THE MONGOLIAN TOUR / UNDP PROVISION FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT SOCIAL SERVICES
by Susan Klinker, Builders Without Borders
THE MONGOLIAN TOUR
Many thanks to all those who helped Builders Without Borders welcome the Mongolian UNDP delegation during their straw bale research tour of the U.S.
All along the way, we found people willing to open their homes and dedicate their time to sharing their experiences in straw bale building with the Mongolian team. All in all, the team toured 37 sites in four states - Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, South Dakota, including attendance at the 2nd Nebraska Straw Bale Conference. Throughout the tour, the team was brought together with some of the most experienced straw bale builders in the U.S. and worldwide.
Builders Without Borders is proud to have been able to support the Mongolian team in making personal and professional connections, coordinating the itinerary, providing logistical ground support, and helping to advance their work - an effort which may become a model project of global significance.
For more details about the tour and Builders Without Borders, contact Susan Klinker at BWB@zianet.com or 119 Main Street, Kingston, New Mexico 88042. Ph.505.895.5400. www.builderswithoutborders.com
UNDP PROVISION FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT SOCIAL SERVICES
Mongolia has a severe continental climate where winter temperatures can fall as low as -40 degrees Celsius. Heating buildings is an expensive necessity in such a climate. Some social services use half of their total budget to heat poorly insulated buildings. Precious funds are eaten up by high fuel costs and can have a direct effect on the government's ability to delivery social services as budgets continue to be cut.
UNDP and the Government of Mongolia are facing this problem by promoting greater energy efficiency in the public sector. Several approaches are being used. A cornerstone of the effort is super-insulated straw bale buildings. Early efforts in Mongolia have shown that fuel costs can be cut by as much as 80 percent by insulating floors, walls and ceilings with straw.
Through the Provision of Energy Efficient Social Services (PEESS) project, UNDP is building national capacities for other energy-efficient technologies such as retrofitting existing buildings with improved insulation materials, introducing solar energy technologies, promoting low-cost straw bale greenhouses for vegetable production. Between 1997 and 1999, more than 330 builders from all 231 aimags received on-the-job training in straw bale building technologies. At least half of the trainees came from low-income families, and 20 percent were women. This training has been supported through the development of detailed, yet simple training manuals, complemented by an extensive public awareness program nationwide through the mass media.
To date the project has built 18 straw bale buildings, retrofitted four other buildings, installed eight photovoltaic systems, and built five straw bale greenhouses in six aimags and Ulaanbaatar.
Priorities for the final two plus years of project implementation include: (1) comprehensive monitoring to analyze data on energy consumption in straw bale and control buildings to prove the extent of energy savings, costs vs. benefits, environmental benefits, etc.; (2) another 15 straw bale buildings, 20 retrofit projects, 22 greenhouses and more than 30 PV systems built for demonstration purposes in the project's five focal aimags; (3) training of another 150 to 200 builders including engineers and architects; (4) development of national norms and standards for straw bale building technologies, to be used in developing new university curriculum on energy efficiency in the building sector; continuation of the public information program to raise stakeholder awareness of the benefits of energy efficiency for both individual households and social services, the country as a whole and for global environments.
About the Mongolian research tour participants:
Mr. S. Ganbold, National Project Coordinator, responsible for the day-to-day management of the project. He is a mining engineer by training; worked for ten years in management positions with the National Development Board and the Ministry of Finance.
Ms. G. Sarantuya, a construction engineer working in the Agency for Construction and Architecture. She is the main ACA counterpart, participates in management decisions about the project in Ulaanbaatar, cooperates in technical aspects related to research and building codes, monitors trips to construction sites.
Mr. Ts. Sharaa, also a construction engineer, is a consultant for ACA and director of Monseis, an engineering consulting firm. He is lead consultant currently under contract to develop the national building codes for straw bale construction in Mongolia.
Mr. Ya. Nyamsaihan, a chief engineer in the Engineering Design Bureau of the Erdenet Corporation. He led the group that designed the 12 straw bale kindergartens and health clinics this year. Erdenet Corporation has a 1,200 member credit union, about half of its members needing and wanting housing. Erdenet is looking at straw bale as an inexpensive alternative, and has agreed in principal to build straw bale housing for about 40 families next year. Nyamsaihan will lead the design of about 10 to 20 model homes and Erdenet will finance their construction. To us at the 2nd Nebraska Straw Bale Conference, he is known as the Mongolian Hank Williams because of his fine vocal and guitar talents.
Ms. Sa. Enkhtuya, project officer within the UNDP office is responsible for monitoring the project to ensure it meets its objectives. While not technically trained, she is interested in issues related to poverty reduction and low-cost housing options and financing for the poor.
All of the team members have masters degrees, several have studied in Russia and speak that language fluently, and three team members speak English.
It was a pleasure to meet and spend time with this team of talented and dedicated people. We can learn a great deal from their project, their efforts, their progress.
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