Love making epic stuff with amazing people to improve the world.
Author of https://www.tocatchtherain.org and of https://www.tocatchthesun.com (with Joshua Pearce) Founder of Appropedia - http://www.appropedia.org Silly dancer
This panel will discuss specific failures that faculty have encountered while working in sustaina... more This panel will discuss specific failures that faculty have encountered while working in sustainability, social entrepreneurship and humanitarian engineering programs abroad. This is partly a follow-up to the NCIIA 2010 conference talk titled "Preparing Students to Travel Overseas: Experiences from MIT's D-Lab". A discussion started during the talk about how rarely, and with good reasons, people discuss their failures. This talk will help "advance the field of invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship education" by giving real world examples of failures and lessons that can be learned for future projects. We hope that, by exposing past errors, participants can move on to new ones and continue to become more effective.
There is often a higher workload for teachers using real projects to bring context to their teach... more There is often a higher workload for teachers using real projects to bring context to their teaching and traction to the work of their students. I will present about free, open source, web-based tools that teachers (or project supervisors) can use to help manage student projects. The focus will be on two tools in particular: Appropedia and OpenPario. In addition, a brief overview of other open web tools will be provided. This talk will help "advance the field of invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship education" by providing information, examples and instructions on tools for project management and dissemination of future projects
This guide provides instructions on how to create a 40W solar power array with a 120Wh energy cap... more This guide provides instructions on how to create a 40W solar power array with a 120Wh energy capacity and the ability to supply power to both DC and AC loads. The total cost to build this system is around $200 USD (depending on sourcing) including the required tools.
Currently, those working for a sustainable development in a vast array of contexts all over the w... more Currently, those working for a sustainable development in a vast array of contexts all over the world are often duplicating efforts. In an era where a rapid transition towards sustainability is needed, such wasted effort is no longer tolerable. This paper will discuss current work to overcome this challenge by creating an Open Sustainability Network (OSN) that links relevant individuals, programs, courses, projects, and organizations aimed at just sustainable development. The paper will build an understanding of, and collaboration between, relevant online tools. The paper concludes that the OSN can: 1) develop partnerships with sites with online tools to alleviate some of the technological overhead; 2) help inform entrepreneurs and expanding businesses about the challenges and opportunities presented in social entrepreneurship; and 3) benefit service learning implementation by acting as a repository for appropriate technologies, systems, and policies, while also acting as a clearing...
Since polyethylene makes up the largest percentage of plastic produced globally, and has the pote... more Since polyethylene makes up the largest percentage of plastic produced globally, and has the potential to be recycled indefinitely, it makes an excellent starting point for mitigating the severe impacts plastic waste has on the global environment. The community of Arroyo Norte in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic is a prime example of a community in need of work, jobs, and are heavily impacted by the constant stream of plastic waste due to the lack of end-use management. After three years of research and trial and error by the Practivistas Dominicana group from Humboldt State University, this manuscript provides an analysis of three of the most suitable plastic recycling methods using high-density polyethylene (#2 plastic) that can be performed with limited resources. Methods include: melting in a toaster oven with c-clamps for compression, melting in vegetable with c-clamps for compression, and melting in a modified convection oven which uses a car jack for compression. These metho...
A bar grip used for grasping a bar or similarly shaped object for physical fitness such as a weig... more A bar grip used for grasping a bar or similarly shaped object for physical fitness such as a weightlifting bar, barbell, pull-up bar, or rowing paddle that requires significant grip force. The palm portion of the bar grip includes a palm surface for contacting a region of the palm, and a grip surface for contacting the fitness device. It may include at least one middle layer to provide additional padding, comfort, or weight distribution. The bar grip also has a strap portion for securing the palm portion to the hand. The palm portion has a cross-sectional C ...
his Floating Island, a commercial shipping barge full of earth and covered in trees that he wante... more his Floating Island, a commercial shipping barge full of earth and covered in trees that he wanted to have towed around Manhattan island as if to mock its giddy, man-made skyline. In New York this summer, the artist Mary Mattingly turned the idea into reality on a rented barge almost 300 metres square. Her homage to Smithson is as functional as it is aesthetic; she has designed a post-doomsday survival experiment on which she and a few friends have been living since mid-June. “It’s a ship. It’s a farm. It’s an art residence. It’s an installation,” Mattingly says. Mattingly is known for her photographic montages and sculptures that depict nomads roaming the deserts, ice fields or mudflats of an imagined future, carrying their homes on their backs like sea turtles. To put her bleak artistic vision of this future to the test, she decided to give up her apartment and job and build an aquatic self-sustainable structure holding every thing you would need to survive a rise in sea levels. T...
