Forests Forever
The Newsletter of Trees, Water & People
Fall
2010
in this issue
Sargent Shriver Award..............1
Letter From the Board..............2
Wind Turbine Training..............3
Tribal Lands Program............3,6
Hurricane Agatha Update.......4
International Program..........4-5
Volunteer Spotlight...................7
Creating Wetlands.....................7
Waffles Plant a Forest...............8
Your True Nature.......................9
TWP Co-founder Stuart Conway
Wins Sargent Shriver Award
By Heather Herrell, Development Director
On June 25, 2010, Stuart Conway, Co-founder and International Director
of Trees, Water & People (TWP), was honored in Washington D.C. with
the 2010 Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian
Service. The prestigious award was presented by the National Peace Corps
Association (NPCA), the nation’s leading nonprofit organization supporting
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV) and the Peace Corps community.
Stuart is a proud RPCV who served in Guatemala for three years as an
Extension Agent and Trainer for the Conservation of Natural Resources
Program.
“We are excited to honor
Stuart Conway for his
untiring conservation
efforts on behalf of
communities worldwide,”
said Kevin Quigley,
president of the NPCA.
“His commitment is in the
finest tradition of Peace
Corps Volunteers since the
days of Sargent Shriver.”
The Shriver Award is given
Stuart Conway (R) with Guatemalan partners by NPCA each year to an
and TWP Board Member Patrick Flynn (L) RPCV who continues to
make a sustained and
distinguished contribution to humanitarian causes at home or abroad, or is
an innovative social entrepreneur whose actions will bring about significant
long-term change. The award is named after the tremendous contributions
of the first Peace Corps Director, Sargent Shriver, in the founding and
development of the Peace Corps.
“The innovative efforts of Stuart Conway help further the mission of the
Peace Corps and help to bring attention to the enormous contributions
Volunteers make during and after service at home and abroad,” adds
Quigley. “We are pleased to recognize his efforts with this award.”
Congratulations, Stuart!
Printed on recycled paper with vegetable-based ink
 General Information
2
Trees, Water & People
Board of Directors
President - Jon Becker
Vice President - Jim Volpa
Treasurer - Kevin Shaw
Secretary - Adele Dinsmore
Members - Jenny Bramhall, Gerry Conway Jr., Laura
Davis, Patrick Flynn, Jeremy Foster, Kathy Cosgove
Green, Mona Newton, Garth Rogers
Staff
Stuart Conway - International Director
Richard Fox - National Director
Sebastian Africano - Deputy Intl. Director
Claudia Menendez - Intl. Program Coordinator
Liz Sunderland - Tribal Lands Coordinator
Heather Herrell - Development Director
Diane Vella - Finance Director
Lacey Gaechter - Local Engagement Manager
Amanda Haggerty - Data & Mailings Manager
Carol Johnson - Major Donor Manager
Megan Maiolo - Social Marketing Coordinator
Program Partners
AMURT
Marlyng Buitrago - PROLEÑA, Nicaragua
Armando Hernandez - AAP, El Salvador
Vahid Jahangiri - International Lifeline Fund
Leonel Jarquín - Guatemala
Ignacio Osorto - AHDESA, Honduras
Henry Red Cloud - Lakota Solar Enterprises, SD
John Giordanengo - Wildlands Restoration
Volunteers, CO
Consultants and Interns
Aprovecho Research Center
Korie Burroughs – Intl. Development Intern
Catherine Helin – Tribal Development Intern
Christy Proulx – Marketing Intern
David Taft – International Intern
Tia Thompson – Tribal Development Intern
Melissa Web – Intl. Development Intern
Zach Vander Meeden – Marketing Intern
Trees, Water & People
633 Remington St T Fort Collins, CO T 80524
877-606-4TWP T www.treeswaterpeople.org
Trees, Water & People Newsletter - Fall 2010
Dear Friends of Trees, Water & People,
Ten years ago, I happened
upon Stuart Conway and his
wife, Jenny Bramhall, at our
neighborhood pond. Recent
arrivals from Washington
D.C., they were eager to make
new friends for their fledgling
nonprofit, Trees, Water & People
(TWP). They realized that their reforestation efforts
in Central America would go up in smoke unless
someone figured out how to burn less firewood for
daily cooking.
In response, TWP developed the fuel-efficient Justa
stove to fight deforestation on two fronts: in the forest
and in the home. I was hooked - particularly by the
simplicity of the improved stove project which was
bringing significant health and economic benefits to
families. I decided right then to hitch my wagon to
Stuart and Jenny’s star.
A decade later, I am Secretary to the TWP Board of
Directors and thrilled to see the seeds we planted in
the 90’s have come to fruition! I have realized some of
my fondest dreams by vicariously planting forests and
being a part of the TWP family. We are responding
to some of the most critical issues of our time with
our efforts to reduce global climate change and help
people in need. It’s so simple! Won’t you please join
us today?
Adele Dinsmore
Secretary to the TWP Board of Directors
When you donate to Trees, Water & People you can be
confident that your hard earned money is used responsibly
to bring about real, sustainable change.
 Tribal Lands Program
3

