We join with all friends of Haiti in commemorating the tragic events of 12 January 2010.  We extend our sympathies to relatives and friends of those lost, and our hope and determination for a brighter future.  We are working with individuals and organizations to contribute toward rebuilding Haiti.

Remarks prepared for the Conference of the Committee for Teaching about the UN (CTAUN) – Achieving the MDGs – Teaching for Action

United Nations, 14 Jan 2011

David Stillman, PhD, Executive Director

 Public-Private Alliance Foundation

“Fighting the silent killer in the kitchen – Achieving the MDGs”

We think of a barbeque as a pleasant alternative for weekend outings in good weather.  For half the world’s population, biomass fuel (wood, dung, agricultural residues) is the everyday essential to meet all the basic energy needs of cooking, boiling water, lighting, and, depending on climatic conditions, for space heating.  This is not a picnic but a serious problem with implications across the range of issues treated in the Millennium Development Goals. 

Since adoption of the MDGs the World Health Organization has reported country by country on “percentage of population using solid fuels”, as a key indicator in relation to Goal 7, on environmental sustainability.   But WHO and others have found significant implications from noxious fumes for most of the MDGs, especially Goals 4 and 5 on children’s and mothers’ health.  That’s why WHO has coined the term “the silent killer in the kitchen” and has estimated that 1.9 million people die worldwide each year from exposure to cookstove smoke.  WHO and others have also found serious effects of smoke and gathering fuel in relation to Goal 1 on extreme poverty and Goal 3 on women.  Effects can also be counted in relation to Goal 2 on primary education and Goal 6 on serious diseases. 

The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, launched in September 2010 and housed in the UN Foundation, responds to this very simple problem which has such major negative effects.  The founding partners are an impressive group of organizations, companies and UN and government agencies, including strong support from the USA.  The aim is to save lives, empower women, improve livelihoods and combat climate change. 

The Public-Private Alliance Foundation is a partner in that organization, and works with many collaborators.   The Foundation aims to reduce poverty by networking with business, government, academia, the financial community, non-profits, the UN and others.  It focuses on several key issues in the focus countries of Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Madagascar.  Currently the chief emphasis is to promote and help implement in Haiti the introduction of ethanol stoves and fuel, chiefly from locally grown sugar cane.  That’s what I’ll talk about today, one year since the tremendous losses in the earthquake of January 12, 2010.

Burning wood and charcoal for cooking and small business is Haiti’s greatest energy use.  Trucks arrive daily into Port au Prince and other population centers with the charred remains of dwindling forest, often from clandestine operations.  With ever-increasing demand exceeding annual supply, this has stripped the country bare, leading to erosion and hurricane mudslides. Since the devastating earthquake one year ago, conditions have become worse, especially for over a million people now living in cramped tent camps.  Prices have gone up. Add to this the crisis of cholera, which would be greatly eased by ensuring that water was boiled before drinking or washing.

But sugar has a long history in Haiti, though agricultural production and mill output has declined greatly in recent decades.  Distillation for rum and home-made spirits is also well known, but with inefficient processes and much waste. 

So there are challenges but also opportunities, and the current situation of so much misery in the country has brought attention from all over to help and to find innovative solutions. 

Moreover, as the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves has declared, the time is right internationally, in terms of awareness, research, technology, commitment and the potential of carbon financing.  Pilot projects can blossom into the creation of a thriving and sustainable clean cookstove industry.

Prospects are positive for alcohol fuel and stoves in Haiti.  Ethanol is cheaper than the alternatives – liquid propane gas (LPG), kerosene or charcoal, and the great majority of people can’t afford LPG fuel or stoves.  Ethanol is safe and clean, rivaling LPG in efficiency.  So-called Improved wood and charcoal stoves still rely on trees. 

Our efforts aim to improve the lives and pocketbooks of families, provide jobs for farmers, stove-makers and small entrepreneurs, encourage micro-finance and reduce deforestation.

