Renewable Energy

I made a pot of coffee, straightened up the house and put on what I consider nice clothes. Nice, by my standards, means that I didn’t put my jeans on and I wore closed toed shoes instead of my flip-flops. I left early this morning. Early, by my standards, means 9:00 in the morning instead of 2:30 in the afternoon. I work at home in the morning.

I walked down the road along side the drainage ditch that has an unpleasant odor. I walked past empty plastic bottles and papers discarded by the side of the road. There is no recycling on this island. It pains me every Tuesday and Friday when I take my trash downstairs for pickup. I know at least 50% of what is inside the bag should be recycled and I am an unwilling part of the problem.

Half way to the main road a bus stopped and asked where I was going. He was trolling for passengers before starting his journey. Unlike Los Angeles, the island enjoys very efficient public transportation saving the environment from nasty toxins and pollutants.

I boarded the bus to meet Brenda at the next village. We are going together to the ceremony. Brenda arrives right on time and with a familiar fabulous smile.

Upon our arrival and as we got out of the car she said, “Where is everything?” They were supposed to have a tent, food, chairs, a sound system and television cameras all in place by now. Just as Brenda was expressing her disappointment, a truck pulled up and began unloading the equipment to set up the tent.

Events rarely start on time and this one would be no exception. For an hour, we waited; Brenda, the Parliamentary Representative, the Minister of Commerce, local fishermen, the media and various members of the community engaged in casual conversation until the event was ready to begin.

While I waited, I walked around and took in the sights of the celebration. I walked to the wobbly wooden dock and looked at the heap of fishing nets that were waiting to be stored. Fishing is not high-tech here. They weave their nets and spear their catch.


They use small boats and cut and sell their fish to people in the village each day. Today the boats fisherman use to make their living gave way to the celebration.







A new boat, Peace Be Still, sits dry-docked and is seemingly waiting for a story to be told. Another sits on a trailer, which is curious because I’ve never seen anyone hauling a boat behind a vehicle on this island.


A man escorts tourists to the dock and engages them in conversation. I’m distracted and when I look back they have disappeared, likely onto one of the boats that transport people to a remote part of the island.


I look up and there it is. The reason we are here: renewable energy, a lone wind turbine able to sustain winds of 150 miles per hour and give enough power to light the fishermen’s way while rendering candles and flashlights obsolete.

They come early each morning and open their lockers to retrieve their nets and spears. The electric company turned off their power months ago because they could not pay the bill. Renewable energy is not the norm....yet. This new site is just one small turbin powering a small amount of energy to power up a few bulbs to light the fisherman's way.














We are seated. The sound system, powered by the wind, is plugged in and the music begins.


‘Breeze’ plays the saxophone and the children sing for us. The National Anthem is sung, prayers are said and speakers declare the project a success.

The Parliamentary Representative, Jeannine Compton, encourages more projects like this as well as adding bio-energy where they raise pigs. She talks about water and the problems Haiti is experiencing with this scarce resource. She reminds us that sustainability of our resources is sustainability for life itself.

Breeze continues to play as we enjoy refreshments and the wonderful island wind.




The University of Vermont has undertaken this project and several others that are similar to it on the island. Each year students and faculty come and provide equipment, manpower and resources to increase renewable energy on the island.

The island is a perfect setting for renewable energy. It enjoys wind, solar as well as hydro-powered energy providing electricity to a small farm owned by Sly, our Rasta friend (See post dated 9/29/08, Leading the Way to Legacy).

Power is expensive here and people are motivated to decrease their monthly electric bill.

I have energy saving bulbs throughout my apartment. My water is heated by solar energy. My electric bill is expensive in proportion to the stipend Peace Corps provides. The power company is considering building a wind power station near my village in the future.

As I reflect on the day today, the thing that stands out in my mind is this: the unpleasant smell in the drains, the trash strewn along side the roads and the lack of recycling; the simple fishing techniques that were handed down are still used today. These things are contrasted by the use of solar, wind and hydro technology to sustain affordable electricity. I can move about the island seeing yesterday and tomorrow at the same moment in time. It is difficult to wrap my mind around these contrasting visions on the island.