We finally got internet at the AVANI center here in Berinag Uttarakhand, India! The center here is great, I quickly got acquainted. After an hour of physical labor at 7am, I go to work in the solar room. Over the last few days I have been putting together solar chargers for solar lamps. Villagers come to the center and buy the lamps and chargers for $36. They come to the solar room if there are any problems and the solar workers fix them. A bunch of solar lamps have just been made and now they need to be promoted. I am looking into possibly doing fieldwork, I was not aware before coming here that there are other AVANI centers in neighboring villages and research students have the opportunity to work in the community promoting the technologies such as solar and pine needle gasifers that create energy and clean burning charcoal.
Yesterday for World Environment Day I had the kids from the small school here pick up trash around the campus, it was great fun. Playing with kids is universal, no need to speak the same language. I am learning Hindi, slowly, but learning. More to come…