Appropriate Technology: Learning from One Another

Jesse Margolus
Tara Nakashima
Chantal Orr
Table of Contents

Introducing Appropriate Technology............................................................................................................ 3

The Importance of Appropriate Technology ................................................................................................ 4

Case Studies: Simple Solutions Build Sustainable Communities ................................................................ 5

Appropriate Technology in the South ....................................................................................................... 5

Zimbabwe Bush Pump: Benefits........................................................................................................... 6

Zimbabwe Bush Pump: Challenges and Barriers.................................................................................. 8

Zimbabwe Bush Pump: Evaluation..................................................................................................... 10

Appropriate Technology in the North ..................................................................................................... 11

Overview of EcoVillage...................................................................................................................... 11

EcoVillage: Benefits ........................................................................................................................... 12

EcoVillage: Barriers and Challenges .................................................................................................. 13

Overview of Green Microgym ............................................................................................................ 13

Green Microgym: Benefits.................................................................................................................. 14

Green Microgym: Challenges and Barriers......................................................................................... 15

EcoVillage and Green Microgym: Evaluation .................................................................................... 15

Our Findings ............................................................................................................................................... 17

What We Can Learn from Each Other ........................................................................................................ 19

Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... ……………. 20

Limitations………………………………………………………………………………………………...20

Appendix……………………………………………………………………………………………..........21

Bibliography………………………...……………………………………………………………………..23

2
Introducing Appropriate Technology:
The concept of Appropriate Technology (AT) stemmed from the work of British

economist Dr. Fritz Schumacher in the 1970s. Appropriate technology is a grass roots approach

to technology that builds a strong sense of community and encompasses benefits that span across

social, environmental, cultural, economic, and spiritual facets. Appropriate technology is not a

one size fits all approach, but rather adapts to best fit the community in which it is developed.

Appropriate technology best fits with the community it serves because it is created by the people

to meet a need. Therefore, the communities are placed at the centre of decision making and

create technologies that will best serve their communities in the long term.

In order to fully understand the importance of our topic it is also significant to define

how sustainability is being measured for the purposes of our paper. Sustainability is the balance

of social, economic, environmental, cultural and spiritual values in the long-term on a holistic

and cumulative level. For the purposes of this paper our definition of sustainability is embedded

in our definition of sustainable communities. Sustainable communities can be defined as healthy,

self-sufficient, egalitarian societies meeting specific community needs in the long-term using

local inputs. These communities offer quality of opportunity to diverse needs allowing members

to live and work now and in the future, while preserving the natural environment and creating

social harmony.

To begin our paper the importance of appropriate technology will be explained followed

by a framework to evaluate case studies. Upon case study analysis, benefits and challenges will

be addressed to give an understanding of how AT operates in countries with diverse values and

traditions, to achieve an overall understanding of what can be learned.

3
The Importance of Appropriate Technology:
Appropriate technology is important due to its holistic nature. Firstly, it permits local

needs to be met more effectively through community involvement, and for this reason it tends to

be aligned with local values and traditions.1 Secondly, AT utilizes human labour by developing

tools rather than machines.1 This enables people to self-organize without complicated

management training and specialized knowledge. Thirdly, it minimizes transport of goods in an

era of expensive and environmentally harmful energy, allowing greater local industry

participation and implementation of local resources, both human and material.1 Fourthly, AT

reinforces local control which provides a cushion against the effects of outside economic

changes. Finally, it establishes a self-sustaining skill base and reduces economic, social and

political dependency between individuals, regions and nations.1 AT recognizes the will of local

people to act on their own behalves, and is a technology made by and for the people. The

benefits of AT can be realized in both Northern and Southern countries, and plays an

undoubtedly critical role in building sustainable communities.