Numerous studies have demonstrated that university students are capable of contributing to sustai... more Numerous studies have demonstrated that university students are capable of contributing to sustainable development while improving their academic skills. Unfortunately for many institutions, the expense of sending large cohorts of students on international service learning trips is prohibitive. Yet, students remain enthusiastic and well equipped to assist in sustainable development. This article reports on two pedagogical experiments in service learning that overcame this challenge by providing solutions to sustainable development problems using Appropedia.org, the site for collaborative solutions in sustainability, poverty reduction and international development. The course successfully used Appropedia (1) as a forum for students who were geographically dispersed, (2) for a whole-class writing collaboration, (3) to coordinate a sustainability-focussed outreach campaign to retrofit stop lights in communities throughout Pennsylvania and (4) to review class material with application to technologies for sustainable development.
Abstract Numerous studies have demonstrated that university students are capable of contributing ... more Abstract Numerous studies have demonstrated that university students are capable of contributing to sustainable development while improving their academic skills. Unfortunately for many institutions, the expense of sending large cohorts of students on international service learning trips is prohibitive. Yet, students remain enthusiastic and well equipped to assist in sustainable development.
Over the last few decades, the methods and tools through which humans collaborate, share knowledg... more Over the last few decades, the methods and tools through which humans collaborate, share knowledge and generally communicate have been advancing at a rapid pace. Thanks mostly to advances in broadband internet, cheap data storage and fast microprocessors, humans now have the ability to work together in ways that even a couple decades ago were not even imaginable.
Abstract Currently, those working for a sustainable development in a vast array of contexts all o... more Abstract Currently, those working for a sustainable development in a vast array of contexts all over the world are often duplicating efforts. In an era where a rapid transition towards sustainability is needed, such wasted effort is no longer tolerable. This paper will discuss current work to overcome this challenge by creating an Open Sustainability Network (OSN) that links relevant individuals, programs, courses, projects, and organizations aimed at just sustainable development. The paper will build an understanding of, and collaboration ...
This panel will discuss specific failures that faculty have encountered while working in sustaina... more This panel will discuss specific failures that faculty have encountered while working in sustainability, social entrepreneurship and humanitarian engineering programs abroad. This is partly a follow-up to the NCIIA 2010 conference talk titled "Preparing Students to Travel Overseas: Experiences from MIT's D-Lab". A discussion started during the talk about how rarely, and with good reasons, people discuss their failures. This talk will help "advance the field of invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship education" by giving real world examples of failures and lessons that can be learned for future projects. We hope that, by exposing past errors, participants can move on to new ones and continue to become more effective.
There is often a higher workload for teachers using real projects to bring context to their teach... more There is often a higher workload for teachers using real projects to bring context to their teaching and traction to the work of their students. I will present about free, open source, web-based tools that teachers (or project supervisors) can use to help manage student projects. The focus will be on two tools in particular: Appropedia and OpenPario. In addition, a brief overview of other open web tools will be provided. This talk will help "advance the field of invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship education" by providing information, examples and instructions on tools for project management and dissemination of future projects
This guide provides instructions on how to create a 40W solar power array with a 120Wh energy cap... more This guide provides instructions on how to create a 40W solar power array with a 120Wh energy capacity and the ability to supply power to both DC and AC loads. The total cost to build this system is around $200 USD (depending on sourcing) including the required tools.
Currently, those working for a sustainable development in a vast array of contexts all over the w... more Currently, those working for a sustainable development in a vast array of contexts all over the world are often duplicating efforts. In an era where a rapid transition towards sustainability is needed, such wasted effort is no longer tolerable. This paper will discuss current work to overcome this challenge by creating an Open Sustainability Network (OSN) that links relevant individuals, programs, courses, projects, and organizations aimed at just sustainable development. The paper will build an understanding of, and collaboration between, relevant online tools. The paper concludes that the OSN can: 1) develop partnerships with sites with online tools to alleviate some of the technological overhead; 2) help inform entrepreneurs and expanding businesses about the challenges and opportunities presented in social entrepreneurship; and 3) benefit service learning implementation by acting as a repository for appropriate technologies, systems, and policies, while also acting as a clearing...
