Photo: Darren Mahuron

The newsletter of Trees, Water & PeopleForests Forever

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By Megan Maiolo-Heath, Marketing Manager

Within each community that our work touches, we encounter the same desires among local citizens: a healthy life and a bright future for themselves, their children, and their grandchildren. I think this is a desire that most every human on Earth longs for and strives towards. We seek healthier minds, bodies, and spirits.

At Trees, Water & People, we design conservation projects with one important question in mind: How can we create a bright future for every person we work with? Our approach to conservation includes more than just environmental protection. We seek to improve all aspects of life, including human health and economic well-being.

An example of this can be seen within our Solar Energy Program, which brings clean energy to families living without electricity. Solar energy reduces the use of natural resources and cuts harmful emissions, while providing families with a better quality of life. Children can study at night, long after

Bright Futures What’s InsideFrom the Board Page 3

Partner Update: AAPPage 4

A Local ApproachPage 5

Waiting for WarmthPage 6

Sharing SolutionsPage 7

Making a Real DifferencePage 8

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By Marilyn Thayer, Trees, Water & People Board Member

Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono. This is the state motto of Hawai’i meaning, “The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness.” As a native of the islands, I learned at an early age the value in not only respecting our land and people, but also the responsibility of living in and being a part of the community. I have fond memories of my parents taking us to the mountains of Tantalus for a hike, surrounded by thick bamboo forests, smelling the sweet fragrances of white ginger blossoms, and the fresh guava and lilikoi fruit that we ate along the way. There was also the walk down the winding path to Hanauma Bay (a marine preserve), where we swam out to the reefs to explore the underwater world, hiked along the rocky shore watching the waves break, and built sand castles on the white sandy beaches.

Before returning home, we always cleaned up the area so that others could enjoy it, as well. I now understand that my parents were teaching us the concept of “leave no trace.” They were instilling in us that if we all do our part, we will be able to provide our children and our children’s children with similar opportunities and experiences to enjoy. Decades later, my husband Paul and I continue to return to the islands with our children, Maile and Daniel, to share and experience our favorite places and make new memories.

Sharing the passion for and commitment to protecting our environment, Paul and I were very excited to discover an organization that is equally committed to people’s well-being, as well as the protection of our planet. And even more, Trees, Water & People (TWP) is an organization that involves the community in identifying problems and participating in the solutions to manage their natural resources. While we have supported TWP for many years as donors, we feel honored to now support the mission and work as board members.

From the Boardthe sun has set. Families save money by replacing kerosene lamps and reducing mobile charging fees. And, health is improved by reducing pollution in the home.

Solar lighting systems are both literally, and figuratively, creating a brighter future for thousands of families who have been left in the dark. And, this can be seen with each of our community-based programs, including reforestation, clean cookstoves, solar heaters, and green job training. We provide local people in Central America, Haiti, and on Native American reservations with the tools, training, and resources needed to tackle some of the greatest challenges facing their communities.

This is what inspires us each day and, from what so many donors have told us, this is what inspires other people to give to these important projects. Conservation can, and should, empower people to create a brighter future!

We hope you will continue to support our work and the communities that benefit from your generous donations. In the coming months, we will give you a closer look at how your caring and sharing is creating bright futures for thousands of families.

Bright Futures Continued...

“If we all do our part, we will be able to provide our children

and our children’s children with similar opportunities and

experiences to enjoy.”

• bright futures •

Trees, Water & Peop

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On the Cover:Solar lights are providing rural communities with clean energy for a better life.

Photo:Board Members, Paul and Marilyn Thayer, have been long-time donors to TWP. We are honored to have them serving on our board.

When you donate to Trees, Water & People you can be

confident that your hard earned money is used responsibly to bring about real, sustainable change.

Join the conversation online!

#brightfutures

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54Partner Update: Arboles y Agua para el PuebloBy Lindsay Saperstone, International Communications Coordinator

For the past 13 years, we have worked with Arboles y Agua para el Pueblo (AAP) to plant more than 600,000 trees in El Salvador. These reforestation efforts were started by passionate community members who were concerned about deforestation and crop fires in their local watershed. Their solution was to create a nursery where they could grow forest and fruit trees. AAP and Trees, Water & People provided technical assistance and trained locals to manage the tree nurseries. We also trained community members in preventing and combating forest fires.

However, finding the land and water for these tree nurseries has not always been easy. The first nursery was built in El Coco, next to the local health clinic, but was forced to move when the clinic needed to expand. Since then, AAP has had to move the nursery three times! Despite these difficulties, AAP has succeeded in making a significant impact in local forest conservation. Their tree nurseries have produced over half a million trees, improving the soil and water health for generations to come.

