News & Events
Upcoming Events
May 2011
2 Homes in 2 days. On May 14th and again on May 21st Icology Group teams up with Corazon and Rotary Interact of La Jolla to build 2 more I Homes in Tecate, Mexico. Come volunteer with us and be part of making a measurable and sustainable difference in the lives of our neighbors.
Both builds are being generously supported by funding from Harmony and Health Foundation of Carlsbad and by funding and volunteers for Rotary Interact Club of La Jolla. Additional financial support is appreciated. Checks should be made payable to “Corazon” with “Icology Group” as a footnote and handed to the trip coordinator on the day of the build. These donations will be used to offset some of Corazon’s in-country program costs.
Interested in volunteering? Start the process soon….
Step 1 - go to the Corazon website (www.corazon.org) to register as a “New volunteer” and complete their volunteer sign-up / waiver process.
Step 2 – await your registration confirmation then go to their “New Calendar” to register for these particular builds:
- May 14th: “Rotary Interact La Jolla/Icology Group”
- May 21st: “Harmony & Health Foundation/Icology Group”
By doing so we will know to expect you and can provide you with all the necessary in-country logistics support you’ll need
Step 3 – read the event instructions and meeting-point directions carefully and turn up on time with your US re-entry documents (passport, green-card etc.) safely in hand.
Step 4 – Lets build, and be uplifted by the experience of making a life-changing difference in the lives of an entire family!
Volunteers willing to offer car-pooling to others are encouraged. Why not sign up your friends and family members too and make it a fun day out for you all!
We look forward to seeing you!
Current News
September 2011
La Jolla High Interact builds homes in Mexico
La Jolla Light news article here.
July 2011
Designing Homes for the Back of a Donkey
by Emily Alpert - Voice of San Diego - Posted: Friday, July 8, 2011
Jacky Vel travelled the world for business, and she came back dispirited by global poverty.
Now she hopes she has a solution for it. Vel is president and CEO of the Icology Group, which aims to provide housing for the poor and disaster survivors and make it so affordable that people on the economic brink can still buy it themselves. read the full article
March 2011
Jacky Vel presented her experience from Haiti to the Women’s Dinner Group of St James by the Sea Episcopal Church of La Jolla. “I have never felt so well connected to the real issues at hand” said one of the audience members. “Probably the most informative presentation we have seen…” said the organizer. The congregation of St James by the Sea have supported many social justice causes far and wide including providing volunteer support to Icology Group in building I Homes in Tijuana, Mexico.
Haiti Neighborhood of Hope Project Outline (pdf)
February 2011
Neighborhood of Hope project receives funding for one of the 10 ‘I Homes’ being sent to Haiti. The women of the United Methodists Church of La Jolla breakfast group were introduced to the project by Jacky Vel, who provided a project overview and some insight into the real challenges of rebuilding Haiti. The group determined on the spot to support the project and dedicating their Christmas Alternative Giving Fair to this cause, presenting Icology Group with a check for $2100 shortly thereafter. If you and your community group support social justice initiatives and are interested to get involved please contact jackyv@icologygroup.com today for a customized presentation of our work in Haiti.
January 2011
Neighborhood of Hope project implementation kicks off with introductory meeting between Icology Group President Jacky Vel and leaders of L’Eglise Methodiste d’Haiti (The Methodist Church of Haiti) in Carrefour, a location near to the epic center of the 2010 earthquake. Rev. Dr. Bill Jenkins of project sponsors Christ United Methodist church of San Diego writes “Jacky has cut through the political and religious red tape that is hindering real progress in Haiti.” Click here to read Pastor Bills full “E-vangel News” post
Archived News
April 2011
April 13, 2011 Icology Group President Jacky Vel introduces a UC San Diego Extension Class studying business and sustainability to the novel “social-business” model adopted by Icology Group to bring affordable, quality and ecologically sound housing to those most in need. presentation notes.
April 23, 2011 Icology Group President Jacky Vel will return to Haiti to continue implementation of the Neighborhood of Hope Project sponsored by the Haitian Mission within Christ United Methodists Church of San Diego.
December 2010
Icology Group and Fuller Center of San Diego partner with KidsKorp USA at Flower Hill Shopping Mall to build a childrens I PlayHome™ for Auction. Proceeds from this and other activities on the day go to local families in need.
The I PlayHome™
October 2010
Manufacturing of transitional ‘I Homes’ for Haiti begins in earnest.
