By Carmen Fernández-Sánchez The simple act of filling recycled plastic bottles with water and chlorine has allowed light to enter millions of previously unlit homes around the globe. What’s more, this innovation has saved low-income families up to 40% on electricity bills. No-one could have told Alfredo Moser, a Brazilian mechanic, that his invention would spread … [Read more...] about Turning trash into light – Liter of light
Beyond development effectiveness
Can Complexity Science assist effective development?
By Agustina Calatayud. What do air traffic and the financial crisis of 2008 have in common with the human brain and the 2015 Ebola epidemic? Can Complexity Science offer us effective solutions to these problems and others? Recent international events suggest we are living in a time of growing turbulence. Just to mention a few: the 2008 financial crisis and … [Read more...] about Can Complexity Science assist effective development?
Can animal waste be harnessed to promote development?
By Horacio Aguirre-Villegas. Using bio-gas to produce energy can reduce GHG emissions and increase agricultural productivity. But it also can vastly improve the quality of life for people living in poor, rural communities by providing them with electricity and cooking fuel, saving them from having to walk long distances to collect firewood. The Mendez family lives in … [Read more...] about Can animal waste be harnessed to promote development?
A homemade recipe for a completely sustainable sewage treatment process
by Gastón Gertner How to treat wastewater in an environmentally friendly and cost effective manner. This summer, I got to know Violeta Reynal and Ezequiel Bella in Villa La Angostura, on the shores of Nahuel Huapí Lake in Argentina. Thirty-something, married, and fed up with the chaos of Buenos Aires, they decided on a change of lifestyle after a year of … [Read more...] about A homemade recipe for a completely sustainable sewage treatment process
ConnectAmericas.com: Opening a world of opportunities for small- and medium-size companies
By Fabrizio Opertti* ConnectAmericas is a web platform that connects SMEs from Latin America and the Caribbean to expand their businesses. Heneka Watkis-Porter’s life was all about spice. And she wanted to make it even spicier. The Jamaican entrepreneur runs a company that makes sauces and other condiments typical of her Caribbean island nation, and she wanted to grow. … [Read more...] about ConnectAmericas.com: Opening a world of opportunities for small- and medium-size companies