BornAgain! Funding our projects from within ... will it work?

Our eco label ... "BornAgain!" ... of old tyres (Line1)

You may all know by now that I have spent the past 5 to 6 months trying to raise funds for a Biogas plant for a little village in the Upper West Region, called Tuori. If you don't know about it yet (*giving you a strange look*), then click here and have a gander: Energy for Tuori (and all the others)!

Well, being a busy person who does many other things, and the NGO being a self-funded one, you can imagine how difficult it's been  keeping the momentum going in the face of the general suspicions and financial hardships of most Ghanaians ... N O T  G O O D. 
Haha. Okay, so now I can laugh about it. 
But only because I spent the last 2 months of the past 6 months of the fundraiser building up a careful structure for internal funding for the NGO's projects, so we don't have to keep worrying y'all with our beggar's aluminium cup ... yeah, the noisy one. And no, I don't sing and roll my eyes when  go begging.


Aaaannnnd, after weeks of thinking and careful planning, I came up with "Born Again!", an entity within the NGO which recycles and re-uses old and 'wasted' stuff, and makes them trendy-useful and affordable for people.
We then market it like every other usual service/product, sell it at competitive prices, and put ALL the profits after expenditure into the NGO's projects!
To start with, I looked at the huge numbers of tyres all over the city (and the country), and how difficult it is to find uses for them after car-owners discard them ... and I came up against two 'walls'.


I had decided previously to have them stripped and shredded, the strips to use in addition to wood and metal, or by itself ... for furniture. But soon after gathering a number of tyres, and purchasing some from vulcanisers (if you want it, they sell it ... cus they figure if you have a use for it, thing got value! Sigh ... I love my peoples), my shredder expert told me that there are 2 types of tyres: the wire-mesh (more common) and the nylon thread. The nylon thread is what CAN be stripped, NOT the wire-mesh.


Oh Lord. So I went back into town to get the nylon thread types. Then whilst he went to work shredding em up for my wood/metal combinations and the eco-friendly footwear line,  sat down with my sketch pad to design things that can use the wire-mesh tyres whole .... WHOLE, I say.


I came up eventually with 2 trendy designs : one for a seating facility, and one for a funky, eye-catching table design (which has a lot of oomph!).
So over the next 12 weeks, we will launch our first 3 eco-products for raising funds for our projects (very very crucial projects): an eco-seat made out of whole wire-mesh tyre .... an eco-table with wood-glass-rope combination also made out of whole wre-mesh tyre ... and 2 or 3 footwear designs made out of nylon-thread tyre with fabric-rope combination.


We hope (and intend) it to sell well to you, my supportive peoples on here, and your social circles and business associates ... as well as the general public not just in Ghana, but internationally. We hope to make good sales not only because our clients will want to support a good cause, but also because these eco-friendly products REALLY DO make your mouth drool, and make you feel real proud to own them. 
We guarantee you, they WILL BE quality, all through and through.


To show you how, follow this link to see some of our first few pictures of the TYRED.UP! an eco-seat under the BornAgain! label. Click The TyreSeater - BornAgain!
Give me all the feedback you want to ... but more practically, give me all the orders you can make! Haha! 


.... oh, and a Merry Christmas in advance. Make the rest of 2011 count. ;)


Golda.


P.S: the link also opens up other albums for you on trips and work done so far, so feel free to browse through all the albums and pictures.
And if you want to keep updates or follow discussions, join us on Facebook by just clicking here. :)

WITHIN THESE MOMENTS OF SILENCE ...

… grows a monumental project for the people.

Within these moments of silence, grows a monumental project for the people.
I am aware that many are the eyes watching the tasks I have began, red markers in hand, ready to grade the conclusion.
My priority is not to them, though they be yet a consideration.

My priority is to they who stretched out a hand of support to mine and said, “Here. Have my strength.”
To them who leaned over and dropped a coin, a note, a bundle, an item for direct support into my project-coffers and said, “My widow’s mite, but still with all my heart.”
To them who have come forward to collaborate, publicise, and shout from the rooftops that which I do, telling people, “Look here. Look this way! Here’s something that needs your attention and support.”
To them who have quietly spread my work to others and created a path ahead of me, so that sometimes when I mention my name in a circle, I am known before I make myself known.

I owe you the successful completion of this work I have began. I will complete it.

It may take more weeks or months than you or I would like. But I have learnt … through several cycles of experiences … that it is not about swiftness, nor flashiness when dealing with lives.
It is about roots. Deep, strong, wide-spread roots.

