Here’s your chance to do a little bit for Haiti—and it will only take you a few seconds. A Haitian project that turns recycled paper into charcoal is among 12 finalists in a BBC contest and a number of cities across the United States—Miami, Boston, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles—have launched a campaign to help Haiti emerge as the winner. You can cast your vote to help this environmentally friendly project be the winner.

You can cast your vote at www.theworldchallenge.co.uk

The factory in Port-au-Prince makes briquettes—primarily used for cooking—is  among 12 finalists in the World Challenge 09 competition, sponsored by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World News. The competition began Monday and runs through Nov. 13. If Haiti wins the most votes, then the project, “Love ‘N Haiti” — which focuses on Decheteries De Carrefour Feuilles’ factory in Port-au-Prince — will win a grant toward its efforts at producing the recycled paper charcoal.

Last month, during a speech with South Florida’s Haitian community, Clinton pulled out an example of the briquette and held it up to the audience as an example of how a deforested Haiti can find alternative sources of energy other than trees.

Vote early, vote often.

For the original report go to

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/haiti/story/1256394.html