Earthcharter

Yesterday I woke up depressed and anxious. How could we ever meet the hopes of those who have asked not to be forgotten? How can we make a waterless toilet in a flood plain? How can we create financial partnerships?

Tuesday, 20 July 2010 23:30

Yesterday I woke up depressed and anxious. How could we ever meet the hopes of those who have asked not to be forgotten? How can we make a waterless toilet in a flood plain? How can we create financial partnerships? And in one day, answers to all our questions came clear.

We stopped by a local chemical factory to find out if they had a quote for the toilet bowl on our waterless toilet. The manager gave us a figure that was so ridiculously low that I believed I had misheard him. But he repeated the same price. Then I asked him how much their entire waterless toilet would cost. $450! I was flabbergasted. That is half what we would be spending to build one ourselves by hand. We asked to look at the toilet up close.

It is a plastic mold injected toilet and underground tank with a digester and vent tube that assembles into one piece. The design solved all the problems we were facing, and at half the cost. We came back today to see actual toilets in action, and were taken to a very rough compound (think Soweto in South Africa) where two had been built at a school and clinic. They were excellent! And the design breakthrough is a high energy concentrating dome that heats the underground tank, turning the waste into compost. Hence the name, Ecodome.

We met with the president of the company, and agreed to try a test toilet in the closest village, where we already have a hand constructed toilet. We can compare them and see if the villagers would accept the new style. The president also agreed to give us training on the installation, so that if we decide to do more. We will have the knowledge to accomplish it ourselves.

Then we went to the Micro Finance Trust. They were very skeptical at first, not knowing who we were. But Webby Mate had given us a reference, and one representative sat down to talk with us. After a brief summary of what we wanted, he excused himself and came back with his boss, who moments before was too busy to meet with us. Turns out they have developed a different concept for the village bank that breaks free of the normal constraints on micro-loans while keeping all the capital in the village. And they provide training to village cooperatives that want to participate. And they agreed to train one of our team so we did not have to pay them consultant fees every time we want to start a new village cooperative.

So, after the depression of yesterday morning, we have renewed faith in the world today! We have answers to the tough questions, and all that remains is the even tougher task of putting the solutions to work. But the Zambians are the hardest working people I have ever met. They are also hopeful against all odds that they can get economic control over their own lives. So who am I to not have hope, or to not work hard? The Earth Charter gives an ethical framework for a sustainable future, and here in Zambia, that future includes the environmentally responsible elimination of poverty. And if we are successful here, we will have created a model for all sub-Saharan Africa.

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