In order to observe the progress and evaluate the appropriateness of technology, a

restructured version of Wicklein’s evaluation is described below and later utilized to provide

insight into case studies from the North and South. Since no evaluation is perfect, one of the

criteria, the image of modernity was taken out as it undermines the importance of retaining

tradition within a community and buys into the modernity theory. Our version of Wicklein’s

evaluation includes 6 criteria:

1
"Appropriate Technology Sourcebook." Welcome to Village Earth: The Consortium for Sustainable Village -
Based Development. Web. <http://www.villageearth.org/pages/Appropriate_Technology/
ATSourcebook/Introduction.php>. (accessed November 2, 2009)

4
 1. Ability of technology to stand alone without additional support systems2
2. Individual versus collective technology, with regard to which one the culture values2
3. Cost of technology which takes into account full costs to social, economic, and
environmental impacts2
4. The risk factor including internal risks, that relate to the fit in local production systems
and external risks, which relate to the needed support systems2
5. Evolutionary capacity of technology, with regard to its capability of being reconfigured
to grow with the society it benefits, whereby solving different problems that the
community encounters2
6. Single-purpose versus multi-purpose technology, where the latter refers to technology
that has the ability to complete different tasks at the same time.2

Case Studies: Simple Solutions Build Sustainable Communities

Appropriate Technology in the South

Considering the definition described above, it is apparent that AT does not have clear-cut

parameters and is better viewed as a philosophy or a set of characteristics. This perspective of

AT has not always been the conventional wisdom, especially in regards to southern countries.

As Murphy et al. state, “In the past, the term AT generally referred to technologies used in

developing nations” aimed to alleviate poverty.3 Concentrating on the water sanitation sector,

this section will describe the changing perception of technologies in the south and examine the

case of the Zimbabwe Bush Pump (ZBP).

All the basic requirements of a community relate to clean water, but access to water is

disparate in southern countries. “Around 1.1 billion people worldwide do not have safe drinking

2
Wicklein, Robert. "Designing for appropriate technology in developing countries." Technology in Society Journal
20, no. 3 (1998): 371 - 375, <www.sciencedirect.com/science>. (accessed October 20, 2009)
3
Murphy, H., Edward McBean, Khosrow Farahbakhsh, "Appropriate Technology: A Comprehensive Approach for
Water and Sanitation in the Developing World," Technology in Science 31 (2009): 158.

5
water while 2.6 billion do not have access to basic sanitation”.4 During the 1960s, engineers

believed sophisticated technology was the answer, however they have all been mainly

abandoned. The Water Decade, launched in the 1980s by the United Nations, took on a

participatory approach and focused on the entire community, especially women, “the drawers of

water and guardians of family health”.5 Slow sand filters are popular around the world, however

once the water is above a certain turbidity they quickly clog. Without being developed to meet

local needs and conditions what may be a successful AT in one location is not necessarily in

another.

Zimbabwe Bush Pump: Benefits

The Zimbabwe Bush Pump, alternatively, focuses on serving Zimbabweans rather than

imposing itself and is adaptable, responsive and flexible. It can also be described as fluid for it is

not too rigorously bounded.6 The latest model (type ‘B’) is an adapted version of the original

built in 1933 by Tommy Murgatroyd. Although it has increased its efficiency over the years by

lifting water from further depths with fewer strokes, at first glance it does not seem exceptionally

different from other lever pumps (figure 1). Its uniqueness is encompassed in its durability

(some that were installed in the 1930s are still in use), assembly technique, water purification

system, and ownership.

4
The United Nations (UN) 2007. The millennium development goals report 2007. Available from:
http://www.un.org/millenniungoals/pdf/mdg2007.pdf; 2007.
5
Bell, Morag & Richard Franceys, "Improving Human Welfare through Appropriate Technology: Government
Responsibility, Citizen Duty or Customer Choice," Soc. Sci. Med. 40/9 (1995): 1171.
6
ibid.

6
 E. coli contaminated water has been a severe problem in Zimbabwe villages but can be

reduced to safe levels by properly installing the ZBP. Delivered with a detailed set of

illustrations (as many villagers cannot read), it explains that it must be situated at least 30 meters

from latrines and cattle kraals and what materials to create the base out of (all locally found).