I will be transparent, accountable, and open to questions all through. And I will be right here. Working.

I thank you.

Wait, You Can't Do That. It's Not Your Turn.

“[There are] voices that say, “Wait. You can’t do that. It’s not your turn. The timing isn’t right. You see, the country just isn’t ready. You know you can’t do it, you’re not experienced. You’re not ready.”

Voices that focus on what might go wrong rather than what’s possible. And I understand it, I do. I know where it comes from, this sense of doubt and fear about what the future holds.

I call it like that veil of impossibility that just keeps us down and keeps our children down – keeps us waiting and hoping for a turn that may never come.

It’s the bitter legacy of … discrimination and oppression in this country. A legacy that hurts all of us.

Some people were like the aunt or grandmother who bought new furniture but put plastic on it to protect it, never fully enjoying it, out of their own misplaced fear.

Sometimes, it seems better not to try at all than to try and fail. Sometimes, that’s how it feels. But we have to remember that these complicated emotions are … what we’re going to have to overcome as a community if we want to lift ourselves up.”

                                            Michelle Obama, “Renegade: The Making of a President”.

“For years now I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity, this ‘Wait!’, which has almost always meant ‘Never’.”

                                                     Martin Luther King, April 1963. Birmingham Jail.

 

Michelle Obama

Martin Luther King

She will smile someday?? And her son too??

Someone asked me the other day "Why do you even do it?"

"Why do you embarrass yourself, screaming yourself hoarse at people who don't care? Running all over town trying to get people to help you make this thing work?"

Don't you know? Are you new in town? 

Don't you know ... they don't care? Just waiting for you to fall off the wagon so they can shake their heads and say, 'See, we knew the heifer would come to this!'?

"Don't you know," he said, "this thing's never gonna catch up?

Even government predicts it's not gonna happen now, then you this young female thing ...?"

My head was hung whilst he was saying these ... my ears drinking them all in. My eyes were wet, and my heart was beating fast.

"Golda?" he said. “Save the energy, money, and effort ... and put it into creating a future for your son. At least that's a future you'll be more sure off. Save yourself the embarrassment of going around cup in hand all the time, begging and singing to yourself."

"You think I don't know all this?" I asked him. "I'll tell you something ... I’m here to show just how deeply we’ve all as a people, been traumatised by a system and a society that abuses us, misuses our resources, and forces us to suspect everything around us, to the point that we are now on the edge of the cliff of our existence, about to fall off into the raging sea below, and we’re certain it’s just a trick to cause us to turn back and go the other way.

We’re so used to being conned, we can’t distinguish genuine from false anymore. We play games when we should be organized, and when we should be playing games, we’re rather thinking strategy and tricks. We’re confused, we’re lost, we’re mean, and we’re at the end of our tether.

Something’s gotta bring a fresh new un-selfish perspective back to our way of thinking; a perspective that spells “c-o-m-m-u-n-i-t-y” once more.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the one certain thing that will do this (communal harmony and development) for us, enrich us, improve our standards of living, make the nation wealthier, and safeguard the country’s future ALL IN ONE … is our natural resources, and the renewable energy it gives directly to the people.

Horribly enough, it is the one thing that people still think is the last possible thing ever to happen for us! It’s crazy.

We are sitting with the gold beneath our noses, and we can’t see the forest for the trees.

I’m doing this insane thing I’m doing, instead of just shutting up and funding everything myself in small steps as I used to do, because it hit me the other day … we have not, as a people, invested our faith in this sector yet, and that is what is holding everything back. Indeed, that is what I believe holds government back from passing that RE Bill.

The people ARE the government. The voice of the people is often the voice of government.

If more Ghanaians had more faith and were willing to dig into Renergy as they are the crude oil, we would have more schools and courses in Renergy, more jobs in Renergy, more Renergy projects, and government would have jumped to it as well.

Why am I doing this alone, and making all the noise alone when my ultimate aim is to transform the entire country?

I had to backtrack. But I knew I’d have to get my Beyonce’s dancehall moves ready for this.

(See? I knew that’d get your attention, crazy misaligned people.)

Sadly, we are turning our noses up at the very thing (and perhaps the ONLY thing) that may well be our answer to employment, better standards of living, a wealthier nation, and independent of foreign financial aids, and neo-colonialism.

