Design is in

http://www.architectureforhumanity.org/

Architecture for Humanity is an initiative started in 1999, and today is a network of more than 40,000 professionals who give their time and knowledge to help those who would otherwise would not be able to afford their services. One of the ironies of our time is the fact that often, the people who are most in need of design and development services, are the ones who can least afford it. In the last ten years Architecture for Humanity has helped rebuild local communities after natural disasters, alleviate poverty and provide access to to clean water. They also work for communities struggling with urbanization, build for the differently abled, rebuild communities post-conflict, and reduce the footprint of buildings.

One of the key areas they work in is sustainable design. They believe (very sensibly) that "Buildings not only have a physical footprint - they have an ethical footprint." Projects they work on range form community centers for tsunami affected people in Sri Lanka, to preservation of defaced structures in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The projects on their site and both numerous and varied, and there is a detailed documentation of each one. Their sensitivity to culture, people and the environment, results in buildings and spaces that blend with and support the local resources, as well as revitalize the local culture and sense of community. As they say, "Design is important to every aspect of our lives. It informs the places in which we live, work, learn, heal and gather. We engage all stakeholders in the design process. We believe our clients are designers in their own right."

Cameron Sinclair is the CEO, (Chief Eternal Optimist as they call it) of Architecture for Humanity, of which he is the co-founder with Kate Stohr. He was trained as an architect in University College, London, where he developed an interest in social, cultural and humanitarian design. Ten years back he and his wife Kate had an idea while watching news of the refugees in Kosovo. Cameron said, "I bet there is more than just us who cares about these communities, who want to help and make a difference." They launched a design competition for Kosovo, and were flooded with a new ideas for refugee housing. And so Architecture for Humanity was born. You can read more on him here. They have co-authored a book 'Design Like You Give A Dam'. (I couldn't have said it better myself!)

Cameron believes that when your clients are living on less than 50 cents a day, being 'green' is not a choice. Sustainability is also about affordability, and innovation with the minimum resources.
You can request design services or offer design services. Also have a look at Open Architecture Network, another initiative by them, an online, opens-source community to share knowledge and improve living conditions. These people realize that architecture is so much more than just 'buildings'. It is the spaces we live in, and in a way our homes, workplaces and gathering places are extensions of ourselves. They shape us as much as we shape them. I quote their site "One billion people live in abject poverty. Four billion live in fragile but growing economies. One in seven people live in slum settlements. By 2020 it will be one in three. We don't need to choose between architecture or revolution. What we need is an architectural revolution."
One of the several current projects is happening in Haiti, post-earthquake. Cameron's entire posts on the home page are worth reading. A quote here, "For those not used to working in disasters the first week is chaotic, filled with stories of heroism and despair. The first responders are not the NGO's or medical personal but the families of those who are injured or lost their lives. It is an overwhelming situation to be in. It is also not the time for architects to show up thinking they can rebuild. People are trying to find their loved ones not think about what their lives will look like in 5, 10 or 15 years."

Do read their site in detail, its range and depth of work is commendable, and have a look at the video below. (lots more videos on YouTube). Its time to design like you give a dam.
By Armeen Kapadia

Happy New Year with Project H 01/04/2010

Now its not that often that you come across someone who says 'We believe design can change the world.', as there is a hard-core cynic in a lot of us, but Project H is one initiative that does believe in it. 'Project H Design connects the power of design to the people who need it most, and the places where it can make a real and lasting difference.'

Project H is a California based non-profit. Project H is a team of designers, builders, thinkers and doers, working locally to improve the quality of life for the socially overlooked. Project H consists of design initiatives for humanity, habitats, health, and happiness. Its really worth reading their process, as stated on the site. Here it is in brief:
1) There is no design without (critical) action.
2) We design WITH, not FOR.
3) We document, share, and measure.
4) We start locally, and scale globally.
5) We design systems, not stuff.
These pretty much sum up the holy grail of design, or atleast charts the future course of design.

Project H is the brainwave of Emily Pilloton, a designer who in January 2008, decided it was time to quit her job 'designing the superfluous', and create something more meaningful to the world in general. You can read more about Emily here.

Don't miss reading the Manifesto page on the site. An extract, "...here’s the brass tacks reality: We need to challenge the design world to take the “product” out of product design for a second and deliver results and impact rather than form and function; to reconsider who our clients really are; to turn our tightly-cinched consumer business models and luxury aesthetics on their heads; to get over “going green;” and to enlist a new generation of design activists. We need big hearts, bigger business sense, and even bigger balls."

You can read more about Project H here and here. And definitely take a good look at their projects. Design to inspire in 2010 and beyond.