Henry Red Cloud Recognized for

Renewable Energy Advocacy
Trees, Water & People’s partner, Henry Red Cloud
was honored by the Nuclear-Free Future Award
(NFFA) for his efforts to bring clean, renewable
energy to tribal lands. Since 1998, NFFA has honored
and facilitated the ongoing work of individuals and
initiatives struggling to bring an end to the “Nuclear
Age.” An independent nonprofit group based in
Germany, NFFA works closely with the Alternative
Nobel Prize and has been called by Berlin newspaper
Taz, “the most important anti-nuke award in the
world.” Henry received his Special Recognition award
on September 30 during a public event at New York
City’s historic Cooper Union.

Henry’s work was also recognized at the Interstate

Trainees raise the SkyStream wind
turbine as part of workshop at RCREC
First Wind Energy
Training Session
Renewable Energy Council’s (IREC) annual meeting
in Los Angeles on October 11. Henry’s successful
effort to bring green jobs and solar heating to Great
Plains tribes through Department of Interior funding
was honored in the category of “American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Projects.”
Congratulations, Henry!

By Liz Sunderland, Tribal Lands Coordinator

Participants in the Introduction to Small Wind Turbines,

a three-day workshop held in early July, took apart
and then rebuilt the SkyStream 3.7, a 2-kilowatt grid-
tied turbine located at the Red Cloud Renewable
Energy Center (RCREC). Besides gaining hands-on
experience installing the turbine, trainees covered the
basic principles of residential and community-scale
wind turbines, and practiced using remote-reading
software to analyze the turbine’s electricity output.

We were especially happy that four “Solar Warriors”

from the Cheyenne River Reservation – who
previously completed a ten-day course on solar
Henry Red Cloud sings at the 2010 Nuclear-Free
heating at RCREC – were able to return and add wind
Future Award Ceremony
energy to their renewable energy skill set!

Helping people and the planet

 International Program
4

Stoves Keep on Cooking
By Claudia Menendez, Intl. Program Coordinator
It’s always inspiring to receive good news from the
field. In July, Arboles y Agua para el Pueblo (AAP) in
El Salvador did a follow-up visit to the community of El
Coco, where Trees, Water & People (TWP) first began
working, to check on the condition of their Justa stoves.
Doña Hilda, AAP stove promoter, visited five households
with stoves ranging from seven - nine years old. Twenty
percent were in good condition without any repairs.
The other eighty percent had the griddles replaced
only once after four - five years of daily use and are still
performing to the cook’s needs and expectations. Trees,
Water & People would like to congratulate AAP for a
job well done!
flour, oil, beans, rice, sugar, salt, juice, and water. Mayor
Jarquín visited nine communities to deliver food and
examine the gravity of the situation. The food shortage
will be most pronounced in the coming months as
many crops were lost in the massive flooding. After this
destructive rainy season, Mayor Leonel and team will
have a tremendous task before them replanting the
fruit trees that were damaged.
Art Brings Awareness for Haiti
On Saturday, September 25th Denver’s EventGallery
910Arts hosted the Haitian Awareness Panel. Colorado
organizations working in Haiti including Trees, Water
& People, Colorado Haiti Project, Renewal 4 Haiti,
The Lambi Fund, Wish for Haiti, and Lespwa (Hope)
Haiti gathered to discuss reconstruction efforts after
the devastating earthquake. The event is a precursor
to an exhibition of Haitian art scheduled for May 2011.
The exhibit will feature photographs by Ray Tollison
and Colby Brown of Lespwa Haiti, showcasing the work
of several non-governmental organizations, including
Trees, Water & People. The photographs show the
struggles and the spirit of the Haitian people and can
be previewed at www.lespwahaiti.com.