We are turning our noses up at the one thing that ensures that our future is safe, in our own hands, spread equally out amongst the people, gives endless jobs, and safeguards the natural resources as well.

This country has got vast potential in renewable energy, and renewable energy gives direct income to the community and the people who wield it and use it. Which in turn empowers many, and grows the nation faster than most other national programmes on nation-building and empowerment.

For that little girl who will someday grow up to become the leading expert in Ghana seawater energy because of the change that I’m working on now in our energy industry.

For that insanely tired woman walking bare-foot in the hot sun with a load of wood on her back almost half her body-weight, walking kilometres, so her family can eat and live … who will someday simply step out into her compound and switch on her biogas facility and cook with it, and whose children will stay in school instead of going down south to do crime and menial jobs.

For that man somewhere who can now sit in his compound and cook up his own biodiesel and pour it into his motor bike or car, or generator, or food processor, because we discovered how to produce bio-diesel from our local oils.

That little girl might be your grandchild, that woman, your grandmother, that man your father, and the chain goes on.

How many times have you watched a land ravaged by war, famine, drought, rape, tyranny, and silently thanked the Powers that Be … that you were born a Ghanaian? I do it everytime I see such scenes on the television.

Well, this is you now. This is your Ghana now.

What are you gonna do about it?

Do I really think I can create a better Ghana, silly girl … you think of me as I exit your office, streaming in sweat, spittles at the corners of my mouth, legs crumbling beneath me as I totter out to my next begging gig, cup in hand; you think of me as you read my status and link updates on Facebook, Twitter, and Blogspot; you think of me as you see me walking down the street.

What you don’t get is, this isn’t about me.

Have you donated to our fundraiser yet? Read about it.

Find us on Facebook as well.

Send me a message on anything at esfghana@gmail.com

They're sitting pretty ... hands folded and placed in-between their legs. They're sitting pretty.

People!! Wharrup? Eh? Kilode? What's good? Que pasa? Comment ca va? And all o' that ... and all o' that!


Mehn, I've got pictures on the 1st ever National (Ghana) Congress on Environment, Water, Sanitation, Science to show y'all ... now where that folder at? 
I'll set it up in a bit soon as I settle, okay? Ha!


Okay! So have you donated to our TUORI Biogas Facility Fundraiser yet?
Why not? Oh.


Please .... my eyes are closed. Before I open them, swivel your lovely eyes up to the top right-hand corner of this page ... yes, this very page ... and softly CLICK on the "Donate" button there ... and D O N A T E.


Donate something people. It takes little effort and time, but impacts these people in Tuori in a big way. If you (still) don't know what I'm talking about, see HERE to read all about this Biogas facility for this struggling little farmstead + cattle ranch up north of my country. 
We raising only $3500, and the team to build it donating their own logistics in support (about $3000) ... but we need your donations to make it happen!


Now, have you finished reading the "HERE" link?
Have you clicked the "Donate" button?
Have you donated?


Now, please tell another body...
     .....
I'll wait for you. Please go tell another body.
............................................
(2 hours later)
All done?


Good. Great. Now .... Ghana has gotten REAL PROGRESS in the bio-diesel direction.
A fabulous guy who has also, like me, fought against the odds for almost 5 years to make it happen, has ACTUALLY produced bio-diesel out of normal palmoil, waste vegetable oil, and is working on a 2500-litre capacity for anyone who wants to/feels like using bio-diesel (available right here in Ghana). 
There is also a brilliant Ghanaian from up North with success in sunflower bio-diesel, though not on the same scale as my friend's palmoil and waste vegetable oil AND any other fat source set-up. (Tell you more in next post). And these two people have met ... and I have met one of them, and we are going to meet together ... and you get the idea.


The side products - glycerin - will be used in creating job opportunities for the people in soap making and body lotion too (I use glycerin often when I'm in Europe 'cus my skin gets very dry) and the palm chaff, palm kernels, palmkernel-nuts - will be used for animal meal AND briquettes!!!! 
More jobs. More sustainability!


The bio-diesel from the palm and the waste vegetable oils and the other sources of fat (I have seen the team and the equipment, people!) CAN be used in diesel generators, diesel cars, diesel motors, diesel commercial processors, diesel everything .... and my engineer partner in Aburi is ready to develop more appropriate technology to meet the bio-diesel team of S. Tawiah  for more innovative machines for power, cooking, burning,lighting that can utilise this.


Side intentions are  ... to use the steam produced from the esterification and other processes ... to also power equipment ... on-site and near-site and off-site!


