Name: Adam Shapiro
- I am currently a senior at HSU, and am majoring in environmental science with an emphasis in climate and energy. I am a huge outdoor enthusiast naturally because I spent most of my life in Bozeman, Montana which like Boulder, Colorado and Bend, Oregon is a total outdoor mecca in the West. I love hiking, mountain biking, playing soccer, football and surfing. I am very strongly passionate about the environment. I feel that, so far, our society has not done enough to plan for a sustainable future that we can all believe will be prosperous and long-lived. I am very confident that Appropriate Technology will give me a new found interest in developing renewable energy, teach me about new sustainable living techniques, and give me cool new ways of looking at how we can remodel our current society into one that will be viable in the future. My project will be building the new "green shed" at CCAT, which I am very excited about. I hope to contribute to this new HSU entity in appropriate technology.
Interests in Appropriate Technology[edit | edit source]
- My first interest is in harnessing solar power and tapping into this extremely lucrative and viable resource that we have barely facilitated. I hope to learn more about how to design passive solar homes which use the natural warmth of the sun to heat homes and lower their carbon footprint. I am also super interested in how we can harness the sun to generate electricity for newly built energy grids in areas with an abundance of sunlight like Phoenix and Las Vegas.
- Another interest I have is in wind power, which is such an abundant and efficient way to produce energy. I first became interested in wind turbines after taking a drive through the Columbia River Gorge and seeing them atop the cliffs, generating energy for the neighboring communities. I hope appropriate technology will educate me more on how we can use such a amazing asset like wind to improve our energy footprint and clean up our skies.
- My third, and perhaps primary, interest in appropriate technology is simply learning more about clubs, organizations, innovators, and HSU professors whom I can hopefully have opportunities to work with and check out new projects. I really hope to use this class as a tool to gain access to applicable connections which I can plan my future towards. My major is based around developing renewable energies that will offset climate change and I feel that this class will give me a broad range of insights into which I can explore this important field.
Experience in Appropriate Technology[edit | edit source]
- My first experience with appropriate technology came at a very young age when my parents decided to create a compost pile in our back yard to help offset some of the garbage we accumulated each week. Even though this was a small source of sustainable waste management, it really taught me at a young age to be aware of the stuff that we would throw away and to be careful not to waste items that could easily decompose and help grow gardens. I hope I can continue this practice in a much larger way by becoming part of a recycling club at HSU.
- My second experience occurred in high school when I volunteered to help pass out flyers around town for a new car dealership that specialized in hydrogen fueled SMART cars in Bozeman. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about how these were the cars of the future and being able to interact with people in town and make them aware of these vehicles was unique.
- My third experience with appropriate tech came when I went to several lectures and workshops by a local conservation group called Main Street to the Mountains who built bike paths that would connect city streets in Bozeman all the way to the surrounding mountain ranges. This was by far one of the best ideas for cities and towns to use less fossil fuels and promote physical activity that I have ever seen. It was a truly innovative and catchy idea which to this day, has really given Bozemanites a chance to literally ride their bikes to the mountains that they love without driving cars. I have provided a link to Main Street to the Mountains at the bottom of the page if anyone would like to check it out.
visit: http://web.archive.org/web/20091225121644/http://www.gvlt.org:80/trails.html for project ideas from Main Street to the Mountains
visit: http://www.smartusa.com for Smart Car technology