A beautiful view of ecofiltro:one facility
Today we met early in the morning at the school and headed to the EcoFiltro plant right outside of Antigua. Upon arrival we were greeted by Phillip, an ex-pat out of the Wharton School of Business, who proceeded to talk to us about the nature of running a global company like EcoFiltro. A veteran of many start-ups, he said this was by far the most enjoyable, yet challenging company he has ever worked with. A recipient of various prestigious international awards, and with plants in Africa, Asia and India, EcoFiltro is attempting to bring potable water to parts of the world that desperately need it. A great lesson in economics, chemical engineering and simple resourcefulness, this was a fascinating opportunity for the students to observe how a company is created from a basic idea to resolve a global necessity, and the real challenges it faces not only to meet its bottom line, but to fulfill a social responsibility. Later in the week, they will be able to implement some of what they learned when they travel with Lencho to villages to educate the children on how to use these filters for clean drinking water. After our visit, we returned to Antigua, exchanged money, and the students went back to their families to have lunch. After lunch they had their first meeting with their tutors to improve and practice their Spanish. Overall, it was a pretty full Monday.
Today was a very fun day. We visited the Eco filter factory and learned a lot about how the Eco filter works and how important it is to families who are in need of water. I'm excited to start the project tomorrow and hope to make a difference. After that, we had our first day with our tutors and I already have learned a lot more than I expected including grammar, vocab, and the history of Antigua itself. I am really looking forward to studying more with my tutor and hope to increase my Spanish knowledge!
ReplyDeleteMonday was a very interesting day! We got to learn about the eco filter and that was a lot of fun to learn about. I also got some pictures on the thing I was researching that was sports. The main sport I course is football or soccer. I am really looking forward to see what's next for us us today.
ReplyDeleteAfter learning about the Eco filter process, I was amazed at how many people run such a small factory for such a large cause. Later, with my tutor, I learned a lot of new words so I can now communicate with people much better now.
ReplyDeleteMonday was really interesting for me. Although I was really interested with the ecofilter, I was still really tired from the international traveling. Also, I had a lot of fun with my tutor. She quickly realized that my Spanish was not that good and I needed a lot of work buy she worked with me. After my session, I felt a lot more confident with my Spanish even though I'm not speaking as much as I probably should. So far, my trip has been great and I can't wait to see what's in store for us.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed learning about the ecofilter system on Monday and look forward to presenting our projects about the problems and solutions of clean water to the children and mothers in remote villages soon. I have also really enjoyed working with my tutor Clara i can already tell that my Spanish has begun to improve.
ReplyDeleteThe ecofilter factory was very impressive. the man who started it was very humble, and well spoken. All the wood they used reminded me of the smell of the Louisville Slugger Museum. My tutor's name is Gerber (hair-bear) and he is a really impressive person. I am really excited to work on my spanish with him, and learn more about the legends of Antigua that he knows so much about
ReplyDeleteToday our group visited the ecofilter facility and learned what it was all about. We got to meet the inventor who led us on a tour of the facility.
ReplyDeletei was surprised at how it was all hand made with no machinery. Also
i met my tutor who is a nice old lady and likes to say "no and wrong" a lot.
We visited the Ecofilter Facility and learned about what they did and how they made the Ecofilters. It was very cool that they did not use any machines to make them. They used a special mix of clay and wood to create a filtering pot that was used to filter the water. There were many steps in making the outstanding invention and it is a great thing. Later that day I got to meet my tutor that I will be with for the next two weeks; her names is Edna. She is very nice and funny. Edna loves to make jokes and smile which is great and a great way to learn when sitting in a chair for four hours straight.
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