Edition 29 - January 2008
Graduate masons and SER
Marlon (Wini) Avilés, a 2006 graduate of the dual education program, participated in a five month investigation about the system SER, carried out by the Cuban engineer, Taimi Castaño.
The "System of Edifications for Residences" (SER in spanish) is composed of prefabricated ferrocement elements that are easily managed by hand. The structurally self-supporting wall elements are 3 cm thick with 5 cm edges, and are visually attractive and of high strength and resistance. Assembly is rapid and its good termination does not interfere with its competitive cost-effectiveness.
Great interest about the "Otji Toilet" in the Andes
A short presentation to Ecuadorian farmers about the dry toilet developed in Namibia by the Clay House Project, the local African partner of the EcoSur Network, aroused much interest.
What stood out to the participants is the fact that no water needed to process the waste. When they looked at posters about this technology they admired the simplicity of the construction and the practical way that the system eliminates and composts the waste in the processing tanks.
An “Otji Toilet” has been built in Ecuador to test its efficiency in climatic conditions different to those in Namibia. The toilet is built in a cold and dry zone at 3000 meters above sea level.
