From Malawi to Peru, people are quickly discovering that cutting down forests to make charcoal is just about the most inefficient way to produce cooking fuel. And, it turns their once beautiful forests into moonscape rife with soil erosion. Until now, it appears that this realization has skipped right over the Congo. For the last several decades, the forests of the Virunga National Park have been getting cut down at an alarming rate to make charcoal, and in the process, half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas have found their forest homes turning into grasslands.

Charcoal - Inefficient you say?
To put it mildly. Fuel wood used for charcoal production loses an incredible 75% of its heating capability in the process of being turned from fuel wood to charcoal. Once you factor in inefficient combustion resulting from primitive stove technologies – or in many cases no stoves at all – charcoal loses another 15-18% of it’s heating capability, resulting in a fuel that is about 6% efficient. So, the dirty secret is that one of the world’s most amazing animals, the mountain gorilla, is being driven to extinction for the sake of a fuel that loses 94% of it’s heating value by the time it cooks a meal — not that any efficiency could justify the mountain gorillas’ demise.

Photo courtesy of the Legacy Foundation

How organic mixed waste briquettes out compete traditional charcoal
According to the Legacy Foundation, a veritable alternative fuel think tank, “although non-woody biomass has only 75-80% of the heat value of woody biomass per unit weight, the briquette far outperforms wood in open fire conditions”. This is due to the plug shape of the pressed briquette and its’ hollow center. These briquettes burn largely from the inside out. The center hole acts as a flu, allowing plenty of air to flow up into the briquette, ensuring complete combustion. The unburned exterior of the briquette serves as insulation, thereby allowing the center to burn very hot. All this adds up to a far more efficient burn. Charcoal? Bring on the briquette revolution!

Next post: Making briquettes from forest and agricultural waste

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Having only held two fundraisers, this is really more of a guide written by an idiot for an audience of non-idiots. What follows are the lessons that I learned putting together the Boulder and Denver events.

1. Get help ASAP. These events take a lot of work and you will stack the odds against yourself if you try to go it alone. For example, in Boulder, I had help from Douglas Scheffer of the Highland City Club. He invited me to several lunches to speak to members about the mountain gorillas and the alternative fuels project. He also convinced the owner to put up the $260.00 for the venue, the Boulder Public Library auditorium. They also paid for the Boulder poster printing. My good friend Lisa Busch, an amazing graphic designer, designed the poster (which you can use for your fundraisers). Another friend, John Turkle, a production guy, helped me put the presentation together (also available). Another friend, Pippa, had worked with the Boulder Camera and knew a reporter that was interested in environmental issues. She gave me the person’s name, I contacted her, and the next thing I knew, I was doing a phone interview (I’m available for this, if you would rather not) — and that Sunday, we made the front page. Another friend is a photographer for the Denver Post. She gave me a name, I called and got an interview, and we were in the online edition the next day. During the event itself, my community of friends helped with the setup, charging for tickets, selling t-shirts, etc. So, as you can see, it “takes a village”.

2. Make sure your volunteers are committed. People won’t want to disappoint you, so you need to make sure that they understand what they are committing to. In Denver, a seemingly committed person took on much of the responsibility of promoting the event, such as putting up posters, speaking with professors at the University of Denver, creating a public service announcement for radio stations, and networking via email. Two days before the event, this person told me that they “just didn’t get to it”. By that time, it was too late for me to remedy the situation. As a result, we had only 19 people in attendance. Luckily, they were a very generous group. The lesson here is not only that you need to be sure of a person’s commitment, but you also have to put some kind of feedback mechanism in place so you can monitor their progress and effectiveness. I was naive to just assume that it was all getting done.

3. Choose your venue wisely. It’s tempting to want to pick the most glamorous venue, but only do so if it is affordable (donated or given at a reduced rate). You don’t want to have a big nut to crack when trying to break even with the take at the door. Remember, people know that they aren’t coming to the Academy Awards. Having said that, though, I wouldn’t hold an event in a school cafeteria. You really want to hit the right balance between cost and quality.

