planetécole

Sanaa is Not Using Its Rainwater

2013-08-23T11:19:00.001-04:00

Like a number of us interested in Yemen's water issue, I saw this brief video by the BBC earlier this week:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23777176

Wish I had a chance to meet the reporter to show him that rainwater is and can be harvested in Sanaa city and not just in agricultural areas.

An interesting large rooftop rainwater harvesting site can be found at Bilquis Club for Women in Sanaa, Yemen. The site could be even larger than it is currently because the club's facilities are part of a large park dedicated to families. Half of the park floods during a heavy rain like what happened this past week in Sanaa. The flooding is magnified by water that is channeled into the park from a main street in Sanaa. Meanwhile the park has four wells, two of which have run dry. One of the two is nearly 1000 meters down and is actually a bore hole.

However, ensuring this park really is family friendly and returning things to way they were (simply put: getting the water back into the ground - groundwater recharge) will require some commitment by folks to realize the vast amounts of water that could be more properly channeled.

I had once heard that a former leader of Yemen had divided the city into areas that would be serviced by parks, centers and schools - all walkable. That type of urban planning unfortunately did not happen. The lack of planning ensures that there will be much of the city needlessly under water that could be channeled elsewhere.

Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting in Aden?

2013-04-19T10:42:00.000-04:00

Recently I was asked about rainwater harvesting in Aden. The governorate of Aden (well really it’s a city) receives on average 39 mm (1.5 in) of precipitation annually. See http://www.weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-precipitation-Rainfall,Aden,Yemen.

So rooftop rainwater harvesting may not be the most practical idea for Aden, although there are historical cisterns in Aden, as I was reminded, and they did collect rainwater flowing off Jebel Shamsan (Aden's Shamsan smallish mountain range). These are the famed cisterns or tanks of Tawila. Here’s a link to a 1965 photo of the tanks: http://loel.smugmug.com/Photography/gails-photos-aden/4649013_nX3DpB/274502832_5n243Cs#!i=274502832&k=5n243Cs. Also there is a clear write up on the tanks in a British-maintained Adeny history site called Aden Airways in honor of that former airline. Similarly, there is a useful entry in Wikipedia on the tanks. Perhaps I may even know the editor of this wiki entry.

In any event, as the links above inform, the tanks did collect rainwater. They still can. However, the last time that had heard that the tanks had collected rainwater was in 1993 - twenty years ago! In fact the 1993 rain events were so severe that international donor assistance was requested by the Yemeni government. Here’s the United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs cable on the rain events of 1993. The rains seem to have spanned a four-day period. When I visited Aden in early 1994 the middle and lower tanks still had water in them (the photo above was a print from 1993 that I scanned about five years ago). Another heavy rain event occurred in 2010 but the tanks were not filled.

So would I do rainwater harvesting in Aden? Well I wouldn’t do rooftop rainwater harvesting given the minimal precipitation each year. I would probably suggest maintaining the tanks in preparation for the next major rain event. A Yemeni graduate of a USAID program in the 1980s actually had secured support from the Qataris to do this; he was transferred from Aden before the project could be finalized, and according to local officials, the Qataris lost interest and the tanks were not supported. This communal area that plays an important part in the drainage of Shamsan mountain should be supported.

Keep the rain coming

2013-04-19T10:36:00.001-04:00

Keep the rain coming!

The Sa'ilah of the Old City: River or Highway?

2013-04-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Rain events in Sanaa are serious and we have to find serious ways to collect that rainwater.

On a typical day, the sa'ilah (the seasonal watercourse that traverses to the Old City and ends in Al Rawdha) is a thru-fare for vehicles (but no longer for pedestrians). When it rains the sa'ilah is virtually impassible. As the pictures show below, the Old City drainage from both sides of the sa'ilah is fed into the highway, now river, and continues to Al Rawdha.