Several areas of action must be addressed – ethanol production, ethanol distribution, stove production and stove promotion, sales and use.  Plus governmental policy, regulations and promotion.  Each of these involves various actors – public sector, business, technicians, funders and workers. 

The Public-Private Alliance Foundation is collaborating with several partners to take action in this seemingly simple but actually complicated area.  Representatives of some of these organizations are here in this room. 

One is a Haitian-American investment group known as SIMACT.  Most of the shareholders in SIMACT left Haiti in their youth.  They have become successful in the USA but their hearts and their resources extend back home to help develop their country of birth.

Another partner is Project Gaia, which has done research, mobilized collaborators, conducted pilot studies in several countries, and has selected the Dometic CleanCook stove as the ideal for production and use in Haiti and elsewhere.  This stove has been in production for many years, and is now going to the “bottom of the pyramid” market.  You can see an example at the information fair. 

I also want to introduce to you Blume Distillation LLC, which aims to produce community-level alcohol fuel distilleries, linked to sustainable agricultural options.  This grows out of the long-standing work of David Blume, founder of the international Institute for Ecological Agriculture.  The company is currently gathering investors and purchasers for appropriately scaled distillation systems that can use various feedstocks and have advanced flexibility, productivity and remote diagnostics.

In brief, our group of for-profit and non-profit partners is focusing on: 

• Simple cook stoves from a well-known marine and leisure camping company, 
• Syrup from a Haitian sugar mill and local sugar farmers, 
• Conversion of syrup into fuel by community-level distilleries,
• Target populations of low-income families, street vendors, and small businesses,
• Support by local and international relief organizations to people displaced by the earthquake,
• Participation by Haitian-American investors and supporters of micro-finance,
• Increased jobs and earnings by Haitian farmers and small entrepreneurs,
• Improved health, especially for women and children, and
• Decreased deforestation.

These efforts draw inspiration from the international policy priorities and constitute practical actions to help achieve the MDGs in Haiti, especially in relation to the themes of today’s panel – Poverty / Hunger / Sustainability.  Please talk with me if you would like to get involved.

 Thank you.

January 14 – David Stillman will speak at the CTAUN (Committee for Teaching About the United Nations) annual conference for educators on global issues, at the United Nations headquarters, which attracts approximately 500 participants each year.   This year’s topic is the Millennium Development Goals.   Stillman will speak on the work of the Public-Private Alliance Foundation and its partners in relation to Haiti.  Also, Harry Stokes of Project Gaia will demonstrate the alcohol-fueled clean cookstove. The aim is to demonstrate concepts and materials that could be translated into curricula.  For details, see: 

http://www.ctaun.org/images/photos/2011NYCConFlyer-Speakers3-_2_.pdf 

January 15 – SImACT is organizing an event at SImACT headquarters in Brooklyn for presentations by, and discussions with, David Blume and others of Blume Distillation LLC.  (See article above re: Atlanta seminar.)    This is aimed to engage parties within and outside the Haitian-American community interested in the cookstove and micro-distillery initiative.

From November 29 to December 1 David Stillman and Fritz Clairvil of SImACT, Inc. attended the “Clean Indoor Air Cookstove and Alcohol Fuel Production International Forum” organized by the International Institute for Ecological Agriculture (IIEA) and Project Gaia, and held in Atlanta, Georgia.  (The terms alcohol and ethanol are interchangeable.)

In Haiti, PPAF, SImACT, Project Gaia and their partners continue to develop the clean cookstoves project.  The meetings with IIEA and the Alcohol Fuel Production International Forum helped move this forward..

David Blume, founder of IIEA (www.permaculture.com) and Blume Distillation, LLC (www.blumedistillation.com), ran the seminar in two days of lectures plus Q&A. Harry Stokes of Project Gaia made a presentation and stove demonstration of the Dometic CleanCook stove.

David Blume’s career spans over 30 years as an advocate, writer and public speaker on ecology, especially the subjects of alcohol fuel and related integrated farming.  Based in California, he has devoted much attention to actions for substitution of gasoline and other petroleum products in the USA, has served as a consultant in several other countries, and is familiar with development issues generally.  

