[Scpg] FWD: Domes for Haiti ~ Needs Your Help!

[John Calvert]

*[ please forward widely ]*

[ image ]*Domes for Haiti*

This is a grassroots effort in New York to bring geodesic domes to 
Haiti, built using metal conduit and recycled vinyl. The group is 
fabricating portable geodesic domes made out of recycled and donated 
materials from NYC's entertainment & construction industries. The 
geodesic domes are 17' in diameter, 9' tall in the center, and are large 
enough to house a family of five.
Open to volunteers: YES
Contact: Lopi LaRoe, info at domesforhaiti.org <mailto:info at domesforhaiti.org>

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need 
JavaScript enabled to view it website <http://domesforhaiti.org/> | blog 
<http://domesforhaiti.blogspot.com> | donate <http://www.domesforhaiti.org>


    Project Update
    Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Thanks to all the volunteers who have helped on this project so far: 
Serra, Larken, Allyse, Dena, Olivia, Will, Janna, Zach, Margaret, Jim, 
Christopher, Laura, Duncan, Elizabeth, David, Renee, Catie, Brett, 
Angie, Margie, Joe, John and Ryan. Thank you so very much.

I met with the owner of a large company whose factory is in the Brooklyn 
Navy Yards. He is a very intelligent older man who supports the green 
movement to the utmost. He is dedicated to using the most innovative 
green technology that is available. They are building a huge green house 
in the navy yard. He supports artistic expression. He is cool. I think 
he likes my project. He gave his blessing for his Art Director to work 
with me on creating a prototype cover to see if it's economically 
feasible to fabricate the domes in his factory with his machines. I went 
the day before meeting with The Boss to the factory in BK NY and their 
RF Welder is enormous. They have auto cutting machines and huge printing 
machines. So now we have exactly what we needed for this project. An 
experienced builder and designer. Thanks! He will be working up our new 
pattern this week and we can hopefully get a dry run done on the 
prototype by monday, so that we can fabricate it, get all the kinks out 
of it, and then get a quote on what the job costs and start running it.

The frame struts for ten domes will be ready by the 25th of this month. 
I will be needing alot of help that week, packing stuff up to be 
shipped. If you have time on the 26th, 27th, 28th that would be a great 
help. Also, I am going to need a companion to drive the truck back from 
Miami for me after I bring the stuff down to be shipped.

I am also still looking for a Kreyol speaking film maker to document 
this journey to Haiti. We will pay your airfare and a small stipend in 
cash, if we raise enough at the benefits coming up.

So we are making the real prototype. The first one is, in all honesty, 
kind of a dud. Sorry! I wasted a whole week on this pattern that just 
didn't work at all. I feel like an idiot. I wish the learning curve were 
not so steep on this.

It just sets us back in the whole process. I am keeping my sights on May 
1st.

In other news, Eric Klein from Can do <http://www.can-do.org/> called me 
yesterday and we had a great talk. He offered to ship my domes for me 
from Miami on a cruise ship! But this buys us back some time because 
shipping the domes from Yonkers was going to take 18 days. From Miami it 
takes 2 days. So if I rent a truck and drive the stuff to Miami, I can 
fly from there. That cuts out some time, some of the time that I lost.

Also, funding. We need donations to buy tools to bring with the dome 
kits to Haiti. If you donate money through paypal, you can know that 
your money is going to purchase tools to bring to the people who are 
rebuilding in Haiti. We have been receiving on average about 1 donation 
a week and that is not enough to sustain jack. Please send in a donation 
today <http://www.domesforhaiti.org>, even 20 bucks helps.

Thanks for reading.

/-- Lopi LaRoe/
info at domesforhaiti.org <mailto:info at domesforhaiti.org>

http://domesforhaiti.blogspot.com

http://domesforhaiti.org







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