Today marked the release of the FY 2006 Disaster Report [link], put together by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (185 chapters in all). Read more »

On 2 recent visits through the mountaintop village of Seguin, I passed through a patch of Haiti's dwindling pine forest. According to a long time resident of Seguin this area is one of the country's 3 main watersheds, the othertwo being Marmelade and Macaya in the North and the South respectively. Read more »

Anyone who has been to Haiti knows that its environment has been devastated. In fact, one of the first things a visitor notices when flying into Haiti are sandy, rocky mountains that used to be covered with trees. The erosion not only makes the soil less productive, but it also makes villages more susceptible to flooding, mudslides, and other natural disasters. Read more »

With agricultural day approaching on May 1st Haitians are preparing to exhibit environmental projects and programs on Champs de Mars in Port-au-Prince, the town of Jacmel and elsewhere around the country with much enthusiasm. But in the mean time not enough is being done about waste management, basic problems and emphasis on change. Read more »

Environmental reforms should be at the forefront of the agenda for the president elect of Haiti. If they aren’t soon enough there won’t be a country to be president of. Read more »

According to a recent article in the Caribbean Update, the Interim Government of Haiti has sought $28.5 million from the IADB for a National Watershed Management Program. Read more »

This past Tuesday just one week away from Mardi Gras 20 orphan girls from City of God made a Fresh Air field trip to Wynne Farm. They learned about the benefits of bamboo, ate fresh macadamia nuts and loquats for the first time while enjoying and dancing to the music of a live Racine band. The collaboration of Norwich Mission House and Wynne Farm again culminated into an unusual reprieve for the girls who normally spend most of their time indoors at the dusty orphanage in downtown Port-au-Prince. Read more »

Updated: Follow this link to read the most recent article from Haiti Innovation on biofuels [link]. The biggest environmental stories of the last several years have been energy security and climate change. Now, an op-ed in the Miami Herald says that Haiti might be able to supply the Dominican Republic with biofuels while strengthening its own economy and mitigating the increased greenhouse gases that can accompany economic development. Read more »

If Joseph Heller where to write Catch-22 today, I often think that Haiti would make a pretty decent setting for the story. Imagine that you had to choose between providing ecological stability for your children or cooking their dinner. Now, I’ll admit that it really isn’t that difficult of a decision, but it is one that countless Haitians face on a daily basis, and is the reason why merely ‘educating’ Haitians on the evils of deforestation will never effectively address the environmental disasters facing the country. Read more »

NPR is to run a two day series on Haiti. Follow this link to hear today's episode titled, "Fighting Gangs to Save a Port-au-Prince Forest."

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