Since polyethylene makes up the largest percentage of plastic produced globally, and has the pote... more Since polyethylene makes up the largest percentage of plastic produced globally, and has the potential to be recycled indefinitely, it makes an excellent starting point for mitigating the severe impacts plastic waste has on the global environment. The community of Arroyo Norte in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic is a prime example of a community in need of work, jobs, and are heavily impacted by the constant stream of plastic waste due to the lack of end-use management. After three years of research and trial and error by the Practivistas Dominicana group from Humboldt State University, this manuscript provides an analysis of three of the most suitable plastic recycling methods using high-density polyethylene (#2 plastic) that can be performed with limited resources. Methods include: melting in a toaster oven with c-clamps for compression, melting in vegetable with c-clamps for compression, and melting in a modified convection oven which uses a car jack for compression. These metho...
A bar grip used for grasping a bar or similarly shaped object for physical fitness such as a weig... more A bar grip used for grasping a bar or similarly shaped object for physical fitness such as a weightlifting bar, barbell, pull-up bar, or rowing paddle that requires significant grip force. The palm portion of the bar grip includes a palm surface for contacting a region of the palm, and a grip surface for contacting the fitness device. It may include at least one middle layer to provide additional padding, comfort, or weight distribution. The bar grip also has a strap portion for securing the palm portion to the hand. The palm portion has a cross-sectional C ...
his Floating Island, a commercial shipping barge full of earth and covered in trees that he wante... more his Floating Island, a commercial shipping barge full of earth and covered in trees that he wanted to have towed around Manhattan island as if to mock its giddy, man-made skyline. In New York this summer, the artist Mary Mattingly turned the idea into reality on a rented barge almost 300 metres square. Her homage to Smithson is as functional as it is aesthetic; she has designed a post-doomsday survival experiment on which she and a few friends have been living since mid-June. “It’s a ship. It’s a farm. It’s an art residence. It’s an installation,” Mattingly says. Mattingly is known for her photographic montages and sculptures that depict nomads roaming the deserts, ice fields or mudflats of an imagined future, carrying their homes on their backs like sea turtles. To put her bleak artistic vision of this future to the test, she decided to give up her apartment and job and build an aquatic self-sustainable structure holding every thing you would need to survive a rise in sea levels. T...
Numerous studies have demonstrated that university students are capable of contributing to sustai... more Numerous studies have demonstrated that university students are capable of contributing to sustainable development while improving their academic skills. Unfortunately for many institutions, the expense of sending large cohorts of students on international service learning trips is prohibitive. Yet, students remain enthusiastic and well equipped to assist in sustainable development. This article reports on two pedagogical experiments in service learning that overcame this challenge by providing solutions to sustainable development problems using Appropedia.org, the site for collaborative solutions in sustainability, poverty reduction and international development. The course successfully used Appropedia (1) as a forum for students who were geographically dispersed, (2) for a whole-class writing collaboration, (3) to coordinate a sustainability-focussed outreach campaign to retrofit stop lights in communities throughout Pennsylvania and (4) to review class material with application to technologies for sustainable development.
Abstract Numerous studies have demonstrated that university students are capable of contributing ... more Abstract Numerous studies have demonstrated that university students are capable of contributing to sustainable development while improving their academic skills. Unfortunately for many institutions, the expense of sending large cohorts of students on international service learning trips is prohibitive. Yet, students remain enthusiastic and well equipped to assist in sustainable development.
Over the last few decades, the methods and tools through which humans collaborate, share knowledg... more Over the last few decades, the methods and tools through which humans collaborate, share knowledge and generally communicate have been advancing at a rapid pace. Thanks mostly to advances in broadband internet, cheap data storage and fast microprocessors, humans now have the ability to work together in ways that even a couple decades ago were not even imaginable.
Abstract Currently, those working for a sustainable development in a vast array of contexts all o... more Abstract Currently, those working for a sustainable development in a vast array of contexts all over the world are often duplicating efforts. In an era where a rapid transition towards sustainability is needed, such wasted effort is no longer tolerable. This paper will discuss current work to overcome this challenge by creating an Open Sustainability Network (OSN) that links relevant individuals, programs, courses, projects, and organizations aimed at just sustainable development. The paper will build an understanding of, and collaboration ...
