"Developing Convivial Technologies for Right Livelihood" Allied Organizations

The International Network on Appropriate Technology (INAT) is the work of a group of academics and practitioners promoting technology to empower people that started with a national symposium on appropriate technology held at Howard University in 1998. Appropriate technology (AT) can be defined as technology that is designed with special consideration to the environmental, ethical, cultural, social, and economical aspects of the community it is intended for. 

Central to the INAT’s mission is public education on what is AT. Their ongoing work is to bring AT to the forefront of discussion and practice regarding science and technology—in education, policy, research, development, and deployment. They have conducted eight international conferences, three Howard University symposia, various projects, and presentations. 

On the INAT’s website you explore all their past programs and conferences. There you can also read their Declaration of Appropriate Technology.

Founded in 2007,Low-Tech Magazineemphasizes the potential of past and often forgotten technologies and how they can inform sustainable energy practices. When it comes to designing a sustainable society, Low-Tech Magazine believes there is a lot of potential in past and often forgotten knowledge and technologies. 

Low-Tech Magazine publishes at most 12 well-researched stories per year. Their writings fall under one of these three categories: Obsolete Technology, High-Tech Problems, and Low-Tech Solutions.

You can read all of Low-Tech Magazine’s publications online via their website. They also offer printed versions of their magazine, which now amount to four volumes with a total of 2,398 pages and 709 images. Their sister blog, No Tech Magazine, is linked to Low-Tech’s website, and it is there you can find more regular postings. 

 

Model of Architecture Serving Society (MASS) Design Group was founded on the understanding that architecture’s influence reaches beyond individual buildings. MASS believes that architecture has a critical role to play in supporting communities to confront history, shape new narratives, collectively heal, and project new possibilities for the future. Moreover, their mission is to research, build, and advocate for architecture that promotes justice and human dignity. 

In an effort to build a climate positive future, MASS’s projects move beyond just issues of energy and efficiency to holistically design the project ecosystem, including an entire supply chain that is sustainable, resilient, and regenerative. They work using a One Health design strategy that produces diverse, healthy, and productive habitats for human, animal, and ecological growth. In addition to design, MASS also conducts research via their design labs, publishes studies, develops tools, and conducts trainings, to realize their mission. 

On their website you can access all of MASS’s tools, reports, and design lab projects. One such project asks the question: “How can design advance Deaf Spaces, uphold disability justice, and uplift cultural memory?” They also have a myriad of informative documentary videos and recorded talks to explore. 

 

Neversink Toolsis the leader in the design and manufacture of small scale farming tools. All tools are designed and manufactured by Conor Crickmore of Neversink Farm and made in the United States. Conor is a pioneer of no-till-small-production farming. The mission of Neversink Tools is to produce the best tools for an affordable price for the farming community. 

Neversink Tools’ first successful tool was the “multineer”—an interchangeable hoe using a quick connect to change out heads. Other tools include: the Flame Weeder, the Iconoclast Pro Tilther, the Dibbler and Plug Popper, and much more. All of Neversink Tools’ profit goes directly to improve current tools and create new ones. 

Education and accessibility is important to Neversink Tools, which is why they offer a wide variety of educational videos on farming and gardening, the majority of which feature their tools. Neversink Tools’ YouTube Channel is linked through their website. There you can also learn more about Neversink Farm and the Neversink Online Market Farming Course. 

 

The New Alchemy Institute (NAI) was an environmentalist organization, established in 1970 by Nancy Jack Todd, John Todd, and William McLarney to develop prototypical ecological technologies that would promote self-sufficiency and sustainability. John Todd and McLarney were marine biologists alarmed at the ecological and social impact of contemporary pollution on the ecosystems they researched. Their Institute, with locations in Cape Cod, Prince Edward Island, and Costa Rica, pursued what John Todd referred to as both “new alchemy” and the less mystical “biotechnology,” creating research centers as sites for scientifically-supported experimentation into economically and environmentally sustainable systems that could be broadly implemented. It was on a twelve-acre farm site that researchers executed their first bioshelter designs, developed self-sustaining aquaculture systems, and tested biodynamic, holistic agricultural theories.