Cycling in Al Rawdha

2013-04-05T01:26:00.000-04:00

In addition to the Old City of Sanaa, which incidentally may be stripped of its UNESCO World Heritage site status (the unfortunate subject of a future blog post), the RAINS project has also focused on Al Rawdha neighborhood. This neighborhood in the far reaches of the Capital Secretariat has been known as the Garden City because of its many vineyards.

As much of the city of Sanaa suffers from a diminishing water supply, Al Rawdha still maintains some lovely vineyards and gardens, but not as many as it did in the 1970s. (I’ll also write about these gardens and rainwater harvesting concepts in coming posts.)

As a natural low lying drainage area, Al Rawdha is relatively speaking flat. There are no significant ascents or descents except a small bridge over the saila, the seasonal watercourse that traverses the city of Sanaa, the Old City, and ends in Al Rawdha area. With Rawdha’s grape vineyards, mud houses, small windy roads, the area is both aesthetically and practically an easy place to ride bicycles.

In fact cycling is a pastime for a number of young people in Al Rawdha. It has perhaps the largest concentration of bicycles. Anecdotally, a few young men from Al Rawdha reported that they were not as affected by the fuel shortage surrounding the Arab Spring because taking bicycles was natural for many of them. I cannot verify that claim but I can certainly say that there were a lot of bikes in Al Rawdha!

Green Programming Along the Way

2013-03-28T10:31:00.000-04:00

As we've been working to promote rainwater harvesting in Sanaa, we have seen a number of "green" projects - urban beekeeping, recycling programs, solar installations, and even an urban wind turbine.

Here's a recycling center around Qiyada Street at the edge of Tahrir district of Sanaa. This center is relatively large and active. These photos do not include the numerous visitors who stopped by in the few minutes I took pictures (and before they realized that I was around).

Where to Go for Rainwater Harvesting Resources

2013-03-23T05:00:00.000-04:00

We get a lot of requests for information on resources on rainwater harvesting and similar ideas for water collection and use.

Currently my planetecole.org webpage provides links to resources that the RAINS teams uses for its sites as well as a few external links. My strengths do not lie in website design so I've been delaying the updates. I hope to update the page for more additional links soon.

A few highlight of updates include:

Zenrainman and his Rainwater Club - I've been seeing his name appear on news feeds and look forward to learning more about his work.

and

Brad Lancaster - He gave a presentation supported by USAID on urban rainwater harvesting in September 2011 in Amman, Jordan. I was on my way back to Yemen from Jordan around the time of his presentation. I wish that I had known he was there! Anyway, I've pasted a link to his presentation here because I think his first few statements have great meaning for all of us as stewards of where we live!

Thank Yous!

2013-03-22T08:33:00.000-04:00

On behalf of the RAINS team and on this World Water Day, thank you belatedly to the Global Urbanist for its article on the RAINS project. Special thanks to the writer, Najiyah Alwazir, whose well-known family originally hails from the Old City of Sanaa.

And again a special thanks to the Philips Livable Cities award for supporting this important project!

RAINS: Close the Valves!

2013-03-21T10:06:00.003-04:00

The first heavy rain of the 2013 season fell yesterday in the city of Sanaa!

And, that's my pond, I mean submerged garden, above about an hour after the last rain event in my area. The accumulated rainfall is not slowing, spreading, and sinking well in the garden, and unfortunately there is no underground well in this location. Addressing this water management landscaping faux-pas (not my own) is next on the list to address.

I love the first heavy rain but also feel sad about all the lost water. The good news is I checked the purge valves of three RAINS sites yesterday evening and all of them had clean water running through. Debris that would have collected since the last rainfall had washed through. With a periodic sweep of the rooftop checking for any large items in the filters and with this first heavy rain, it's now time to close the purge valves (like the one below) and collect rainwater!

"Abu Elf"

2013-03-21T08:10:00.000-04:00

In an earlier post, I described an Abu Elf. In Yemeni Arabic, things are often given short names to refer to what they do or in this case what they hold.

Plastic storage tanks are given a standard name of “Abu”(which means “Type of” in this case, not "father") and then their size.

