Design that makes a difference.
Q-drum: credit: P.J. HendrikseNinety per cent of Earth's population does not have regular access to food, clean water, or shelter. The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum currently has an exhibit titled "Design for the other 90%".
Design away poverty.
“The No. 1 need that poor people have is a way to make more cash,” says Martin Fisher.
Martin Fisher, an engineer who founded KickStart, says Kickstart's mission is to help millions of people out of poverty. Pumping water can help a farmer grow grain in the dry season, when it fetches triple the normal price. Dr. Fisher described customers who had skipped meals for weeks to buy a pump and then earned $1,000 the next year selling vegetables.
Another successful pump is the bamboo-treadle pump. Over 1.7 million have been sold in Bangladesh and elsewhere, generating $1.4 billion in net farmer income in Bangladesh alone.
Design and transporting water.
How can a child transport over 100 pounds of water more than a mile? The Q-Drum is a durable container designed to roll easily. With a Q-Drum even children can carry more than 100 pounds of water more than a mile.
Read about dozens of designs that make a big difference.
The Design for the other 90% exhibit is divided into categories. By clicking on each you will be able to learn more about these life-changing designs.
Source: New York Times
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Wow - I am really blown away by these projects! My favorite so far is Worldbike. Not only are they designing bikes that are more powerful for hauling produce and people, they are opening up the project to be "open source": sharing the information on how to make the bikes themselves and create their own bicycle distribution business. Open source also means tempering the project specifically to your location.
I think this is a great and smart invention. It is a easy way for children to carry a lot of water from one point to another.
Now through September 7, you can see "Design for the Other 90%" in the Sculpture Garden of the Walker Art Center. It's free. And the Walker's open late on Thursdays, but closed on Mondays. Go check it out.
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