Determining the location and drilling the hole are the first stages and this is where many other

water sanitization technologies have failed.

NGOs often drill in location based on geological surveys, but as de Laet and Mol note,

although the well is closer in proximity and produces clean water “you may see a path traced out

in the sand that leads around it. The village women do not want to use the well, if it has been

bored without consulting the nganga (water diviner) or was put into operation without consent,

the well is dead.”7 Therefore it is always together with the water diviner that the village chooses

the site. Drilling is done with a “tubewell drilling device” which is also lent to the village

(figure2). The entire community is able to participate in the process as “village women push the

iron crossbar to drive the auger into the ground, while village men sit on the bar to weigh it

down”.8 Manufactured locally, spare parts can be normally be obtained and pieces of old tires

can be used to replace the normally leather seal. Village adaptations of part replacements have

been noted during site visits and have been incorporated into the design creating a two-way

learning process.

7
de Laet, Marianne & Annemarie Mol, "The Zimbabwe Bush Pump: Mechanics of a Fluid Technology," Social
Studies of Science 30 (April 2000): 234.
8
ibid, 233.

7
Zimbabwe Bush Pump: Challenges and Barriers
The ZMB has become the national standard “Designed for Villagers to Maintain

Themselves!”9 and over 30,000 have been installed in rural areas. Although its design for

simplicity is crucial, composed out of a steel pump stand, wooden block level, and a pump head,

arguably more important is its reparability and maintenance. Normally when valves and seals

need to be replaced in hydraulic pumps the components often cannot be reassembled by the

community. The ZBP’s latest design has incorporated this concern and has altered the hydraulic

parts and expanded the cylinder resulting in an easier task for two men.

Costs remain to be a challenge. The government has principally covered the initial cost

of the pumps; however maintenance and training costs remain high. Some components may not

be easily found and would need to be imported from the manufacturer. Furthermore, as

demonstration and oral explanation are usually the most effective in the assembly and use of the

pump, it is also costly to provide the personnel for these services.

Once in operation, the ZBP is not dependant on external agencies and is largely self-

sustaining; alternatively, its reliance on community participation cannot be overlooked. The

ZBP “requires a community to maintain it” and can hardly be separated from its maintenance

programme.10 Without proper construction and maintenance E.coli may seep into the filtered

water. This may appear as a typical challenge at first glance; however it relies on a much more

9
de Laet, Marianne & Annemarie Mol, "The Zimbabwe Bush Pump: Mechanics of a Fluid Technology," Social
Studies of Science 30 (April 2000): 234.
10
ibid, 245.

8
significant point: the community must firstly affirm itself as a community.11 From here the

community is able to organize itself, and carry the responsibilities needed for the pump to be

successful. Many outsiders, including the government, fail to recognize that villages are not

always homogenous entities and try to determine the ideal community size per pump. As de

Laet and Mol rebut, the community with a well functioning pump is not pre-given in this

numbered fashion. Evidently very small communities may find the maintenance too demanding

and large communities may lose their sense of ownership, but aside from these rudimentary

concepts the village unit is constantly evolving and difficult to determine. Although Morgan has

found that by distributing one to serve five families, fitting with the extended family system in

Zimbabwe, successful private ownership has sometimes evolved over collective responsibility.

What may seem as an amazingly appropriate technology on one scale must be critically

analyzed on another. When considering other purification methods, such as Pritchard's Lifesaver

bottle (figure 3), its outcomes can be considered startlingly different. On one hand it provides

safe drinking water to thousands of people but on the other it can be seen as assuming a “single

model of development to which everyone aspires to”.12 The latter view follows that since

women, for example, would enrol less time in collecting water “new opportunities would be

available to engage in more productive tasks and to contribute directly to economic growth”.13

The UK manufactured bottle lacks in valuable local knowledge, environmental sustainability,

11
de Laet, Marianne & Annemarie Mol, "The Zimbabwe Bush Pump: Mechanics of a Fluid Technology," Social
Studies of Science 30 (April 2000): 245.
12
Bell, Morag & Richard Franceys, "Improving Human Welfare through Appropriate Technology: Government
Responsibility, Citizen Duty or Customer Choice," Soc. Sci. Med. 40/9 (1995): 1172.
13
ibid, 1171.

