Millions of displaced Haitian people have endured tents or worse for two years, post-earthquake. SSIP housing can be deployed in either temporary or permanent configurations. Fuego del Sol (FdS), a Dominican triple-bottom-line corporation, is prepared to deliver SSIP (Structural Steel Insulated Panels) to housing sites throughout the island of Hispaniola. FdS technology partners in the US can supply manufactured SSIPs now to the DR and Haiti while the Dominican FdS factory is created. The FdS solution features locally produced, Fair Trade, indigenous, and recycled materials - safely and comfortably housing people in need, providing good jobs and improving the urban ecology in a financially sustainable model. The FdS solution also features locally produced Sun Ovens and water filters.

Who owns what land is a huge problem in Haiti. Our homes can be assembled in a temporary configuration to quickly give people solid housing. Then they can be moved to permanent installation with only hand trucks. Walls can be finished to look like concrete. Culturally, Haitian people want the look and feel of concrete housing, but they don’t want it to fall on them. Our homes incorporate local, renewable and recycled materials, but Haitian partners helped design them to be comfortable. No one wants mud/wood huts. They want a solid house. Our plan addresses that issue sustainably. How will they cook? Our design (attached) has an integrated kitchen for cooking with Solar and biomass. Recipients should also participate in providing their own housing, so they value it and take pride in it. How will your project evolve over the next three years? Our product line is growing to ecologically provide complete human basic needs. We continue to add compatible products. The advent of our DR SIPP factory will be a huge step forward. Practical and ecological as EPS Foam is, it cannot be cost-effectively transported over water in its inflated/formed state. Our DR factory will provide over-road shipping throughout Hispañola, providing the first locally produced SSIPs on the island. FdS will continue to incorporate recycled and indigenous natural materials in the construction process whenever possible. We plan to create complete self-sufficient communities which include solar electricity, wind power, potable water, waste recycling and waste-to-energy. After proving the concepts on the island, we hope the ideas transfer to the US and beyond.

The El Fuego del Sol Geotourism Alliance is a strong network of NGOs, grass-roots organizations, corporations and individuals (from the DR, Haiti and the US) working together to engage international tourism to facilitate: Providing safe comfortable housing solutions Improving and protecting social and ecological environments Introducing renewable energy solutions Propagating Fair Trade products / services Celebrating the rich historical cultural splendor of the DR & Haiti. The best solution for building materials in the Dominican Republic and Haiti is El Fuego del Sol SSIPs. Stronger, safer and much more comfortable than concrete block, the completed buildings look and feel identical to block construction, but the cost of maintenance is less expensive. The walls are insulated for much more comfort with or without air conditioning. Perfect for hotels, resorts, retail, factories, schools, hospitals, individual homes, apartments, condominiums, community centers, and anywhere comfort and safety is important. Built to withstand the strongest hurricanes, and much safer than block in an earthquake. The Dominican Republic is a strengthening and economically growing democratic country; however, the D.R. has a dramatic shortage of viable building materials. The door is open for scalable profitable building solutions featuring ecological, indigenous and recycled products. The profitable Dominican market will subsidize the introduction of FdS SSIPs in Haiti. Work in Haiti will be based on the Cost-Plus model and will be marketed toward groups in Haiti creating communities.

Who or what (i.e. youth, women, environment, etc.) benefits from your project, and why is your project critical? The environment. The SSIP building materials benefits: The best protection from hurricanes is steel frame. With integrated Structural EPS Foam, FdS SSIPs are proven to resist wind loads of over 150 m.p.h. Earthquakes: Formed Structural EPS is a terrific shock absorber with tested resilience against the highest Zone 4 seismic loads. Fire-Resistant treated EPS Foam will not burn when in contact with open flame or direct heat. Surpasses US-EPA requirements: rated 2.5 times as safe as pine wood. Reducing the carbon footprint of buildings and prefabricating for zero jobsite waste Inorganic: will not support mold, termites, wood ants, etc. Carbon Sequestration: EPS foam locks carbon within the walls for safe durable performance for the life of the building. Then, the full system can be recycled. Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured. FdS projects are diligently documented with the goal of replication and scalability, e.g., our Whitepaper at elFuegodelSol.com. Our biggest challenge is moving beyond the obstacle known as the status quo. We found direct resistance to the adoption of the Sun Oven because it is different than the cooking methods that our recipients are used to. We have addressed this challenge by incorporating the innovation of local community leaders who have been the first to adopt the technology. Our local leader associates have then gone on to directly, personally encourage others to follow their example in consistently properly using the technology. For our design of an efficient housing unit, we have gone the further step of including the designs of local Dominicans and Haitians for a small comfortable place to live. Our design can be implemented in an initial temporary configuration in a camp setting. If the organizers provide separate camp-kitchens, latrines and showers, then each of our 320sf homes can temporarily house two families. When space and finances allow, additional homes can be provided and the existing 320 sf homes can be converted for permanent use for one family. Or the home can be relocated for permanent installation. The same unit can be assembled into single homes, duplexes, quads, or multi-story buildings up to 4 stories high. Thus, our success is measured by the level of comfort experienced by people who live in the homes we will build, and by the history we have had with our Sun Oven program we plan to replicate in our complete housing and communities program.

The mindset in the DR and Haiti is fixated on concrete block. We provide all the positive attributes of block, plus we dramatically exceed block on all measurable factors from insulation content to carbon footprint. Again we have the issue of status quo, few want to change from systems that they are accustomed to. However, the key to introducing the new technologies is the price. Ecological benefit does not readily change business behavior on this island. What will make the change is proven money savings. The DR and Haiti are interconnected to the point that once an innovation has proven to actually save money, it can be adopted quickly. Active and direct opposition to implementation of beneficial solutions should not be underestimated. When SSIP construction is clearly demonstrated to save money, reduce construction times and reduce the building’s long term operating costs, the concrete industry will be negatively effected, and they will not be happy. Some projects can be started now with imported materials, but the real changes will come after our DR factory is up and running, and the first buildings directly demonstrate the benefits that the SSIP system provides. SSIP construction is far superior to frame construction as well, but the construction industry in the US has been extremely slow to move from the status quo. For the multiple benefits of SSIP construction and for future innovations including hydrogen fuel options and renewable energy systems, success in small nations so close to the US may eventually provide the leverage to move the US further toward adopting sustainable solutions. Our list of collaborators includes, the following for-profit companies: Sun Ovens International, Transcon Steel, Grupo Duarte (Legal Services and Business Development in Santo Domingo, DR), Cedano Legal Services, Elfi Wall Systems, Neptun Ultra-Efficiency Lighting, Woodgas Stoves, Architecturalhotwire.com, rebuildhaitibetter.ning.com and 19-Grado Estudio Sostenible (Sustainable Architectural Design Studio); as well as the following non-profit organizations: Grupo Jaragua, Grupo CONACADO, SHE-Inc. Solar Household Energy, Global Exchange, WBEZ – Chicago Public Radio, Solar Cookers International, The University of San Francisco, Faith in Place, Rise International, Bethel UCC Elmhurst, IL, The Zakat Foundation of America, The Natura Park Ecological Foundation, The Annual Higuey Book Fair and The Rotary Club of Higuey, DR.