Oh God! I see the future coming, and it looks so good people! And it looks good Ghana style! 
You cannot imagine how happy, hopeful, and high I have been these past few days, just meeting S. Tawiah, seeing his progress, seeing how my plans, works, and his are dove-tailing ... and the vast opportunities and possibilities.


And y'all know I don't write about just anything ... I write about what I am SURE of, whether that thing is good, or bad ... I am often sure about my facts.
And THIS development I am sure about!


I shall be writing more about this, introducing S.T to you all, and making you part of this incredible journey that is now looking very good.


Now .... back to my TUORI Biogas Fundraiser ... 
I am auctioning an awesome picture from RQV (Rodney Quarcoo Visuals), a popular excellent photographer here in Ghana. 
He donated it in support of the fundraiser! I am so grateful! (visit www.ayigbeboy.com to see some of his work).



I am AUCTIONING it, and the funds will go into the Biogas Fundraiser for Tuori. Please join in the auction too ... see the image of Rodney and the picture in question below: 

Rodney Quarcoo with image he donated to Tuori Biogas Facility Fundraiser ... for auction!

Rodney autographing the picture ... at his studios in Accra.

He calls it "No Parking" and it is the first-ever printout of the image. 
He shot it at dawn at one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Accra called Jamestown, and captured the fishermen about to set off in what looked like an impromptu convoy of fishing boats ... the rising sun ahead, on the horizon. 
I will pay $500 for this in a heartbeat. 
It will come framed, can be FedExed to you, and it is autographed by Rodney himself.


I am also going to try and put it up on e-bay, but if not, email me or comment on here, or GooglePlus me about the auction. 


Current offer is GH200cd for the image. It is still going higher.
Someone out here can do better, and get this actual AUTOGRAPHED Rodney Quarcoo image original that tells people you SUPPORTED a Ghanaian village get a biogas facility!
How cool is that?! Let's do this, people!!
Donate too!


MAKSI, the FashionHouse supporting us also handed over their 1st cheque from a percentage of their clothing line sales that they designed to support everything we're doing here at Energy Solutions Foundation. 


They initially intended to support till August, but they fell in love with what this one woman (me, yes me!) is doing here and decided to extend it indefinitely ... so every 3 months, they intend to donate percentage of their sales.


This first cheque came for GH150cd and I put it into the Tuori Biogas Fundraiser kitty.
We have now raised GH1200 cd with GH3300 more to go! HELP people!
See the image of handover below (forgive the quality. A better one will come.) That's Nana Darkoah Sekyiamah of MAKSI (www.maksiclothing.com) handing over the cheque to me:

Nana Sekyiamah of MAKSI handing over 1st cheque for GH150cd  in support of ESF!

One of the fliers MAKSI has out for their campaign with us (ESF)

... And that's me (sans my spectacles). Hello.

People are struggling really hard with fuel, power, energy sources, comrades.
People are fighting hard to get access to what should not even have to be a problem.
When I was in Lawra, Yargpelle and Tuori, the women would leave home at dawn and go scout for twigs, grass, fallen branches (treasure!) and logs (ooh la la!) and carry them home, getting back about almost noon. Before they go fetch water, come and cook, and take care of the home.
The girls and the women do this. Where is the time to make a career or a job, or even go to school? Where is the peace of mind for developing their community, or even the time?
They come down here in droves and flocks and we wonder why. Their sons, brothers, and fathers might become criminals and attack us in our homes, and we wonder why?


Where is the parliamentarian who talks big and joins a string of big words together, and forgets people are actually dying every single one of the minutes he is spouting rhetoric nonsense right here in Ghana ... from poverty, low standards of living, poor housing, nutrition, education, unemployment??
Where is the policy-maker who has the Energy Bill and Renewable Energy Bill of Ghana sitting in his toilet as spare/emergency wipe, or on the magazine rack as comic material instead of actually working hard to pass the damn thing into law and fine-tune it for the people?
Where are the Ghanaian businessmen and wealthy "boggers" who can come together and help people like me, S. Tawiah, others out there also struggling to develop alternatives and future safeguards as we are doing ... to help us financially, network-wise, contact-wise, investment-wise ... to do this?
Where is the President of Ghana?
Where are you, you the one reading this right now?


Are you going to help? Or are you just gonna sit pretty, and clasp your hands in-between your legs ... looking at me?
ARE YOU JUST GONNA SIT PRETTY? ...