The sessions focused on the benefits of localized production and use of appropriate-scale alcohol fuel combined with “clean fuel” stoves and appliances.  Alcohol fuels offer an abundant supply of energy for cooking, heating, refrigeration; electricity and transportation needs and can be produced from a wide variety of native plants, waste products and cultivated fuel crops ensuring inexpensive and sustainable production. 

A presentation on Blume Distillation, LLC was a key element of the seminar.  This new company will specialize in micro-distilleries from sugar and other feedstocks to produce ethyl alcohol in the USA and abroad.  Blume and his company are now seeking investors to cover an estimated $3.2 million, and purchasers.  Company representatives will visit New York in January to this end.

She wrote, “The Martha Stewart Show is a daily series that informs and inspires viewers on subjects from cooking and entertaining to crafting and gardening, hosted by Martha Stewart. This episode — dubbed “The Giving Show” — will ‘embrace the spirit of the holiday season with creative ideas for giving back.’

 Martha Stewart has a large and loyal following, both of her show and on social media channels.   We anticipate increased web traffic to the Alliance website, www.cleancookstoves.org, which should translate into increased traffic to your own sites or phone calls to your offices….” 

The UN Foundation appeared on an 8-minute segment alongside EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to discuss the challenges posed to nearly half the world’s population by cooking on traditional stoves or open fires. The goal with this appearance was to begin engaging a broader segment of the general population in the Alliance’s mission to drive solutions to this important issue.

Leslie Cordes (center, with scarf), explains Dometic/Project Gaia stove (at left) and others to Martha Stewart Show producers.

 The ethanol-based Clean Cookstove that the Public-Private Alliance Foundation, Dometic, Project Gaia, SImACT and other partners promote was one of four brought to the show.   Leslie Cordes writes that she described the stove’s qualities and unique attributes to Lisa Jackson and Martha Stewart.

Haiti’s cholera epidemic has expanded, cropping up in many regions of the country.  Over a thousand have died, and over 17,000 have fallen ill.  The government, NGOs and international organizations are working to educate the public about prevention and setting up centers to treat the disease.  The United Nations has asked for $164 million specifically to deal with the epidemic.

On October 26 we wrote about the epidemic, and then updated with information on Hurricane Tomas.  We continue to update that article frequently with information provided by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.  Click for the direct link to this October 26 article.

The International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research – Bangladesh (ICCDR-B) has sent a team of experts to Haiti.  In a 7+ minute interview posted on YouTube by the Pan-American Health Organization, the hemisphere’s office of the World Health Organization, Dr. Pradip K. Bardhan, Cholera expert from ICDDR-B talks about triage, diagnosis, treatment and preventive measures in the hospital setting.

Participants at Haiti benefit event

A celebration of Haitian paintings, culture and rum set the tone for the “Partners Against Poverty” benefit organized by the Public-Private Alliance Foundation on Thursday evening November 4 at Affirmation Arts in mid-town Manhattan.  The Foundation promotes collaboration by a mix of partners in a business approach to improving lives and livelihoods, with a focus on rebuilding in Haiti since the January 2010 earthquake. 

Affirmation Arts currently has on exhibit until November 24 an extraordinary collection curated by Gérald Alexis, an historian of Haitian art, which includes some pieces rescued from the rubble.  The Foundation thanks everyone who came to the benefit, and all who were unable to attend but donated.

Executive Director Dr. David Stillman welcomed the guests and focused attention on the Foundation’s work, especially in Haiti.  Tony Plana, the actor/director, hosted the event, urging guests to become involved in supporting the foundation.  Jocelyn McCalla, senior advisor to the Special Envoy of Haiti to the United Nations, described the status of Haiti reconstruction and the various players in this lengthy, difficult process.  Ian Williams, noted pundit and rum historian, spoke of the role of rum in Haiti’s history and economy and also led a tasting of Haiti’s famous Barbancourt rum.  Dr. Lesly Kernisant, president of SImACT, Inc., a Haitian diaspora investment group, talked about the partnership of SImACT with the Public-Private Alliance Foundation for several projects in Haiti.    

