How Appropriate met Technology

Here's my story.. Well there was good ole' Appropriate(the essential understanding of there being a time and place for everything) simply doing its thing forever and ever. Quite some time along the unfolding of creation, Technology, a wild n' gnarly beast of convenience, was born on Earth. Apparently they did not know about one another for quite some time, and as technology went about taking the world by storm, good ole' Appropriate sat on the side lines dibble dabbling in this and that throughout the universe balancing and appropriating. One day all the world got fed up with all of the destruction and disaster Technology was creating as it grew, expanded, and moved. The world got sicker and sicker, until tired and fed up, it sought help and turned to Appropriate. Good ole' reliable Appropriate being so universal in it applications, dove right in and committed itself to the aide of technology. As time progressed humans witnessed Appropriate and Technology start to fall in love. Even though Technology was often influenced by its grubby pseudo-pimp "MoneyMan", Appropriate showed the Technology a brighter and better future, away from its drug addictions of smoking coal and oil in pipes and such. As time went on Appropriate got married to Technology (legal in some states)and they had all sorts of babies like Solar Panel, Wind Turbine, and lil' MicroHydro. These children had all sorts of children and before the world knew it, there were all kinds of lil' Appropriate Tech babies being born all over the world every day.

Interest in ApTech

Appropriate Technology helps to heal the uh-oh's and owies of the world,and being that is such a sweet healing agent of action, ..there is no way I could not be caught and set ablaze by it.

My current interests in Ap. Tech

Arcata Algae Acuumulation in Action!

<googlemap lat="40.87069" lon="-124.092636"> 40.796602, -124.130172, Marsh Rd Eureka, CA 40.854851, -124.092293 </googlemap>

Look at All that Algae!!!!!!!!!!!!!---->

image credit: Environmental Services, City of Arcata

Internship with AlgaRythyms

Background

In 2006, two young graduates from Humboldt State University got together and entered Humboldt’s Economic Fuel contest with an interesting and unusual business proposal. Their business, AlgaRythms, focuses on turning wastewater algae, a renewable and sustainable energy source, into of fertilizer. Being that they are a young and upcoming business, there is much research, networking, and analysis that is being done everyday to make sure the business is prosperous, efficient, and effective.

Opportunity

I have been blessed with an opportunity to collaborate with Brandon Hemmingway of AlgaRythms as part of a project/ apprenticeship for my Appropriate Technology class at HSU (Spring ’08), and am now in the process of assisting Algarythms with the various aspects and necessities required to cultivate a market analysis and further the development of their business.

This includes researching data/demographics about local populations, income levels, and parcel uses (agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial, etc.) in and around wastewater treatment facilities in order to further the grant processes a colleague, Simona, is cultivating. In specific, I am in the process of surveying the various wastewater facilities that have algae ponds (not all of them do, you know..) in hopes of strengthening further resources and partnerships for AlgaRythms to branch out and expand upon.

I have also been fortunate enough to utilize my GIS and Remote sensing classes during the course of my project, and will be creating maps (using the ArcGis and Multispec computer programs) that represent the data collected, accumulated, and analyzed throughout my internship. I will also be locating wastewater treatment facilities by interpreting and exploring various types of satellite imagery using techniques from my Remote sensing class.

The fact that I am creating an interdisciplinary major at HSU that directly corresponds to my current work with Algarythms makes this apprenticeship opportunity a privilege and an honor to participate in. This work holds immense and immeasurable potential in regards to strenthening and cultivating my personal educational expansion within the realm of Ap. Tech, and will as well assist int he process' that are critical in furthering my understanding of the applications and modalities within the realm of Ap. Tech!!!!!!!!

The aspiration of my major is to develop a thorough understanding of how one can assist in the implementation and application of Appropriate and Renewable Technologies by utilizing the multiple artistic, visionary, and scientific applications of GIS and Remote Sensing, while holding true to the ideals and principals of environmental sustainability and responsibility.

Budget

My project will require a budget of not money, but time. Being that I have an internship with Algarythyms that requires no building of buying of materials, a financial budget is unnecessary. However, I will require a budget of time. Each week I am to spend approximately 6-8 hours of work doing various projects, assignments, and tasks as required throughout the semester.

Criteria

Algae Accumulation- Learn about the processes of drying and harvesting algae

Algae Alternatives- Learn about convering forms of algae into fertilizer, fuels, and such

Algae Mapping- Use of GIS and Remote Sensing will be utilized to interpret/ Create images and maps to find wastewater treatment facilities

Network/Outreach- Creation of connections and relations to further the Algae-istic cause

Survey- Survey wastewater treatment facilities to find location/ operation info

Get Scummy With It- Get down to the marsh and get all up in that funk!

Grant Assistance- Work done will help AlgaRythym grantwriters to provide critical info

User:Azad Zandi

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