Energetic poop

Our solution proposes the implementation of human faecal matter to generate energy to provide electricity to homes.

In simple words, our solution proposes the intervention of human faecal matter to generate energy through the use of technology; First, the faecal matter separated from the wastewater is collected in a treatment plant, leaving a kind of “sludge”; Later, it is put in a warm tank without oxygen, where some organisms break down the molecules of the faecal matter to convert them into simpler molecules through different reactions or processes, such as hydrolysis, acidogenesis and ketogenesis. This is where other microorganisms use a process called methanogenesis, turning these molecules into gas; that is, in carbon dioxide and more importantly methane. This gas is the key point of our solution, defining the fact that it offers us the aforementioned energy, which will be used to meet different goals for different communities, positively affecting the lives of many people. Regarding the innovative aspect, the solution includes a new application of the technology since it is focused on the population of Colombia, we take into account what the community thinks about the solution and we feel fortunate to establish proximity with it.

Our delegation, aware of current energy problems, directs its solution mainly to households that do not have access to modern energy services (According to the UN, 13% of households) or directly that do not have access to energy. Let us remember that electricity is the engine of long-term socio-economic progress and that not having this resource limits various services, business progress or the use of electrical appliances, such as refrigerators, etc, and mainly unemployment and early school leaving are generated, in rural areas. The impact generated by access to electricity on social mobility and the redistribution of capital has already been demonstrated, it is time to stop closing opportunities, since, for example, according to a report by the International Development Bank (IDB), little access to electricity in rural areas has encouraged school dropouts in Brazil, causing unemployment and financial instability. Our solution is directed in the first instance to rural areas in developing and underdeveloped countries, however, the Montebucaramanguense International Delegation directs its solution in the first instance to rural areas of Colombia since inequality has been evidenced throughout history In these areas, due to various statistics, for example, 60% of the jobs are informal, 60% of the inhabitants do not have drinking water and 11% of these do not have a house, etc. The Colombian state has shown more than once his immorality, giving some examples the Gini coefficient is 51.7% (high) and the number of inhabitants living in poverty is 27% in this country.

Our solution's main objective is to help a community that is in a rural area of Colombia, it will be useful since it will affect their lives in a very effective way; since, by generating energy with the aforementioned processes and technologies, people will be able to form light through lamps, for example. Energy is undoubtedly a fundamental resource, which has taught us that it creates a great difference when possessing it and establishes even more differences specifically with our ancestors who did not have this technology, currently millions of people in the world could not imagine a life without using a cell phone, a laptop and different types of electrical appliances, the only way that people had thousands of years ago to make light was through the fire, but we are no longer in that era, it is time to revolutionize the whole world and despite the fact that our solution It will not cover so much space, we affirm that it will help a community with scarce resources in Colombia a lot. Going deeper into the question posed, their day to day would be completely modified, with this energy different sectors such as medicine, commerce, transport, education or their homes can be promoted. And what is important also, it is going to give them an opportunity to dream big, to see a completely different reality and get closer to it. 

We have carried out an arduous investigation on the great scarcity of public services with which the inhabitants of Inírida live, this due to the state abandonment that some areas of the Republic of Colombia present, therefore, we consider that our project can have a great impact on the quality of life of the Iniridenses, by providing them with electricity using their faeces.

Currently, our solution is a concept, since it does not have the funding it deserves and, furthermore, our solution is not yet being implemented in any community, however, we reiterate the effort of our delegation. We must add that we have advertised within the town of Buceo in Montevideo, Uruguay and we have an Instagram account in order to popularize our solution. Let us remember that where there is unity, there is victory.

First of all, we would like to remember the brief explanation that we have made a priori, about the core technology that we use in our solution. The solution is driven by bioengineering, biological engineering is defined as: "The application of the principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible and economically viable products" This supports that our solution is viable, it also goes to be used for most of the energy production, since we would need infrastructure, where engineering comes from and the principles of biology would help us improve the result and ensure that it does not fail. As another technology that will be used in our solution is the support of a crowd collaboration service or social networks, specifically, the Instagram social network, we consider that it is necessary to make people aware of the small changes that are made in the world; In addition, it is good that individuals know about our solution in order to have more visibility. In fact, if we manage to win this contest, we will ask for monetary help so that we do not fall short in the budget when it comes to including technology by engineering, which can be considered a business. We reiterate that the solution is designed with and for marginalized communities and our empathy and understanding of their situation will be and is being demonstrated.

Our team, after having encountered different types of obstacles, affirms that our solution will help a large part of a marginalized community in Colombia, all those who wish will be able to use our facilities, we cannot carry out our solution without the people since they are a key factor for our project, everything starts with them. In numbers, we approximately plan to serve more than 1000 people. In addition, we would like to highlight that today our solution has not been released, that is why we made this approximation since we cannot be sure if it will be used or there will be problems later, just this topic will be analyzed in the next answer. 

First, the solution seeks to generate energy for people in rural areas, improving their quality of life in terms of education, obtaining a decent job, etc. Second, serving the maximum number of people possible with the infrastructure and budget we have. And third, to raise awareness and motivate people so that they can carry out projects like these.

We are planning our progress with the multiple pre-existing indicators designed to measure the SDG 9 of industry, innovation and infrastructure, the SDG 10 reduction of inequalities, the SDG 11 of sustainable cities and communities and finally the SDG 12 of responsible production and consumption. All this is due to the low level of HDI presented by the department of Guainia and its capital Inírida.

Our main barriers to meeting our goals next year are the lack of funds to make the necessary investment for what our project asks for, in addition, none of the members lives in Inírida, added to this, 2 of the 3 members are from countries different than Colombia. Finally, most of our members are under 18 years.

Rocío, at the age of 15, has participated in three MUNs, with the intention of learning about and learning about other stories, conflicts, cultures, etc. She has won four awards in 2021 where she has been recognized internationally by the HOBY organization, she has won the "Rigoberta Menchú SAM-MUN 2021" award, she has graduated from school with honours and the highest grade possible within Uruguay, and has appeared in national newspapers. In Joaquín's case, the most notable skills would be: first, punctuality when doing the work; second, the organization and good communication that has been established in the team; thirdly, the ability to solve problems and, finally, empathy, although it cannot be called a “skill”, it is undoubtedly a feeling that has led our solution to overcome limits. In terms of background and experiences, our own experience in relation to the academic aspect is remarkable. In recent years, the Diploma Program (DP) of the International Baccalaureate Program was completed at the school. We have been able to be victims of different realities, so we can understand the feelings of the people our solution serves. Daniel, at only 15 years old, has participated in four MUNs in 2021 in order to study and learn about the culture and history of other countries in relation to various conflicts, in 2021 he has won four awards that recognize his great work in the MUNs in which has participated. Our team is united by trust and mutual respect and we will not hesitate to be transparent in our solution as we firmly believe that the union leads us to the victory of our objectives.

Currently, we do not have the support of any organization, but we have created a network of NGOs in case we win.