Our Programs

We believe that the challenges facing our environment can be met best by the people and communities directly effected by them. The best solutions are grown from the ground up. Appropriate technology, sustainably used, creates positive change that ripples out from the smallest community to the whole planet.

Here’s a summary of our programs. You can find out more by visiting our website, or by contacting us directly.

Forest-saving Stoves: Latin America
Indoor air pollution from open, unventilated cooking fires kills more than 1.6 million women and children yearly. TWP and our local partners build energy-efficient, ventilated stoves that use up to 70% less wood and reduce the risk of respiratory disease caused by inhaling wood smoke. Microcredit programs help make these stoves affordable; stoves are built by local people using local materials. Result: reduced demand for firewood in these severely deforested countries, and better health for women and children.

Community Reforestation: Central America
At current rates of deforestation, by 2050 Central America’s native forests will be gone. Cleared for crops, development, or firewood, the land is vulnerable to erosion and catastrophic landslides. To help combat this devastating deforestation, TWP plants hundreds of thousands of trees and teaches rural Central Americans how to grow trees in self-sufficient nurseries. Result: new trees help replenish forests, stabilize soil, protect water supplies, and produce a sustainable supply of firewood. The nurseries also provide new sources of
income for farmers and their families.

Tribal Lands Renewable Energy: American West
On the Native American reservations in West, over 60% of residents live below the poverty line. Extreme summer heat and bitter winter cold take their toll on families who may be unable to afford the high price of heating and cooling their homes. TWP plants trees, builds solar heating systems, and educates residents about alternative energy to help combat the high utility costs that burden many reservation families. Result: lower energy bills, more livable homes, and a renewal of traditional values of caring for the earth.

Clean Water: Rocky Mountain West
The headwaters states of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Montana provide essential water supplies to over 101 million people. TWP provides organizational development training and technical assistance to watershed groups throughout these headwaters states, helping them fulfill their mission as front-line protectors of our fragile water resources. Result: strong watershed groups that play a critical part in protecting water quality for all.

Environmental Education: Northern Colorado
Our educational efforts are currently directed toward renewable energy, particularly solar. Our newest program, the SunMobile, is a mobile educational unit featuring renewable energy and energy efficiency lessons, and hands-on learning projects. Housed in a compact trailer, the SunMobile will travel to area schools and community events to teach kids (of all ages) about the value, viability, and availability of renewable energy technology, and the importance of energy conservation. We are also involved in helping area schools incorporate clean energy applications in their buildings. Called “Renewables on Schools,” this program is a way to encourage clean energy AND educate our kids!