Nur Ahmad Furlong

Tag: Sustainability

2 eco-friendly bikes from different sides of the tech divide
The one is a slick, high tech hydrogen cell powered beauty which I would love to get my hands on and the other, a humble, down-to-earth bamboo construction which I wouldn’t mind trying out either.
Both aim to approach 21st Century transportation in an innovative yet clean way, but don’t expect these to meet each other on the same street.
bamboobike meets env bike.

The 2 solutions are suited for the worlds they have been designed for, but both have a similar purpose, provide transport in an environmentally friendly manner.
Bamboo has a lighter footprint
Of course the bamboo bike wins the carbon footprint game hands down as it’s a completely sustainable product manufactured from around 70% biodegradable materials available in the locality it will be used in. It’s low-cost, fuel efficient, healthy, and doesn’t need huge production factories and machinery powered by huge energy resources to put together.
Slick, powerful, clean and extendable
On the other hand, the env is made for the modern city dweller who wouldn’t be caught dead on a bamboo frame with wheels. It’s slick design is only the beginning.
The fuel cell is an electrochemical device which produces electricity, water and heat directly from hydrogen and oxygen. The water by-product can be evaporated, drained or even drunk.
It’s hydrogen powered fuel cell(the core as it is referred to) is at the centre of this sophisticated design. The idea is that the core, as the detachable heart of the env can be used to power just about anything anywhere.
Back to the Bamboo Bike and it’s many advantages in a not so teched up environment. I can see the Bamboo bike having a much greater impact not only on the environment but on the lives of thousands of people living in sub-economic locations.
In Africa, very few people can own cars or even motorcycles and people without bicycles have to rely on inadequate and relatively expensive buses. Bicycles are creatively modified to become boda boda taxis.
Transportation issues on different sides of the economic/tech divide couldn’t be further apart, but it’s good to see that on both sides, practical attempts are being made to find sustainable & efficient solutions.
I’ve thought of getting myself a bicycle and electro scooter many times and hope I might get a chance in the near future to play my own part in conserving and lightening my footprint in this regard.
March 31, 2008
AfriGadget » Dr. Ngalande’s Sugar & Yeast Generator
Dr. Ngalandeâ€™s Sugar and Yeast Power Generator
Just off chatting with White Africa, A.K.A. Hash, blog master of AfriGadget.com who lives in the US. I thought I’d take another look at AfriGadget and see if I can find anything which sparks my interest.
Step onto the scene a Sugar & Yeast Powered Generator
This invention(by Dr. Cedrick Ngalandeâ€™s) has massive implications for South Africa, not only directly related to the problem of charging of mobile phones in rural settings but in general, for the energy crisis we are experiencing locally.
This shows that Africans are very much innovating and working towards solutions to some of the most crucial problems mankind will be facing in the very near future.
â€œThe rotor moves slowly most of the times but does pick up at certain intervals. This process continues for many hours. Since the rotor is quite heavy (and hence more inertia) a small geared DC motor can be connected to the rotor to generate power for cell phones, $100 laptops, and other things in Africa. People can leave this thing to charge their phones/$100 laptops overnight.â€
The blog post where I found this little invention has a hot commenting debate about the actual viability of the invention, but like “Hash” the blog author responded, we need to be talking about what people are doing and maybe by spreading the word others can contribute and help build on these ideas.
Anyone out there know of any other cool low tech energy solutions? All I can say is Go Africa, Go!!
March 12, 2008
Simple resources to combat Global Warming
Working on the SA Climate Crisis logo design for Andre Bothma, lead me to finding some interesting resources online. There’s a ton of stuff out there to help us focus on cutting down our carbon footprints and live a life which is less taxing on the environment. One site in particular, live-the-solution.com, has a collection of resources which though very simplistic in nature does an excellent job in conveying the appropriate information without all the jargon and confusing bar charts.
The following mind map is an excellent example and is available for free to download, spread and share with everyone. It gives simple practical solutions we can all identify with and can definitely start working on right now.
A Few other mindmaps found on the same site explain the impact and science of Global Warming in a plain and simple manner. These can all be found on a mind maps page which conveys a straightforward yet highly effective message in a visual language we can all understand.
Why use Mindmaps?
Mind maps are an excellent tool for conveying a mixture of elements & ideas especially when these ideas are linked together. A mind map can condense a whole body of knowledge into a single diagram thereby shorting the time it takes to explain something complex in a dragged out step by step manner.
The mind-maps have been collated and expanded upon in the e-book developed by Jane Genovese, public speaker, university graduate of Law and Arts and passionate global warming advocate.
The drawings and mind maps developed to convey her message connect with the viewer even though they have been roughly sketched with simple ink pens found in any child’s stationery kit.
It shows the author’s deep understanding of the subject and appreciation for human interaction and communication.
The structure of this beautifully put together little e-book is another point to note. It takes the reader through a necessary cycle from the point of apathy, to the wake up call, why there is a need to change, what to change and how to change it. The author’s understanding of psychology helps her get inside the mind of the person on the street and understand the thought processes and emotions involved in this issue.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Why We Need Change
Chapter 1: Waking Up
Chapter 2: Understanding Global Warming
Chapter 3: The Big Polluters
Chapter 4: Too Close for Comfort: Overpopulation
What to Change
Chapter 5: You Have the Power!
Chapter 6: What about the Government?
How to Change
Chapter 7: Itâ€™s Time for Change
Chapter 8: Goal Setting for a Liveable Planet
Chapter 9: Connecting with Nature
Who Has Changed
Chapter 10: Itâ€™s OK, Youâ€™re Not Alone!
It goes to show that big budgets are not necessarily a major requirement to producing and spreading ideas which can change the world.
Spread the word
I recommend taking a look at live-the-solution.com, viewing the mind maps page , downloading the e-book and maybe sharing it with your friends, family, colleagues, whoever. Blog about it, print the mind maps and stick them up somewhere where they could make a difference.
A huge thanks to Jane Genovese for the excellent work put into producing such engaging content for such an important issue.
February 5, 2008
The coolest Eco Footprints I’ve seen
When we talk about carbon footprints we think about those forms we fill in online which ask us all kinds of probing questions about our homes, our cars and our activities which impact the planet. William McDonough’s book cradle to cradle discusses the concept of re-thinking how we design things extensively and gives us a new way of looking into the future of product design.
This is an eco-footprint of another kind which makes fantastic use of the concept of recyclability and re-usability in an ultr-cool way. Like McDonough states in his book over & over eco-friendly design does not have to be boring or less brilliant in functionality or visual appeal to fullfill it’s ecological responsibilities. It’s about the design approach.
Designer: Ben Chappell, has taken up the challenge with a not completely original but very much unique sneaker design which embraces the cradle to cradle thinking fully. The “Think” sneaker, a fully modular, meaning it’s made of seperate parts which can be removed & replaced, recyclable shoe.

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October 19, 2007
Blog Action Day 2007 a huge success
Spending the last few weeks just focussing on getting my business going has caused me to neglect my environmental and sustainability focus for a while. Even though I had writing a Blog Action Day post on my calendar I just never got around to it so I thought the least i could do is report on the success of the event.

Just so you know, October the 15th was Blog Action Day, a day devoted to blogging about the environment and highlighting global environmental issues to create awareness for the plight of our planet. Bloggers were called upon to break with their usual blogging schedule to take part by posting about the environment and in that way making the environment an issue at the top of the agenda on that particular day. It’s a great experiment in social networking and tackling societal issues via these channels, a topic I hope to write alot about very soon and one I have started applying some thinking and action to myself.
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October 17, 2007