The skills of native weavers and American volunteers have found a way to create electricity and jobs out of the wind. Appropriate Technology Collaborative, led by John Barrie and university volunteers have found a way of helping local Guatemalan women weave the blades of windmills that will produce power and employment.
The Appropriate Technology Collaborative is a non-profit based in Ann Arbor. ATC designs, develops demonstrates and distributes new technologies that improve the quality of life for the world’s poorest people. One of our current projects, with students from U of M, is the Woven Wind Project, a design for wind turbine blades that are woven out of cloth. Since women in Guatemala are weavers, this will give them a way to make their own electricity as well as starting their own businesses.