By Armeen Kapadia

Paper made from poop 08/10/2009

Promotional products © poopoopaper.com

We have heard of eco-friendly paper, recycled paper, paper made from waste fibres and the rest of it. Here is a paper, that’s literally made from waste material. The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company Limited is making paper, and some really nice gift items, all from elephant dung.

Asian elephants are found in India, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, and Borneo. Elephants are mostly domesticated, and very few remain in the wild now. In Sri Lanka, the elephant has been under threat in recent times, though it was revered in Buddhist tradition. Elephants are often killed and wounded when they come in contact with human habitation and destroy crops. An eco-friendly solution to this problem is the manufacture of paper and paper products from elephant dung. Farmers can now co-exist with the elephant, and have a mutually beneficial relationship with them.

Elephant dung is in constant supply, and can easily be collected by the villagers. An elephant produces about 100 kgs of dung per day. An elephant eats coconut leaves, jackfruit leaves, palmyra leaves and other vegetation rich in fibre. Around 60% of this fibre leaves its body undigested.

The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company collects naturally dried dung from national parks, and brings it to the paper-making factory. The dung is then rinsed with water, leaving only the fibrous material behind. The fibres are then boiled thoroughly to ensure that they are perfectly clean and smell-free. Colour can also be added at this stage. Natural fibres from banana trees and pineapples are added to strengthen the paper. The fibre is spread over a mesh, and left to dry in the sun for a few hours. And then your poo-poo paper is ready.

Visit the Poo-tique to see the range of products the company makes. These make attractive and useful gift items. The company was started in 2002, and now has distributes products in many countries worldwide. Initially their products were expensive, but they worked to modify the production process, and today they have a great product line, with a positive ecologically responsible message. As the site says, they are products with a purpose.

Such paper is also made in Thailand. An end product becomes a base of manufacturing for another product. The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company is ‘Number one at number two’. Do see the video below.

By Armeen Kapadia

Farming information on Radio 07/01/2009

Local radio broadcasting farming information

In 1970, a Canadian journalist George Atkins visited Africa and he found that Africa's farmers had ideas, but couldn't communicate those ideas because of barriers such as distance, language and literacy. He believed that radio could break those barrier.

While the Internet is being considered as the medium to spur revolutions, many have forgotten radio. The Internet is for not everyone since most of the content is either in English, Spanish or French. Many Africans don't have access to Internet. In this context, sharing information through radio is cheap and effective. Radio is often considered to be a one-way medium, but African Farm Radio Research Initiative (AFRRI) is combining radio and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to gather content and to share information among farming communities throughout rural africa.

More than half of Africa's population is dependent on agriculture. Farmers in Africa are in need of information on farming. For instance, they want to know where they can buy improved seeds for the next season, where to sell their crops or how to keep the soil fertile.

Many farmers in Africa often share information through formal networks such as cooperatives and associations. The information shared here is limited. Outside the community, farmers depend on local radio. Over the recent years, the radio stations across Africa have grown rapidly. There are more than 500 radio stations in Mali, Ghana and Uganda put together. At the same time, the use of mobile phones throughout Africa is growing too. This has helped the radio presenter to encourage listeners to send in text messages requesting answers to their queries.

Most farmers now know that Cayenne pepper discourages elephants from grazing on farm fields or the fact that placing a lit candle in a container of grain before sealing it deprives pests of oxygen. Such insights could not be shared easily until radio became a mainstream medium in Africa.

By Sanjay Basavaraju

Bamboo + Ambulance = Bambulance 06/17/2009

A. Bamublance Trailer Frame — bamboo
1. Hitch — bamboo and nylon webbing
2. Splash Guard — used truck tarp
3. Mountain Bike Tires & Dropout — welded metal
4. Disc reflectors — small plastic reflectors
5. Wheel Guard — used truck tarp
B. Bambulance Stretcher Frame — bamboo
6. Integrated Metal Foot & Stretcher Frame Spreader — welded metal
7. Ergonomic Hand-holds — bamboo and used truck tarp
8. Stretcher Bed & Indexing stripe — used truck tarp
9. Safety Belt — nylon webbing

Africa sees thousands of people die from diseases, serious illnesses and injuries because they have no access to emergency healthcare. Bambulance designed by a Canadian charity Design For Development (DFD) Society is a low-cost, practical and sustainable solution to transport victims during crisis.

Using bamboo, which is inexpensive, lightweight and strong, minimizes costs since it is locally available in many regions of Africa. The prototype will be designed at the Emily Carr Institute and DFD in Vancouver. Bambulance will be manufactured locally by two Nairobi based organizations and five community-based health organizations will participate in training, monitoring and evaluation.

