EARTH University students & volunteers will build biodigesters in rural communities in Costa Rica to help farmers convert manure and other organic waste into methane gas that can be used for cooking.
People living in rural, developing areas are often forced to use practices that are both damaging to the environment & community health. Trees must be cut down to provide fuel to cook food. Contaminated manure is used to fertilize plants, contributing to outbreaks of E. coli & other illnesses. EARTH's Community Development Program helps install biodigesters that aid rural farmers in converting manure into pathogen-free organic fertilizer & bio-gas that can be used for cooking and heating.
Students & professors work with farmers to install biodigesters, which decontaminate waste water and provide ample methane gas for cooking. Families save money by having a free supply of fuel & organic fertilizer to use on crops, lessening illness.
One biodigester can produce 6 hours of cooking gas per day, for an annual savings of $200. A viable solution for the sustainable management of livestock and human waste, it also replaces wood stoves, a major source of pollution and deforestation.
