Self-sufficiency is the state of not requiring any aid, support, or interaction, for survival; it is therefore a type of personal or collective autonomy. The term self-sufficiency is usually applied to varieties of sustainable living in which nothing is consumed outside of what is produced by the self-sufficient individuals. Examples of attempts at self-sufficiency include simple living, homesteading, off-the-grid, survivalism, DIY ethic and the back-to-the-land movement. Practices that enable or aid self-sufficiency include autonomous building, permaculture, sustainable agriculture, and renewable energy. The term is also applied to limited forms of self-sufficiency, for example growing one's own food or becoming economically independent of state subsidies. Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-sufficiency
William Kamkwamba (born August 5, 1987) is a Malawian inventor and author. He gained fame in his country when, in 2002, he built a windmill to power a few electrical appliances in his family's house in Masitala using blue gum trees, bicycle parts, and materials collected in a local scrapyard. Since then, he has built a solar-powered water pump that supplies the first drinking water in his village and two other windmills (the tallest standing at 39 feet) and is planning two more, including one in Lilongwe, the political capital of Malawi.
After being forced to drop out of school due to his family not being able to afford the tuition (~US$80), he took up self-education by going to his village's library. There, he found the book Using Energy and in it discovered a picture and explanation of windmills. He then decided to try to create the windmills he read about. After a few attempts, he was able to build a working model.
His story is told in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope, written with journalist Bryan Mealer and published in 2009.[2] Kamkwamba took part in the first event celebrating his particular type of ingenuity called Maker Faire Africa, in Ghana in August 2009.[3]
Kamkwamba is one of four recipients of the 2010 GO Ingenuity Award, a prize awarded by the Santa Monica–based nonprofit GO Campaign to inventors, artists, and makers to promote the sharing of their innovations and skills with marginalized youth in developing nations. With the grant, Kamkwamba will hold workshops for youth in his home village, teaching them how to make windmills and repair water pumps, both of which proved to be transformative skills for this young African leader.
He is currently studying at Dartmouth College, Class of 2014.[4]
☞“Haters are confused admirers who can’t understand why everybody else likes you” ― Paulo Coelho☜
◦•◦
"Bajo la máscara del ego, siempre oscuro y confuso, el alma sabe lo que quiere." - Alejandro Jodorowsky
Last Edit: 07 Jun 2012 20:29 by Kumatora. Reason: Fix vid
Good man!
This reminds me of a traveller I used to know that had a similar (smaller scale) set up on his bus from which he got enough power to run a radio or a computer or bulbs etc.
He used just the forks and front wheel of a bike mounted on a scaffold pole. He' cut off one leg of the fork and mounted vanes to the wheel itself on the side that was 'legless'. he had a tail attached to the legged side and used the original fork steerer tube and bearings so that the assembly could turn into the wind. He then ran a bike dynamo off the wheel to charge batteries. It was an incredibly simple design that cost him next to nothing but some time, effort and ingenuity to construct. This inspired me to try my own. Mine wasn't as good It's stuck in my head for years though and could be revisited.
I love this kind of simple ingenuity
I like seeing people like him work out problems that may be seem insurmountable to others. The best part to me is that they did this without a power company, like many of us in the west have. No bills or ridiculous regulations to hold them back, amazing.
Form is merely a momentary manifestation of being, not a fixed reality.
History doesn't repeat itself, uninformed people repeat history.
To all progressive endeavors great or small, come unforeseen benefits on a scale larger than most give pause or contemplation of.
what a cool story. im glad he had the initiative to learn, the perseverance to keep trying and heart to share and teach the other people. hes not the village idiot.
my limbless friend will die alone
a torso of flesh upon the throne
Violence is not the answer, it is the question. the answer is yes.
people should not be appaulding this man ........the video is from the TED conference. A conference which essentialy is a bit 'right wing' and 'common purpose'
I'm sure that man is lovely but the real question should be 'why was a 20 year old in a situation where he had to invent a windmill to generate electricity for his family home?'
Electricity and gas are needed be 90% of the population ,it all comes down to money.
I know some folk think the Bankers are in power but it is, in my opinion, the people in charge of the power supplies...electricity and gas
Great story . Anything the africans can obtain to pump clean water is a huge leap to their healing. It wasnt so many years ago that all the water there was clean and perfect for drinking (like it used to be in the US) but now the waters are so contaminated that even the people in rural parts dont want to touch it. Bottled water is technically available but Fanta drinks are cheaper.
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It's stuck in my head for years though and could be revisited.