Inspiring stories of communities coming together to harness their own solar energy, and how you c... more Inspiring stories of communities coming together to harness their own solar energy, and how you can do it too! Free open access complete book for how to do DIY solar photovoltaic systems. The sun lands on us with incredible power. Yet we often find ourselves without sufficient power for our needs. This book is for anyone looking for inspiration and capability with small-scale solar power in order to meet their needs. We focus on small-scale, but the learnings in this book can be applied to large-scale micro-grids or even larger solar farms. That said, our focus will be mostly on off-grid systems that are 1 kW or smaller. Some specific examples include:
- A small home in a financially rich country - A few homes in a financially poor country - School rooms and community spaces - Isolated loads like electric gates, pumps, and telecommunications equipment - A tiny home or van life - Glamping and backpacking equipment - Emergency supply, e.g., powering an oxygen machine during a power outage - Zombie-apocalypse equipment - Laptop and cellphone chargers - Solar entrepreneurship devices
To Catch the Sun emphasizes adaptability and iteration to meet your needs. It is one of the few photovoltaic books to cover very small systems with and without batteries, in a global context, for everyday designers everywhere.
This book can also be utilized in curriculum so that students have context for learning about electricity, power and energy, photovoltaics, spreadsheets, and basic math concepts.
There are many resources and professionals out there to help in building larger systems. This book will mostly focus on the small-scale, distributed, resilient systems that you can build yourself. In addition, this book is meant to be a deep knowledge starting point. Ultimately, you might find a video online that is exactly what you want to build. This book can help you determine what to build, what to avoid, and assess if the video is accurate. Building a deeper and broader understanding will help you leverage the most current research, resources, blogs, YouTube videos, etc., so that you can adapt to your, and your community’s, specific needs.
This book is for anyone looking to build solar projects and knowledge:
- Students and teachers. Especially high school and undergraduate university levels in science, math, engineering, environmental and social justice, and technical fields. - Community organizers and builders looking to build solar projects. - Entrepreneurs and inventors looking to build solar products. - Families looking to learn together!
Inspiring stories of communities coming together to harness their own solar energy, and how you c... more Inspiring stories of communities coming together to harness their own solar energy, and how you can do it too! Download a free copy of the ebook at tocatchthesun.com
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The sun lands on us with incredible power. Yet we often find ourselves without sufficient power for our needs. This book is for anyone looking for inspiration and capability with small-scale solar power in order to meet their needs. We focus on small-scale, but the learnings in this book can be applied to large-scale micro-grids or even larger solar farms. That said, our focus will be mostly on off-grid systems that are 1 kW or smaller. Some specific examples include:
- A small home in a financially rich country
- A few homes in a financially poor country
- School rooms and community spaces
- Isolated loads like electric gates, pumps, and telecommunications equipment
- A tiny home or van life
- Glamping and backpacking equipment
- Emergency supply, e.g., powering an oxygen machine during a power outage
- Zombie-apocalypse equipment
- Laptop and cellphone chargers
- Solar entrepreneurship devices
To Catch the Sun emphasizes adaptability and iteration to meet your needs. It is one of the few photovoltaic books to cover very small systems with and without batteries, in a global context, for everyday designers everywhere.
This book can also be utilized in curriculum so that students have context for learning about electricity, power and energy, photovoltaics, spreadsheets, and basic math concepts.
There are many resources and professionals out there to help in building larger systems. This book will mostly focus on the small-scale, distributed, resilient systems that you can build yourself. In addition, this book is meant to be a deep knowledge starting point. Ultimately, you might find a video online that is exactly what you want to build. This book can help you determine what to build, what to avoid, and assess if the video is accurate. Building a deeper and broader understanding will help you leverage the most current research, resources, blogs, YouTube videos, etc., so that you can adapt to your, and your community’s, specific needs.
This book is for anyone looking to build solar projects and knowledge:
- Students and teachers. Especially high school and undergraduate university levels in science, math, engineering, environmental and social justice, and technical fields.
- Community organizers and builders looking to build solar projects.
- Entrepreneurs and inventors looking to build solar products.
- Families looking to learn together!