Clean Water

March 17th, 2016

I just watched a fascinating documentary about Dean Kamen's latest invention, the Slingshot. Dean is an inventor who works very hard at creating technology that helps people achieve greater quality of life. Among his healthcare inventions are a wheelchair that moves vertically so someone can move up and change a lightbulb or reach a high cupboard. He also has a wheelchair that climbs stairs. You can see him working on prosthetics and he has invented a system that allows people to use dialysis machines in their own home. For more information about this work, check out dekaresearch.com.

Dean is an interesting individual. He lives in a home with secret passageways and a steam engine in the centre of his foyer, he opens a glass wall and leaves his home via his personal helicopter. He is eccentric and passionate. He has chosen not to become a father because he is so committed to his work that he doesn't feel he could really give enough energy to raising a child. He helps children every day through his inventions and contributions.

One of those contributions is a science centre he donated to his community. He noticed children wearing sports jerseys and he asked them if they could name an engineer or inventor. None of them could. He decided to make sciences cool. He launched First, an opportunity for children to create robots and compete against other robots like an athletic event. Students are excited to work with engineers and conceptualize their robot then compete. They gain valuable employability skills and develop a passion for sciences. This was the ultimate goal, to teach math, science, technology and engineering in an exciting way. You can go to www.firstinspires.org to learn about this program.

We all recognize the importance of clean water. We rely on water to stay hydrated and clean, to cook and do laundry. In countries where clean water is not accessible, disease spreads quickly. Dean and his team developed a vapor compression distiller. It has the ability to purify water regardless of the quality of water that goes into the machine. Dean was able to demonstrate the machine's efficacy but he needed help distribution the machine to countries where clean water was not available. He asked medical partners, the WHO, the government and many other organizations whom he thought would jump at the chance to distribute these machines. They were all cheering for him but they wouldn't get involved.

He got a break when the Coca-Cola company agreed to partner with him. He started with 15 machines in schools in Ghana in 2011. The machines worked well but they were heavy and difficult to set up. Also, they realized they would need to educate users who were transferring the clean water to contaminated vessels. This pilot project led to funding for 50 machines to be tested in Central America and Africa. They needed to make the machines lighter and smaller, they re-named it the Alpha model. They learned that each location has its own challenges but they started the Alpha model distribution in 2013.

Dean has a vision. His wish is that we start investing in "weapons of mass construction". If people have access to clean water and they recognize that these machines come from the US, perhaps they can reach a place of peace. I am very excited to see what happens next as each trial leads to more access to this invention.

Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org

Hemp Love

February 9th, 2016

I have been researching eco-friendly products lately: body soaps made from goat cheese, borax as a laundry detergent, vinegar to clean windows and apple cider vinegar as a deodorant. I had heard of hemp as an alternative option for natural clothing. I visited websites and saw some pretty cool fashions made from hemp.

There are different fabrics you can use to replace synthetic clothing: hemp, bamboo, organic cotton and soy. The great thing about hemp is it just gets softer as you wash it, it grows really quickly and repels insects, it protects you from the UV rays and it lasts a long time. The plant doesn't require pesticides and it nourishes the soil.

Pretty impressive right? But it doesn't stop there. Hemp is way more than comfy, eco-friendly fabric. Hemp seeds can be eaten and it is actually really healthy. It can be a source of protein and essential fatty acids. It is also recommended for birds and livestock.

Hemp is also used in body lotions and cosmetics because it nourishes the skin and hair with its healthy nutrients.

Hemp produces strong paper that ages well. It doesn't disintegrate over time.

Hemp can be turned into fabric for clothing or woven into rugs. It has been used to create canvas, jeans, even flags. You can also make rope and fishing nets with this strong material.

In the past, people have transformed hemp into alternatives to plastics. A variety of building materials can also be produced from hemp. These materials are fire-proof, insulating and waterproof.

I instantly started thinking about all the ways we could use Hemp as an environmentally-friendly substitute in so many ways. When I looked into the possibility of growing hemp, I realized why I hadn't heard more about this before. It has only been legal to grow hemp in Canada since 1998. You can't just start growing it, you have to get a license and go through lots of paperwork. Why? Because it is one of two strains of cannabis. It has a much lower level of THC but because of its association to marijuana, it is highly controlled and monitored.

Considering all I've heard lately about the need for affordable housing, I can't help thinking that using cheap, hemp-based building materials is worth considering.

Check out the cool fashions at www.nomadshempwear.com
My sources for information about hemp:
www.harbay.net
www.hemptrade.ca
www.hempbasics.com
www.theinformationdistillery.com
www.nomadshempwear.com