9
cultural cohesiveness, and self-reliance and can be criticized as being, once again, a northern

technology imposed on the south. Alternatively, its appropriateness allows people to remain in

their villages, rather than traveling to the nearest towns to collect imported water, often spreading

disease and requires a minute utilization demonstration.

Evaluation of the Zimbabwe Bush Pump

When applying the Wicklein’s adjusted framework to the ZBP it is understandably

appropriate. The majority of all the aspects of the ZBP revolve around the collective

community, from the initial nganga consultation, to the assembly, to the formulated bolts that do

not have to be tightened so often. “The village has joint ownership and collective responsibility”

making the already locally manufactured, resilient, and effective technology furthermore

appropriate.14

As mentioned above, the technology is largely self-sufficient apart from certain

replacement components in some areas and the initial training needed. Socially and

environmentally the ZBP has very few harmful externalities, and has a large evolutionary

capacity as communities have proven to adapt the pumps to fit their needs. An internal risk is

the commitment of the community to embrace the pump because without proper maintenance the

pump will eventually stop working.

Although the ZBP may be seen as a single-purpose technology to providing safe water, it

is arguably a multi-purpose technology. As the inventors refuse to take out a patent on the ZBP,

14
de Laet, Marianne & Annemarie Mol, "The Zimbabwe Bush Pump: Mechanics of a Fluid Technology," Social
Studies of Science 30 (April 2000): 234.

10
the ownership is granted to 'the people' the ZBP not only brings healthier, and more sustainable a

communities together, but a nation as a whole.15

Appropriate Technology in the North

Appropriate technology is found all over the world, even in areas littered with modern

technologies such as Canada. This section of the paper provides examples of AT from the North,

citing one from Canada and one from the United States. This section will describe each

technology; the benefits and challenges associated with that technology, and will link the

technology to its unique role in building sustainable communities.

Overview of EcoVillage
The first example of AT from the north is EcoVillage, a small community in the

Cowichan valley dedicated to becoming self sustained. EcoVillage hopes to act as a blueprint for

other communities to become change agents and begin implementing sustainable projects that

benefit their community. EcoVillage uses AT in a variety of ways, from agriculture practices to

residential infrastructure.

For the purposes of this paper, we will focus on infrastructure and food practices,

although EcoVillage serves as a remarkable library of AT successes. Based on the principles of

permaculture, EcoVillage has been hugely successful in natural building. The builders look at the

process through a different lens, and recognize how nature already has much of what they need.

For example, their learning centre was built with a mix of straw bale and cob, natural plasters,

paints, recycled materials and a living roof.

15
de Laet, Marianne & Annemarie Mol, "The Zimbabwe Bush Pump: Mechanics of a Fluid Technology," Social
Studies of Science 30 (April 2000): 250.

11
 EcoVillage also has a large community garden where they grow a huge variety of food

and even rear their own organic pork. Members of the community use traditional crop rotation

methods and animals, such as ducks, control the pest problem. In addition, they recycle

cardboard boxes and layer them in the soil to provide plants with nitrogen and other vital

nutrients.

Benefits of EcoVillage
This section will describe the benefits derived from the use of local resources in building

and food production, and how these play an undoubted role in EcoVillage’s community

sustainability. Residents have been utilizing local materials to produce buildings; some of these

materials include recycled products and commercial waste. For example, scrap lumber that does

not meet industry standards is often used. This lumber usually comes from local mills and is

considered scrap due to its odd size or different colouring. Also Styrofoam blocks, which are

often abandoned on construction sites and in other industrial areas, are incorporated into the

foundation and walls of buildings. This prevents the blocks from sitting in landfills for thousands

of years, since they are virtually non-biodegradable.

