Chris Greene is the CEO of Meds & Food for Kids (MFK) in Haiti
Why do you personally work in renewable energy?
After I sold my own business, I was seeking a new challenge and found myself in Haiti. I became aware of Meds & Food for Kids, a company that produces Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) to treat severely malnourished children. I worked at the factory in Cap Haitien, Haiti, and eventually served as the COO for five years.
Haiti's electricity grid is not reliable, so I learned about solar power and installed a solar system in my own home in Haiti. Later, I installed a larger solar system in the MFK staff home. So when MFK decided to pursue solar, I was thrilled.
How does your company engage with local communities?
One part of MFK's mission is to promote resiliency and sustainability in Haiti. To achieve this, MFK employs a team of 88 local Haitians to manage and operate its factory. The organization also has nutrition nurses who work with clinics and families to educate them about using RUTF to treat malnourished children as well as pregnant and nursing mothers.
Additionally, MFK staff provides agricultural extension services for small-plot farmers to help increase the quantity and quality of their peanut crops. MFK has purchased over 500,000 kilograms of locally produced peanuts for use in RUTF production. The Agriculture program at MFK collaborates with Haitian universities to train students in best practices.
Tell us about a recent or upcoming project. What is most compelling about it?
After diesel became difficult to access and prices skyrocketed due to gang control, production was negatively impacted. What is easily accessible and reliable in Haiti is sunshine.
MFK soon determined that solar was the best way to ensure steady production of RUTF and launched a capital campaign to raise $1.5 million for a solar array for the factory. In less than 18 months, MFK raised $1.6 million and began construction on a 300-kilowatt solar array, with all the installations completed by Haitian firms. In March 2023 MFK inaugurated the new array, which is one of the largest in Haiti.
How can/do “Peace RECs” support your project development?
MFK currently has capital needs at the factory that amount to nearly $3 million. All the needs impact RUTF production capacity and MFK’s ability to distribute RUTF promptly to agencies in Haiti that are treating malnourished children and mothers. Funding from P-RECs from our solar production enables MFK to deliver RUTF directly to clinics and families by maintaining inventory. This is also the benefit of MFK producing “in-country” and completely operated by a local Haitian team.
What impacts does renewable energy have in the communities where you work?
In the first 280 days of solar power, MFK produced 314 megawatt-hours of electricity, which generated 90% of the energy for the factory, resulting in record production of 17,000 treatments in one month by operating 2 shifts. This also eliminated 18,852 gallons of diesel, reducing CO2 emissions by 221 tons and saving $122,542 in costs.
In other words, as we see it, renewable energy literally translates into lives saved!