The Cause

The scarcity and environmental impact of fossil fuel make oil and other combustibles a poor choice of energy when developing solutions that need to work both on and off the power grid.

Our Work

Seoul-based Community First changemakers came together to fund the pilot program for four biodigesters in Sen Sok community in an effort to introduce highly efficient natural biogas as an alternative to wood or fossil  fuels.

With livestock in place, an unlikely energy source emerges: manure. Through the process of biomass, Community First gives villagers the means to turn all of their farms’ agricultural byproducts into clean energy.

Our bio-digesters are underground constructions designed to process manure and other organic materials on one end, and yield high-grade, all natural fertilizer on the other.  In the center lies a four cubic meter concrete dome in which the input is turned into methane gas through a naturally occurring process.

The methane is then channeled through pipes back to the home, where it is converted into light by a gas lamp, and into heating energy by a cooking stove.

The light from the bio-digesters makes it possible for children to read after an early subtropical sunset, and for women to pursue other activities well into the evening. The heat for the stove enables the entire family to enjoy their meals without the concern or hassle of gathering or purchasing wood.

Our bio-digesters promote literacy, empower villagers, and protect Cambodia’s forests all at the same time. Meanwhile, farmers do not have to spend money on energy and they emit less CO2. The farmers simply need to pour two buckets of water and two more of organic materials in order to enjoy 16 hours of light plus eight hours of cooking gas per day.

Bio Digester Quick Facts:

A bio digester needs:

• 30 to 40 kg of materials a day
• 30 to 40 liters of water a day

A bio digester gives (at least):

• 16 hours of light
• And 8 hours of cooking time

What you can do

CONNECT, GIVE

$1,500 will build a biodigester that will serve the energy needs of a single family for multiple generations!

INVOLVE
Solve this! Help us turn the biogas from the biodigesters into energy that can be user to power a refrigerating unit