DFD's aim is to reduce poverty and increase community self-reliance through demonstrated and advocated use of the design process. Bambulace is an emergency medical transportation device (EMTD) and its benefits are improved speed and comfort over options that are currently available, while maintaining cost efficiency and sustainability. It can easily transport patients who weigh less than 250 pounds. It was started to improve access to health services, introduce bamboo as an alternative material, generate income among HIV and AIDs affected and promote design as a problem-solving tool.

Bambulance was designed by two Emily Carr design students — Philippa Mennell and Chris Ryan. Currently the project is in need of donations.

By Sanjay Basavaraju

Beyond Good Intentions 06/08/2009

www.beyondgoodintentions.com

Often, a large amount of international aid is available, but yet does not benefit communities that need it the most. Beyond Good Intentions is a movement focusing on discovering more innovative and effective approaches to international aid.

The movement includes a series of ten short films, which cover the travels of Tori Hogan as she travels around the world, investigating how international aid can be made more effective. Tori herself spent several years working in international aid projects worldwide. She realized that sometimes, even initiatives with the best intentions were not creating the difference they ideally should. This is a first of its kind film series, which focuses on positive change in the aid industry. It also asks some questions that haven’t been raised till now, but definitely need to be answered.

You can read about Beyond Good Intentions on their blog Tall Orders. You can join the dialogue where many interesting issues are being discussed such as can international volunteers make a positive difference abroad?

You can share your own story of volunteering or providing aid, and read about others’ experiences as well. The site is also a resource base to learn more about international aid. And most significantly, there are five simple steps to be the change.

As discussed in the first film, foreign aid workers cannot have the kind of insights that the local workers in the community will. Communities themselves know what they really need, and may need technical assistance, or legal advice, but not an entire transplant of western methodologies. Episode 5, shot in India, discusses how aid is not just about dumping money, but also about seeing it through proper implementation.

Ultimately, international aid is the catalyst for bigger change; change that cannot be ‘imported’ blindly into communities, but change that has to come from within communities. The best way to help people is to empower them to help themselves.

By Armeen Kapadia and Sanjay Basavaraju

Another name for milk 05/05/2009

On December 14, 1946, the taste of India was born. It is called Amul, from the Sanskrit word Amoolya, which means 'priceless'. And it has been priceless in its contribution to India. Amul is the dairy cooperative movement of India, which made India one of the world's largest producers of milk and milk products.

It all started way back in the 1940s, in the Kheda district, of Gujarat, a western state of India. In this district, only one dairy had monopoly, the Polson diary in Anand. Farmers there were much like farmers elsewhere in India, and were dependent on seasonal crops for income. The income from milk was undependable, for several reasons. The farmer had to travel long distances to deliver milk to Polson Dairy, and the milk often spoilt in hot weather. For fear of milk spoiling, farmers often sold it at low prices. Private traders and middlemen controlled the system, and decided the price, which worked in their favour, but not for the farmer's benefit.

At that time, 1946, India was struggling for Independence, and national leaders encouraged farmers to take control of marketing the milk, as a first step against exploitation and crippling poverty, and towards empowerment. Farmers realised that they could pool their milk together, and form a cooperative, which would remove their dependence on middlemen and dairies. And so was born the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers' Union (KDCMPUL), now known as Amul.

At that time Dr. Verghese Kurien, a young mechanical engineer, fresh from Michigan State University was working at the government creamery, Anand, in May 1949. The KDCMPUL, still in its infant years, was battling for survival with the privately owned Polson Dairy. Dr. Verghese Kurien fed up of his government job left it and volunteered to help Shri Tribhuvandas Patel, the Chairman of KDCMPUL, to set up a processing plant, and so the future of Amul, and the future of millions of farmers across India.

Over the next decade Amul expanded rapidly and added more plants, for converting excess milk into milk powder, cheese, baby food and more. The Amul model was replicated all over the country. Today Amul has parlours all over India, it has just opened Parlour No. 3234 in Tihar Jail, Delhi. Amul manufactures milk, ice creams, milk drinks, baby food, butter, chocolates, Indian sweetmeats, various kinds of cheese, ghee (clarified butter), and more. Amul is the largest food product business in the country. It was a system built from the bottom up. Instead of creating a system where benefits filter down to the farmer, Amul and Dr. Kurien built a system that focused on the farmer's need, and the benefits reach to an entire nation. The White Revolution changed the way the dairy sector works in India.

In India today Amul is another name for milk. What started as a protest against exploitation, grew into a force that significantly contributes to a nation. Improving a system involves empowerment in the lives of people who form it's base.

By Armeen Kapadia and Sanjay Basavaraju