So the 12,000 liter tank that we use on some RAINS sites is in theory called “Abu Ithnashar Elf”, the type of 12,000, or the type of tank that would hold 12,000 liters of water.

However, it's even faster to call these tanks "Abu Elf".

Above is a video of a group of men delivering this massive tank to one of the Old City RAINS sites in late April 2012. The community worked together to offload this massive tank. You can also visit this link: http://youtu.be/F_hZVKwMXDE

What a little rain means

2013-03-21T07:26:00.000-04:00

Here is what just a little rain in the city means. This was a little rain did on April 10, 2012. Gutters do not exist here.

My favorite post is yet to come on what a little rain can do or in the case I show not do.

You can also find the brief video at: http://youtu.be/2Qd-WVg7z0A

Water matters

2012-12-01T07:36:00.000-05:00

Last May, the Old City of Sanaa, a UNESCO world heritage site, was not receiving mashroo water (city water) on a regular basis. One particular bad week in early May, families in this quarter had sent their children and teens to collect water from Wayshali mosque in jugs and in whatever fashion possible.

Rainwater harvesting future plans!

2012-11-01T04:15:00.000-04:00

Here are some ideas for rainwater harvesting as this project continues to work with Yemenis on meaningful and simple solutions to the water situation in Yemen. Again, special thanks to the Philips Livable Cities Award for Meaningful Innovations!

http://www.meaningfulinnovation.philips.com/Awards-Summary-Page/Sabrina-Project/

Early Ideas on RAINS

2012-08-11T07:02:00.000-04:00

Here are some early ideas on the RAINS project. Initially we at the RAINS team wanted to look at filling underground tanks. Like these drawings featured below.

One day walking along Zubairy Street (the original center of the city of Sanaa), we happened upon above-ground tanks made by Sintex. The tanks we've been looking hold either 5,000, 8,000, or 12,000 liters. The 5,000 liter tank has been shown in a previous post

At some point we'd like to talk to the Sintex distributor in Yemen.

RAINS: Meeting Dr. Rajiv Shah

2012-06-22T05:00:00.000-04:00

An incredibly exciting opportunity arose for me to meet Dr. Rajiv Shah, the USAID Administrator, this past week! For Dr. Shah's first visit to Yemen, USAID Yemen organized a roundtable on water and I was invited to the roundtable!

I'm really still quite bubbly about the experience because it was a real privilege. I've heard about Dr. Shah from his work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with the Green Alliance and other areas. And I am pleased to report that what I had heard about him matched my brief interaction with him.

Dr. Shah engaged with other participants in the roundtable on water use, challenges and possible solutions in Yemen. Everything related to water in Yemen was discussed - diesel subsidies for irrigation and transportation of qat, the crop of qat, extraction practices that date back to the 1970s, and irrigation techniques like drip irrigation.

At the point that I met him, Dr. Shah apparently had already attended several other roundtables on civil society, private sector development, and the transitional government. He was focused yet open to different viewpoints. He must have been tired at that point but he kept going. It was clear that he engages well with a wide-range of people and brings significant experience and knowledge to the U.S.'s international development portfolio. I'm glad the U.S. has people on board like Dr. Shah.

I had hoped to show Dr. Shah and other distinguished guests like the Deputy Chief of Mission and the Assistant Administrator of USAID one of the RAINS sites in the Old City of Sanaa. Unfortunately the event got cancelled at the last minute, but as they say a picture is worth a thousand words so I distributed a lot of pictures.

Special thanks to the RAINS site implementation team on putting together and constantly improving RAINS sites!

Challenges, Challenges, Challenges

2012-06-15T04:22:00.000-04:00

Yes all projects have challenges but they have bright spots too. Those bright spots are when suddenly the world clicks with you, and when a group of people understand the challenges and then together you work towards solutions. (I'm going to have to remember this information for next year when the UN marks its International Year of Cooperation for the 2013 World Water Day.)

