SoLanterns
Website: http://www.launch.org/innovators/nina-marsalek Description: Sun-powered lanterns are safe, emission free, and affordable for even low-income households. They are designed to be used in rough environments and provide easy-to-use light that helps increase school performance and business productivity. The initiative’s micro-entrepreneur model also creates jobs, especially benefitting young people and women. Why: Kenya has 18% electrification rate. That means that for 82


Build a Biogas Plant
Website: http://www.build-a-biogas-plant.com/ Why: Money spent on fuel that causes health issues is money that could be used for food, trade and medicine. Environmentally sound and practical solution. Audience: Individuals, Communities, Industry #HumanWaste #Sustainability


Solar Household Energy
Website: http://www.she-inc.org/ Description: A step-by-step case-study of successful methods for achieving community buy-in for solar cooking as well as training for building them. Shared by Mary Simonson and Nancy Bailey. Implementation Effort: Moderate Maximum Cost: Audience: Individuals, Communities #EconomicDevelopment #Technology #education #LivableCommunities


Barefoot College
Website: http://barefootcollege.org Description: Training that addresses problems of drinking water, girl's education, health and sanitation, rural unemployment, as well as social awareness and the conservation of the organizations that already exist in the villages whose wisdom, knowledge and skills are neither identified, mobilized nor applied just because they do not have an educational qualification.The Barefoot College is a place of learning and unlearning. It's a place


Shallow Well Rope Pump
Website: http://cec.vcn.bc.ca/cmp/modules/wat-ro.htm Description: Complete plans for creating a shallow well rope pump. Training documents on this web site, this one is based upon the principle that communities can best be strengthened (empowered) by doing things for themselves rather than waiting for outside charity. The technical or engineering aspects are meant to be used as an illustration of that principle. Link includes details, illustrations and pros and cons. Why: The

Heifer International
Website: Email: Description: Heifer envisions…A world of communities living together in peace and equitably sharing the resources of a healthy planet. Heifer’s mission is…To work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth. Heifer's strategy is…To “pass on the gift.” As people share their animals’ offspring with others – along with their knowledge, resources, and skills – an expanding network of hope, dignity, and self-reliance is created that reaches


NRDC Action Center
Website: http://nrdc.org Description: NRDC's Action Center provides tools, tips and information you need to help protect the earth's extraordinary wealth of natural treasures. Sign up for free bi-weekly email alerts on urgent issues needing your immediate action, join our Activist Network. Allows users to send correspondence to government representatives. Why: Allows users to be informed about natural resource issues and respond to issues. Implementation Effort: Simple Audien


E-Stewards
E-Stewards - Reducing High-Tech Toxic Export Website: http://www.ban.org Description: This site provides contacts for vendors providing appropriate high-tech recycling. Using appropriate recycling of high-tech disposal is the only way to avoid exporting escalating global trade in toxic, obsolete, discarded computers and other e-scrap collected in North America and Europe and sent to developing countries by waste brokers and so-called recyclers. Why: The e-Stewards are North A

Earth 911
Website: www.earth911.com Description: Easy to use resources for searching locations for various recycling in the US and Canada. Earth 911 seeks to empower the public with community-specific resources to improve their quality of life. Availability Limits: United States and Canada Implementation Effort: Simple #Sustainability #Energy #Water #Recycling


Big Boda Load-Carrying Bicycle
Website: http://www.worldbike.org/ Description: The Big Boda is able to carry hundreds of pounds of cargo or two additional passengers easily, at a substantially lower cost than other forms of human-powered utility vehicles. It was designed to transport goods to and from market for entrepreneurs and consumers in developing countries. Based off the Longtail design that was produced in partnership with Kickstart International in 2003, the Big Boda is made to fit the most common