Help School fight Climate Change w/ Green Building

My name is Sean MacNab and I’ve spent the last 3 months as an intern and volunteer working with the whole crew here at Long Way Home. I’m currently a senior at Wentworth Institute of Technology where I study Industrial Design (also known as Product Design). I came to Comalapa through the suggestion of a professor and the support of countless friends and family that helped me to fundraise my volunteer dues. With an interest in green-building, recycling and sustainable development, being here has been an amazing experience for me, not just through volunteering and watching the progress of the school, but also through being a part of the friendships and community supported by the entire project.

My work here started with helping with the tire-wall base of the cafeteria and science lab, just some of the almost 15,000 tires that have been utilized throughout the campus. The building itself is one of the final constructions on campus that during my time here has progressed from little more than a hole in the ground to the base of a huge structure, with the window forms now being added.

Another building in progress is the library/computer lab, which I was able to help with the electrical wiring, and since then crew and volunteers have been working nonstop with the wall finishing. The large domed roof is filled with glass bottles which is both beautiful and lets in soft natural light. Recently solar panels were installed on the roof to help supply power to the campus.

The library also sits on top of the schools second cistern, which collects rainwater from the roofs that we then direct to a purification system, which is then bottled and placed around the campus. A daily process which I’ve been responsible for during my time here. Due to the lack of access to clean water in town, the purified water is important to insure the almost 120 students, as well as teachers, workers and volunteers, all can enjoy clean water throughout the day.

The onsite housing on campus is nearing completion as the crew installs the kitchen and windows. Like all of the other buildings on campus, the buildings are more than just shelters but filled with beautiful craftsmanship and artistry. The handmade windows and cob-based animal sculptures of the new housing and across the campus speaks to the skill of the workers here and how much they care.

I’m leaving Comalapa and heading back to Massachusetts, excited to be with my family and friends in time for Christmas. Still, leaving is bittersweet as I’ve also had to say goodbye to the Peren family who I’ve lived with for the last three months and all the great friends I’ve met, including local Comalapans, LWH staff and volunteers. Certainly one of the things I’ll miss most about being here is the community, which I was warmly welcomed into and which wouldn’t be possible without the support and hard work of the donors, staff and volunteers.