Facebook page : Facebook Page

Ghana's Chernobyl Timebomb ... or is it Ghana's own "Fukushima Daiichi"?

It’s been a helluva quarter, these past 3 months.

I have a lot of updates (as usual), and no clear point at which to begin (as usual), since for me and my renergy experiences, every experience sort of magically tends to run into the next, so that they are all melded together in this surreal way.

Let me start with the bullet points so even if I totter off the path, we have some modicum of order, eh?

·         April 2011: retrospective assessment of first briquette-training by Energy Solutions Foundation (my Renewable Energy & Sustainable Development NGO) … for better 2^nd round of trainings and modifications to upcoming briquette-makers.

Had a lot of email and phone discussions with Danny Quaynor (the NGO’s partner in appropriate technology) concerning our next few projects over the next 18 months, before we had one good Sunday working meeting to put down plans, structures, and timetable.

To come : (1) Semi-commercial production of ready-to-use briquettes of a wide range of choices (palmnut, palm-kernel, cow dung, dawadawa, shea-butter, sawdust, etc) for all households just as one would purchase charcoal and just begin using it. We will call it Green Gold Briquettes (ah, sentimental!)

(2) More production and commercial production, distribution and marketing of briquette-making equipments of all sizes and capacities for what will be a briquette-making industry in Ghana … instead of charcoal-production communities and firewood-stocking merchants in the country.

(3) Waste Oils and Vegetable Oils for use on a small scale in motors, engines, and motorized gadgets in place of fossil fuels. The target is waste vegetable oils for use as fuel (like diesel) in generators, processing machines, engines, motor-bikes, cars, etc.

(4) Appropriate, affordable (less than $500) biogas structures and facilities for the low to middle-class Ghanaians who often most lack access to energy, fuel, and power or have very little of their total needs in these met.

Yes!

To achieve over the next 18 months. Want to steal some ideas from here and run with it? PLEASE DO IT! Feel absolutely free to!

These are ideas we need in the country, and I don’t care who does it or who gets the credit.

In fact, if you want the  blueprints of it, call or email me!

 Make me believe you will really do it for the BENEFIT OF THE SUFFERING PEOPLE of THIS COUNTRY, I shall hand them all over to you with glee.

Yes, I will still keep working on them too … it is never enough, and there can never be too many propagators. We need renewable energy alternatives like “pure water” sells in this country. Everywhere, Cheap, and Never Lacking!!

·         May 2011: Call to collaborate with a Ghanaian FashionHouse called MAKSI (www.maksiclothing.com) to increase awareness on need for clean environment and sustainable ways of living. Secondary objective to donate 10% of proceeds made from eco-focused fashion line to ESF’s “Tuori Biogas Facility” Fundraiser (see here for more about this).

Also asked by Creative Storm, Ghana (hint: Dr. Kwesi Owusu) to lead them to our Aburi workshop for coverage of our West African customized briquette-maker and other initiatives for a documentary they were doing for the EFFA (Environmental Film Festival of Accra 2011 June 2011).

Hopefully, we can make a hope-laden and impact-full documentary out of that session one of these days, when I can add the cost of that to my budget (don’t you just which you could do everything in the world by yourself sometimes? J )

In collaboration with MAKSI fashionhouse, was on The One Show with PY Addo and Jocelyn Dumas, in an interview to highlight the eco-fashion campaign and ESF’s role in it. Was able to talk about the briquette-making training session in the Upper West, and other challenges facing the NGO as well as memorable experiences and personal impressions of the larger situation in the country.

Jocelyn Dumas for MAKSI eco-fashion.

Ama Abebrese for MAKSI eco-fashion. Way nicer pics, but I chose bcus you actually see the dumptruck in the background!

My first intern (I so often shy away from interns and volunteers, but I finally made bold to try it out) for the NGO arrived, and got pulled right into the middle of the heat. Miss Akua Akyaa Nkrumah also writes on her blog whenever she has the chance and peace of mind. Internship, as at now (August 2011) is ended, but went very phenomenally. Now to get her to write me that internship report!

·         June 2011: The EFFA (by Creative Storm) begins in the second week of the month.  Akua and I attend one of the forums and the week after, was asked to be part of a panel (still within EFFA celebrations) addressing the issue of waste and plastic waste (disposal, management, culture surrounding, solutions) in Ghana and beyond.