Through creativity and environmental awareness, residents at EcoVillage have been able

to create infrastructure that has a small environmental footprint and is cost effective to build.

These building processes have also given the community a sense of pride and public recognition

for their work.

EcoVillage has taken an intensive and alternative approach to food production

minimizing their reliance on outside food sources and focusing on producing as much food

possible themselves. They do this by utilizing labour intensive traditional crop rotation methods

12
to deliver diverse and organic food to the community. Their traditional methods of agriculture

produce nutrient rich soil and pest free plants. By focusing a large part of their efforts towards

local food production, EcoVillage is sustained with a seasonal, stable, healthy food source.

The locally grown food reduces reliance on imports which have: large carbon footprints,

create mass deforestation, and support global inequality. Local food production also provides

social benefits as it encourages cross village participation, provides hands-on learning, and gives

community members a deep rooted sense of appreciation for their food. As shown in these

examples, the use of local materials has provided EcoVillage with cost savings, positive

environmental impacts and an array of social benefits.

EcoVillage: Barriers and Challenges

The progress at EcoVillage has not always been easy. For example, their buildings faced

legal constraints on a variety of issues such as safety. The heavy bureaucracy of legalities

weighed down on the community and slowed the building process on several occasions.

Secondly, the villagers struggled with the balance between collective and the individual. Since

North America is characterized by paternalism and individualism, it was tough for some of the

people to go against traditional culture and accept the notion of “for the common good”.

Overview of Green Microgym

A second case study on Appropriate Technology comes from the United States. In 2008,

entrepreneur Adam Boesel opened the first Green Microgym in Portland, Oregon. The gym is

unique, creating its own energy through members' workouts. The 2,800-square-foot gym has

similar equipment found in gyms of comparable size. 16 However, the gym’s tread mills have

energy efficient motors that use 30% less power than normal machines. 16 Also, several spin

13
bikes, that don’t use electricity, produce 200 to 600 watts of energy an hour. 16 All of the energy

is captured in a battery that feeds the gyms electricity needs. The gym also has cork flooring,

energy efficient ceiling fans, and solar power awnings. Furthermore, the gym uses second hand

equipment and has no showers. In the near future, Adam wants the gym to become completely

self sustained and plans to do so by improving on the equipment technologies and looking at new

ways of capturing energy from customers.16

Green Microgym: Benefits

Adam Boesel found a technology that fits well with his business model and the

community. Green Microgym’s most obvious benefits are environmental. Energy that would

have otherwise dissipated uselessly is now being captured to power the gym. Energy efficient

machines and retrofitting of existing infrastructure have created space with a low carbon

footprint and costs savings for the owners. The gym uses 60% less energy than comparable gyms

of its size, which has been huge achievement for Green Microgym and attracted potent media

exposure.17

The gym has positively impacted its own community in a variety of ways. First, the gym

acts as a hub for social interaction, where members often engage in meaningful conversation and

share knowledge of green issues and initiatives. Many of the gym’s members are from the

surrounding area, due to its proximity to members’ homes, which makes the gym have a truly

16
Wood, S. Portal Gym Will Run on Peddle Power: Oregon Environmental News (2008).
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/08/portland_gym_will_run_on_ pedal.html (accessed
November 12, 2009).
17
Green Microgym. Our Green Advantage. http://thegreenmicrogym.com/about-2/our-green- advantage/
(accessed November 15, 2009).

14
local feel. There is a major emphasis on supporting local businesses, for example, the gym

supports local artists by showcasing their artwork throughout the gym. Moreover, the gym has

built in mechanisms for helping local business. For instance, once a member has produced a

certain level of energy, they receive certificates for other local businesses. Finally, the gym

positively impacts peoples’ lives by contributing to their overall health and well-being.

Green Microgym: Challenges and Barriers

Microgym’s equipment is criticized by some for not making significant reductions in the

usage of fossil fuels. Many people feel they can get a great physical workout by going outside or

doing body exercises, like yoga, in their own homes. Also, some customers complain about the

zero shower policy, stating it is unrealistic to expect people to forgo showers after the gym.

