Dear Mr. & Mrs. Svitek,

I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude for your generous contribution to my internship this past summer.  With your support I was able to spend the summer volunteering on organic farms throughout the Republic of Ireland.  The agreement between my host and I was a days work in exchange for room and board,so airfare, transport and everything else had to come out of my pocket.  Receiving this award allowed me to take an unpaid position in a field I am passionate about, and I feel very fortunate to have had that opportunity.

One of the coolest places I worked was at a center for alternative technology on the beautiful west coast.  The farm is 40 acres, half of which is being reforested and managed.  The other twenty are used to grow vegetables organically and for some animals as well.  The farm is completely off the grid and produces all of its own electricity via windmills, solar panels and a micro-hydro system.  All this produces enough electricity to run the entire farm with enough left over to watch a movie at the end of the day.  The people that own the farm are extremely knowledgeable about both farming and alternative technology, and I learned a tremendous amount from them.  They are also some of the funniest people I’ve ever met and I really enjoyed working with them.  Even jobs like weeding and shoveling manure were highly enjoyable!  

In addition to all the valuable skills I attained on the farm, I learned a tremendous amount off the farm as well.  The locals were very friendly and there was never a dull moment at a social gathering.  I spent the last two weeks of the summer traveling around the country and got to talk to several residents about their culture and the status of organic food production.  One of the most exciting things I discovered is a trend of individual households starting to become increasingly self-sufficient food producers.  The most popular reasons for doing so include economics, food security and the confidence in knowing where their food came from and how it was produced.

I think this is going to continue to be a trend not only in Ireland, but around the world as the energy crisis approaches.  Agriculture will be one of the hardest hit industries and also the most important in my opinion.  Alternative technology in agriculture is the main focus of my ongoing research project.   I hope to utilize the knowledge I gained working at the Center for Alternative Technology and with further research make alternative energy recommendations to the other places I worked this summer.

Another thing I enjoyed about living in Ireland was the great music!  I spent many evenings listening to traditional Irish music, which I developed a great love for.  I also joined a samba/reggae band at one of the places I stayed and got to play several gigs with them!

Again, I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for this tremendous opportunity.  I learned an incredible amount and am very excited to go on and share that knowledge with other people in my field. 

With great appreciation,
Nicole Desnoyers