Our workshop and forum aspires to spread the idea of biodiesel and a basic understanding of its methodology across Central America. Continuing our collaboration with Sustainable Harvest, we plan to host the workshop and forum at their demonstration farm, thus launching the new biodiesel resource center. The workshop and forum should last a total of three days. During that time we will build a small-scale biodiesel processor as a workshop on fabrication, make two batches of biodiesel to familiarize attendees with biodiesel production, and give a presentation on biodiesel, its potentials and the need for sustainable farming techniques. We expect to have 40 to 60 representatives from NGOs, universities, and communities throughout the region. Sustainable Harvest’s demo farm has many of the necessary amenities (including some lodging) and so we should be able to keep the cost of the conference low. We also hope to have auxiliary funds for travel scholarships to aid those who otherwise would not be able to come.

Schedule

The Evening Before the Workshop and Forum: Everyone arrives at the farm. We distribute prepared biodiesel literature and welcome our guests. Once everybody has arrived, we will give a very brief introduction to biodiesel, show our attendees SHI’s processor, and begin a batch of biodiesel that we will use as an example throughout the workshop.


Day One: In the morning we will give a more detailed presentation on biodiesel, the current innovations that Europe, Brazil, and US America are employing to make biodiesel feasible, how to make various processors adapted to specific community needs, how to produce biodiesel, and lastly, an explanation of sustainable farming practices for biodiesel production. The presentation will begin in the morning and end at lunchtime.
After lunch, we will begin the workshop on how to build a small-scale biodiesel processor. We plan to build the model processor explaining everything step-by-step. In order to complete fabrication in one day, we will do a bit of preliminary welding, but as the needed welding is easy to explain, it should not hamper the learning process. During the workshop we will make sure to answer all questions, and give people the opportunity to connect pipes and hoses themselves so that everybody can get a feel for the construction. At the end of the day we plan to help reinforce people’s understanding of the production process by using our newly built processor to make a second batch of biodiesel.

Day Two: We will begin by demonstrating our first batch of biodiesel in a truck. By driving attendees around using what was once waste oil, we will convey the usefulness of biodiesel in a concrete manner. After the demonstration, Sustainable Harvest staff will give a tour of their farm, and discuss the details of sustainable farming practices, including their new Jatropha program. This stage is essential because it will build a whole picture, educating attendees on how to partner biodiesel with other necessary environmental practices to ensure that economically beneficial sustainable development can become a reality.

Day Three and Four (which are optional): We believe that one of the greatest gifts that we can give to our attendees is an environment to build connections. To foster this kind of an environment, we are leaving the last two days for the attendees themselves to give presentations of work that they are doing and discuss some of the issues that they feel are important. In the background of this event, we will work with those people who may need extra attention and help learning the details and specifics of biodiesel technology. Any questions, thoughts, or other needs that were previously not fully attended to will have our group’s complete attention. If we can succeed in our workshop and forum goals, we will have helped establish a widespread community of people in Central America with the know-how to implement biodiesel programs and alchemize a possibility into a tangible and legitimate way for farmers and communities to sustain themselves and grow crops that can fuel their respective areas.