4. Make the price of admission reasonable. In Boulder and Denver, we set the ticket price at $5.00 and we all agreed that this was too low. Given that movies cost at least $10.00 these days, we figure we should have set the price at around $12.00. At anything below $15.00, we felt people would still be willing to make a donation above and beyond the price of admission. And, at only $5.00, it may have implied that it was going to be a bush-league presentation, which it was not.

5. Choose your approach for newspapers, radio, and TV. It’s a good idea to have your message well-crafted before approaching the media. My approach was to pitch the story as a local effort that was having a significant impact on a major international crisis. Aside from talking about the inevitable extinction of the mountain gorilla if something wasn’t (isn’t) done immediately — by ordinary citizens, I also talked about how the alternative fuels project would get at the root cause of the crisis and how it could be THE key to saving the gorillas. Whatever your pitch, you’ll want to be concise and make sure to cover the who, what, why, where, and when. Also, leverage the coverage that WildlifeDirect and the mountain gorillas have already received in the international press: Christian Science Monitor, National Geographic, Newsweek, Smithsonian, US News & World Report, CNN, 60 Minutes… With this kind of coverage and a local angle, the story places well. Be careful not to try placing the story too far in advance. I started working on the media coverage two weeks prior to the event. You can, however, start doing the legwork of finding out the names and numbers of the various editors and features writers well in advance of that. In addition, craft a public service announcement. Newspapers and radio stations will often place these for free. These are bare bones blurbs that give just enough information about the event. Lastly, don’t be afraid to follow-up on your contacts. If they don’t call you back, call them back.

6. No need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to print materials. I have all the digital files for the poster and donation letter. These can be customized for any fundraiser. And, when it comes to printing, go to Fedex-Kinkos and ask for their “non-profit” 25% discount.

7. Check up on your poster placements regularly. Don’t put up your posters and forget about them. Check every few days to make sure they are still up

8. Work email promotion. This may be the best way to get people to your event. Try to get each of your friends to bring five of their friends. Also, follow up with reminder emails as the event draws near.

I hope this helps. I’ll think about this some more, and add to it as ideas come up. Feel free to raise more questions and remember, I’m still learning, too!

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Thank you all for your interest in holding fundraisers. This is how it all happens!! When Emmanuel was here last week, we chose the September ‘08 cities by their fundraising potential — and by where I had friends that would let us sleep on the floor. That list included: Berkeley, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Colorado Springs, Santa Fe, New York City, and Boston. We have a two week window and are willing to add more shows, so if you are serious about taking on an event, please let us know. Also, if you have contacts in any of those cities that would be interested in helping, please bring them on board. From your comments on the blog, it sounds as though we have the possibility of adding events in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Tucson, Washington, DC, and possibly in Florida. If you want to get your feet wet — or are ready to just dive in, let me know and we can start seriously exploring the possibility of holding a fundraiser in your area. As I said to Nancy, I think the best strategy for filling these events is the grassroots approach whereby you contact your friends and see if you can convince them to bring five of their friends, and they do the same with their friends. I we do this, in addition to a media blitz, we should be able to fill our venues.

Our goal is to secure three years of funding for the Ending Charcoal project. We are going to be investing in a number of different stove technologies and that will require some significant funds. Luckily, the people attending the Boulder and Denver fundraisers shared our vision and donated generously, which has given us the funds needed to begin bringing new stove technologies to Goma. Our first step, though, is a thorough cost/benefit analysis on the various stove technologies.

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It’s time for all of us to do a little brainstorming.

Just brainstorming here, but I think it is high time that all the parties come together in one place to find a holistic solution. I’m thinking of a WildlifeDirect sponsored Alternative Energy Summit to be held in Goma. Every stakeholder would have a place at the table… experts from the international community would be invited to share their expertise… big philanthopies would be asked to help… Former President Clinton would be asked to open and close the summit… Pie in the sky? Not to my thinking, but I want to hear from you.

