[Stoves] TED Talks: Amy Smith Discusses Charcoal From Bagasse in Haiti and Corncobs in Ghana (Video or Podcast)

[Tom Miles]

See http://bioenergylists.org/en/smithtedtalk

 

This links to a videocast series featuring Amy Smith of MIT. 

 

"MIT engineer Amy Smith designs ingenious low-cost devices to tackle tough
problems in developing countries. She received a MacArthur "Genius" Grant in
2004, and was the first woman to win MIT's famed Lemelson Prize. In this
talk, she explains the vision behind her inventions, which include
eco-friendly charcoal and a laboratory incubator that doesn't require
electricity. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 15:48)"

 

She discusses how MIT handled problems of briquette compressibility at MIT
and Haiti to burn longer and cleaner than wood charcoal which commands
revenues of $260 million in Haiti. She wants to make charcoal production a
micro-enterprise for farmers.  

 

Smith comments that she is also working on low cost water testing and low
cost water treatment. She has 30 students per year that work on
implementation of these projects overseas.

 

This is a good summary of the discussion we had about Smith's (MIT D-Lab)
activities last month. 

 

Tom Miles