CESTA

Promotion of Bicycle and Tricycle Use in El Salvador

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OTHER ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE USE OF BICYCLES

The promotion of bicycle use in El Salvador is an activity that was born out of a more profound reflexion about the development alternatives for El Salvador. CESTA has the conviction that a development program for El Salvador, in order to be fair, stable and permanent must be feasible and sustainable from a technical, economic, ecologic, social and political perspective.

The bicycle is one of the technologies that has become almost essential for a stable and permanent development process, besides it has the advantage of being a nature technology from a technical standpoint, which is not the case of other technologies among the "Appropriate Technology" movement. CESTA however, considers necessary to promote also the use of other technologies or activities that together with the bicycle can contribute to the development of the coutry.

In some circumstances the promotion of other technologies can be done simultaneously and coordinated with the promotion of bicycle and tricycle use, in other cases it will be done at a later stage. Some of the technologies or socio-ecologic activities that CESTA promotes or is considering to promote in the future are:

1. Recycle centers of organic and inorganic products in the industry, at home or in the commercial sector. The recycling can be done more effectively with the use of tricycles to transport the recyclable materials
2. Home gardens
3. The use of medicinal plants including its cultivation and processing
4. Energy efficient stoves
5. Energy saving in industry and commercial activities
6. Dry composting latrines
7. Production of non-traditional animal and vegetable nutritious food
8. Rain water collection
9. Ecological homes
10. Development of toys and games that generate among children and adults positive feelings such as: concern for the environment, ingeniousity, scientific curiosity, solidarity, etc.
11. Non-conventional energy development such as solar or aeolic energy, small water power, etc.
12. Efficient techniques for the processing, conseru+vation and cultivation of food
13. Methods and techniques to make efficient use of abundant resources such as clay or vegetable fibers