Irvine Rotary Club - Irvine, Orange County, California

Thursday, February 27, 2014

StoveTeam International was featured on PBS Newshour.

Irvine Rotary and other clubs in District 5320 helped start the StoveTeam factory in Guatemala. The factory, started in the courtyard of the local entrepreneur’s home, now employs 22 people and makes 4,000 stoves a year. Profits from the factory were used to start a free school for local children.

Another small miracle from Rotary.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

We had the honor of being visited by Mayor Steven S. Choi recently, who provided us with not only the story of his background, but an update with Irvine’s plans for the Great Park. Mayor Choi, who has an easy manner and sense of humor, was quick to tell us that he is a first generation Korean American who came to this country to live the American Dream as he was told that the United States is “The Land of Opportunity”. Mayor Choi was working as a language instructor for the Peace Corps when he came to America in 1968. At the time he only had $100 in his pocket and quickly spent $50 buying a camera.

Mayor Choi obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Library Science from Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Korea. After arriving in the United States, he obtained his Master’s degree in Library Science from Louisiana State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. He served as a Trustee for the Irvine Unified School District from 1998 to 2004 and then, after serving eight years on the Irvine City Council, was elected as the mayor of Irvine in 2012.

Mayor Choi’s entry into politics, according to him, was “unlikely” as he was often the only minority candidate running in various elections. Some of his friends from Korea told him he would never find a job with his “poor English.” He proved them wrong. After teaching at the University of California – Irvine and running on the school board and city council, Mayor Choi learned that Irvine truly was the Land of Opportunity for those “willing to serve”. His day is long, beginning in the early morning with meetings which last until night falls, but he loves leading Irvine and serving his community. He is very proud of Irvine’s history as the “Safest City in the United States” for 9 years in a row.

He was asked about the Great Park and the City’s plans for further development of the park. He explained that when the Redevelopment Agency was abolished in 2011, the expected revenue stream upon which the park was to be developed also disappeared. Currently, the City makes a small amount renting portions of the park as a landing strip and for recreational vehicle storage. However, Irvine has negotiated with private companies and formed partnerships, which will now allow it to build another 688 acres of the park within the next 5 years. This will include 24 soccer fields, a golf course and tennis courts.

On behalf of the City of Irvine, Mayor Choi invited everyone to the upcoming May 17, 2014, 5th Annual Irvine Korean festival which will be taking place at the Irvine Civic Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza. Mayor Choi indicated this would be an opportunity to share Irvine’s “diverse culture, peace and harmony”. There will be many cultural events taking place throughout the day and numerous food and vendor booths. More information can be obtained at www.irvinekoreanfestival.com.

Thursday, February 06, 2014

One of the initial Ecocina stoves produced by the factory is still going strong…and is still safe to touch even when cooking. Complete combustion eliminates the need for a chimney.

Irvine Rotarian Ray Sanford recently visited the fuel-efficient stove factory near Antigua, Guatemala funded by an International Matching Grant from the Rotary clubs of Irvine, Surf City-Huntington Beach, Newport Balboa, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel and Norwalk. The grant was for an initial order of more than 1,000 stoves and was designed to “kick-start” the production to the point where the factory would be self-sufficient, thereby meeting sustainability guidelines.

The factory sits on a 25-acre site. To the right is the stove demonstration area.

What started out as a single worker producing stoves in the courtyard of his home is now on a 25-acre site that employs 24 people and produces more than 4,000 stoves a year. The stove and the factory employing local labor was designed by Nancy Hughes, a member of the Eugene Southtowne Rotary. It’s success quickly led to the start of StoveTeam International, a non-profit organization that helps local entrepreneurs start fuel-efficient stove factories.

A worker smooths the body of a larger stove after being released from the mold. Stove bodies are then placed in a water bath until they are completely cured.

Ecocina stove bodies ready for the next stage of assembly. This involves adding the combustion chamber and then surrounding it with pumice rock for insulation.

The Ecocina fuel-efficient stove is a marvel of effective simplicity. Designed to use far less wood than traditional cooking methods, it completely burns all the particulate matter, eliminating the smoke and also the need for a chimney. It’s portable and is easily moved without losing it’s effectiveness.