Below is one blog post for the Philips award that references. Enjoy the video - I hope to go back and add some photos to this page soon too. It's starting to have too much text!

http://www.meaningfulinnovation.philips.com/Awards-Summary-Page/Sabrina-Project/#/entry-3

Working in the Old City on RAINS Addendum

2012-05-04T12:55:00.001-04:00

We have been asked where the materials are obtained to implement the RAINS system. We’ve also been asked where the workers come from. The simple answer in both cases is: From Yemen!

As far as workers, a site can employ as many as ten Yemeni workers to accomplish different tasks – cementing, plumbing, painting, and transporting among others.

Small RAINS items also require Yemeni workmanship. As an example, we are using custom-made mesh filters for the RAINS drainage pipes. The filters were designed and prepared in the Old City by a young craftsman named Hamood. Here are some photos of wares for sale at Hamood’s Old City store in the metalworking part of the souk (traditional market).

The storage tanks are also purchased in Yemen. In fact, the journey to develop the RAINS system saw a big boost when my husband and I stopped at a store that sold only tanks about three years ago. It was there that we realized what types of storage tanks are available in Yemen. We knew that with the type of typical rain event in Sanaa a large storage container would be needed and most people only had small tanks.

The tank store and its warehouse are located off Al-Zubairy Street, one of the capital’s major thoroughfares and an area that used to be one of the more interesting people engaging walks in the city. The warehouse offered tanks for sale that range in size from 500 liters (too small for RAINS) to 12,000 liters, the largest commercially available tank in Sanaa.

The RAINS team just installed a 12,000 liter tank at its third Old City site. These storage tanks are given a standard name of “Abu” (which means “Type of”) and their size. So the 12,000 liter tank is called “Abu Ithnashar Elf”. We have a video of a group of men from the third Old City site’s community working together to offload this massive tank.

Working on the RAINS Project in the Old City of Sanaa

2012-05-04T07:59:00.001-04:00

The planetecole team for the RAINS (Rainwater Aggregation in Sanaa) project is pleased to announce that it has recently completed a total of three sites in the Old City and has selected three more sites in the Old City, the most famous part of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. Each site for the RAINS project is unique and has its own challenges.

From the outset of the RAINS project we anticipated the challenge that most rooftops in the Old City are not single, flat units. That is, Old City buildings usually have multiple rooftops that are relatively small in size and are staggered at varying, inconsistent heights.

A second challenge is that many Old City rooftops have multiple drainage holes that remove rainwater to all sides of a building. This challenge involves lots of piping and creativity as we need to figure out a way to connect all the drainage holes without harming the building’s historic integrity.

The third challenge involves dealing with rooftops that are traditionally made of dirt. These have to be cemented, and in two cases so far, almost completely redone.

To address all of these challenges, the RAINS project has created a sort of cascading waterfall effect with higher, smaller rooftops draining to lower, larger ones, and into piping located on one or two sides of the building. The piping is also painted an earthen color that corresponds to the color of the mud brick houses.

We are pleased also to note that there are additional benefits to the RAINS project. Our second Old City site recently uncovered a traditional masonry well that has been out of use for more than 40 years. The plan for this Old City site is to return water to the well again using an overflow valve from the RAINS system storage tank once it is full. This will be the first RAINS site to support replenishing ground water supplies as they were traditionally collected.

Additional benefits of work in the Old City have included fixing rooftops that may have collapsed with inhabitants underneath them (with workers waterproofing and completing the rooftops for the RAINS system many of the busy top floor rooms have been left alone by inhabitants). Repairing and waterproofing the roofs will lend years, if not decades, of new life to these ancient structures.

Further, after almost two years of maintenance neglect (thanks to the political and economic crisis that engulfed Yemen throughout 2011), investments by the RAINS project have encouraged inhabitants to follow up with their own additional upgrades to their buildings. Every household in the Old City that the RAINS team has worked on has implemented some type of upgrade such as fixing traditional doors and whitewashing interiors. These are small but important steps as many Old City inhabitants have extended families that live elsewhere in the capital and they could easily move away, as many have, leaving behind decaying buildings in this wonderful living city. In helping them to preserve their houses, we are also bringing back the pride that people, including young people, have in living in the Old City.

