Portable Upcycle Tiny House (PUTH)

Many Caribbean islands are making strides to curb its excessive emissions be more energy efficient through government intervention on a utility scale with solar (PV) projects and national environmental policy; to address this in society and on an individual level a Portable Upcycle Tiny House (PUTH) unit will be designed and built in accordance with the International Building Code (IBC) retrofitted for rainwater harvesting with a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system. The unit will serve as an educational and awareness tool for coaching good habits through a mobile campaign deployed throughout primary schools and camps targeted for children aged 5-12 years while promoting using resources efficiently as well as building with sustainable materials in the home while learning about infrastructure, architecture and engineering.

For example, Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) is one of the world’s top five carbon emitters and is the largest producer of oil and natural gas in the Caribbean. T&T currently pays approximately USD $0.05/kWh compared to the regional price range between USD $0.30- $0.40 from this there are tendencies to waste energy and squander. Moreover, a national building code has been a work in progress in T&T for over 50 years as a result  the country is susceptible to risks and hazards of extreme weather events occurring, especially with more than 250,000 persons living ‘informally’. Homes built without national standards have resulted in incorrect allocation of funds to possibly aesthetics or convenience without accounting for energy efficiency, safety or resilience of the building. 

A mobile campaign deployed throughout primary schools and camps targeted for children aged 5-12 years while promoting using resources efficiently as well as building with sustainable materials in the home while learning about infrastructure, architecture and engineering. A life cycle analysis for the carbon footprint of the project will provide a greater understanding and context to children of how T&T has such high emissions and ways of reducing through individuals and communities. While transporting in a mid-truck has the downside of burning diesel, portability is a means to ensure access throughout both islands by bringing the unit into the over 400 primary schools and communities therefore it will be ensured the transport vehicle selected is well maintained and combustion efficient.

Every session of deploying the PUTH, children would be asked to take a ‘pledge’ or draw one new thing they learned to see the impact of having exposure to design for sustainability information as well as requiring schools, camps or community buildings that with having the unit visit the school, they guarantee they would be more energy efficient, with agreeing to participate to an energy audit/ assessment inclusive of advice for improvements and recommendations.The energy audits will be done using infrared imaging to find building leaks as well as use a blower door to check the overall airtightness of the building.

 Additionally, sourcing materials from ‘waste’ of other home repair and renovation projects cuts the cost of buying materials while a tiny house allows for shorter and already cut lengths of material to be ‘upcycled’. 

The PUTH is innovative because not only does it address two issues of building design as well as energy efficiency it is designed to be accessible and easy to deploy for all primary school aged children so by targeting a younger generation it's taking a preventative model for waste to be instilled in youth rather than attempting to change the ingrained behavior of older persons.

It's tailored for children to learn information they could use at home and in their everyday lives which they can share with older siblings or relatives they interact with and have the potential to influence. 

Presently- 12

One Year- 50

Five Years-400

After building the unit- the goal would be 5 schools per month of deployment initially in the first year then ramping up to 15 per month over the next five years. The first year will also consist of a pilot study to collect information and expand the PUTH into other parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.

While I studied, worked and gained experience internationally (Canada), I am black, queer, womxn living in a society not designed for the marginalised so there are barriers in access to information, funding sources and general 'distrust' of my profile. I hope to use the PUTH to demonstrate my abilities and showcase my expertise as means to gain credibility in my own country as well as make energy efficiency and waste reduction more mainstream in the next five years. I am also dyslexic and while I am great with technical details, like math and science, I am not the strongest at communicating these details to non-technically minded persons but hands on models that can be used to demonstrate the concepts of efficiency and design ate right up my alley.

The only way to overcome these barriers is through education  beyond my formal education through working, having conversations and learning from people of all backgrounds and different walks of life. The PUTH campaign is tool to facilitate meeting different people and learners.

NA

Initially starting with the PUTH unit aimed at providing energy assessment and audits for the over 400 primary schools in Trinidad and Tobago. Beyond that, without a national building code mandating energy efficiency, my business has the potential to support and impact all residential and small commercial buildings that may not have been designed and built initially for energy efficiency and resource management.

I have a personal enterprise that offers energy assessment and audits for residential as well small commercial buildings. 

Part of the business model is philanthropy which is why I developed the idea for the Portable Upcycle Tiny House as means to educate and help children gain a better understanding of using resources efficiently.

TBD- still in talks

I am a mechanical engineer specialised in sustainble energy systems design and I work in process engineering for waste reduction at international organisations in Canada. I am aptly suited for this undertaking with global exposure as well as local knowledge to develop a blend design suited for Latin America and the Caribbean.

TBD- still in talks

My business is energy assessment and audits for residential and small commercial buildings as well as consultancy on process engineering for waste reduction. I presently offer level 1 assessments with the intention of expanding into level 2 and 3 within the next 5 years provided business goes well enough to purchase the necessary equipment upgrades.

Business is conducted through a site visit to assess all the appliances and equipment in the building as well as reviewing the previous months electricity bills. Followed by recommendations on potential cost savings through changes that can be made.

The intent is to use the Portable Upcycle Tiny House for an intergrated model to promote the business and from there generate more interest and demonstrated work to facilitate selling the services to companies and homeowners.

I have a great education and excellent professional experience from my time spent in Canada however I lack local contacts to make the campaign as successful as I know it can be. TPrize is an opportunity for me to give back to my community while getting practical insights into business and providing a service I can use to advance my work to offer level 2 and 3 audits commercially. 

 Winning TPrize would provide the funding I need to support this project so I could not only inform children about using resources efficiently but also showcase to the next generation that the vision they typically see for an engineer as cisgenderd male, while may be the norm for now, that anyone with passion and willing to do the hard work could get into STEM. 

NGO focused on environmental work and conservation efforts.