Shared the panel with MAKSI FashionHouse (Nana Darkoah Sekyiamah), Trashy Bags (Stuart Gold), and we were moderated by the astute and creative Dr. Kwesi Owusu (of Creative Storm and EFFA) himself. This last forum went extremely well.

A five minute insert of our Aburi documentary was included in a 12-minute documentary made by Creative Storm for the Film Marathon aspect of the EFFA, and we felt somewhat encouraged by all events and activities that month.

·         July 2011: intern and I hit Cape 3 Points, Takoradi, Cape Coast, Tarkwa on research and fact-finding ecological and environment-focused learning trips. See here for an album of pictures taken on most of these trips.

We commenced working relationships, procured a lot of data, researched about particular situations in specific locations, and got more familiar with more places in our country. To come, Wa, Tuori, Yargpelle, Lawra, Cape Coast again, Benin Songhai Center, and Cape Verde.

Want me to come see something in your community or neighbourhood? Call me up or email me.

If I need to advocate for help and support, or get you in contact with experts and entities in the field, I will.

This month also saw a lot more people interacting with me about the work I do in this NGO; most of them acquaintances I don’t know so well but now do, friends who keep referring me to things and things to me, family members who encourage and support, and strangers who have been following everything since I started and I have no idea of!

Some call me now and then and mention meetings at BarCamps I have presented at, or conferences and forums I have spoken at, or sometimes just have had only my blogposts to read! Keep the encouragement coming! It really helps.

July ended with another BBC phone interview for one of Africa Have Your Say’s sessions, this one on power shortages/outages on the continent, with focus on Kenya’s new/recent power rationing announcements.

I was humbled to be called by BBC team to be the voice for renewable energy in the entire discussion, and was allowed to have the final word on the programme after all the excuses and annual explanations by the political leaders of the energy institutions. I felt like I needed much more time than that though! Where the boxing ring at?! Lemme at them!

Last year, was called by BBC on similar issues and the Energy Ministry of Ghana promised on the live set discussion to PASS THE RENEWABLE ENERGY BILL into law before the year ended, after I had posed a question to them. We still wait for that to happen. See: WTF has the Ministry of Energy Ghana, done for us so far? and The BBC debate & a promise by the Energy Minister of Ghana.

Finally, pressure has been put on me by a friend who is with me on a Ghanaian social network group to do something about the embarrassing elephant in our midst here in Ghana … the e-waste situation of Sodom and Gomorrah (S & G itself being a problem worth of its very own blogpost!).

Since 2008, it has garnered a lot of HIGHLY-CONCERNED and VERY DISTURBING articles, revelations, and campaigns about the high levels of toxins seeping into the ground, the water-tables, the air, the systems of the young men and the animals and cattle of the area.

Nothing impact-full has happened to cause a change in the situation. Instead, it gets worse.

I sometimes think every European and American journalist, journalist ‘freak’ (some of them write about it with glee), and journalist wannabe who wants to get some attention, or cut their teeth on the job in the fastest possible way comes to Ghana and takes pictures and videos, interviews of this situation, and goes back to make it their promotional or hey-look-at-me-I’m –a-genius ace-in-hand or trump card.

And year after year, they keep coming … to find the situation not even the same, but worse!

WTF Ghana.

WTF all these big electronic companies like Philips, Canon, Dell, Sony, and the bloody Japanese, Chinese, Korean ones.

WTF all phone companies, and WTF Environmental Protection Agency, Accra Metropolitan Assemby, and the Government of Ghana!

W …T …F!

I went to see Kojo Oppong Nkrumah last week, and I asked him for help brainstorming what to do about this situation. He has suggested a first joint step, and I hope he will honour it. What? He’s very busy? We all are, darling.

I will go to Otabil … his wonderful bastion of sense, discipline, and morality/religion ICGC, stands right next to the e-waste aisle of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Toxins and depraved lunatics, deformed babies and malfunctioning young men and women, anybody? (Please don’t scream Amen to that.)

Yes, the toxins from these electronic waste heaps lead to brain malfunctions, lead poisoning, nerve problems, sexual reproduction issues, cancer, and mutants like you see on X-men. Okay, maybe not the last, but you get the idea.

Then I’m going to hit up on Wanlov Kubolor, Mantse Aryeequaye, Kwesi Owusu, Bibie Brew, did I mention Otabil already, and all my radical brothers and sisters … and we’re gonna go see the President.

Because something’s gotta give.

P.S.: Have you donated to our fundraiser yet? See here. This is very close to my heart.