Icology Group, sponsored by the Haitian Ministry of San Diego, has begun manufacture of the first batch of I Home kits for families devastated by the January earthquake in Haiti. Sponsorship commitments have been received from the United Methodists PacWest conference in Redlands, from congregations in La Jolla and San Diego and from several friends of Icology Group. Over $14,500 has been raised to date but much still remains to be done in order to reach the goal of providing at least 20 kits for housing some of the most profoundly affected and vulnerable families in Carrefour. To sponsor your own I Home for this Neighborhood of Hope project please visit www.HaitiSD.com
June 2010
La Jolla High School Interact Club sponsored by Rotary Club of La Jolla has committed to build their first ‘I Home’ in Tijuana, Mexico. Matched by a Carlsbad foundation grant to double the impact, Icology Group and the team of volunteers can now provide two kit homes instead of one. Tijuana is an area known to have a severe shortage of quality housing with many young families living in make-shift, unsafe, insecure structures. This is a chance for the youth of La Jolla High School to see first-hand the living conditions in Tijuana, to connect with their peers and neighbors, and to make a major contribution to a family’s well-being.
Watch for an announcement of our “I Build” Partner and a request for volunteers to support the building of these two units in early 2011. More info...
April 2010
Icology Group announces I Fund™ and I Build™ Partnership with Haitian Ministry of San Diego: Read more here....
April 1st, 2010
Icology Group licenses innovative high strength-to-weight ration roofing design from Aldoized Triangular Building Systems of NH
March 31st, 2010 New York
Icology Group recently hosted a demonstration build of their exclusive I RAD Rapid Assembly Dwellings at the Millennium UN Plaza Hotel in New York.
Scheduled to coincide with the UN Donor Conference on Haiti, the event was attended by key representatives of government sponsored aid agencies, not-for-profits, Haitian-based diplomats, development funding bodies and the local Haitian community, as well as Haitian and US based media.
A team of volunteers hand-carried the flat-pack kit into the Diplomat Ballroom and under the guidance of inventor Chris Scott set about assembling the unit as a demonstration of its ease of assembly and volunteer friendliness.
Throughout the day, guests received the “red carpet” tour of the shelter including a chance to discuss its unique features and suitability for the Haitian climate with President Jacky Vel. “Our unique I WOOD™ system revolutionizes the deployment of emergency and transitional shelters, providing much needed fully-secured weather-proof homes” she said. “In addition these shelters can be quickly deployed to the most vulnerable populations affected by the disaster, many of whom can participate in assembling their new home - a significant step on their path to rebuilding their lives after such a catastrophic disaster”.
Made from readily available materials such as sustainably forested lumber and oriented strand board (OSB) the kits are affordable and have a low cost-of-ownership. Utilizing an ecologically sound anti-mold/termite/rot and fire retardant finish from EcoBlu® these units are well suited to serving the short, medium and long term needs of the homeless in Haiti. Kits are flat-packed in various sizes from 8x8 ft to 16x12 ft in any 4 ft increment, have a higher strength to weight ratio than comparable lumber structures and generate a far better quality shelter than any tent or stick-and-tarp solution can offer. Their longevity means they can be used it the immediate aftermath of a disaster and then moved / redeployed as the longer term rebuilding plan comes to fruition.
Each I RAD kit comes complete with all components, fixings, tools and instructions and takes a team of 4 to 5 people approximately 6 hours to assemble. Customization and expansion is readily achieved by the addition of I WOOD components to the existing structure. Should the house need to be moved, it can be easily disassembled and reassembled or the components used in a new larger unit.
February 2010
Icology Group receives pledges to send container of I RAD Rapid Assembly Dwellings to Haiti.
January 2010
Affordable Solutions for Haiti
Proposal for Haitian Disaster Relief & Rebuilding, please contact us for more information.
August 2009
2nd I Home 401 built in under 12 hours
On Sunday 23rd August, with the wonderful team from YWAM Homes of Hope Program a team of volunteers completed our second I Home build in Rosarito, Mexico. In under 12 working hours we went from cement pad to a fully constructed, painted and weatherized home. Volunteers included Ernesto (Papa) and Aniceta (Mama) and all of their 5 children. You could feel their pride and excitement as the house - their new home - began to take shape on Saturday morning. Sunday lunch was actually served from the families new dining area and they began to move in on Sunday evening. What a fantastic outcome that would not have been accomplished without our growing family of "Icology Enthusiasts".
Contact us to:
- sign up for our quarterly updates
- become an I Fund partner or make a contribution
- volunteer in our next I Build event
- share your home building and poverty relief programs with us
EcoReality hosts the launch of I RAD 101 Emergency Shelter
For the past few years, the Earth Festival Society has spearheaded a tour of “eco-homes" on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, Canada showcasing the best examples of green building, energy efficiency, and water conservation. As one of a number of shelters and small homes featured at the EcoReality tour stop on August 16th the I RAD 101 Rapid Assembly Dwelling was greeted with great interest by local residents, excited to see a do-it-yourself flat-pack kit that can be assembled in just a few hours to create an 8' x 12' living space, shelter or workshop that is also very affordable.