In a coming post, I hope to write about the young people of the Old City – their hopes for a future Yemen and the steps they are taking to achieve their dreams. This includes venturing out to new places on international exchanges and educational opportunities.

For more information about the RAINS system, please see our website at http://www.planetecole.org/resources/the-rainwater-aggregation-in-sanaa-rains-project/

EducationUSA

2011-12-04T08:10:00.000-05:00

Not on Twitter? That's ok. You can still use it to find great information about study abroad opportunities. EducationUSA, the U.S. Department of State network, to provide information about studying in the U.S. offers great links and updates via Twitter. Just search for EdUSAtips for the lastet updates. EdUSAtips Latest EdUSA Weekly Update (for Nov. 28th) now available on the PDF link at facebook.com/EducationUSA fb.me/X218plen

Goodbye to a Fulbright Alumnus

2011-09-04T17:41:00.000-04:00

In the midst of all the talk about the rebel take-over of Tripoli, a story emerged that same Monday ‎that didn’t make the same headlines because it was a bit further afield of the interest of the many – ‎it’s a story from the country of Yemen. ‎

Mr. Abdulaziz Abdulghani, a former prime minister of Yemen (two times) had died from severe ‎wounds sustained in the presidential mosque bombing in June. Learning this news was a shock as well as a sad reminder of the bloodshed that comes with ‎attempts at violent change.‎

Mr. Abdulghani was an alumnus of the world’s most prestigious exchange program, the U.S. Department of State's Fulbright ‎Program. He received his higher degree in the United States–specifically in the state of Colorado. From all appearances, ‎Mr. Abdulghani exemplified the qualities of the Fulbright Program–first an educator and then a ‎leader (in this case a long-time public servant) who took the tools of exchange to work towards ‎bridging the gap between east and west. As one of Yemen's most famous Fulbrighters, he was the ‎secretary general of the Fulbright Alumni Association in Yemen; it was an honorary position but one ‎he felt keenly responsible for even when he had many other duties.‎

His belief in the value of international education and exchange extended to his pivotal role in one of ‎the most successful scholarship and corporate social responsibility programs in Yemen – the Canadian Nexen ‎Scholarship Program. His support of the Nexen Scholarship program, which sought to bring a variety ‎of the most talented youth in Yemen to pursue degrees related to the petroleum industry in Yemen ‎to a few selected institutions in Calgary, resulted in a small cadre (over 100 in over a decade of operation) of ‎talented Yemenis in that important regional industry. To date, no other oil company has achieved that level ‎of scholarship assistance in Yemen. This program also brought together people from different political, educational and personal backgrounds to include a ‎healthy number of young people without any connections. Supporting such a program, and not ‎bowing to the numerous wasta claims, demonstrated his belief in the future of Yemen with youth from all ‎backgrounds and locations.‎

What seems to be evident is that throughout his public life, Mr. Abdulghani did not lose sight of his unique opportunities in the U.S. and he ‎remained in touch with his alma mater, Colorado College, even all these many years later. It is ‎relatively well known that Mr. Abdulghani encouraged donors to support funding for young people to ‎reach the U.S. (among other countries) for undergraduate degrees. Mr. Abdulghani recognized that a ‎solid educational base for earnest and energetic Yemeni youth would help build Yemen and help it ‎face the challenges of the future. He believed that raising opportunities for even a few well-rounded ‎young people could raise the standards for all. Unfortunately, there was a whole generation (actually ‎almost two generations) after Mr. Abdulghani who did not have such exposure.‎

This is hardly a complete eulogy of Mr. Abdulghani, but with this short note we hope ‎to recognize his role in international education and exchange in Yemen. His shoes will be difficult ones to fill in ‎the future in Yemen –will any of those who returned to Yemen after their own higher education opportunities in the west share the vision of making opportunities ‎possible for others, especially if the others aren’t connected to their own families? We hope ‎so. In the meantime, "goodbye to a Fulbright alumnus.‎"

