Thursday 29 October 2009

Good Earth Trust gets Housing Technology support

Housing Technology editor Alastair Tweedie has joined the board of the Good Earth Trust with the view of helping the charity improve its commercial strategy and support some of its marketing, PR and fund-raising activities.

The work that the Good Earth Trust is doing in Kenya and Uganda is a good counterpoint to the technology of focus of this magazine, as the Good Earth Trust is using local technology, in the form of ISSBs (interlocking stabilised soil blocks) and block-making machines, to help people and communities build low-cost and environmentally friendly houses, latrines, schools and other vital buildings.

Based on expanding the use of its block-making machines, the Good Earth Trust provides people in Kenya and Uganda with an alternative to relatively-expensive wood-fired bricks at the same time as making the construction process easier, faster and more accurate due to the interlocking nature of the blocks.

GET’s work is important for three reasons. First, the ISSBs make home ownership a realistic proposition for thousands of people in Kenya and Uganda. Second, the ISSBs are being used to build schools, health centres, latrines and water tanks, all of which are vital to the local infrastructure and help whole communities develop better services.

Finally, the eco-credentials of the ISSBs mean fewer trees need to be cut down (their wood is needed to fire traditional bricks), reducing the environmental impact of new buildings.

To find out more about the Good Earth Trust, please visit www.goodearthtrust.org.uk

Monday 19 October 2009

Welcome Max Armbrust

We are delighted to let you know that with effect from 1 October, Max Armbrust has joined our team here in London, with a specific remit to take forward our work on the carbon finance initiative, working on technical research, accreditation documentation and business planning. Max will be liaising closely with Carbon Aided on this.

Some of you have already met Max when he did some work with us as one of the 4 interns from the Kings College Masters course (since successfully completed). He also visited Uganda with Gordon and myself in July where he gained first hand insights to our work. His Masters thesis was related to the general subject of carbon credits (Non-Renewable Biomass work in Africa). His first degree was in Commerce/Economics at Stellenbosch. He has travelled, studied and worked in Africa (many years work on family farm in Namibia), and worked on a variety of business development and environmental projects in Germany and the UK, and had the joy of military service in Germany.

Welcome on board, Max!