Justa stove burning strong after seven years

Hurricane Agatha Update

The hurricane season this year has had no mercy on
Guatemala, and there is still fear of what may come.
In June, Hurricane Agatha pummeled the country
and left its mark. A gaping sinkhole 18 meters wide
and 100 meters deep opened up in the middle of a
neighborhood in Guatemala City. Roads were washed
out, bridges collapsed, and thousands of homes and
farmlands in Tiquisate were inundated leaving many
homeless. Collaborating with Leonel Jarquín, Mayor of
Tiquisate, Trees, Water & People (TWP) assisted 2,915
families with emergency food baskets that included corn Rocket Stove photo by Ray Tollison

Trees, Water & People Newsletter - Fall 2010

 International Program
Women cooking tortillas on their Ecostove
Appropriate Technology
Conserves Nicaraguan Forests
By Claudia Menendez, Intl. Program Coordinator
PROLEÑA continues to be a leader for biomass related
research and development in Nicaragua. In June,
PROLEÑA completed two research studies funded by
the World Bank and the Nicaraguan Minister of Energy
and Mines. One study evaluated charcoal production
methods and improved stove designs for use on the
Caribbean coast of the country. The trials compared
traditional and improved methods for making charcoal
to demonstrate how charcoal yields and safety increase
by using the dome charcoal kiln. The second study tested
alternative fuel blowers for kilns to reduce firewood used
in ceramic production. PROLEÑA’s prototype blower
uses agricultural waste with wood fuel and can reduce
firewood use by up to 80%. Although both studies had
positive results, PROLEÑA has not yet secured funding
for these projects.
Trees, Water & People’s international team is working
to connect PROLEÑA with our Haiti initiatives for a
South-South partner training. Sharing PROLEÑA’s new
developments for alternative fuels and improved stove
designs with ceramic producers in Haiti will reduce
dependency on scarce firewood resources there.
Helping people and the planet
5
More Success for AHDESA
By Sebastian Africano, Deputy International Director
After building 3,200 Justa stoves in the first quarter of
2010, the Honduran Association of Development
(AHDESA) and Trees, Water & People (TWP) are proposing
the creation of five regional improved stove factories in
Honduras. These new stove factories will target tortilla
producers, traditional cooks, candy producers, and
bakers, all of whom dedicate a large portion of their
revenues to purchasing fuel. Stoves tested in several of
these business types have recorded reductions in fuel
use by 40% - 80%, lowering annual fuel expenditure by
hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
In addition to new stove factory project, TWP and
AHDESA have submitted a proposal to the Energy and
Environment Partnership with Central America (Alianza
en Energía y Ambiente: AEA) for the construction of 60
fuel-efficient ceramics kilns for indigenous potters in
Olancho, Honduras. This $65,000 project will build on
the successes of a similar AEA pilot project involving
fuel-efficient kilns just south of Tegucigalpa in Ojojona
last year.
The AHDESA team posing for a photo
 Tribal Lands Program
6

TWP’s First Lakota Adventure

In September Trees, Water & People (TWP) hosted the
first Lakota Adventure – a close-up view of our Tribal
Lands Renewable Energy Program on the Pine Ridge
and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota. Our six
participants came from Ontario, Berlin, Massachusetts,
Illinois and Colorado. They joined TWP’s National
Director Richard Fox, staff members Liz Sunderland
and Lacey Gaechter, and intern Tia Thompson for a
week-long exploration of Lakota history and culture.
Participants were hosted by Henry Red Cloud at the

Hiking in Badlands National Park

Adventurers also toured neighboring Rosebud

Reservation, home of the Sicanyu Lakota, with local
guide Ronald Neiss and spent a day in the Badlands
with wildlife biologist Richard Sherman.

Special thanks to Bill Hundley of Hundley’s Gourmet

Catering (Fort Collins, CO) for providing exceptional
meals and to our Lakota guides and friends for sharing
their lives and wisdom: Leonard Little Finger, Lawrence
Swallow, Bernard Cuny, The Little Thunder Family, Henry,
Avery, Silas and Timothy Red Cloud, Keva Herman, Ronald
Group shot at the RCREC campground Neiss, Maria Iyotte, and Richard Sherman.
Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center (RCREC) on
Pine Ridge. Highlights of the week included installing
a new solar heating system for Chief Oliver Red Cloud,
watching the dancers’ Grand Entry at a local Pow Wow,
and meeting with influential members of the Oglala
Lakota Tribe.

“For me, the Lakota Adventure

was a journey of the heart
and of the mind. It combined
practical questions with new
ideas, while respecting the mores
of the Lakota culture.”
-Lakota Adventure participant and TWP Board Rosie Little Thunder shows Barbara one of her quilts.
Member, Gerry Conway, Jr. Her sewing machine sits next to the hot air vent
from her LSE solar heater.