Why We Think Rainwater Harvesting is Important In Yemen

2011-08-19T03:16:00.000-04:00

Sanaa, Yemen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the country's burgeoning capital, is running out of ‎water. Experts predict that Sanaa's water supply may be exhausted by as early as 2017 and, if so, it will ‎be the first capital city to run out of water in the world.‎

To date, no effective solution has been proposed. Yet, one need only look to Yemen’s history for a ‎possible solution. For thousands of years, Yemenis used cisterns to harvest rain water. Sanaa receives ‎an average of 170 mm per year; other areas in Yemen may receive up to 1,000 mm per year. Yet, ‎within the last century, Yemenis have nearly abandoned that practice of collecting rainwater in ‎village cisterns. Our proposal is to restore the ancient technique of rainwater harvesting with a ‎modern twist to produce a system capable of capturing from 10,000 liters a year to 100,000 liters a ‎year per structure. The concept is simple: ‎

Utilize Yemen’s existing flat roofs to capture water, funnel it to a structure’s existing ground-‎level or underground storage tank, and then pump that water back to an existing second roof-‎top storage tank for domestic use.‎

Water is, of course, one of the most essential requirements for life and healthy living. Moreover, a ‎lack of water restricts development and is the result of as much as 70 percent of all conflicts in ‎Yemen(1). At per capita usage rates of approximately 125 cubic meters per year‎ ‎ (whereas the ‎MENA region is at 1,250 cubic meters per year ‎ ‎ and the world average is much higher at over 7,000 ‎cubic meters), Yemen is not only facing an acute water shortage, but also the quality of what water its ‎inhabitants get is poor, with non-point-specific pollution common, the prevalence of microbes, and ‎resulting disease common, especially among the very young and the elderly. A stand-alone water ‎catchment/filtration system will provide Yemeni households with clean water, increase their ‎independence, and lessen their financial burden (many rely on expensive water trucks to meet their ‎daily needs).‎

‎(1) Former Minister of Water and Environment Abdulrahman Al Eryani, quoted in Laura Kasinof, “At heart of ‎Yemen's conflicts: water crisis”, CS Monitor, http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2009/1105/p06s13-‎wome.html

‎(2) “Yemen's Water Crisis a Mideast Warning for Decades That Lie Ahead,” October 29, 2009, ‎http://www.ecoworld.com/other/yemens-water-crisis-mideast-warning.html

‎(3) Christopher Ward, Principal Operations Officer for the Middle East and North Africa in the Rural Development, ‎Water and Environment Department of the World Bank, Yemen’s Water Crisis, http://www.al-‎bab.com/bys/articles/ward01.htm

Less than Twenty-Four Hours; More than 10,000 Liters‎

2011-08-13T03:03:00.000-04:00

In less than 24 hours and with two heavy rains, we accumulated over 10,000 liters of rainwater for use ‎at an office in Sanaa. Using a prototype of the RAINS system, a rainwater aggregation project that recently ‎won the Philips Livable Cities Award water was collected from the flat rooftop between one August ‎Saturday afternoon to the following Sunday morning. ‎

The RAINS system is relatively simple: Ensure that the rainwater which falls on the flat rooftops of ‎buildings in Sanaa flows into pipes that are attached to water storage tanks, rather than just having ‎the water drain from pipes or water holes onto the street below and evaporate. To make the water ‎potable it can be filtered. For other uses, it can be pumped up to the rooftop storage tank or into ‎underground tanks (if these are available). At the current prices for a water truck (around YR 10,000 or ‎USD $40), each time the tanks are filled, that amount is saved.

These two tanks were filled in just two heavy rainfalls in under 24 hours. The water collected by these two tanks is stored in an underground storage tank that normally calls for one large water truck (wight or booza) to fill.