Please join this brainstorming session. I’ve got to believe there is a way forward.

.

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Ephrem has supplied this latest report. He sent this report to me in French so I think he is having a good chuckle right now. Here is my best attempt at translating what he said:

Charcoal Interdiction at the Kibati Checkpoint
A few days before the arrival of the ICCN Advanced Force, 200 sacks of charcoal were being seized daily at Kibati. With the Advanced Force now manning the Kibati checkpoint, approximately 70 bags are being seized on a daily basis. Despite this reduction in charcoal coming through Kibati, the charcoal ovens continue to burn inside the Virunga NP.

ICCN Advanced Ranger Force Encounters FDLR
Since the ICCN Advanced Ranger Force made contact with the FDLR, and I mean “contact” in a negative way, they have not been able to conduct any patrols in the gorilla sector. They have essentially been limited to stopping the flow of charcoal across the Kibati checkpoint. Emmanuel will be meeting with members of the UN in New York in the following days to try and secure UN approval for regular joint ICCN-Monuc patrols in the gorilla sector. Because Monuc has considerable firepower and strong air support, their presence on ranger patrols will all but guarantee that the rangers will be allowed back into the park to do their vital work. For now, though, the rangers must wait.

Flow of Illegal Charcoal to Rwanda Reduced
The flow of charcoal coming out of the park and going into Rwanda has diminished with enforcement measures taken on the Rwandan side. Actually, it was the security measures put in place during President Bush’s trip to Rwanda that slowed the charcoal traffic. Although Bush is long gone, the security measures continue to pay dividends. The Rwandan government remains intent on controlling the flow of information between the FDLR and their contacts in Rwanda, which is actually beneficial for the Virunga NP because it constrains the FDLR. Meanwhile, charcoal trafficking continues in the camps for displaced people, which are becoming even more numerous around the park. At this time, there are camps at Rumangabo, Bushenge, Rugari, and Kibumba.

Illegal Charcoal Production on the Rise at Kirolirwe
Charcoal production is now concentrated in the Kirolirwe sector. In December 2007, charcoal production was not active at Kirolirwe because of the war and because the route to Mwesso was cut off. This inactivity was short lived. The combined effect of the conference in Goma and blocking of the Goma – Kibumba – Rumangabo axis caused the cost of charcoal to rocket to $25 a sack, which attracted new players into the market. Sadly, these new players were none other than Nkunda’s National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP). Now, there is a new charcoal mafia in the park and here is how it works:

1. CNDP rebels secure existing charcoal ovens and hire the local charcoal makers

2. CNDP hires supervisors to oversee production operations

3. All charcoal produced is put into sacks and warehoused in CNDP-guarded depots at Kirolirwe

4. CNDP sells loads directly to merchants who come form Goma. It is an efficient and streamlined operation that cuts out the middlemen and maximizes profits for CNDP.

5. In Goma, charcoal is sold out of depots at Alanine and TMK

Ephrem is going to do more research to find out the quantity and price of the charcoal being sold at these depots. He hopes to infer from this how many CNDP are involved in this illegal trafficking operation.

Nkunda Works the Supply-Demand Curve to His Advantage
The charcoal embargo across the north has affected both the FARDC and the FDLR, however, Nkunda’s CNDP has profited handsomely from their activity at Kirolirwe. This is because the embargo has constricted supply and increased demand. The natural fallout from such a market condition is increased prices. Now Nkunda is making money hand over fist with mountain gorilla tours at Jomba and charcoal production at Kirolirwe.

Filling in the Gaps
It is imperative that other checkpoints be established across the southwest axis around Mugunga. However, this must be meticulously planned because these measures will dramatically reduce Nkunda’s cash flow coming from charcoal. Again, there is a need for Monuc participation because their presence will deter attacks on the checkpoints that prevent illegal charcoal from making it to market.