Two factories started by StoveTeam International are featured at the Rotary Central American Project Fair held in Antigua, Guatemala. Ecocomal is in Guatemala while e’copan is in Copan Ruinas, Honduras.

The factory now produces four other models of stove; some based on the Ecocina and others that have increased cooking areas. All use the same “rocket-elbow” design for complete combustion.

One of the larger, built-in, stoves, complete with chimney.

The town of Antigua retains its Spanish Colonial architecture, complete with cobblestone streets and colorful buildings.

Traditional Guatemalan woven products are highly desired. Each village has its own pattern.

More traditional T-shirts.

The local factory owner used stove profits to start a school for children whose parents could not afford to send their children to the local school.

Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Quarterly, the Irvine Rotary and Irvine Police Department honor outstanding Irvine citizens who aid the Irvine Police Department in keeping Irvine a safer place. This quarter, the award was given to Woodbridge High School’s principal, Chris Krebs, and his staff on February 5, 2014 relating to an on-campus incident which occurred on November 21, 2013.

Irvine Police Chief David Maggard, Jr., expressed his pleasure with the close relationship shared by the Irvine Unified School District and the Irvine Police Department, which he described as a great example of a “community working together” and truly “connecting” with one another.

Officer Mike Frey, who is stationed directly on Woodbridge High School’s campus, took a major part in coming to the aide of a student who suffered from cardiac problems on campus in the middle of a school day and described the incident. Officer Frey was getting ready to leave the campus for the day when he received word that a 15 – 16 year old female student was “down” near the classrooms. He quickly took a cart to the scene to find the student lying on her back, apparently having a seizure. He quickly attempted to find a pulse, and finding none, immediately started administering CPR along with Assistant Principal Scott Sodorff.

Principal Chris Krebs arrived at the scene shortly thereafter and assisted with CPR, using an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), a device which not only guides persons administering CPR on the proper amount of compression to be used, but actually advises first responders when a shock delivered by the AED is warranted to save the victim’s life. Officer Frey was emotional telling the story, sharing how calm Krebs appeared to be at the scene. While overseeing CPR, Krebs directed other members of his staff to contact the student’s parents, control the surrounding area so that other students wouldn’t panic, etc.

Thanks to the efforts of Principal Krebs, his staff and officer Frey (who together administered a total of 10 minutes of CPR and 3 shocks to the student, paramedics successfully arrived at the scene and the student’s life was saved. The student apparently had a genetic heard condition. Her parents had actually donated the very same AED that saved their daughter’s life to the school district on an earlier date.

Congratulations to Principal Krebs, his staff at Woodbridge High School, and Officer Frey, who showed true teamwork and clearheaded thinking in a highly emotional situation.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Debbie Wells, Executive Director of the Achievement Institute of Scientific Studies (AISS) has a two year program for high school students which provides students with a leg up on obtaining acceptance letters with top colleges across the United States. The purpose of AISS is to fund underprivileged students who have an interest in careers specifically in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and train them to pursue such careers.

The first year of the program is focused on developing career awareness. This includes study trips to local companies in the STEM fields (such as Edward Life Sciences), learning life and leadership skills (everything from a proper handshake to making good eye contact), and team building. The second year of the program has students researching and writing essays for 10 colleges, personal statements, resumes, obtaining letters of recommendation and participating in mock college interviews. At the end of the rigorous program, which includes 8 weeks in the summer, each student receives a laptop that can be used for college studies.

100% of AISS kids who complete the program are accepted to 4 or more universities. Over the last 10 years AISS’ students have obtained 603 acceptance letters from 94 universities. AISS is looking for sponsors to help fund its programs, provide laptops and assist in raising funds for a video program.

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StoveTeam International featured on PBS Newshour

Irvine Mayor Steven S. Choi visits Irvine Rotary

Guatemala Stove Factory Update

Irvine Public Safety Award presented to Woodbridge H.S. Principal Chris Krebs and Staff

AISS Encourages students to pursue STEM careers

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