Earlier this year, AAP received news that they would have to vacate the land where their nursery had been located since 2007. Moving the nursery was a huge challenge because the staff had already planted 25,000 seeds in soil bags, not to mention they needed to take down, transport, and then rebuild the whole nursery infrastructure.

Thanks to the generosity of a local family with available land, the AAP team was able to relocate the nursery, including the 25,000 bags of soil. Armando, Director of AAP, said, “We recognize the work done by our staff to dismantle the nursery in El Carmen and reestablish the new nursery. These people worked hard and without sparing any additional time.”

Given everything the AAP folks have been through, Armando believes it is time to purchase their own land. In the coming months, he will look for a plot of land to call their own, ensuring we can continue these important reforestation efforts well into the future. Stay tuned for updates about how you can help!

A Local Approach to a Global ProblemBy Sebastian Africano, International Director

Climate change affects us all. Around the world, communities are already suffering from its drastic local impacts, such as increased natural disasters, destructive weather patterns, and reduced crop yields. It’s time to take action.

Trees, Water & People is working with our long-time partner in Nicaragua, Proleña, to establish the National Center for Biomass Energy & Climate Change near La Paz Centro, about an hour northwest of the capital of Managua.

When completed, the Center will be an educational resource where communities can learn about forest management, renewable energy, cleantech, and improved cookstoves. In addition to the core training, we will develop the Center as a global facility, where people from around the world will be empowered with the skills needed to help them adapt to climate change in their region.

Please join us in supporting communities that are negatively impacted by climate change by considering a donation to the new Center. Also, you can follow the development of the new National Center for Biomass Energy & Climate Change by visiting: www.treeswaterpeople.org/climatecenter

Features of the National Center for Biomass Energy & Climate Change will include:• Biomass Forest Plots• Classrooms for Training and Workshops• Clean Cookstoves and Fuel-Efficient Kilns• 2kW Photovoltaic System• Cleantech Products (solar lights, solar cell phone charging, etc.)• Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Demonstrations

2014 Project Timeline:• March/April: Install Electrical System• April-June: Establish first forestry plots; Drill well and install water system• June-September: Build ceramic production area; construct warehouse• October-December: Construct housing and dormitories

“Thanks to the generosity of a local family with land, the AAP team

was able to relocate the nursery.”

Photo: Tania Alarcón, happy that the big move is complete, plants seeds at the new nursery.

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Photo: With your support, the Center will be a world-class facility for research and education.

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By Lacey Gaechter, National Director and Specter

Specter, nickname of an amazing gentleman who entered TWP’s world for the grand opening of the Sacred Earth Lodge (SEL), has lent his extensive professional skills in the solar and building sectors to the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center (RCREC). He was kind enough to share some of his experiences with us.

I had the privilege of spending much of this past winter at the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Initially, I had only intended to visit for the grand opening of the Sacred Earth Lodge, however, I was motivated by Henry Red Cloud to extend my stay. Henry embodies the leadership and vision needed, and I have never met anyone like him. As I learned of the scope of his work and the vast array of challenges, I was eager to offer any assistance I could.

Heat is a critical need during harsh South Dakota winters. Lack of heat in this landscape can lead to death from hypothermia. Henry understands the need for alternative heat sources on the reservation. In the new lodge, he installed hundreds of feet of pipe in the concrete slab, and together we developed a plan for a solar hot water heating system. This installation evolved into a workshop - why not do some training as we put this thing together?

During the Solar Hot Water Heating Workshop students assembled the system, and at the end we could see how the hundreds of parts in the original design worked together to efficiently heat the lodge. I was elated with the performance. Infra-red thermometer readings confirmed that the slab was soaking up all the energy absorbed by the collector area, producing 30,000 BTUs of energy per hour. Nice!

A few weeks later, my son and I stayed in the Lodge while I checked the new system. Not only was the building warmer than the outside temperature, it also felt really good. So good, that I ran around checking all of the electric baseboards installed in the bedrooms and bathrooms, thinking that they might by cranked up. But they were all turned down. The solar thermal was carrying the heat load of the Lodge all on its own.

Building on the work that Henry and TWP are doing, I imagine a team of Solar Warriors that can share solutions and adapt technology to the reality of the Lakota Oyate. I hope that you will support the Tribal Renewable Energy Program by volunteering your time and money!

Many thanks to Specter for his work and words!

Sharing Solutions and Adapting TechnologyBy Lacey Gaechter, National Director

Since we launched our Tribal Renewable Energy Program in 2007, our solar air heaters have been installed on over 830 homes, helping to keep families warm using clean energy from the sun. Our generous donors have helped us reach many Native American families, but we still have much work to do. Currently, we have a waiting list of nearly 50 families who have applied to receive a solar heater.

Through the application process, we learn a lot about beneficiaries before we ever meet. These personal stories have made me realize how important our work is for Native American communities. Since you, our supporters, are the reason we can install these systems, I wanted to share some of their words with you.