The event highlighted the Foundation’s recent focus on promoting improved cookstoves and fuel in Haiti. With several partners, the Foundation is working to create a sustainable industry of locally-grown and distilled sugar ethanol to fuel cookstoves manufactured, marketed and distributed in the country. The project aims to improve lives and health, especially for women and children, reduce the heavy reliance on wood and charcoal that has stripped the country of forest and topsoil, and improve the livelihoods of farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs.

Affirmation Arts, Crillon Importers and Eben Bronfman of Jared Samos Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Private Wealth Management were supporters of the event.  For photos go to:  www.flickr.com/ppaf/show

Malagasy children - All deserve to hear

The Public-Private Alliance Foundation is pleased to announce the first steps for a project to provide long-term hearing aid support to Madagascar.  It will involve government, business, non-profits and the community. To facilitate this, PPAF board members and a senior fellow have met with Starkey Hearing Foundation President and CEO, Bill Austin and its Executive Director Brady Forseth.  Discussions with Ambassador Zina Andrianarivelo-Razafy of the Madagascar Mission to the United Nations have led to follow-up by Rotary Clubs and the Government in Madagascar.  Information on Starkey, a well-known American NGO, can be found at:  www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org   It began in 1984 and works in countries around the world.   

Mr. Austin has recently sent a letter to the President of the Transitional Authority of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina and Mme. Rajoelina, offering assistance and outlining how the foundation would work.  The letter notes that Starkey is already working in the region, in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Botswana and Mozambique. 

Mr. Frederic Rondeau, International Director of Starkey, will visit Madagascar from November 25-30, for high-level meetings with the Government and Rotary, initial training of volunteers and identification of patients and other preparations toward implementation early next year.

In a meeting held in Antananarivo on November 10, representatives of Rotary Clubs, the Ministry of Health and other participants agreed to make “Aid for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing” as a Rotary program with Starkey Foundation.  Three Rotary Clubs in Antananarivo:  Ainga, Dean and Mahamasina, will take the lead.   A Memorandum of Understanding will be established between the Ministry of Health and Rotary.

The World Health Organization has estimated the number of deaf and hard-of-hearing in Madagascar to be approximately 1.8 million people.  Background information can be found in a very informative article and accompanying video from French TV:  Deafness in Madagascar    The video asserts that while about half of all Malagasy school-age children attend school, only about 1% of deaf children are in school.   Gallaudet University, the premier American university for the deaf, maintains a list of deaf organizations and schools by country, including in Madagascar.  The Public-Private Alliance Foundation previously facilitated donations of medical supplies and equipment to Madagascar through Project C.U.R.E., and corporate funders, which resulted in delivery of nine 40-foot shipping containers to several hospitals and clinics.

You are invited…. It’s not too late to register~

“Partners Against Poverty” Fundraiser

to benefit the

Public-Private Alliance Foundation and its work in Haiti

Thursday    November 4    6 – 8 pm

Since the January 12 earthquake PPAF is helping Haitians revitalize their country by partnering with business, the Diaspora, non-profits, the Government, the United Nations and individuals on key projects that improve peoples’ lives and help achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. The fundraiser will help advance this. The Foundation also works in the Dominican Republic and Madagascar.

The setting for the event is the outstanding exhibit of Haitian paintings on display at Affirmation Arts, on 37^th Street in Manhattan.

 The Foundation welcomes  actor/director Tony Plana (of “Ugly Betty” fame) and pundit Ian Williams to its November 4 Benefit.   Ian will turn mixologist for samples of Haiti’s internationally famous Barbancourt Rum.   Michael Yarema, Executive Vice President and National Sales Manager at Crillon Importers will comment on the importance of Barbancourt Rum to the Haitian economy.

A current main focus for the Foundation is collaboration with several partners to promote improved stoves and fuel in Haiti.  Locally-grown and distilled sugar ethanol will fuel cookstoves manufactured, marketed and distributed in the country.  The project aims to improve lives and health, especially for women and children, and reduce the heavy reliance on wood and charcoal that has stripped the country of forest and topsoil.  Livelihoods for farmers and small scale entrepreneurs will likewise be improved.