A little over a decade after John Todd left as the Executive Director of the Institute in 1980, the organization was dissolved into a new nonprofit organization, The Green Center, on their Cape Cod site. This new foundation maintained New Alchemy’s original mission statement—to “restore the land, protect the seas, and inform the Earth’s stewards”—but reframed its role in meeting those objectives, emphasizing the informational component of the slogan as the primary method by which the Center might accomplish environmental restoration and protection.

 

Otherlab is an independent research and design (R&D) lab, aimed at bringing new solutions in renewable energy and robotics to market. Similar to an accelerator or incubator, but with internally developed ideas, Otherlab nurtures projects through the initial R&D phase, to forming internal entities, and eventually fundraising and spinning out into independently operating companies. They currently help government agencies and Fortune 500 companies understand energy infrastructure and build transformational technologies that bring us coser to 100% decarbonization. 

Some of Otherlab’s projects include Ocean Farming Hydrofoil, a modular, immensely scalable kelp farm that self-fertilizes by using currents and waves to create an upwelling of nutrient-rich seawater from the ocean’s depths, and Passive Thermo-Adaptive Textiles, which are thermally adaptive fabrics that literally change thickness and insulation value in response to temperature change. 

Otherlab’s blob, which can be accessed via their website, is host to numerous writings on all things technology and decarbonization. There, you can also learn more about their eight active R&D projects. 

 

Practical Action is an innovative international development group that works with communities to develop ingenious, lasting, and locally-owned solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience, and clean energy. Practical Action was founded in 1966 by E.F. Schumacher. Originally named the Intermediate Technology Development Group, Practical Action began as a technical consulting service. 

All of Practical Action’s projects start small. Working hand-in-hand with individuals, communities, and local organizations, Practical Action helps create projects aimed at tackling the causes of poverty. One such project is their Flood Resilience Program, in which Practical Action is helping communities around the world to plan and adapt their lives to cope better with flooding. 

Another facet of Practical Action’s work is providing knowledge that inspires. Through their website you can access their technical information service—Practical Answers, which offers 50+ years of development knowledge—, their specialist independent publisher—Practical Action Publishing, which offers books and journals that provide the latest development perspectives—, and free, downloadable teaching resources. 

 

PUNCH Flybrid is the world’s leading producer of high power, flywheel–based Energy Storage Systems. The technology can be used to capture energy that would otherwise be wasted, store it in a high-speed flywheel and then use it to improve the overall efficiency. The PUNCH Flybrid technology is robust, highly flexible and can work with various energy transfer methods. PUNCH Flybrid flywheel modules can be connected to electric motor/generators, hydraulic motor/pumps or mechanical transmissions. This means the PUNCH Flybrid technology is suitable for a wide range of applications including power generation, off-highway, commercial, automotive, and rail. 

Energy recuperated by PUNCH flybird technology can then be used to help power the vehicle or machine, thus improving performance, saving fuel, and reducing emissions. To learn more about PUNCH Flybird and their products you can visit their website. 

 

 

Rewiring America is the leading electrification nonprofit, focused on electrifying homes, businesses, and communities in the U.S. In developing accessible, actionable data and tools Rewiring America helps Americans save money, tackle nationwide emissions goals, improve health, and build the next generation of the clean energy workforce. 

In their effort to help communities electrify, Rewiring America offers free project guides for electrification advice, tips, and recommendations. The organization is currently building “Your Personal Electrification Planner”. From project prioritization to in-depth guides to maximizing savings with rebates and incentives, the Planner is aimed at making home electrification simple. 