We also have a page on Facebook, where you can interact, get more real-time updates, and ask questions. Click here.

Privada Eau Minerale Naturale ... Aggressive Business, Flaccid Community Value. Rod it up, Mr. Baron!

Today, I bought “some” of the latest satchet-water sensation in town … Privada.

Privada Eau Naturale Minerale. 


I say … does it sound better and more impressive and intimidating in French? ‘Cus most of the water companies have a thing for writing Natural Mineral Water in French. (See image accompanying).

Privada is produced by Baron Distilleries, Ghana … a serious, aggressive business with the most in-your-face marketing campaigns in town, known mostly for its range of send-your-mamma-home alcoholic beverages.

They are unforgettable for a number of reasons, but it is names and slogans like: Pusher. Shaa lai pushwaa (or whatever that Chinese man says) … Playboy Dry Gin, and Captain’s Whisky etc which guarantee a hallucinogenic effect and gleeful aftermath that’ll make you slap your mamma.

The distillery is also known for its innovative and ingenius ways of plastic packaging of these alcoholic beverages … from the tot-a-pack types (where a little tightly-sealed plastic packet the size of two thumbs contains alcohol that fits in your pocket or little purse … and everywhere else and sells very economically too) to the interestingly shaped plastic bottles of gin, brandy, schnapps, bitters, etc.

And now … the sexy, sleek, super-cool tough plastic (PET/PE) satchet with a screw-top (similar to a bottle) containing 500ml of great-looking mineral water.

This design was actually practiced on their Playboy Gin Bitters (?) a short while ago, and must have garnered a good number of hearty cheers from the pubs, chop-bars, VIP suites and the numerous ‘blue kiosks’ littering our neighbourhoods to have prompted an appearance in the more “holy” water industry. 
Which is why I believe Mr. Baron is real smart and sleek. The guy nor dey waste time kwraa (he doesn’t waste time at all).

The plastic is tougher than the usual satchet water plastics, and it says PET/PE on the package itself. It shows that they are paying attention to the global standards of labeling plastics used for packaging one’s good, to enable efficient recycling.

BUT they do not have “Please Recycle” or even “Recycle!” Or “Can be Recycled” on it.

And I doubt even 10% of the Ghanaians drinking Privada will diligently search for those 2 or 3 rotating arrows which symbolize “recyclable” and say “Ahhhh! Can be recycled. Then plod over to a recycling plant and hand it over with honour and pride bubbling in their hearts.” 


Privada c/o Mr. Baron, please note: Ghanaians must be told to recycle, then battered over the heads with it until they cannot breath. Then, they will pay attention.

Lesson: two rotating arrows plus “PET/PE” in random positions on your fancy water satchet (which I like and they all like) does not mean shyte to us.

Baron also does not seem to have any website (I looked and searched, I assure you) that provides contacts, because I really want (and I intend to) to notify Mr. Baron about the importance of adding an aggressive recycling initiative to his aggressive marketing and packaging business model.

It is a successful business model. 
I respect him for it, and will be undoubtedly star-struck should I ever meet him, because I saw Baron Distilleries boomerang from little to mega in no time at all, and they keep getting more popular, better at what they do (making people feel “wheeee”), and now … actually making us feel “wheeee” even when drinking water.

Where did you say I can meet this man?

Anyway, off the drunken spiel and back to the main issue at hand.

Privada and the other Baron initiatives MUST begin a recycling initiative to lend a more humane and sustainable focus to their existence; call it a sort of CSV, if you will.

They must, like Nestle and some other big beverage companies are doing (or attempting to do well), set up a system which enables them to collect all the plastics put out there by the purchase of their alcoholic beverages, and now water (Privada … Privada) for bulk recycling,  either by an entity like BlowPlast or Zoomlion or Trashy Bags etc they can partner with OR for bulk recycling by Baron Distilleries itself.

It must not simply put these plastic packages out there, and call it a done deal.

Who should collect those discarded Privada satchets? And those discarded alcoholic plastic bottles? Who should be responsible for them, even if it means educating the public on where to send these bottles after use?  Baron must spear-head this responsibility.

Hence, Privada for example, must have on it, in addition to the plastic grade … “Can be Recycled” Or “Please Recycle”.

Privada must set up collection points at vantage locations in all areas where Privada is/can be sold.

And Privada must ensure that this wonderful business innovation that has aggressively and successfully catapulted it into the spotlight of the satchet water-drinking public in Ghana (safe to peg this public majority at 99% of the population, no?) will impress us even more with these measures being adopted to keep the environment safe from it.

