DESIGN FOR THE OTHER 90% is on view at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, corner of 91st Street and Fifth Avenue, New York City, through September 23, 2007.
Of the world’s total population of 6.5 billion, 5.8 billion people, or 90%, have little or no access to most of the products and services many of us take for granted; in fact, nearly half do not have regular access to food, clean water, or shelter. Design for the Other 90% explores a growing movement among designers to design low-cost solutions for this “other 90%.” Through partnerships both local and global, individuals and organizations are finding unique ways to address the basic challenges of survival and progress faced by the world’s poor and marginalized.
Sounds like another good reason to visit NYC in the next few months.
The Pot-in-Pot system consists of two pots, a smaller earthenware pot nestled within another pot, with the space in between filled with sand and water. When that water evaporates, it pulls heat from the interior of the smaller pot, in which vegetables and fruits can be kept... With the Pot-in-Pot, tomatoes last for twenty-one days, rather than two or three days without this technology.
Designer: Mohammed Bah Abba
Manufacturer: local potters
Nigeria, 1995
Earthenware, sand, water
Dimensions: 16” to 22” diameter
In use in: Cameroon, Tchad, Niger, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso
Always did like the Pot-in-Pot cooler, it's like a portable root cellar and is as elegant a technique as insulated box slow cookers.
The Solar Aid solar-powered hearing-aid battery recharger, developed in Botswana, helps those with hearing disabilities afford to continue in school and participate in economy activity. More than 7,000 units are in use in South America, Central America, Africa, and Asia. And because batteries are generally expensive everywhere, Godisa intends to make this affordable technology widely available not just in the developing countries but also in the United States and Europe.
Designer/Manufacturer: Godisa Technologies
Botswana, 2003
UV-resistant ABS plastic, 680-ohm resistor, 10-kilo-ohm resistor, 100-ohm resistor, transistor, diode, LED, batteries, solar panel, rubber, screws
Dimensions: 4.5”h x 1”w x 3”d (charger)
In use in: Angola, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Columbia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Israel, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mexico, Palestine, Paraguay, Philippines, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
The Solar Aid button battery charger is along the same lines as the Minimum Solar Light and a baby brother of the Solar/Dynamo Flashlight/Radio/Battery Charger.
I'm still trying to get the full story on the solar/dynamo AM/FM/SW radios NATO is distributing in Afghanistan [how many, who thought it up, how's it working, are they thinking of other devices like this, maybe even some that can charge batteries]. Haven't found the right person yet in all my phone calls to Afghanistan and NATO headquarters in Brussels. If anybody has any knowledge about this program, please let me know. I like the idea of tactical and strategic solar because, after all Solar IS Civil Defense.
This solar stuff is breaking out all over. NYTimes covered the solar LED BoGoLight the other day. You buy one solar LED flashlight for $25 and they send another solar LED flashlight to the developing world.
The StarSight system combines solar-powered street lighting and Internet access in a wireless configuration, bypassing conventional power and telephone grids. StarSight provides a more secure environment, connectivity for building an emerging economy, and emergency communication and lighting for areas hit by disaster.
Designer/manufacturer: Kolam Partnership Ltd.
Malaysia and Indonesia, 2007
Light, battery, nex-g WiFi receiver, solar panel
Dimensions: Varies on location; U.S. version is 16.5’ high for residential areas; Vietnamese version is at least 19.7’ high
In use in: Cote d’Ivoire, Republic of Congo, Cameroon
The StarSight fits in with the idea of Passive Survivability and Resilience.
Designing for the other 90% may mean more safety and security for the richest 10% too.
Crossposted at Daily Kos
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