You can visit Rewiring America’s website for full access to all of their tools and guides. These include their Electric Potential Map, which features the average potential household benefits and the total potential community benefits from the Inflation Reduction Act for each state, and their Incentive Application Programming Interface (API), which offers comprehensive, up-to-date information about federal electrification incentive programs and eligibility.

 

Schooner Apolloniais a cargo and freight company bringing sail freight back to the Hudson River. The Apollonia is the Hudson Valley’s carbon-neutral merchant vessel. Powered by the wind, the Apollonia can transport her cargo sustainably. Schooner Apollonia attests that they are “not a living-history project trying to make the past ‘come alive’”, but are rather part of a growing sail freight movement committed to relevant, intelligent solutions to shipping. 

Schooner Apollonia’s cargo operations began in 2020. They have since completed 12 round trip cargo voyages from the Hudson Valley to New York City. The Apollonia carries a number of goods from local or sustainability-focused small companies, from coffee to maple syrup to rye and malt. They also ship Boat Boxes, a collection of goods from their select shipping partners, through their Boat Boxes Program. 

You can sign up to receive one of Schooner Apollonia’s Boat Boxes by visiting their website. There you can also stay up to date on this season’s voyage and even track the ship. 

 

Taitem is an engineering firm specializing in design, commissioning, and sustainability consulting for high-performance buildings. Taitem stands for “technology as if the earth mattered”, which reflects the firm’s commitment to the environment. 

Founded in 1989, Taitem’s clients include both public and private entities, and their projects include buildings in all sectors including commercial, education, multifamily, industrial, and healthcare. Their expertise in the energy efficiency market extends through design, research, green building, and energy studies. The firm has led over 20 energy research projects, and their findings have been published nationally in peer-reviewed journals. 

Taitem has a number of published research and projects from their team of engineers available to read and download on their website. There you can also find a complete portfolio of all their design and energy projects. 

 

THRIVE ON! is a socio-economic development think tank that works to radically create a more interconnected, ecological way of living through research, education, and innovative community projects. THRIVE ON! researches findings that expand conceptions of social coordination and collaboration, equips the transformative architects of tomorrow through experiential, exploratory education, and develops innovative community projects from the bottom up that are upheld by cooperative values and practice. 

You can learn more about THRIVE ON!’s work and stay up to date on their latest initiatives by subscribing to their mailing list or following them on Instagram. 

 

Transitional network about alternative technology, or TRANET, was a bi-monthly newsletter-directory started by science adviser and trained physicist William Ellis. TRANET ran from 1976 to 1999 out of Rangeley, Maine. It was a compendium of abstracts from over 1000 publications, papers, projects, and people about local developments in technology.  

Ellis writes that TRANET’s motto was “people are not the problem, they are the solution.” He traveled around the world exploring developments in appropriate technology—from Bangladesh to Tokyo to Switzerland—focusing on innovations that empowered people at the grassroots level and promoted community self-reliance. 

Copies of TRANET, in addition to the personal library of William Ellis, can be found in the Special Collections of the Schumacher Center Library. 

 

 

Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment is working to transform individuals’ relationship with farming and food for a healthier planet. Situated on over 600 acres of preserved coastal landscape in Freeport, Maine, the Center’s campus serves as a unique hub for education and exploration with a demonstration farm, oceanfront campground, wooded trails, and historic buildings. 

Part of the Center’s work involves implementing climate-smart agricultural ` practices through their global collaborative, OpenTEAM. OpenTEAM stands for Open Technology Ecosystems for Agricultural Management and consists of a collaborative community of farmers, ranchers, businesses, and developers. OpenTEAM has collectively designed and built a free and open source digital equity toolkit that provides a framework for universal access to agricultural knowledge. 

Through OpenTEAM’s website you can access their many educational resources, which cover topics ranging from soil health to racial equity. Wolfe’s Neck Center also provides numerous learning opportunities, from herbal skincare and kombucha workshops to their organic dairy research and farmer training program, all of which is listed on their website.