Welcome to Appropedia   

From Appropedia
Jump to: navigation, search
edit  watch  

Sharing knowledge to build rich, sustainable lives.

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

All are welcome to to add to and edit Appropedia. This is your site, to find, co-create and improve the solutions we need. See our Mission.

Contributors have made 205,491 edits and uploaded 15,702 files. — Browse our categories or all 35,518 pages.

edit  watch  

Announcements — more

Open Source Permaculture has reached its funding target! Be a part of this permaculture wiki project!

In collaboration with University of Michigan, Appropedia is proud to announce the new Global Health Medical Device Compendium.

edit  watch  Selected page (refresh)
Diagram of compost
Building compost guide. There are many ways to build a good compost. This page shows a method that comes from a rural, developing world perspective, although it could easily be used or adapted elsewhere. The aim is to build a quick decomposing hot compost that is made from locally available materials, which can easily be gathered and built in a rural setting. The work in building a large compost is often shared amongst a number of people, with the final compost being used by each one when appropriate.

The method of building compost can be different depending on the amount of compost required, materials available, type of compost and particularly the climate of the region.
Pit compost: Pit compost is ideal for areas with medium to low rainfall. The depth of the pit will depend upon the amount of rainfall. The less the rainfall the deeper the pit should be to prevent the rapid loss of water, which is essential in the natural production of compost. In some dry regions it has been known for pits to be dug as deep as 3ft. For example, this type of compost is used in the dryer and warmer parts of central and northern Uganda. (more types follow)

Photovoltaic vaccine refrigeration at Centro De Salud

Building a solar powered (photovoltaic) vaccine refrigerator with a community hospital in Northern Mexico. Now the sun helps keep the vaccines consistently cold.

Rachel Carson
The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe around us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.
Rachel Carson
Planted cattails at Millcreek greywater
Greywater, sometimes also spelled as graywater, grey water or gray water, is all of the effluent water from a household, such as water discharged from lavatories (bathroom sinks), bathtubs, showers, clothes washers, and laundry trays. Greywater is not wastewater from a sink used for food preparation, or water closet (toilet) wastewater.

The water leaving our homes carries nutrients and value. It may also contain pathogens, and/or harsh chemicals and care should be taken with it. However, it is not a great risk compared to blackwater (sewage).

Redirecting the water we use for tasks such as showering allows us to reclaim some of that value to grow plants and recharge the water table. It may be necessary to choose our soaps and detergents more carefully, if we use the greywater for watering and fertilizing plants.

Main portal: Water
edit  watch  

Popular pages — more

edit  watch  

Hot topics / In the news

edit  watch  

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. How air conditioner works
  2. Superinsulation
  3. MakerBot Replicator protocol:MOST
  4. List of appropriate animals for transport
  5. List of appropriate draft animals
  6. Sustainawiki
  7. Backyard Biodigester
  8. 3-D printing of electrically conductive materials literature review
  9. Engr370/waste diversion examples
  10. Engr370/similar waste diversion research or projects

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. Rural communities
  2. Animals
  3. Environmentalism
  4. Nutrition
  5. Organic waste
  6. Human development
  7. Water pollution
  8. Ecosystem
  9. Clay
  10. Environmental science

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.

edit  watch  

Please help Appropedia grow!

We want your projects, current works, observations and wisdom! Please see our Contributing content page. You can also enrich existing articles by clicking on "edit" at the top of the page or section. Appropedia's software is robust and forgiving, so Be Bold and contribute!

More info on helping out is at our Community Portal page. Ask questions or leave comments at the Village Pump page. You can also check out the Appropedia mailing lists. Appropedia community and Site tech.

Become a Facebook Fan. Follow us on Twitter, Identica or FriendFeed Stumble our links at StumbleUpon or Delicious. See our images at Flickr and YouTube... and make sure to add us as a friend, subscription, resource, etc. wherever you are!

Personal tools