Jerome, from South Dakota, lives on his own and spends $100 each month to heat his home with a wood burning stove. His income is only $1,700 per year. He wants to depend less on wood-burning in hopes that cleaner indoor air will improve his heart condition and make his home more comfortable for his grandkids. Thanks to donors like you, he will receive his new solar heater this month.

Yolanda, from the Eastern Shoshone Tribe writes that a solar heater “will help heat my home that is usually cold and I will be able to buy my kids clothes and other things they go without because I have to pay the electric. If chosen to participate in your program, I would appreciate it tremendously.”

Sandra, also from the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, commented, “It would save money. Everything is electric. We have two wood burning stoves to warm the house. Our water pipes are frozen and broke. We need different heating or heaters.”

Bob, from the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, applied for a heater for he and his wife saying, “We remodeled this old house but did not realize that we would get old and need more heat.” I like Bob’s sense of humor already! He goes on to say, “My wife and I are both 65 years young. Our grandkids don’t come - they say our house is too cold.”

We hope you will consider a donation today so we can reach every family on our solar heater waiting list. No family should have to live without heat!

Community Voices: Waiting for Warmth

“Our solar air heaters have been installed on over 830 homes,

helping to keep families warm using clean energy from the sun.”

“Lack of heat in this landscape can lead to death from

hypothermia.”

Photo: Elmer Melton, the first Alaskan Native to visit RCREC, helped us install the new solar hot water heating system.

Photo: Solar heaters improve lives using clean energy from the sun.

Printed on recycled paper and 100% Replanted. To find out how you can be 100% Replanted, please visit www.replanttrees.org.

Forests Forever is published by Trees, Water & People. If you know someone who cares about people and the planet and should be added to our mailing list, please contact us at 877-606-4TWP or email us at twp@treeswaterpeople.org.

Program PartnersÁrboles Y Agua para El Pueblo (AAP), El SalvadorUt’z Che’, GuatemalaAnanda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT), HaitiSustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL), HaitiAsociación Hondureña para El Desarrollo (AHDESA), HondurasBarefoot Power, Honduras, Nicaragua, and GuatemalaLuciérnaga, Honduras, Nicaragua, and GuatemalaPROLEÑA, NicaraguaPowerMundo, PeruLakota Solar Enterprises (LSE), South Dakota, USACoalition for the Poudre River Watershed, Colorado, USASolar Energy International (SEI), Colorado, USA

InternsJennie Andrusin, National Development InternRita Harris-Powers, National Development InternSherry Moldenhauer, National InternKelly McNash, SunMobile InternKaleb Blewett, International Development InternMolly Geppert, International Development Intern

Board of DirectorsJon Becker, PresidentJenny Bramhall, Vice PresidentStuart Conway, TreasurerJamie Klein, SecretaryTim Carney, Kathy Cosgrove Green, Adele Dinsmore, Patrick Flynn, Jeremy Foster, Kathryn Higgins, Jeff Hargis, Scott Johnson, Marilyn Thayer, Paul Thayer, Jim Volpa

StaffRichard Fox, Executive DirectorLacey Gaechter, Out-Going National DirectorJamie Folsom, In-Coming National DirectorJohn Motley, Assistant National DirectorSebastian Africano, International DirectorAnibal Benjamin Osorto, International Regional CoordinatorLindsay Saperstone, International Communications CoordinatorDiane Vella, Finance DirectorHeather Herrell, Development DirectorRachel Buck, Development AssociateAmanda Haggerty, Data & IT ManagerMegan Maiolo-Heath, Marketing ManagerKelsey McMillan, Office Manager

Trees, Water & People633 Remington Street • Fort Collins, CO 80524 • 877-606-4TWP • www.treeswaterpeople.org

By Bonnie Power, Trees, Water & People Donor

Several years ago, I read a news article indicating that South Dakota had some of the poorest counties in the entire United States. I decided I wanted to do something that would make a difference there. Previously, I had contributed to the support of children through Save the Children in Nepal and Greece, and my husband had contributed through a similar program to support a child on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. When I found out that there was no longer any such program helping children in South Dakota, I did an internet search and found Trees, Water & People (TWP).

As a member of the Evergreen Circle, I make a monthly donation to Trees, Water & People. Because of their high charity rating, I have encouraged friends and family to give, as well. When I have occasions where we want to do something in lieu of gifts (holidays and the like), I suggest contributions to TWP.

I like the personal reach of supporting Trees, Water & People - that my monthly check is translated directly into solar heaters, cookstoves, and tree nurseries that make an immediate difference on a small scale in real people’s lives. This has been my general pattern of charity much of my life: Trying to make a difference at a close distance.

Making a Real Difference

Photo: Bonnie shares her passion for making a difference with her family.