Peter

This is pretty awesome.

Six years ago, William Kamkwamba, when he was __//**14 years old**//__, read a book in his library about windmill building. He decided to give it a shot so he could power his home in his little village in Malawi. Using an __//**old bicycle frame, a tractor fan blade, and blue gum trees**//__, he constructed a 12-volt windmill. Now he's moving on to bigger projects, such as a larger windmill that will irrigate the crops in his village, and a radio transmitter that will broadcast popular music and HIV-prevention methods.

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Think about this next time you're pessimistic: personal action is the first step, and can make a positive influence.

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In this TED talk, designer Eben Bayer created a mushroom based packaging material.

First he discusses the harm of plastic packing material. In one cubic foot of styrofoam, you have the same energy content as a liter of gas. What a waste of energy, for something so pointless! The EPA estimates that styrofoam covers 25% of american landfills.

Bayer uses mycelium to digest agricultural waste and construct a polymer similar to styrofoam- but 100 percent compostable!

what do you think? what benefits could arise from using natural packaging, and what can we learn from Bayer's idea?