Come enjoy the artwork, learn more about the Foundation’s work, and help Haiti build back better.

WHEN:   Thursday, November 4, from 6 to 8 pm

WHERE: Affirmation Arts, 523 West 37^th St., Manhattan (1/2 block from the Javitts Center; nearest subway is Penn Station)

REFRESHMENTS: Wine, soft drinks hors d’oevres and a tasting of Barbancourt Rum!

TICKETS:  Students and under 30’s — $30; supporters — $50; sponsors — $250 and up.  Go to: www.ppafoundation.org and click on the “Donate” buttons for PayPal or JustGive.  (This will save waiting in a line!) Donations also accepted at the door but please RSVP.

 RSVP:  Tel: 914-924-1413 or e-mail ppafoundation@gmail.com 

The Public-Private Alliance Foundation welcomes two great supporters to its November 4 Benefit.   To attend the Benefit, meet and network, view great Haitian art, and to contribute to the Foundation, see the Blog article of October 22, below. 

  Tony Plana

Tony Plana (in Ugly Betty)

Noted actor Tony Plana recently starred as Ignacio Suarez, the widowed father to America Ferrera’s Ugly Betty, in ABC’s hit series. He starred previously in Showtime’s original series, Resurrection Boulevard, and was nominated for two Alma Awards for best actor.  He has also guest starred on Royal Pains.

Plana has starred in more than 70 feature films, including JFK, Nixon, Salvador, An Officer and a Gentleman, Lone Star, Three Amigos, Born in East L.A., El Norte, 187, Primal Fear, Romero, One Good Cop, Havana, The Rookie, Silver Strand and Picking Up the Pieces with Woody Allen. He recently appeared Half Past Dead with Steven Segal, Morris Chestnut, and JaRul; The Lost City, with Andy Garcia, Bill Murray, and Dustin Hoffman; and Disney’s highly acclaimed GOAL, The Dream Begins!;in  El Muerto starring Wilbur Valderama, Justified, Towards Darkness, and AmericanEast with Tony Shaloub. 

 On television he recently starred in the Showtime Original Miniseries, Fidel, as the notorious Cuban dictator, Batista, as well as Showtime’s Noriega: God’s Favorite. He has portrayed leading roles in Veronica Claire for Lifetime, Bakersfield P.D. for FOX and Steven Bocco’s Total Security and City of Angels for ABC.  He has also appeared in several Emmy award winning programs such as Sweet Fifteen, Drug Wars: The Camarena Story, The Burning Season: The Life and Death of Chico Mendes and a special episode of L.A. Law.  Mr. Plana has portrayed recurring roles on NBC’s The West Wing as the U.S. Secretary of State, FOX’S 24, CSI, Monk, Almost Perfect, and The Closer for TNT. 

 Plana has been very active in live theatre.  On Broadway, his credits include Zoot Suit and The Boys of Winter, and a wide variety of productions in many other venues.   

 He is the recipient of many awards for outstanding work in film, television and theater.  

 Plana celebrated his solo directorial debut in December 2000 with The Princess and the Barrio Boy, which won the 2001 Imagen Award for Best Made for Television Movie.  He also has directed several episodes of Nickelodeon’s hit series, The Brothers Garcia, and the season finale of Greetings from Tucson for the Warner Brothers Network. 

 Plana is also the co-founder and executive artistic director of the East L.A. Classic Theatre, a group comprised primarily of Hispanic American theatre professionals.  The Theatre has served the Latino community through educational outreach programs to primary and secondary schools and through bi-lingual education. 

 Plana earned a Bachelor’s degree in literature and theatre arts at Loyola-Marymount University, Los Angeles, graduating magna cum laude.  He received professional training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England.  He is married to actress, Ada Maris and is the proud father of Alejandro and Isabel.  For more, see:  www.tonyplana.com   

Ian Williams

Ian Williams