initiatives in our target area?

(5) Do you have any knowledge on a good price limit to make our project cost efficient and affordable?

(6) With knowledge of the government program, does it affect your stance on the project?

(7) What are your thoughts on Soknay’s proposed education project?

(8) What are your thoughts on Soknay’s proposed seed funding project?

• Contacted the following people:

- Soknay for the government official contact info (Jon)

- SNV representative for a skype date (David)

- Mr. Ronald Mierau follow-up (Briana)

- Dr. Lindner for Dr. Greene's contact info, March 2nd's meeting, etc (Alex)

• Proposed stages for our project:

Stage (1): All contacts and documents input - Friday April 1st

- Dr. Greene's latrine designs (plan a visit in March)

Stage (2): Solid latrine design (research) and Education Program

- Option ideas for latrine design - Wednesday April 20th

- Rain collection (ceiling runoff?)

Stage (3): Assessment Trip

Stage (4): Build our latrine at Dr. Wilke's digester (experiment)

- Reassurance

- show SC

Stage (5): Method of Implementation

- SC method?

- Instruction manual?

• Discussed the following items:

- contacting EWB-International Cambodia group

- when/how to begin preparing educational program

- contacting/linking up with photojournalism student for documentation

Next Meeting: Tuesday March 1st at 9:30 AM in Library West- we will be practicing our presentation for Wednesday night's meeting. Be prepared to talk about your slides.

(Ps. Sorry the formatting is a bit messed up)

Notes from 2/22/2011 Meeting with Dr. Lindner

The goal of today's meeting with Dr. Lindner was primarily to show her our presentation for next week's meeting with Richard. Dr. Lindner approved the presentation, but had a few suggestions:

1) Change title from "Design Specifications" to "Proposed Design Elements (or Options)"

2) Add the slides from the last meeting with Sokany

3) Prepare a notebook for Richard that includes:

- a list of questions

- our contact information

- a copy of the presentation

Other items discussed:

• In the future, plan to have 1 meeting per semester with Richard
• Maximum cost of latrines (~$50)?
• Remind Richard of Banquet on April 6th
• Add a couple of days to our assessment trip and conduct a program about engineering. Ask Macedonia about their education program. Connect with schools in Cambodia, Cambodian engineers, and university faculty.
• Create a fundraising project for home gardens
• Address water management issues in a second phase, overlapping with the latrines (Phase 1: Latrines --> Phase 2: Water Management). *Set intentional target dates
• Develop a means of gaining photo permission (ie. signing a statement of consent) to address ethics

Next meeting: Sunday February 27th @ 8:00 pm

Notes from 2/20/2011: Skype with Polin & Soknay

At tonight's meeting, the team skyped with Polin and Soknay. Here is the information gathered from our conversation:

• Latrines are considered a good project, however:
• The Cambodian government plans to implement 1 latrine per family by 2025
• Starting in the urban areas and working their way out into the rural areas
• Soknay will give us contacts from the Cambodian government who are a part of this latrine project
• We would create a latrine design that can be shared with the government to implement

Other possible projects:

• water management (community pond, canal, dam) to help with the 6 month period of no rain; mainly concerning agricultural purposes*
• introduce engineering to students going to university during a 2-3 month stay**
• small home garden project (~$1000-2000)

* Soknay stressed that the water management project would be very helpful and important for the communities. The team discussed the possibility of incorporating water management into the latrine project.

** Since a 2-3 month stay seems a little unfeasible at this point, the team discussed the idea of offering engineering workshops during our assessment trip, as a small side project, since local students expressed a lot of interest in the project during the previous assessment trip.

Other updates:

1) To maintain effective communication, we will be skyping Soknay and Polin once a month- Alex added these future dates to the calendar.

2) We discussed skyping SNV within the next week or so.

3) Unfortunately, the IC replied that there are not any Cambodian students currently available for us to talk with. We discussed other options of native Cambodian contacts.

4) We will be meeting with Dr. Wilke within the next couple of weeks.

5) The meeting with Richard and Susan is officially set for Wednesday March 2nd at 7:00 PM.

6) Our next meeting is Tuesday February 22nd at 9:30 AM in Dr. Lindner's office.

Presentation for Richard and Susan

1) Intro and Objective (Sarah)

2) Assessment trip, Conclusion, and how we got there (David)

3) Design Ideas (Ashley)

- Materials (REB and materials) (Laureen and Alex)

- Costs (Laureen and Alex)

4) Collaborations (roles too) (Sarah)

- Soknay/Polin

- Greene & Ronald

5) Conclusion & Questions

- goals, objectives, their thoughts

Drop individual parts in the dropbox folder "Put your slides here"

Notes from 2/15/2011

Our first meeting at the new time of 9:30 AM was quite successful.