Finally, some complain that the gym’s membership fee is too expensive, making it inaccessible

for people under a certain income level.18

Evaluation of EcoVillage and Green Microgym

Wicklein’s evaluation, described in the beginning of the paper, is used to judge the

appropriateness of the technology for EcoVillage and the Green Microgym. The former met

many aspects of the evaluation criteria for this framework. This is mainly because EcoVillage

has become relatively self-sustaining with little reliance on outside systems, adhering to

Wicklein’s first principle, especially with regards to food production, which also shows a low

external risk factor. The food production and building technologies reflect the collective culture

of the village, which rests on the foundation of shared ownership and responsibility. EcoVillage

18
Silverberg, D. Portland Fitness Center First U.S. Gym to Convert Human Energy to Electricity (2008).
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/259787 (accessed November 13, 2009).

15
has been extremely resourceful in order to minimize costs associated with food production and

building. For example, the food is sustainably grown by the villagers and members build with

low cost and recycled materials.

Overall, Microgym ranked fairly low on this evaluation scale due to a variety of reasons.

Microgym has a strong reliance on outside support systems for the production of its exercise

machines, since the raw materials and components are sourced from overseas.17 There are also

high costs associated with the use of the machine which are reflected in the gym membership

fee.

However, Green Microgym met some of the evaluation criteria. The exercise machines

are a multi-purpose technology as they contribute to the well-being of users through exercising,

while creating energy to power a percentage of the gym. The technology is reflective of the local

individualistic culture. For example, there is no shared learning, ownership, or responsibility for

the machines, resulting in a complete disconnect between the users and the technology, whereby

contrasting preferable characteristics of collective societies. Although this can be viewed as

appropriate in the sense that it fits with the individualistic culture, this does not mean that the

culture is sustainable or values the importance of a self reliant community and therefore is

flawed upon analysis.

Although the machines do not have the capacity to expand with society, the idea of

harnessing energy from physical activity is more capable of evolving with the society that it

benefits. For example, in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong some disco clubs, traditionally

16
huge consumers of power, have been able to use the energy produced from dancing to power a

portion of their operations.19

Our Findings
In examining the cases above, significant contrasts were noticed when comparing

appropriate technology used in the south versus the north. As appropriate technology is

extremely context specific, it is obvious that the technology varies greatly between the north and

south. This section will explore the differences of the AT with respect to community interaction,

technology transfer, gender issues, and adaptability.

Community participation, ownership, and maintenance were consistently important

pillars for AT in the South. The ZBP is an excellent example of community buy-in, which is

needed in order for community members to embrace and use the pumps. Furthermore, local

participation ensures the technologies will be better suited to the needs of those using it. This

decision making, implementation, and maintenance know-how was not as strongly present in the

case of Green Microgym. The gym’s customers have no sense of ownership attached to the

machines. This is partly because they have no incentive or inclination to assemble and maintain

them, and they were not directly involved with the technology’s implementation. Eco-Village

falls between ZBP and Green Microgym because those present in the community continuously

participate in all aspects of the building, farming, and teaching. However due to high turnover of

people, knowledge and the sense of ownership is lost.

19
Steere, M. Are We Heading for a Human Powered Future? CNN.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/08/01/Human.power/index.html (accessed November 10, 2009).

17
 The knowledge transfer of technology to the community is fundamental in the south. The

locals must be taught skills to operate and repair the technology, otherwise it will become

dysfunctional or deteriorate. Parts must be sourced locally and replaced without external aid.

Overall, the technology transfer in the south is more important than the technology itself.

Conversely, the exercise machines at Green Microgym do not require knowledge transfer and are

heavily dependent on external sourcing. Although the customers have a general idea of how the

machines operate and the environmental benefits obtained, if a treadmill breaks, the customers

would not be able to perform maintenance repairs.

