ASAD - EKOLOJIK

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Trash Talk

TRASH TALK

A post-colonial discourse on global waste and environmental degradation

COMING SOON....

Monday, November 19, 2012

Global Inspiration

The following are innovative ideas and solutions for environmental sustainability/protection from around the globe.

ENERGY

Cuba sugar cane marabu weeds 'could be turned to fuel'/ BBC News (November 2012)

Barbados Looking to Ocean for Energy/Caribbean Journal (November 2012)

WATER

Drinking water out of a billboard/Latin American Herald Tribune (March 2013)

A bath without water

Urban Sustainability

RECYCLING

Independent Recycling Initiatives in Rio de Janeiro

Thursday, October 11, 2012

ECOLOGY AND BIO-DIVERSITY


Source: http://www.eoearth.org/article/Haiti

Hispaniolan moist forests originally occupied more than half (~60%) of the original vegetation on the island of Hispaniola, from the lowlands particularly on the eastern coast of the island (Haiti) to the valleys, plateaus, slopes and foothills of the many mountain ranges, up to an altitude of about 2,100 meters. Less than 200 km² of unaltered rainforest remains in Haiti.
Hispaniolan dry forests
Hispaniolan pine forests are located on slopes with shallow soils and higher elevations of the mountain systems. In Haiti, this ecoregion is only represented in parts of the Pic Macaya National Park and the La Visite National Park.
Enriquillo wetlands are the remains of an old marine channel that divided the island of Hispaniola into two paleoislands more than 5,000 years ago. The largest lake in this ecoregion, Lake Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic is the largest and most hypersaline lake in all of the Antilles. In Haiti, Saumatre Lagoon (Étang Saumatre or Lago Azuei) is the country's largest lake. It occupies another concavity 10 km west of Lake Enriquillo, separated from it by the Jimaní anticline.
Bahamoan-Antillean mangroves/Greater Antilles mangroves cover about 134 km²of Haiti.

Map of Plastic Pollution in the Region

Graph of Waste Disposal Methods by Class

Source: Problems and Current Practices of Solid Waste Management in Port-au-Prince (Haiti), A. Bras, C. Berdier, E. Emmanuel and M. Zimmerman, July 2009. Waste Management, Volume 29, Issue 11, November 2009, Pages 2907-2909.

Table - How long does it take to decompose?

Safe and Sustainable Water Solutions

Table 1. Treatment methods used in Haiti and other developing countries.

Method	Pros	Cons	Cost	Sustainability	Links
SODIS Passive Solar Disinfection	Cheap; reuse bottles; simple	Water is warm; have to wait for water; turbidity sensitive	$	High	http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/solar-water-disinfection/ http://www.sodis.ch/methode/anwendung/index_EN
Plastic Biosand Filters	Effective; once primed provide quick water treatment	Time needed to develop biofilm; skill required to maintain; support needed; turbidity sensitive	$$$$$	Moderate	http://www.hydraid.org/
Concrete Biosand Filters	Effective; once primed provide quick water; can usually be built in country with local materials	Heavy and difficult to transport and move; skill required; turbidity sensitive	$$$$	Moderate	Biosand Filter.org Fact Sheet
Chlorine	Very effective when used properly; cheap	Bad taste to water; skill required; potential negative health impacts; doses vary depending on product being used	$	High	http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/h2oqual/watsys/ae1046w.htm
Boiling Rolling Boil for 1-3 minutes	Very effective at killing most pathogens	Expensive; contributes to deforestation; have to cool water before drinking	$$$	Moderate	http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/water-treatment.htm
Reverse Osmosis	Very effective at removing all pathogens	Very expensive; requires consistent fuel or power; skill required; maintenance required	$$$$$$	Low	W ater Treatment Notes from Cornell University
Sawyer Filters	Very effective; Easy to use when proper education materials are provided	Expensive; may have to sterilize filters regularly; not well suited for areas with turbid water; backwashing can cause contamination	$$$	Moderate	http://www.sawyer.com/water.htm
Clay Filters	Cheap and can be made from local materials	Clay quality can affect treatment; skill required; may not be effective for some viruses and bacteria	$	High	http://www.pottersforpeace.org/?page_id=9
Ultraviolet Disinfection	Very effective; power requirements low (~ 200 watts for 40 gpm)	Flow rates low; can be complicated to install; maintenance required for bulbs	$$$$	High/Moderate	http://www.freshwatersystems.com/c-616-atlantic-ultraviolet-sanitron.aspx http://www.ultraviolet.com/water/minipu01.htm
Slow sand filtration	Can be scaled to larger water sources for schools and communities	Initial costs are high and require materials which may not be available on-site	$$$$	High/Moderate	Tech Brief from the National Environmental Services Center
Ozone Disinfection	Does not create harmful byproducts; does not alter taste; no residual chemicals	On-site equipment required is expensive and requires maintenance; ozone is reactive and corrosive	$$$$$$	Low	EPA fact sheet on Ozone Dissinfection

Monday, May 21, 2012

Haitian Environmental Law and Policy

National Law

1987 Haitian Constitution + 2012 Amendment Additions

Article 253:  L'environnement étant le cadre naturel de vie de la population, les pratiques susceptibles de perturber l'équilibre écologique sont formellement interdites.

Article 253.1: Tant que la couverture forestiere reste en deca de 10% du territoire national des mesures d'exception doivent etre prises en vue de travailler au retablissement de l'equilibre ecologique.

Article 254:  L'Etat organise la mise en valeur des sites naturels, en assure la protection et les rend accessibles à tous.

Article 255:  Pour protéger les réserves forestières et élargir la couverture végétale, l'Etat encourage le développement des formes d'énergie propre: solaire, éolienne et autres.

Article 256:  Dans le cadre de la protection de l'Environnement et de l'Education Publique, l'Etat a pour obligation de procéder à la création et à l'entretien de jardins botaniques et zoologiques en certains points du Territoire.

Article 256.1: L'Etat peut, si la necessite en est demontree, declarer une zone d'utilite ecologique.

Article 257: La loi détermine les conditions de protection de la faune et de la flore. Elle sanctionne les contravenants.

Article 258: Nul ne peut introduire dans le Pays des déchets ou résidus de provenances étrangères de quelque nature que ce soit.

Haitian Laws/Regulations

Decret sur la gestion de l'environnement (12 octobre 2005)

Decret creant une loi-cadre regissant la gestion et l'elimination des dechets et prevoyant en meme temps les sanctions appropriees. (3 mars 1981)

Le Code Rural - Francois Duvalier 1962

Decret encourageant l'exploitation miniere

Decret reglementant les exploitations des carrieres sur le territoire national

Arrêté visant à rappeler les normes en vigueur pour la protection

de l'environnement, des sources et contre la pollution de l'eau (link)

International/Regional Conventions

Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [1997]

Convention on Biological Diversity [1992]

Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer [1987]

Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter [1972]

Convention on Fishing and Conservation of the Living Resources of the High Seas [1958]

Convention on Nature Protection and Wild Life Preservation in the Western Hemisphere [1940]

Haitian Government

Ministère de l'Environnement (MDE)

Ministère de l'Agriculture des Ressources Naturelles et du Developpement Rurale (MARNDR)

Direction Nationale de l'Eau Potable et l'Assainissement (DINEPA)

Bureau des Mines et de l'Énergie d'Haiti (BME)

Organizations

L’Association Haïtienne de Droit de l’Environnement (AHDEN)

Reference Links

United Nations Treaty Collection

Map - Waste Management/Environmental Protection Initiatives

The purpose of this map is to attempt to locate recycling, waste management, composting, and other innovative environmental initiatives happening throughout the country.