MEXICO
2014
SUMMER SCHOOL
Analysing Earth Friendly Technologies: Studying
Context, Culture and Design
Engineers and sustainable
development professionals know that culture and context are key in
designing and implementing earth-friendly technologies. But when one is caught up in one’s own culture, we often forget to analyse important sociological, economical, ecological and other factors that are critical to a technology’s success.
This Summer School explores the implementation of earth-friendly technologies in international development, considering social, technical and economic issues relevant to urban, peri-urban and rural contexts in Mexico.
The School covers technologies applicable to water supply and conservation, renewable energy generation, waste treatment, agriculture and construction. Join us on this 17-day course in
Mexico to explore a new culture and learn about earth-friendly
technologies of all types and their intersection with culture and context.
SUMMER SCHOOL
STRUCTURE
The Summer School opens with a discussion panel session to introduce the themes of earth-friendly technology, and a understanding of the context in Mexico. The School then moves through a series of 1-, 2- and 3-day courses on
specific technologies, with additional discussion sessions on topics such as cultural considerations, micro-financing and social
entrepreneurship, and closes with an applied case study and evaluation session.
The technical courses will cover: • Rainwater harvesting
• Small-scale biodigesters • Solar photo-voltaics • Solar water heating • Ceramic water filters • Compressed Earth Block
Construction
• Ecological brick kilns
Each technical course includes a practical component or field visit, for participants to apply knowledge learnt in the theory sessions.
The School will be conducted in English, with translation provided where some technical instructors may
deliver sessions in Spanish. All learning materials will also be provided in English. In place of hard-copy course materials, participants will receive
electronic copies of all course materials. On completion of the summer school
participants will also receive a certificate to recognise their participation.
OUR INSTRUCTORS
IRRI Mexico and CATIS Mexico instructors are all highly experienced in their field, having delivered a combined total of over 500 courses and workshops to both Mexican and
International groups.
Theory sessions will be led by social entreprenuers, designers and engineers, with practical sessions also being assisted by
experienced, highly skilled technicians.
LANGUAGE
&
COURSE
MATERIALS
Day Session Activity Details 1 Wed
2 Jul
All day Arrivals & briefings Airport pick-up and introductory briefing
Evening Welcome Dinner Welcome & introduction to Mexico with IRRI
Mexico, with group introduction and icebreakers
2 Thur 3 Jul
Morning Introductory Panel Facilitated discussion on eco-technologies in
community development Afternoon &
Evening
Tour of Mexico City Tour around Mexico City to see the challenges
one of the world largest cities faces in becoming more sustainable and how it is achieving this
3 Fri 4 Jul
All day Rainwater Harvesting 1 Global water supply and the situation in
Mexico, access and availability in urban and rural contexts, rainwater harvesting as a solution, system components and design.
Evening Water and indigenous life Presentation & discussion on experience with
indigenous water supply projects in Mexico
4 Sat 5 Jul
All day Rainwater Harvesting 2 Site visits to household and community
installations around the south of Mexico City
5 Sun 6 Jul
All day Outing to Teotihuacan Cultural visit to pre-hispanic mesoamerican
city
6 Mon 7 Jul
All day Small-scale biodigesters 1 Introduction to anaerobic digestion,
biodigesters, and biodigestion in agriculture and sanitation
Evening Micro-financing for small
scale eco-technologies
Discussion on micro-financing in Mexico and crowd funding used by IRRI Mexico
7 Tues 8 Jul
All day Small-scale biodigesters 2 Site visits to agricultural biodigester
installations around Puebla and Tlaxcala states
8 Wed 9 Jul
Morning Social Entrepreneurship Discussion on technology & social
entrepreneurship and business with Ashoka
Afternoon Transit to San Miguel de
Allende
Transportation provided
Evening Debrief & Welcome Dinner Review and evaluation of Mexico City course
section and welcome & introduction to San Miguel de Allende with CATIS Mexico
9 Thur 10 Jul
All day Solar Energy 1 Introduction to Solar Photo-voltaics and their
application in Mexico.