The agenda:

1) Mr. Ronald Mierau – email; skype/conference call date; email Kristin

2) Richard and Susan – email date to Dr. Lindner; need to make a presentation

3) Post-Assessment forms ?!?

4) Contact the International Center again

5) Dr. Greene - email Dr. Lindner to obtain contact info

6) Skype with Soknay - email and ask for future availability

During the meeting, we accomplished this list and also received a lovely REB presentation from Laureen. The next meeting will be at 8:30 PM this Thursday the 17th to begin preparing our presentation for Richard and Susan.

Note to everyone: remember to forward all responses you receive to your emails to all group members!

Notes from 2/6/2011

The highlight of last night's meeting was Alex and Sagar's informative presentation on latrine piping, which should be in the dropbox for future reference.

As a side note, we are attempting to change our regular meeting time from 8:00 PM on Sunday to some time during the week, perhaps in the morning. Everyone be sure to fill out the new doodle!

Notes from meeting with Dr. Lindner

Topics that were discussed at Thursday's meeting with Dr. Lindner:

1) Ideas for latrine building

2) Post-assessment forms and phone interview

3) Future meeting dates

Dr. Lindner's suggestions/what we learned from the meeting:

1) Present latrine ideas to SC with a powerpoint.

2) Set up a skype date with Polin and Soknay, schedule before meeting with Richard.

3) Target for Assessment trip is December.

4) Photojournalism students will soon be paired up with our team to document our progress.

5) Dr. Lindner will be available to participate in the post-assessment phone interview.

Also, remember that Banquet is April 6th at 6:00PM in Emerson Alumni Hall.

News from the first week of February

Last Sunday's meeting was general in nature. We discussed a couple of events that we have this week- rebuilding the biogas digester with Jon on Tuesday and the lunch meeting with Dr. Lindner on Thursday.

This morning, Sarah, Laureen, Ashley, and I met at the Energy Park with Jon to deconstruct and begin reconstructing the biogas digester. A few improvements were made to the initial design: we raised the digester more to improve ease of input and output flows, used inner tubes in place of tape when attaching the bag to the PVC pipes, and secured the pipes to the bag by wrapping the bag around the outside of the pipe to prevent the bag from clogging up inside of the pipe. Thanks again, Jon, for letting us help out!

Thursday we will be having our meeting with Dr. Lindner at 11:30 AM at the Arredondo Room in the Union. Please remember that we are meeting at 11:00 AM in front of the Arredondo Room to prepare ourselves.

Also, please remember to read the Post-Assessment forms and research/do whatever it is that Sarah assigned for you to do in her email from 1/30/2011.

As usual, we will be meeting at 8 PM this Sunday in the normal spot.

Notes from 1/23/2011

The night's to-do list:

1) Pre-semester forms

2) Post-assessment forms

3) Email Joshua Knight

4) Professional mentor interest

These goals were mostly accomplished. Also, we discussed ways to improve the speed of our project. We will start having regular, weekly meetings. During the week, we should research latrines and bring something new to discuss at every meeting. Begin building.

Reminders:

Everyone fill out the doodles that David sent! Also, brainstorm outside-of-meetings group bonding events!

Sarah: (1) set a date for meetings (2) find a place we could begin building- ask Mark, Dr. Linder, Dr. Wilkie, and/or farmer? (3) contact Jon to ask about the mentor section of the post-assessment forms (4) research procedures for getting money (5) research closing out project and if we need to do such (6) In the 512, should we talk about what we've done with our grant? Ask Mark and/or Dr. Linder.

Notes from 1/6/2011

Hey Team!

Here are the notes from last night's meeting along with a short list of people and what they need to work on as a reminder at the end:

• Pour-flush latrine - cost effective; adequate water? (ask Polin)
• Tube is a few feet away from the digester
• Squatting plate - expensive - how to reduce cost? (ask Polin)
• VIP latrine - net keeping mosquitoes out
• No light on plate or down tube
• How can we help people who can't afford a digester? Offer a composting or stand-alone latrine; design a stand-alone latrine that could be easily converted to a biogas latrine if family were to later obtain a digester.
• Earthbags as stairs (rice bags filled with dirt)- *advantage: clay and dirt dug up for latrine can be used in the bags

Characteristics:

1. Raised to accommodate flooding
2. Piping: elbow or straight
3. Pour for biogas latrines
4. Opening at top for ventilation
5. Privacy wall- entrance should not face W or E
6. Thatched roof, possibly with metal sheet underneath
7. Stand-alone: double chamber, straight pipe, same infrastructure

Reminders:

Sarah- contact Columbia; return "Comparing Biogas Digesters" email?

Jon- finish Post-Assessment forms

David- email Polin about the following items:

(1) NBP and SC model breakdowns

(2) Squatting plate varieties

(3) Cost of rebar, barbed wire, and metal sheet