From Poop to Fuel

Dear Friends of Tui’k Ruch’ Lew,

The Team at TRL is very happy to inform you that our Biogas Digester Project finally has the GREEN  LIGHT to move forward! At the end of July, the Ministry of Education informed the David La Motte School that the Primary School will be accredited in January 2024. This means that TRL can install the digester in November of 2023 – during the annual school vacation.

We have our project team together and are busy planning our next steps. We are arranging a visit to one of the international team members, Edy Omar of CASM in Honduras. There we will see the digesters in use, under economic and educational levels similar to ones we will be encountering. You may recall from previous reports, that Edy will be one of our two international advisors, who installs fixed dome digesters through a development project in Honduras.

Candelaria Reanda, our newest TRL member, will begin to analyze the best ways to motivate the community and parents of the students, to participate in this demonstration project. As a Tz’utujil member of the Tzanchaj community herself, she brings much needed perspectives which will help ensure the success of our project.

We ran a quick review of the construction costs of the digester and discovered that at today’s inflated prices, the digester will cost more than our last estimate. I’m sure we will encounter similar increases all along the way…such as transportation costs for bringing in our Cuban and Honduran engineer consultants. As a demonstration project, we need to be certain that every detail will function perfectly and produce a convincing example of how human “waste” can be turned into precious resources!

We hope this good news re-ignites your enthusiasm for our Biogas Digester project. Our period of waiting is now over. We are moving forward with vigor. While still short of our fundraising goal, we know that we will reach it with the help of your continued support. 

Gratefully,

The TRL Team

Links:

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