This system is a prototype still being assessed as the rainy season progresses. We are pleased with its ‎success, but it is likely that we would have collected even more water. This system does require ‎oversight in times of heavy rains. Late Sunday morning we noticed that our water storage tanks were ‎full and in fact overflowing which allowed a lot of water to escape unused to the pavement. We used ‎a hose to drain the water from the upper tanks to an underground tank which is directly connected by ‎a water pump to our rooftop tank, but the hose had a kink in it, causing water to back up and overflow ‎once the above-ground tanks were filled. Once the kink was sorted out, it took another twenty-four ‎hours to empty the 10,000 liters and fill up the underground water tank and the rains were still falling ‎in Sanaa. Imagine if every building and every house in Sanaa were doing the same!‎

Water is the source of life. Yet increasingly groundwater reserves in Yemen are dwindling and are not ‎easily or quickly replenishable. During the summer rains in Sanaa, hundreds of thousands of liters of ‎water can be seen streaming down streets and then eventually evaporating in the sun. Once water ‎hits the pavements it is no longer sanitary. Further, the rising cost of trucked, filtered, and bottled ‎water is making its cost prohibitive for many families in Sanaa and there is no guarantee that the ‎water is hygienic. The RAINS system proposes alternatives in water management. ‎

The RAINS concept is simple and it is a Yemeni solution practiced by generations of Yemenis until forgotten in the ‎urbanization and modernization process that focused on exploiting groundwater reserves rather than ‎relying on rainwater catchment. In Yemen’s countryside, empty cisterns sit disused, while diesel-‎powered pumps busily deplete Yemen’s dwindling groundwater reserves.‎

The RAINS project seeks partner organizations to help implement the system on a larger scale in ‎Sanaa. Interested parties should contact admin@planetecole.com. ‎

RAINS (Rainwater Aggregation in Sana'a Project) Pitch

2011-06-05T01:17:00.005-04:00

You may have heard the pitch but if not, it’s below. This pitch was created by creative specialists with Philips ‎for the wining award (ours):‎

‎“For many people living in cities, access to water is often taken for granted. Not so in the ‎city of ‎Sana’a in Yemen. Here, rainfall is seasonal, and water can quickly become scarce, ‎and the city’s water ‎table is dropping rapidly, so a more sustainable approach to water ‎consumption is required.‎

‎“This year’s one of Philips Livable Cities Award ideas aims to address ‎the problem of water shortage ‎in Sana’a. By using existing flat rooftops in Sana’a as well as their rooftop water storage tanks, water ‎can be captured during Sana’a’s two the ‎rainy seasons. These are routed through filters to remove ‎contaminants and placed into ground-level ‎storage tanks. With each tank able to store up to 5,000 ‎liters, the water – accessible via a ‎pump – would last through the drier periods the city experiences ‎and would help reduce ‎reliance on dwindling groundwater reserves. And by improving the quality of ‎the water, the ‎scheme could also result in significant health benefits for the population of Sana’a, ‎‎especially the young and elderly populations who are often the most affected by water-‎borne ‎disease.‎‏"‏

Please find below a link to the Philips You Tube video on the project.

RAINS and Following Up Opportunities, or Our Pitch for Going For It!‎

2011-06-01T23:58:00.024-04:00

The planetecole blog has usually been reserved for promoting the work of a variety of people who have made ‎differences in their communities after their experiences abroad through international exchanges, ‎scholarships, internships, or forms of citizen diplomacy. Today we present a slight departure from our ‎typical blog post and will talk about a project in which we have gotten involved as a result of our ‎experience abroad. We rarely “toot our own horn,” but this is for a higher cause in any event. ‎

Over a year ago we applied to the Philips Livable Cities Award. We read about the program on the ‎internet as we have a strong interest in livable and sustainable cities. This interest has been our ‎avocation for some time. ‎

