Past editions

COMESA Workshop in Nairobi draws participants from seven countries

2005-06-21T03:04:49+00:00

The “Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa” (COMESA) has taken the initiative of promoting the production and use of “Appropriate Building Materials” through “Small and Medium Entreprises” (SME). They have started with a study of the current situation of those materials and technologies and are now moving into making recommendations to the member states. Recently a four day workshop in Nairobi assembled some 40 participants from seven countries.

Development of tevi tile equipment

2005-06-21T03:07:09+00:00

As en enrichment to the theme of EcoMaterials 2005, connecting science with the grassroots, this website is highlighting different experiences with this focus. This update features development of tevi equipment to produce MicroConcrete Roofing tiles. The top quality tile-making equipment is used throughout Latin America as well as in Africa, Asia, Central Asia. The development of tevi is the story of an audacious adventure that responds in a high-level scientific manner to requests from the grassroots.

Green Builders in North America

2005-06-21T03:08:35+00:00

“Green builders” is the term used in North America to describe people who build in a environmentally friendly manner. At the end of April around 300 green builders met at a conference of the Colorado Straw Builders Association in Aspen, Colorado. The interesting mix of people share the common bond of ecological awareness and build houses where straw and clay are major building materials. They assembled in a beautiful school built with straw bales and plastered with clay and lime. Many publications carried picture of straw and earthen houses, some of them new and luxurious, others more than a hundred years old and rather simple.

Clay House Project Overview

2005-06-21T03:10:25+00:00

For welll over a decade the Clay House Project has followed a program of patient investment in order to bring the ancient technology of clay construction into the mainstream in Namibia. It has been a program composed of many different activities over the years, from demonstration buildings, pilot projects and networking with communities and authorities. A basis of mutual respect and cooperation pave the way for its current endeavor where people in a squatter area learn to build their houses from locally available clay. Its implications reach far beyond Orwetoveni.

Deswos visit to Nicaragua housing Project

2005-06-21T03:11:10+00:00

Winnfried Clever of Deswos in Germany recently visited the SofoNic housing project in Nicaragua supported by that organization and the BMZ. This innovative project focuses upon educating young apprentices from the Polytechnical Institute of Jinotepe. The masonry apprentices learn their trade in a two year course that combines practical work and formal schooling. onsite experience is within the Diriamba housing project where they are building 80 houses for a group of working families who participate with non-qualified labor. The SofoNic professional team guides the students during the practical work and the first group of ten will graduate this year

Coordination meeting about EcoMaterials 2005

2005-06-21T03:13:02+00:00

As part of the preparation for the Third Internacional EcoMaterials Conference (Santa Clara, November 2005) a coordination meeting took place in Cuba about publications on our Website and the newsletters, EcoSouth and EcoSur. More participants are expected to attend EcoMaterials 2005 than the previous conferences, that reveals the prestige that this events has acquired within the scientific community concerned with ecologically and economically sustainable construction materials. It became clear that publications in the Website have divulged the conference to a greater audience. During the past three years visits to www.ecosur.org have increased to the current 7,500 monthly.

Pedals for Progress augments its export of bicycles

2005-06-21T03:14:23+00:00

Pedals for Progress increased shipments by 4.3% from 2003 to 2004, from 11,808 to 12,317 bicycles. This was the 12th straight year of production growth. This year´s performance followed on a 2.1% increase in shipments from 2002 to 2003.During the year, PfP focused on a smaller number of reliable partners able to pay full shipping costs. Shipments in 2004 went to 9 groups in 8 countries, compared to 15 partners in 12 countries during the previous year. More than 85 percent of bicycles shipped went to Central and South American partners, 11.1% to African (Ghana and Uganda) partners, and 7.5% to the Caribbean (Barbados).