In general, people are apt to regard the energy as a far-away and complicate scientific matter managed by specific groups of experts. They often fail to understand how their daily lives relate to energy and contribute to its conservation. Or they fail to appreciate how they waste the energy. Especially in the vast rural agricultural communities, rural people are ignorant about the surrounding sources of energy and how to wisely utilize them. Besides, they ignorantly take part in degrading the energy and environmental situation.

Tambol Mae Mork and Vieng Mork , Thern District, Lampang Province are the two areas under such situation. Many types of community activities have been contributing to the global warming and natural resources waste. Some of these activities are deforestation, charcoal production, burning of household waste. In addition, there is a wrong attitude about energy and other type of natural resources utilization such as electricity consumption, dumping of household waste, use of cooking gas and chemical application in agricultural activities. These unprincipled practices have evidently cause negative effects to communities.During the past 3-5 years, the Mae Mork Creek which has been the water source for the community was running dry during the summer months because the watershed area has become of less absorbing capacity.

These issues need to be addressed and solved as soon as possible since they produce bad consequences to communities to a great extent.To make the matter worse, these unfavourable practices are repeated and copied beyond control.One good example is with the lucrative illegal charcoal production which is widely copied.Therefore, measures need to be applied to check this pattern of behavior,both at an individual and institutional level.These measures must be in consistent with income generating process and modification of government policy.

During the past 2 years, organizations and agencies has been launching campaigns through mass media to publicize the energy issue. Though the campaigns are good initiatives, they have limitation regarding the essence and project proposal for grass-root communities.In genral the campaigns cover the aspect of careful use of water and electricity which is workable to some extent.As the matter of fact, energy is the thing surrounding the communities and has direct connection with other things such as forest. While the forest provide an important source of carbon sink for Green House Gas, human beings opt not to protect the forest area. This is so becuase they feel that the issue is far too complicate for them to cope with.

The Renewable Energy for CBO Development project will focus on the submission to communities the roles they can effectvely play to conserve and wisely use energy and natural resources. With a good management system and support from both public and private sector, these conservation activities can create factors for sustainable income generation.

Activities to be carried out under project:

1.To plant trees in place of natural trees for charcoal production process
2.To use rice-husk in place of fuelwoods in mushroom raising process
3.To use solar energy for banana heating process
4.To launch campaigns in schools for energy and environment conservation

Project participants and/or beneficiaries:

1. Population and youth residing in and around project location
2. Project committee members and sub-committee members comprising technical experts,academics and rural developers.

Anticipated results of project:

1.The emergence of 40 pilot families undertaking fuelwoods plantation. The target population are instilled with the conservation awareness and subsequently reduce the deforestation caused by charcoal production by 40 %.

2. The target population is able to earn a living through mushroom raising in stead of wood trading and able to use rice-husk in place of fuelwoods.The stove used in the mushroom raising process can be replicated in other communities.

3. The emergence of 50 families undertaking banana heating process.The heater used in the process can be replicated in other communities.

4. The emergence of youth energy conservation groups. Approximately 500 students are trained on the subject of energy /environment conservation. The groups can further the activities.