Welcome to Appropedia

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Sharing knowledge to build rich, sustainable lives.

Appropedia is for collaborative solutions
in sustainability, appropriate technology and poverty reduction.

You are welcome to add to and edit Appropedia -
your site to find, co-create and improve the solutions we need. Our vision and mission.

Contributors have made 297,654 edits and uploaded 23,314 files.
Browse our categories or all 6,434 articles.

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Windmillprint-crop.jpg Yes it is possible to print a windmill with a 3D printer for a fraction of the cost of manufacturing one conventionaly. Learn more about open-source 3-D printing of open source appropriate technology for sustainable development.


A treadle pump being demonstrated in Malawi.
A treadle pump is a human-powered Pump designed to lift water from a depth of seven meters or less. A Treadle is a lever device pressed by the foot to drive a machine, in this case a pump. The treadle pump can do most of the work of a motorized pump, but costs considerably less (75%) to purchase. Because it needs no Fossil fuel (it is driven by the operator's body weight and Leg Muscl]s), it can also cost less (50%) to operate than a motorized pump. It can lift five to seven cubic meters of water per hour from wells and Boreholes up to seven meters deep and can also be used to draw water from Lakes and Rivers. Many treadle pumps are manufactured locally, but they can be challenging to produce consistently without highly skilled welders and production hardware.

Compared to bucket irrigation, the treadle pump can greatly increase the income that farmers generate from their land by increasing the number of growing seasons, by expanding the types of crops that can be cultivated, and improving on the quality of grown crops.

Hexayurt Project

The Hexayurt is a refugee shelter system that uses an approach based on "autonomous building" to provide not just a shelter, but a comprehensive family support unit which includes drinking water purification, composting toilets, fuel-efficient stoves and solar electric lighting. 8/15/07 Update: Winner of the Treehugger Participate! contest for Burning Man.

Selected quote
We must not build housing, we must build communities.

— Mike BurtonW
Sharing knowledge to build rich, sustainable lives.
Appropedia is the site for collaborative solutions in sustainability, poverty reduction and international development through the use of sound principles and appropriate technology and the sharing of wisdom and project information. It is a wiki, a type of website which allows anyone to add, remove, or edit content. Registration is encouraged but not required for contributors.

Appropedia has been described as an "appropriate technology wiki," but it is much broader than that - it is a green wiki, and a wiki for all matters of international development and aid. But most importantly, Appropedia is an open site for stakeholders to come together to find, create and improve scalable and adaptable solutions. For more about our motivation, see Appropedia:Mission.

To create a new project page, first browse the project articles and subcategories below for examples and check for possible collaboration opportunities, such as articles similar to what you're considering writing. If you are looking for ideas for your own project, check out our suggested projects. It is highly encouraged to tag your projects with their status -- you can do this with a few templates. Be Bold!

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Engr305 Appropriate Technology Projects: Below are selected service learning projects from Engr305 Appropriate Technology, which is a course on appropriate technology at Humboldt State University taught by instructor Lonny Grafman.

Papasan Chair Solar Cooker
A solar cooker and chair when not in use  
Parabolic basket and tin can solar cooker
Solar cooker out of local invasive species and waste materials  
Plastering CCAT Earthbag Terrace
A sturdy, natural plaster covering to the EarthBag gardening terrace being built in front of CCAT  
Rocket stove biomass charcoal
Use of biomass waste charcoal briquettes for rocket stove  
Rowan's portable pedal power generator
A pedal power generator  
Small greenhouse rainwater catchment
A rainwater catchment system for a greenhouse  
Solar Charged Lawnmower
An electric lawnmower that utilizes solar power as an energy source  
Solar heating box
A passive solar heating box  
Stanley and Kristi's eco-friendly carboard furniture
Furniture made from cardboard  
Sunbrella
An umbrella in the rain, a solar cooker in the Sun  
Sunny Brae Middle School Garden
A garden at Sunny Brae Middle School  
Sunny Brae rainwater catchment system
A residential rainwater catchment system  

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Construction zone — correct mistakes & flag spam as needed

Newest articles more Wanted pages - click to add info more
Under construction
New pages being developed:
  1. Cycling, sustainable community action
  2. Community currencies, sustainable community action
  3. Polymer recycling codes for distributed manufacturing with 3-D printers
  4. XRD for 3-D printed parts
  5. Recyclebot v4.0ac
  6. Compost extractor
  7. Towards sustainable economies UK
  8. Athena Tie Rods
  9. Open-source labs
  10. Online platforms for collaborative consumption

Note: Appropedia's newest pages may not yet comply with our policies. Page titles in italics are "redirects," often created when moving a page.

Under construction

Create a new page:

  1. Animals
  2. Organic waste
  3. Nutrition
  4. Ecosystem
  5. Human development
  6. Clay
  7. Environmental science
  8. Appropriate energy overview
  9. Building management systems
  10. Open sustainability

These red links are invitations for you to contribute your knowledge.

Or create a page on the topic of your choice.

Newest files - images and documents that can be added to pages more

Note: Appropedia's newest files may not yet comply with our policies.

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Please help Appropedia grow!

We want your projects, current works, observations and wisdom! See Contributing content. Improve articles by clicking "edit" at top of the page or section. Our philosophy is: Be Bold and contribute!

Questions? Comments? Visit the Village Pump. Also discuss Appropedia and related topics over on the Permies permaculture forums.

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