what makes us tick

A Letter from the Executive Director


Dear Friends of EarthSpark,

As relief efforts transition to reconstruction and recovery, there are many questions about Haiti’s future. The answers to these questions, such as how Haiti will provide clean and efficient energy to its people, are muddled by a host of new institutions, commissions and rules set up since the earthquake. Through the chaos and uncertainty, though, there are also opportunities. Having worked with communities in Haiti for two years, EarthSpark understands the energy needs of Haiti’s citizens and the barriers to meeting these needs. We are actively working to address Haiti’s short term development needs while also planning sustainably for the future.

Prior to the earthquake, we developed our Clean Energy Store model to bring green jobs and access to clean energy technology to the people of Haiti. Our biggest accomplishment to date – the opening of Haiti’s first Clean Energy Store – is doing just that in the 25,000-person town of Les Anglais. The store opening was celebrated in early July with several events, including a socially and environmentally-conscious movie screening called “Cinema Under the Stars,” product demonstrations and a party deejayed by a local group. We expect to see great things from the store, which is now selling efficient stoves and solar lighting products, and plan to invest in Les Anglais as a hub for clean energy technology.

EarthSpark will continue to distribute solar lamps to displaced women in Port-au-Prince. This project has been one of our most rewarding activities, having resulted in the distribution of 3,000 lamps to date. We are on the verge of distributing another 2,000 solar lamps with our committed partners: Partners in Health, The Haiti Adolescent Girls Network, KONPAY, KOFAVIV, INURED and several small women’s groups. EarthSpark is also partnering with Citizen Effect, a philanthropic outreach organization, to raise more funds to provide solar lamps to women for the rest of the year.

Backed by these tangible and meaningful projects, EarthSpark is also making a difference on a national scale. We are providing energy solutions for the government-run “Building Back Better Communities” Expo, a major effort that will culminate in an “exemplary community” of over 100 new homes just outside of Port-au-Prince in early 2011. We are also drafting proposals for a national power sector plan, and meeting with members of Haiti’s business community and government to better understand how we can institutionalize the solutions to end energy poverty.

Now more than ever, we need your support to keep up our momentum. We urge you to host an event for our solar lamp distribution project via Citizen Effect, or make an online donation to support our ongoing clean energy efforts.

Thank you for your continuing dedication to the people of Haiti.

Sincerely,

Dan Schnitzer, Co-Founder and Executive Director