Articles tagged “Appropriate Technology”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

7 Phone Apps That Are Changing Lives in Africa By Rachel Cernansky IN Tech & Transport Nov 5 2010 From healthcare to insurance to fighting government corruption, people you've never heard of are developing phone apps that are revolutionizing life in Africa. + READ MORE

Efficient "Rocket Stoves" Taking Hold in Tanzania By Rachel Cernansky IN Tech & Transport Aug 23 2010 Dartmouth engineering students are in Tanzania to introduce the rocket stove, which burns cleaner than traditional stoves and uses significantly less wood. + READ MORE

With Apps 4 Africa, the Search for Technology Innovation in Africa is On By Rachel Cernansky IN Tech & Transport Jul 9 2010 A U.S.-Africa coalition is hosting a competition to develop Apps 4 Africa. + READ MORE

What Does NASA Have to Do with Clean Water in Rwanda? (Interview) By Rachel Cernansky IN Tech & Transport May 24 2010 Economic development shouldn't be a decision between choosing a profession and doing good. We can have social enterprises that don't force people to make that choice. + READ MORE

Cisco's Smart Grid Bests Google's PowerMeter When it Comes to Climate Change Solutions By Rachel Cernansky IN Tech & Transport May 9 2010 "To play a significant role in helping make sure global greenhouse gas emissions peak by 2015, IT companies need to deliver upon the promise that their technology can provide substantial climate savings today," says Greenpeace, which released its rankings last week of IT companies acting against climate change. + READ MORE

Engineering for Sustainable Development: Trading Carbon Credits for Clean Water in Rwanda By Rachel Cernansky IN Travel & Outdoors May 1 2010 People in Boulder gathered Thursday night to learn about sustainable development in Rwanda from an aerospace engineer based in Houston who has installed sand filter water purification systems and entered them into the carbon credit market + READ MORE

Europe Embraces Waste-to-Energy; Why Won't the U.S.? By Rachel Cernansky IN Tech & Transport Apr 14 2010 A New York Times story portrays how Europe is forging ahead with waste-to-energy technology, while the U.S. recognizes its potential yet does nothing to embrace it. + READ MORE

Conservation Farming, Not Witchcraft, Increases Zambian Farmer's Crop Yield By Mat McDermott IN Food & Health Apr 8 2010 Ecologically sustainable Conservation Farming methods have allowed Zambian farmer Elleman Mumba to increase crop yields and decrease labor. So much so that some people initially thought it had to be witchcraft. + READ MORE

How Will Climate Change Affect Your Hometown? By Rachel Cernansky IN Tech & Transport Apr 5 2010 The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Departments of Energy and Agriculture are teaming up to predict region-specific effects of climate change. + READ MORE

New Water Desalination Process Could Help With Disaster Relief By Jaymi Heimbuch IN Tech & Transport Apr 5 2010 Researchers at MIT and in Korea are developing a new way to desalinate water, which could lead to small, portable units powered by solar cells or batteries that can provide fresh water to rural areas or during disaster relief. + READ MORE

Telemedicine Healing Haiti Earthquake Victims, Puts Healthcare on the Map By Jaymi Heimbuch IN Work & Connect Apr 1 2010 Recently we talked about how telecommunications is enabling people living in rural parts of Argentina to get care from the best physicians in the country, without having to travel for it. The concept is working in a similar way for victims of the Haiti earthquake. + READ MORE

Help Refugees Do Their Work (and Earn Money) With Your iPhone By Rachel Cernansky IN Tech & Transport Feb 19 2010 A new version of the GiveWork iPhone app was just released that expands the abilities of iPhone users to help refugees around the world, with just a few moments of your time and a few clicks of your finger. + READ MORE

Gonna AltUse That? Website Gives New Life to Old Products (Interview) By Rachel Cernansky IN Tech & Transport Feb 17 2010 Recycling is important, but AltUse.com, according to one of its cofounders, is way beyond recycling. + READ MORE

Colorado Resident Saving Mountain Gorillas From His Basement By Rachel Cernansky IN Tech & Transport Feb 12 2010 From his basement, one Colorado resident started what is now the largest alternative fuel program in Congo. + READ MORE

Appfrica Maps Coltan From Congo to Your Cell Phone By Rachel Cernansky IN Tech & Transport Feb 5 2010 A technology development program in East Africa makes it easy, by mapping out the mining and use of coltan, for us to see the connection between our lives in the west and the war in Congo. + READ MORE

Cows to Kilowatts: Turning Slaughterhouse Pollution into Cheap Cooking Fuel By Jaymi Heimbuch IN Tech & Transport Dec 22 2009 Dr. Joseph Adelegan, an engineer from Nigeria with a passion for envrionmental technology, wanted to draw attnetion to the problem of slaugherhouse waste as a significant source of pollution for both water supplies and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a source for the spread of disease. So he created a brand new, innovative way to deal with the problem. + READ MORE

Meet Robyn Nietert of the Women's Microfinance Initiative: Building Businesses, and Lives, One Loan At a Time (Interview) By Rachel Cernansky IN Work & Connect Nov 6 2009 Robyn Nietert started the Women's Microfinance Initiative with a trial run of 20 loans, none more than $150, that women in rural Uganda would use to start their own businesses. In less than two years, the organization has not had a single default, and is now up to a total of 680 loans to 329 borrowers. Next projects include partnering with a formal bank in Uganda-and solar panels. Learn more about WMI's accomplishments in this interview with Robyn Nietert. + READ MORE

Electronic Music Brings Much-Needed Solar Power to Africa By Rachel Cernansky IN Travel & Outdoors Oct 2 2009 Electronic band BLVD is using its latest album to support solar power, and along with it poverty alleviation, in Africa. + READ MORE

Forget Google: Use the 7 Greenest Search Engines By Brian Merchant IN Tech & Transport May 27 2009 A while back, Google came under scrutiny when a study surfaced showing that each search processed created 1-10 grams of CO2—which adds up to a lot of carbon when there are 200 million searches being made every hour or so. + READ MORE

Meet Change Maker Tracey Turner of MicroPlace By Meaghan O'Neill IN Work & Connect Oct 8 2008 Did you know the average American household has about $100 in spare change lying around? That pocket change can be all it takes for a poor person to work her way out of poverty. Tracey Turner, founder and general manager of MicroPlace, is using that money to make a massive change. + READ MORE