Gender issues were surprisingly important in regards to water sanitation technology in the

south and virtually nonexistent in the north. Because many of the activities performed by

women, such as water collection, are affected by newly introduced technologies, they must be

suitable to meet women’s needs. If the women are not able to leave their homes, are less

educated, or need their husband’s consent to learn about the technology, its success will be

considerably limited. An example is the solar cooker which did not take into account women’s

preference to cook their main meal at night, rendering the AT unused.20

Finally, comparable to the Wicklein measurement of the evolutionary capacity of

technology, was the necessity for the ZBP to be flexible and adaptable to each unique

community it served. Although the pumps were the same in size and functionality, the location,

assembly of the base, and maintenance were all decided and organized by and for the

20
Murphy, H., Edward McBean, Khosrow Farahbakhsh, "Appropriate Technology: A Comprehensive Approach for
Water and Sanitation in the Developing World," Technology in Science 31 (2009): 162.

18
community. Eco-Village also thrives on its flexibility and adaptability to ideas and new

abundant resources.

What We Can Learn from Each Other

Originally, we presumed the bilateral learning from north to south would starkly

outweigh the learning from south to north. After conducting a thorough analysis of the case

studies, the latter proved to hold more teachings than the former. Our original assumption was

consistent with the northern definition of appropriate technology, which mainly focuses on

economic and environmental appropriateness. From this lens, we neglected to see the importance

of community social structures, participation, and cultural fit which are learning points flowing

from the south. In a broader context, the south can learn something from the north; development

does not have to mirror the north through hyper-consumption, disconnect from the natural

environmental, and heavy reliance on non-renewable resources. Furthermore, this type of

quantitative development can lead to more harm than good. Listed below are some learning

points that can be transferred from the south to the north.

Firstly, the north can learn more about the importance of community with respect to

community ownership and responsibility. Examples like EcoVillage capture this essence, where

habitants are more engaged and have a sense of belonging to others and the community, further

strengthening interdependence among them. From this stems unparallel cooperation and care for

one another that is sometimes forgotten in the north’s individualistic and closed society.

Secondly, the north can learn about the benefits stemming from a community-focused

approach to technology. This vision of wholeness will not only better meet the needs of those

using the technology, but will allow the technology to evolve with the society. A positive

19
multiplier effect is a further benefit of this combination of social sciences and engineering which

is not possible with a solely high technology perspective.

Finally, technology is consistently seen as a solution to creating sustainable communities

in the north; however, as we have discovered, the technology is only one piece of this puzzle. As

the southern cases have shown, rather than considering the AT as the sole solution, it was

incorporated as a means to an end – a sustainable community.

Conclusion
This paper introduced appropriate technology and the importance of its holistic approach

in encompassing cultural, economic, environmental and spiritual values. An altered framework

to measure case studies in the north and south was used, and the results produced notable

differences. Our final analysis proved opposite to our original hypothesis as it was discovered

the north could benefit greatly by incorporating key values the south holds around technology.

Providing knowledge and hope to our common future, appropriate technology plays a vital role

in building sustainable communities world-wide.

Limitations

Although this paper was carefully researched and cited specific examples relevant to

understanding appropriate technology, it is important to recognize that there were some

limitations. Firstly, EcoVillage was the only example where the authors were able to do primary

research by visiting the site and participating in an active tour first hand. The two other

examples, Green Microgym and the Zimbabwe Bush Pump, although relevant and intensely

researched, were not scrutinized first hand and relied on the use of secondary data. Secondary

research methods were utilized simply because of the lack of time and resources on behalf of the
20
authors to travel to these places and engage in a participative evaluation. Keeping this in mind,

the authors hope the reader can achieve understanding into the overall purpose that these

examples serve which provides a diversion from theory into practicality. Finally, it is important

to acknowledge that similar cases to examples cited from the north in this paper are happening in

the south, and vice versa.

21
22
APPENDIX

Figure 1

Figure 2

23
Figure 3

24
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