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Dearest Coloradans,
Thank you for showing up for the mountain gorillas! It is very heartening to know how much you care and are willing to sacrifice to help these Great Apes.

Donations
A special “THANK YOU!!” goes out to Joan H. and John N. who each donated $5000.00 as well as to Linda N. who donated $1000.00, Summer K.
and Laura and Jerry G. who donated $500, my wife Michelle who donated $300, Boulder artist Mike Brouse who donated a beautiful painting for auction, Siva S. who donated $150, Nick and Sara R., Alison K. and Jenny K. who donated $100 and Helen R. who donated $75. Thanks also go out to the many people that donated lesser amounts. You all are a part of the solution to this terrible problem.

I have yet to get a report on the web donations, so stay tuned…

If you are interested on holding your own fundraiser, this poster art is available to you!

Local Press and Radio Coverage
We managed to get some nice press for these events, thanks the old 6 degrees of separation truism — and often with only one or two degrees. On March 2nd we landed on the front page of the Boulder Daily Camera and on March 4th, made it into the Denver Post. Emmanuel and I also managed to get a quick interview in at Boulder’s public radio station, KGNU. Poor Emmanuel hadn’t even been off the plane for an hour before he was wisked into the KGNU studios. I’ll be posting that interview later.

As all good efforts go, it “took a village”. If it weren’t for the efforts of our volunteers, we never would have been as successful. In the fall, Emmanuel and I will be going back on the road to do two weeks of back-to-back fundraisers in cities across the United States. If you would like to be involved, please let us know. We would love to have you on our team!

Next Post: How these funds will go to work to save the last mountain gorillas

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ICCN advanced force joins forces with FARDC
There is some good new on the charcoal interdiction front. Ephrem was present a few days when Robert Muir of FZS, ICCN, and high-ranking members of FARDC
(Forces Armées de la Republic Democratic du Congo) met to work out a plan for working together to stop military involvement in the illegal charcoal trade. The FARDC Commander in Chief in Goma authorized a joint patrol with the 14 members of the Elite ranger force, led by Aloma Major. A clear order has been made to arrest all military personnel found to be involved in the illegal charcoal trade. Apparently, the original edict to stop military involvement, mentioned in one of my recent posts, is starting to have an impact. Ephrem reports that no military trucks have crossed the checkpoint during the three last days.

Joining forces: Rob Muir of FZS meets with High Commanders of FARDC and ICCN Commanders at a meeting in Kibati


Major Poka briefing ICCN Advanced Force, Kibati patrol post rangers, and Military Police

Working to implement the decision to set up joint FARDC and ICCN patrols to stop military involvement in the illegal charcoal trade

Activity in Eastern Virunga NP
The charcoal traffic to Rwanda has also been slowed thanks to a deployment of soldiers along Congolese boarder. Part of this surge in troop levels was due to U.S. President Bush’s visit to Rwanda. It is interesting to note that Bush talked about Darfur, but made no mention of the DRC and the loss of 5.5 million lives since 1998, despite being virtually next door. In addition to transporting charcoal to Rwanda, traffickers also act as mail carriers, ferrying mail between FDLR rebels and their friends and relatives in Rwanda. The FDLR (Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda) or Interahamwe has been based in eastern Congo since they were run out of Rwanda after the 1994 genocide.

Activity in Southern and Western Virunga NP
Because of the increased interdiction effort in the Nyamulagira sector on the eastern side of Virunga NP, people are now cutting more charcoal on the southern and western side. While the peace agreement was being forged in Goma, there was no military deployment in the park, so the odd adage, “While the cat is away, the mice will play,” applied perfectly. In this area, though, these new arrivals have to contend with Laurent Nkunda’s rebels who control these sectors and who are involved in illegal charcoal production themselves.

Caught: This trucker tried to hide charcoal under a load of potatoes

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