Day Session Activity Details 10 Fri
11 Jul
All day Solar Energy 2 Introduction to Solar Water Heating systems
and their application in Mexico
11 Sat 12 Jul
All day Rural Water Supply & Water
Rights
Case Study at CEDESA in Dolores Hidalgo with the CODECIN Coalition. Water and the
Independence of a River Basin: Analyzing the Politics of Water Rights, Access, and
Exploitation
Evening Water access Discussion with CEDESA & the community on
points viewed during the day’s activities
12 Sun 13 Jul
All day Cultural visits in San Miguel
de Allende
Free day to explore colonial San Miguel de Allende with optional visit to local hot springs
13 Mon 14 Jul
Morning Water Access and Solutions
in Practice
Community Visit to learn from local community about rainwater harvesting, ceramic water filters, and water access
Afternoon Ecological Kiln Park:
Adapting New Technologies
Site visit to explore the political, social, and cultural implications of technology transfer on a macro level through the lens of artisanal brick production
Evening Technology application and
adoption
Reflection and discussion session on points raised in the community and site visits
14 Tues 15 Jul
Morning Developing earth-friendly
technologies
Research & Development of the MK 2 Kiln, Thin-Shell Concrete structures for Disaster Relief, Ceramic Water Filter Production, & Setting-up a Field Water Lab
Afternoon Compressed Earth Block
Construction 1
Introduction to CEB, soil selection and block formulas, machine selection & block
manufacturing
15 Wed 16 Jul
All day Compressed Earth Block
Construction 2
Mortars, block & wall preparation, wall construction & bond beams
16 Thur 17 Jul
All day Compressed Earth Block
Construction 3
Field visit to sites, construction of vaults and domes, earth plastering and finishes
17 Fri 18 Jul
Morning Course debrief and
reflection
Review and evaluation session on the entire course to recap lessons learnt and further next steps
Afternoon Closing lunch Group lunch in San Miguel de Allende
Evening Travel back to Mexico City Transportation provided
18 Sat 19 Jul
Mexico City, DF San Martin, Puebla San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
LOCATION & DATES
The Summer School will be held in Central Mexico in Mexico City (Federal District), San Martin (Puebla State) and San Miguel de Allende (Guanajuato State). This variety offers urban, peri-urban and rural contexts to be explored through the courses and field visits.
Travel between the locations is provided, and is arranged to give maximum productive time in the field. Longest travel times are 4.5 hours.
Courses will be held in a variety of locations including the IRRI Mexico and CATIS Mexico offices, as well as our field offices, and other relevant installations in the field.
GETTING TO MEXICO
VISAS
Many participants may be able to acquire a tourist entry visa (stamp) free of charge on arrival in Mexico. Participants should however
consult the Mexican Immigration Authority, INM, before travelling to confirm visa requirements:
http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/Paises_Visa/en.html
TRAVEL INFORMATION
The UK Government offers travel advice for citizens and residents travelling abroad:
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/mexico
HEALTH INFORMATION
Vaccinations including Yellow Fever are not required to enter Mexico, though it is recommendable to visit your Doctor and/or a specialist Travel Clinic before travelling abroad to discuss advised vaccinations and medical precautions.
Malaria is not prevalent in the areas of Mexico where the Summer School will be held, but if you will be travelling before or after the course to malarial zones it is also advisable to consult your Doctor before travelling for malaria prophylaxis and prevention advice. It is not common practice to drink tap water in Mexico, and as such drinking water will be provided at all courses. Tap water is acceptable for bathing and cleaning teeth in all accommodation.
More travel health advice can be found at:
APPLY FOR A PLACE
You are able to make your application via the EWB-UK online form:
http://www.ewb-uk.org/SummerSchools2014
The cost of the course is £950 and is payable in full by April 2014, with a deposit of £250 required to secure a place. Deposits will be refundable for cancellations up until 1 February 2014.
The cost of the course includes:
• Course facilitation and learning materials
• Accommodation during the summer school (2nd – 19th July 2014)
• Airport pick-up & drop off to Mexico City Benito Juárez Airport • Local travel between course locations
• Breakfast and lunch every day, and evening meals from Mondays to Fridays
• Cultural visit to Teotihuacan pre-hispanic mesoamerican city The cost of the course does not include:
• International flights to and from Mexico
• Domestic travel to arrive to Mexico City for the start of the Summer School (if not arriving to Mexico City directly) • Personal travel and health insurance
• Visas (for those nationalities that require a visa prior to arrival) • Evening meals on weekends (Saturdays & Sundays)
For more information contact: Rachel Smith, IRRI Mexico
+52 55 5256 5686
www.irrimexico.org
