Those who know me and talk to me know that I’m currently pretty far from my happy place. In an effort to move a little closer to it, I’ve started seeking out the things that make me feel good (sitting at my favorite coffee shop, as I’m doing right now or going to the movies or reading a library book). However, I’ve also searched for inspiration to move me beyond the confines of my current situation. In so doing, I hope to get back on track of what I feel inspired to do. Enough about me because this post isn’t about me. It is a post that is an ode to an organization/person who inspires me. I can’t remember how I learned of this organization but every time I read or hear of their accomplishments, I smile. I’ve also spared a few dollars here and there to donate to their cause because I wholeheartedly believe in what they are doing. The organization? SOIL (Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods)
What inspires me about this organization is that they are providing an integrated solution for two issues in Haiti: lack of sanitation infrastructure and deforestation. Although the organization was started by an American, she has incorporated the local people to change the situation in their own environment. Unlike many of the “solutions” that are floated by companies that move in to “help” during humanitarian situations, her project relies on the agency of those who are served to be a part of directing and sustaining the changes she is instituting. I get ahead of myself a little because I’ve still not explained the genius in action that she started. Her organization deploys compost toilets in high-population areas of Haiti to provide sanitation options where before there were none (think pooping in a plastic bag, tying it up and throwing it to the side of the street/road where many other such bags have already piled up; or just stooping and pooping on the ground where it eventually seeps into the groundwater). With the vast amounts of poop that are collected from residents using this option, her organization then composts the waste to be used for revitalizing Haiti’s depleted soil. A better view/explanation can be seen below in the video.
It’s people with a vision like this who inspire me. Who inspires you? More later on inspiration…