We love Privada, Mr. Baron … but not enough to forget the environment. Neither should you.

Recycle. Reuse. Sustain.

Yes, you can.

Snapple is trying it out … and so far, well …. not so bad. (Google 'em up if you want to know more. Hint : Snapple ... Dr. Pepper Snapple ... ~~Sustainability.)

Snapple: all natural. Made from the best stuff on earth.

Privada Eau Naturale Minerale: Natural Mineral Water. Made in Ghana by Baron Water House. Erm … and that’s all.

P.S:

By the way …. Have you read about our $3500 biogas facility fundraiser for a little farmstead cattle ranch village in the Upper West Region yet? See here, and donate. Looking for 100 people to donate $35 each. 85 people to go!

Of Ken Saro Wiwa, Earth Day, and hope for the future of environmentalism. Onwards!!

Poster speaks for itself, innit?

The/ An Ogoni demonstration

Saro Wiwa in trial

A poster commemorating his 10 year anniversary

Ken Saro Wiwa

Kenule “Ken” Beeson Saro Wiwa was hanged on 10^th November, 1995.

Like a dog, he was hanged. See here.

Let the bloody finger be pointed at Shell (Royal Dutch Petroleum). Let the bloody finger be pointed at the Nigerian traitors who sold over their own kith and kin to foreigners for the love of money.

Let the bloody finger be pointed at those Nigerians and Africans who sat back unconcerned or too self-loving to be involved in the struggle to preserve a legacy that never belonged to individuals and was the right and responsibility of the entire land – the environment and natural resources. See here for the story of dirty dealings.

Shell, since striking oil in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, has extracted millions of dollars worth of oil, and planted in its place ravaged environment, laid waste by oil spillages and the negative effects of crude oil drilling. The battered community at the heart of this destruction was Ogoniland, a community of almost 600,000 people back then, who farmed and fished.

Ken Saro-Wiwa was the son of Ogoni, who decided to lead the fight for his people to save and preserve the only heritage they had. But he was messing up the financial plans of President Sani Abacha and his blood-sucking, greedy cohorts in the military then. He was causing serious setbacks in the corrupt deals they had cut with Shell for the oil. The destruction of the lives and environment of Ogoniland was nothing to pay for the millions they were getting … the millions that made a one-way journey into their private pockets.

When Ken led half the people of Ogoni to a non-violent march for their share of the monies coming from the oil, to set up an environmental fund and to compensate them for the past years of damage, the response he got was imprisonment and death by hanging.

His crime? Murdering 4 Ogoni chiefs. The proof? None. The Accuser? Sani Abacha and the military.

He was hanged.

Hanged like a dog.

Those who had sat twiddling their thumbs in nonchalance … those who helped implicate him falsely … those who gave false testimony in court … the lawyers who gave up on him … those who connived to make that false case against him … the petroleum companies who would kill entire tribes and whole nations to get at this liquid … the governments who will sell their own mother, much less their entire country for some large bags of money … GUILTY!

Today, on Earth Day 22^nd April, I bow my head in a moment of silence for the main and only environmentalist I have ever known in West Africa (and Africa) who made a selfless decision to stand for his environment, and lost his life in the process.

I respect you, Ken Saro Wiwa.

I respect that your family also never stopped the fight for the truth to be shown the whole world. See here and here.

I am glad that your efforts were greatly recognized, though saddened that it has to be by a foreign  award body (Goldman), and not an African, nay … Nigerian … even more befitting, … a Dutch body.

I am glad to see young Nigerian icons like Nneka  adding their voices to the fight to ensure that your sacrifice does not go to waste, nor go unnoticed.

Today on Earth Day, I add my own voice to this fight for an environmentally-conscious and sustainability-focused Africa … and Ghana …and I share with the world your memorable quote:

“In my innocence of the false charges I face here, in my utter conviction, I call upon the Ogoni people, the peoples of the Niger delta, and the oppressed ethnic minorities of Nigeria to stand up now and fight fearlessly and peacefully for their rights. History is on their side. God is on their side. For the Holy Quran says in Sura 42, verse 41:"All those that fight when oppressed incur no guilt, but Allah shall punish the oppressor. Come the day."

… Come the day.

That day is near.

Long live Ken Saro Wiwa! Long live Renewable Energy development for Ghana!!

Yours in persistence,