Download Spec SheetTo visit the I RAD demonstration unit, purchase your I RAD 101 kit or discuss your emergency preparedness and disaster recovery needs contact us.
July 2009
Icology Group launches the I Fund and I Build partnership programs
Working to connect affordable housing stakeholders, Icology Group has created an I Fund™ partnership program for individuals, community groups, churches, schools etc to get involved with fund raising on behalf of I Build™ partners such as Youth With a Mission, Habitat for Humanity and Fuller Center for Housing San Diego. For more information or to become an I Fund or I Build Partner contact us.
June 2009
“Indian Voices” magazine features I WOOD as a solution to affordable housing for American Indians and First Nations.
See page 4 of Indian Voices Magazine, June 2009 edition
May 2009
Fuller SD collaborate to build affordable housing in Mexico
"The San Diego version of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition doesn't have cameras or "move that bus" moments. It does, however, have happy endings for San Diego families who can't afford to repair or renovate their homes." full article by Gina Giacopuzzi
April 2009
April 26th 2009
Tijuana, Mexico: Built in just 2 days and now occupied by the Alor family, the first I Home 401 was funded and built by volunteers of St James Episcopal of La Jolla and friends of Icology Group in partnership with Youth-With-A-Mission San Diego Baja – Homes of Hope. Mum Elizabeth is overjoyed at the prospect of her 5 children having a home of their own from where they can attend the local school and begin to rebuild their lives. Mum and Kristian (16) got busy laying shingles while Damariz (15), Yoaldo (14) and Amairani (12) worked hard building the walls of their new I Home.
Contact us for the opportunity to fund a home or get involved in a build. You too can make a significant difference in the lives of those most in need while supporting a fledgling social enterprise.
April 19th
2009 San Diego Earth Fair 2009 - I Home build featured on San Diego Channel 6 news. View here.
It arrived on a trailer and after 3 hours, the house frame was beginning to take shape. The I Home 401 built at the show is now in Mexico and with the support of the Youth With A Mission - Homes of Hope program and volunteers from St James Episcopal Church of La Jolla, it will be rebuilt the weekend of April 26 as a permanent home for a very low income family in Tijuana.
Press Release
Affordable Green Housing for Disaster Recovery and the Impoverished
On April 19, 2009, San Diego’s Earth Fair 2009 in Balboa Park will showcase environmentally-friendly houses that can be built in just a few hours. Icology Group’s houses are extremely affordable at less than $10,000 per 400 square foot structure, are environmentally beneficial, and are expected to have a huge social impact by providing disaster victims and impoverished communities access to quality, affordable and ecologically sound housing. Read More...
January 2009
- Icology Group CEO invited to speak to Social Entrepreneurship class at Sonoma State University
- Icology Group teams with wood shop to manufacture components for first production run of the I Home 401
December 2008
- Icology Group, Inc. is incorporated as a social enterprise in California
- YWAM commit to building two I Home 401 demonstration units in Tijuana Mexico with support from St James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, La Jolla.
November 2008
- Icology Group completes product development of its first standard I WOOD kit, the I Home™ 401
- FII funded comparative performance testing gets underway at Forintek
June 2007
BluWood Coats IWOOD™ to Create Bug-Proof, 400 SF ‘Green’ Kit Home Frame in Two Hours
Automated Builder magazine article
SAN DIEGO, CA—When you coat super-environmentally-friendly I-Wood with the hi-tech treatment called BluWood on Earth Day you’re bound to end up with a structure which is more ‘politically-correct green’ than the grass itself.
It all took place in San Diego in April on Earth Day when inventor Chris Scott and six unskilled workers manning only battery-powered screwdrivers put together an I-Wood frame for a 400 sq. ft. house in two hours flat.read more...
April 2007
See the story from Channel 10
Six Un-trained Volunteers Framed a Complete House In 2 Hours
Six untrained volunteers built a 400 sq. ft. house in two hours for San Diego's Earth Day celebration, April 22, 2007.
The structure, one of Profile Lumber's kit houses, was put together by volunteers from Saint James Episcopal Church, La Jolla California and Habitat for Humanity as a demonstration for sustainable building using only battery powered drills.
Although organizer Chris Scott had a whole selection of tools available, "we used nothing but the drills," he said, "except in one instance where we needed a hammer to remove a bolt."