Parabolic solar cookers are devices for preparing food that do not require fuel. They concentrate the sun’s rays to one focal point where a dark pot or pan can be used to cook with. The link will direct you to a manual on how to make such a solar cooker yourself with local material and waste material, using bottoms of tin cans as reflective mirrors. This is a very low-cost/no-cost do-it-yourself way of making a functioning solar cooker. It works with good sunlight. However, do read the bottom … Read more
Plastics to oil Experimental technique to convert plastic back into oil
One of the Gaia University graduates who was a co-founder of Surfers Without Borders began exploring this pyrolytic thermal depolymerization process as a potential solution for the Pacific plastics gyre. The desktop unit he explored uses 1 kilowatt of electricity to convert 1 kilogram of plastic into 1 liter of oil, at a cost of around US $0.25 (see first link). Working under the auspices of Global Village Technology, they looked into starting a pilot depolymerization project as part of their … Read more
DryBath: hygiene without water An inspiring example of african ingenuity
One day Ludwick Marishane and his best friend were sunbathing in the sweltering heat in their native Limpopo. Marishane's friend turned to him and said, 'Man, why doesn't somebody invent something that you can just put on your skin and then you don't have to bathe?' Marishane, 17 at the time, thought: Yeah, why not? With some research in an internet cafe figuring out a formula for the lotion, and writing his business plan on his mobile phone, it took six months to develop a lotion that … Read more
Building house with waste plastic bottles Recycling plastics into solid structures
The links show two videos with examples of bottle houses, and how to construct them. The method is simple, and the structure that results is strong. … Read more
Merging traditional with innovative building methods African architect uses smart design to build with clay and community
The architect Diebedo Francis Kere from Burkina Faso who studied in Berlin, Germany, went back to his home village to build a school and other buildings with the community. He explains the methodology. By involving the entire community in the building process, he simultaneously created community cohesion and pride, and gives locals the opportunity to acquire skills and knowledge they can use for creating economic opportunities. … Read more
Harvesting the wind with scrap metal An amazingly inspiring piece of African ingenuity
William Kamkwamba was a son of poor farmers in Malawi. During the severe drought of 2001, the whole country was starving as soils lay bare. Kamkwamba refused to accept the horrible fate that was upon him and his family. By studying the images in a handful of English books on natural science, he learned to build a windmill from scrap metal and was thus able to pump up water for crowing crops. 'I tried and I made it. Never give up.' … Read more
Wise irrigation system (foungara) Wise irrigation system (foungara)
The Fougara is a system of water irrigation which was invented to quantify and measure the necessary water for each plant in the desert. It is a complexed system which goes back to long time and used by our ancestors to use the water wisely. This system is inspired from what we call Qanats in Iran. (FRANCAIS) La fougara est un système d'irrigation de l'eau inventé pour permettre de quantifier l'eau nécessaire pour les différentes plantations dans le désert. C'est un système complexe et très … Read more
Seed sovereignty in agriculture Seed sovereignty for food sovereignty
Indigenous seed are endangered and are getting lost due to emergence of industrialized seeds i.e. Hybridization, GMOs and the Terminator seeds. It is evident that a majority of our farmers in Kenya have no access to affordable seeds. The presence of multinational companies in Kenya have led to disappearance of indigenous seeds because they have been forced to believe that hybrids and GMOs are the best and that they are able to produce more food and save them from hunger. Our seeds is our … Read more
Sustainable food Wild fruits
Wild Fruits like baobab are used to make natural juices. Women are mostly involved in making these juices and they get substantial incomes from their sales. It is said that they are a good source of vitamin C and they are very tasty. HONEY honey is not a fruit, but bees make it from the flowers of trees, and mostly wild flowers which eventually become fruits. Some of these fruits are not directly consumed by human beings, but are indirectly consumed when we take honey. Perhaps that is why honey … Read more
Making charcoal briquettes for fuel Recycle waste charcoal into new fire-starter
Charcoal biquettes or 'earth orbs' are balls of compressed flamable matter for starting and maintaining a fire. How to make them: Collect the remains from charcoal cooking fires. Mix the charcoal remains with corn cobs or other such material and Pyrethrum Plant (Dalmatian insect flower, Big Daisy). This plant improves the combustion (fire power) of the orb and its smoke chases away mosquitoes. If no pyrethrum is available, you can replace it with a local plant with similar properties. Mold the … Read more
