A strong network of NGOs, grass-roots organizations, corporations and individuals working together to engage international Caribbean island tourism to facilitate:

• Improving and protecting social and ecological environments,
• Introducing renewable energy solutions,
• Propagating Fair Trade products / services,
• Celebrating the rich historical cultural splendor of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Trees are being destroyed in the Dominican Republic faster than they are being replanted. The government has offered propane at subsidized prices, but low income families still primarily rely on wood / charcoal that they scrounge. Trees on protected land in the DR are being smoked into charcoal which is then smuggled into Haiti. The DR has one of the largest divides between the wealthy and those in poverty in the Western Hemisphere, and Haiti is dramatically worse in this regard. The Chicago Tribune rated the DR as the number one tourist destination in the Caribbean, but the vast majority of the 4.5 million visitors to the DR do not leave the resort zones of the island. Few realize that the DR has over 500 years of cultural heritage, over 12,000,000 people and is larger than many northeastern states. Blog sites indicate that tourists are seeking to help Dominican people but they are unsure how they can benefit the locals. Many Dominicans pay little attention to their own diverse heritage. Profit is key in the DR. Once cultural programming is shown to be profitable, it is likely to catch on as it has in other destinations. Litter is also a huge problem, affecting land and waterways.

El Fuego del Sol (EFdS) S.R.L. is a Dominican Triple-Bottom-Line LLC, owned and organized by Americans, Dominicans and Haitians. EFdS has worked for over 6 years on the Island of Hispaniola and was founded on the charter of: financial sustainability while working to benefit society and the environment. The three bottom lines are: people, planet and profit. With a gradually growing profit over the past 3 years, EFdS actively reaches out to established NGOs to help them accomplish their goals more effectively. EFdS created the Sun Oven Donation Program with the Dominican NGO, Grupo Jaragua (GJ) and local grass-roots organizations in some of the poorest areas of the Dominican Republic (DR) and in Haiti. EFdS and GJ work to generate international interest in the program which has led to financial support from NGOs in the US and Spain. GJ purchases Sun Ovens from EFdS, manufactured in our DR factory following Fair Trade standards. GJ uses the Sun Ovens to cook food for their staff and volunteers in their community centers. GJ also offers innovative ways for local residents to purchase discounted Sun Ovens and for those without money to earn their own Sun Ovens through community service hours with GJ. This program is detailed in the whitepaper available in pdf at www.elfugeodelsol.com. After working together since 2007, in September 2009 EFdS and GJ signed a legal operating agreement creating a true Hybrid Network (corporations and NGOs working together for mutual goals). The concepts of Triple-Bottom-Line Business and Hybrid Networks were unheard of in the DR, and they are the subject of innovative study programs in Universities internationally. EFdS also creates GeoTourism trips with Grupo CONACADO in the DR and Global Exchange in the US to promote Fair Trade Chocolate programs. EFdS works with several additional NGOs, corporations, and in consultation with the DR and US governments. The Alliance continues to grow.

EFdS Project Development Process: 1. Identify specific issues in the local community that could be improved through the introduction of new technologies. 2. Research ecological solutions with a proven record of improving lives elsewhere in the world. 3. Communicate with local citizens of the DR and Haiti to see if the innovation we have found could bring an improvement to their daily lives that residents actually want. -This step is often skipped by developmental efforts. 4. Evaluate similar technologies to choose the best model for the community (Not necessarily the cheapest.) 5. Research, design and adapt the introduction / adoption process through input from community leaders and potential clients. This step includes facilitating how the process will be financed. 6. Create as many Fair Trade jobs and incorporate as much locally sourced materials as possible. 7. Start with a pilot project and scale project size up when resources allow. 8. Invite international travelers to join us in the implementation as we celebrate the location, waterways, culture, history and cuisine. 9. Follow the concepts of the Development Assistance Pledge throughout the process. elfuegodelsol.com Results EFdS is working to scale-up the successful combination of carefully introducing ecological technologies to address specific development issues and incorporating international tourism as a driving financial engine for this process. The mutual benefit to our Dominican and Haitian clients as well as to our international visiting clients is also expected to continue and to grow as more technologies are introduced, more clients are contacted, and more international attention is generated by our programs. EFdS continues to pilot new programs, including micro-lending and additional ecological products to complement the Sun Oven. The key to continued results is to grow each program so it can be self-sufficient and financially sustainable. The solution must be sufficiently dramatic in it’s growing success in order to engage the key people and resources for each program to be sustained. Additional desired results include providing clients with more of the basics of life, including: safe, secure, comfortable housing; energy efficient municipal lighting; and an integrated plan, compatible with the Sun Oven program, to provide cooking options at all hours and in all weather conditions.

The DR and Haiti have the perfect climate for a wide range of renewable energy technologies. However, there is little renewable energy on the island. Yet when innovations prove to be convenient and financially beneficial, the percentage of adoption of the innovation can be much higher than in the US. More than half of the gasoline burning cars in the DR have been flex-fuel converted to run on propane as well. This conversion voids the cars’ warrantees, but since propane is government-subsidized, propane cost per gallon equivalent is less than half the cost of gasoline. No ecological innovation in the US could expect a 50% or higher adoption rate, but in the DR, if the innovation can be proven to save money, huge rates of adoption can be achieved quickly. A catastrophic problem now in Haiti is the lack of housing and building materials. EFdS is now engaging our Project Developmental Process (described above) to address this issue. In early 2011 we are preparing a major product introduction of ecological building materials. We are working with a Santo Domingo design firm to build the most ecological elementary school for the introduction of our building materials system. Throughout the year as our new building materials factory expands production, we will dedicate 10-20% of our production for cost-plus housing for Haiti. We are also finalizing our partnership with a US NGO to provide tax advantages to US citizens who support the Sun Oven Donation Program. April 27 – May 8 will be the next Fair Trade Chocolate Lovers Tour with Global Exchange. The plan for 2012, 2013 and beyond is the continued development and expansion of the programs and the Alliance. Hispaniola has the most rivers of any island in the Caribbean. The DR also has amazing water formations such as the Oviedo lagoon with over five times the salt and sulfur content of sea water. In our travel options, EFdS combines the exploration of the benefits of new technology, connection with history and culture and the exploration of the DR’s water features including rivers, lagoons and the sea. The more success and attention our technology innovations generate, the more international travelers will join us on our muti-faceted adventures. Success leads to more success, the more effective our innovative technology introductions and adoption, the more visitors and partners we may expect. Each person who learns to cook in a Dominican-built Sun Oven and then works to earn their own through our program is a huge success. Every person who works in the DR at a job of Fair Trade job quality producing one of our Sun Ovens or working with Grupo Jaragua for their distribution, introduction and adoption is a success. Every international visitor who enjoys one of our tours or volunteers for one of our programs is a success. We have every reason to believe our successes will continue. We have sufficient people involved in our current programs especially with the dedication and innovations provided by our partners at Grupo Jaragua. The problems we face have little chance of abating without the dedication of many people providing many additional programs, and all of our programs are designed to scale up and be replicated in other regions of the world. The issues are really better considered as obstacles or challenges, rather than barriers to success. These are some of the obstacles and challenges. There are always people who will resist considering new improvements out of some loyalty to the way things are. These people are in all cultures and in all positions of influence. Some challenges are provided by people who want to help, but are so focused on enlightening others that they resist listening to ways that their approach can be improved. The strongest obstacles are provided by those who are paid by the status quo and are worried that they will lose money personally by ideas and efforts that will help society and the planet. The key requirements to address these obstacles and challenges are flexibility, adaptation and tenacity.