Trees, Water & People Newsletter - Fall 2010

 TWP in the Community
7

Volunteer Spotlight
By Lacey Gaechter,
Local Engagement Manager

Did you know that volunteers

donate over 1,500 hours to Trees,
Water & People (TWP) each year?
In a very real sense, we could
not accomplish what we do without the more than
100 people who contribute their time and talent
annually, helping with everything from planting trees
to stuffing envelopes and grant writing. One of these
outstanding individuals, Christy Proulx, approached
us as a volunteer in 2008 and, when she graduated
from Colorado State University in May of this year,
she transitioned to a Marketing Intern, donating
even more of her time. In addition to the day-to-
day assistance Christy provides, we owe her infinite Volunteers plant wetland grasses
thanks for the many large projects of which she has
been an integral part: our 2008 Annual Report, our
organizational brochure, countless updates and Partnership Creates Wetlands
maintenance of our website, and most especially the
single-handed creation of the Lakota Solar Enterprise By Lacey Gaechter, Local Engagement Manager
website (www.lakotasolarenterprises.com). Christy’s
abilities and generosity constantly amaze us all, and This planting season, Trees, Water & People’s
we cannot thank her enough! partnership with the Wildlands Restoration
Volunteers (WRV) budded to include five projects.
Pictured is a group of children helping to establish
native wetland plants at our August 21 Wetland
Demonstration project at the Gardens at Spring Creek,
Keep up with an outdoor horticultural and ecological education
facility in Fort Collins. With WRV and Trees, Water &
Trees, Water & People! People volunteers and tools, we expanded an existing
wetland and created an educational boardwalk. The
wetland will not only provide additional habitat for
wildlife, but will just as critically serve as an example,
educating children and the general public as to
the importance of these ecosystems in all our lives.
Thanks to the Wildlands Restoration Volunteers for
the tremendous amount of planning and preparation
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and our blog! that went into the Wetland Demonstration!

Helping people and the planet

 Making a Difference
8
Waffles Plant a Forest
By Carol Johnson, Major Donor Manager
Stacey Baumgarn met Mike Ray while attending
college in 1988 and they quickly became friends. Later,
each moved to Fort Collins where they lived across the
street from one another. Tragically, on September 10,
1999 at the age of 29, Mike Ray’s life was taken.
In the year following Mike’s murder, Stacey and his
wife, Jennifer Davey, had the idea of bringing friends,
family, and community together for an annual Waffle
Feed to celebrate and remember the rich spirit of Mike’s
friendship. While the Waffle Feed is free and open to all,
participants are asked to contribute $1 to plant a tree
as a memorial to Mike. To date, over 900 people have
planted more than 6,500 trees in the Mike Ray Memorial
Forest in communities near the Magdalena Protected
area of El Salvador.
Mike Ray
While remembering Mike was the original motivation
for the Waffle Feed, rekindling long-held friendships,
making new friends, and building community are now
the focus. By bringing people together, Mike’s spirit
lives on in the trees.
You too can memorialize a loved one by starting a
memorial forest. Please contact twp@treeswaterpeople.
org for more information.
Trees, Water & People Newsletter - Fall 2010
Program Sprouts From
Partnership
Ilan Shamir has been a generous
donor to Trees, Water & People
(TWP) since 1998. His creativity
and vision have generated
$100,000 in gifts to plant trees.
Ilan founded Your True Nature
(www.yourtruenature.com) selling
electronic and paper greeting
cards, books, T-shirts, bookmarks, and posters. He
shared his idea of planting trees to replace those used
for paper with TWP, and in 2001 the 100% Replanted
program was created (www.replanttrees.org).
Your True Nature replaces trees used from company
paper and products by donating through the 100%
Replanted program. Additionally, customers can
purchase Your True Nature greeting cards, which include
the cost of planting a tree with TWP.
Ilan’s great idea has helped to plant more than 100,000
trees in El Salvador. The collaboration has resulted in
115 individual and business donors to the program.
Several companies have adopted a 100% Replanted
philosophy to replant trees from company paper use
including Allegro Coffee, Books of Discovery, The
Healing Path, Local Living Economy Project, Lucuma
Designs, Wabi-Ware, and Wood Joiners.
Thank you, Ilan, for inspiring people to live in harmony
with the earth!
Join the Great Oak Legacy Circle
In your estate plan, name TWP:
• As a beneficiary of your insurance policy,
retirement plan, or a bank or stock account
“Payable on Death.”
• In your will with a certain dollar amount, a parcel
of real estate, stocks, bonds, or other assets, or
with a specific percentage of your estate.
Trees, Water & People, Employer ID 84-1462044