Asheville's American Green Media to Document Sustainability Project in Haiti

Asheville, NC – December 8, 2010 – In January 2011 New Life Children’s Orphanage and Rescue Center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti will host sustainable economic development nonprofit United for a Sustainable America (USA), media production company American Green (AG), and International Engineering and Design Firm PBS&J.

The Orphanage will serve as a staging ground to test and showcase culturally appropriate sustainable technologies like solar energy, composting toilets, solar food cookers, hand water pumps, and UV water filtration systems.

New Life Children’s Home founder Miriam Frederick has worked in Haiti for over 20 years. “We currently house around one hundred and fifty children, but there are many more who are suffering that need our help,” Mrs. Frederick explains, “To become more self-sufficient—to potentially create our own energy—that’s the difference between light for a day versus light for a couple hours. It’s light for kids at school…it’s light for doctors saving lives.”

Lead engineering team PBS&J will conduct a baseline study of the Orphanage’s current commodity use with a special focus on water, energy and waste treatment. After the analysis is complete, sustainable systems will be developed, installed, and tested in real life scenarios at the Orphanage. The most successful resulting systems may be replicated throughout the country.

An AG documentary team has already begun filming and intends to document project challenges and discoveries over the coming year. "As storytellers, this project is particularly exciting due to its ability to directly impact the lives of Haitians and Americans alike," says AG founder and documentary filmmaker Kurt Mann, "To see Americans coming to the aid of their neighbors, even
when times are tough for them, is really at the core of the American spirit. We want to see how that story unfolds."

The devastation in Haiti, caused by the 7.0 January 2010 earthquake, has only intensified since hurricane Tomas and the ever worsening Cholera outbreak and now election unrest and rioting. Ongoing media attention is critical to bolster continued support of the region.

This documentary project will be funded primarily through donations. To make a charitable donation please long onto www.newbeginningsforhaiti.org and click ‘donate now.’ Also log on for regular and consistently available media and video updates.

American Green Media is a film production company that focuses on renewable technologies at home and abroad.

United for a Sustainable America is an economic development company focusing on ways to use green technologies to support the Americas and inspire ingenuity in sustainable design.

Contact:

kurtmann@americangreen.tv

828.252.2677

www.newbeginningsforhaiti.org

Michael Cifti

United for a Sustainable America

michael@ufasa.org

813.868.6710

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