Now, the factory that turns trash into that form of energy known as -- briquettes -- has made Port-au-Prince, Haiti among 12 finalists in the World Challenge 09 competition, sponsored by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World News. The competition began Monday and runs through Nov. 13.

If Haiti wins the most votes, then the project, ``Love 'N Haiti'' -- which focuses on Decheteries De Carrefour Feuilles' factory in Port-au-Prince -- will win a grant toward its efforts at producing the recycled paper charcoal.

Last month, during a speech with South Florida's Haitian community, Clinton pulled out an example of the briquette and held it up to the audience as an example of how a deforested Haiti can find alternative sources of energy other than trees.

Clinton, who has made helping Haiti find alternative sources of energy a top priority, will speak about his Haitian initiatives Tuesday afternoon at the Americas Conference at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. The event is sponsored by The Miami Herald, the World Bank and Florida International University. Clinton travels to Haiti on Thursday with 150 private investors.

To help Haiti emerge as the winner, City of Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones has joined forces with South Florida's Haitian community and five U.S. cities -- Boston, New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles -- to launch a voting campaign to help Haiti win the competition on behalf of the environmentally friendly project.

``We support our sister city, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti for this competition,'' Spence-Jones said. ``They are definitely working towards creating a better environment and this grant can make it a reality.''

Individuals can vote for Haiti by logging on to www.theworldchallenge.co.uk. .