Then, we saw Richard Florida, a well-known urban studies professor, on CNN, and learned more ‎about the Philips Awards program. The program he was pitching on CNN didn’t call for being an urban ‎planner, just being an interested individual who is involved in some way with his or her community. ‎Thus, based on our experiences living in Sanaa, Yemen and knowing some of the challenges and ‎opportunities that face citizens there, we decided that we would submit an idea we had tested on a ‎small scale—rainwater harvesting—and which met the Philips objectives of having a simple idea ‎that is implementable and replicable.‎

In January this year, we learned that our project had been short-listed as a semi-finalist from over 450 ‎project proposals submitted from 29 countries around the world! As a follow up, an online voting ‎program opened in late February with Philips media support. ‎‎

We faced a challenge there as online voting occurred during the Arab Spring uprisings and ended in ‎late March. In April, we were invited to take part in the awards ceremony in Amsterdam, which is not ‎only a very livable city from a transportation perspective but also a great place for cycling (one of our ‎favorite activities). In the afternoon, all eight finalists met as a group and had an opportunity to ‎network with each other. We met some great individuals and hope to highlight some of their efforts ‎in future blogs. ‎

The next evening was the black tie gala awards ceremony at one of the world’s most famous ‎museums—the Rijksmuseum. As we’ve mentioned to countless ‎friends, how many people have the opportunity to dine under famous Rembrandts and other works ‎of art?! Incredible . . . and special thanks to the Rijksmuseum and Philips for organizing such an ‎elegant event with dignitaries, including the Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam, representatives from the ‎office of the Mayor of Suchi (Russian city to host 2014 Olympics), and the U.S. Ambassador to the ‎Netherlands.‎

Photo Courtesy of Philips. Photography by Robert Aarts. Finalists at Philips in Amsterdam.

At the gala event, it was an honor and pleasure to meet famous urban planners and practitioners. ‎There were a number of representatives from Philips including the CEO of Philips Benelux Henri ‎Hendriks–and the mistress of ceremonies, former CNN journalist Valerie Coleman-Morris, who ‎filmed and promoted the ideas for public vote. (She is a great supporter of women entrepreneurism .) We look forward to hearing more from all of the business leaders, idea-makers and journalists in the ‎future.‎

Of course the most special part of the evening occurred near the latter half. This is when we learned that our ‎project was the first prize winner!!!! ‎

We had no thought about being the winner and were stunned. The panelists had decided:

“What ‎really impressed us with the scheme was the proposed execution of a relatively simple concept that ‎will have such a significant impact on the lives of so many people across the city of Sana’a. We’re ‎looking forward to seeing the idea come to life and improving the health and well-being of the ‎residents of Sana’a.”‎

Thank you Philips! Special thanks to all of the supporters of this project, and most importantly thank you Yemen--the ‎challenges that you’ve presented have always been opportunities for learning and growth.‎

Finally, with this posting, there are two themes we’d like to share:‎

‎If you have a good idea that is simple and seeks a positive change, try to make it happen; and
Look for opportunities that are win-win and submit your proposal for funding.‎

Some Random Thoughts

2011-04-14T10:39:00.000-04:00

It's been forever and a day since I've posted on international exchanges. Meanwhile so many events happening around the world.

I've seen great stories about high school exchange students involved in providing assistance to Japanese families affected by the earthquake and tsunami. I've seen lots of press about the demonstrations and protests sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa but not much on ways to move forward in that region. I'm sure that policy makers are looking at different ideas, but I hope that they can convince Congress that we need to increase our exchange portfolios now between peoples and not cut them. It's a critical time where we all can benefit.

Unfortunately, I'm hearing about programs possibly being cut--programs like the language teaching assistantships. I'm also hearing stories about Americans being evacuated home without the possibility of completing their programs or grants. This practice of sending people home when there is unrest is an evolving stance. Even a couple of years ago I heard of American grantees being reassigned. In the past however that was not the case. It happened to my husband when his Fulbright student grant was cut short some years ago due to a civil war. He was lucky, however, he had completed the bulk of his research and was able to publish more than 10 articles. Unfortunately an initiative he wanted to find sponsorship for didn't get the time it needed to move forward.

In any event, expanding exchanges is an important key to moving forward for everybody.