Access:energy - IndieGoGo Campaign - Power to the People. Truly Local Power: African Wind Turbines Built From Scrap. Solar power has become the clean energy source du jour for the developing world, and for good reason--it’s relatively inexpensive and many solar panels are robust. But solar panels are often shipped internationally (or at least from distant locations), which makes them less than ideal, especially if a part needs to be fixed or replaced. Access:energy wants to bring a different kind of renewable energy--wind power--to Kenyans by teaching them to make their own turbines out of scrap metal and car parts. Over 80% of Kenya’s population (about 30 million people) lacks access to electricity.
The easiest way to get that power to residents is to teach them to make it. So Access:energy--a division of the Access:collective, which invests in appropriate technologies for East Africa--is teaching local Kenyan technicians to build the Night Heron wind turbine--a product that the organization calls the first "commercially viable, zero-import wind turbine. " George Takei Loses 'Celebrity Apprentice,' Wins on IndieGoGo. Japan's Nuclear Disaster Seen Through the Eyes of Local Surfers - Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg - International. We Are All Radioactive, a forthcoming documentary series, tells the story of one seaside community's efforts to rebuild in the wake of the 2011 disaster. Motoyoshi, a small town and surf spot about 100 miles from Fukushima, was devastated by the earthquake and tsunami, and now it's unclear how damaging the effects of the Fukushima meltdown could be.
We Are All Radioactive is a collaboration between Lisa Katayama, a journalist for Wired, Fast Company, and The New York Times, and Jason Wishnow, a filmmaker and director of the TEDTalks series, with the support of locals, who are contributing their own footage, and viewers, who are crowd funding the film. Katayama and Wishnow traveled to Motoyoshi twice last year to document the recovery effort, and the multifaceted story grew beyond the bounds of a feature documentary to justify doing an entire series.
The Atlantic: How did you decide to tell this story from the perspective of this one community, and surfers in particular? On Crowd-Funding Sites, Age Doesn’t Matter. Skip Advertisement This ad will close in 15 seconds... Young Entrepreneurs Today's Most Read 9 Proven Ways to Get People to Take You Seriously 4 Intangibles That Drive CEOs What It Takes to Go From Dead Broke to 6 Figures in 6 Months The Mentality of a Successful Career 4 Big Challenges That Startups Face These Siblings Are Cooking Up America's First Meatless Butcher Shop Kim Lachance Shandrow 3 min read News and Articles About Young Entrepreneurs Failure 6 Stories of Super Successes Who Overcame Failure They're perfect examples of why failure should never stop you from following your vision.
Jayson DeMers Podcasts Top 25 Business Podcasts for Entrepreneurs Podcasts are as easy to use as old-school radio but as specialized as blogs. Murray Newlands Entrepreneurship Programs Saxbys and Drexel Team Up to Promote Entrepreneurship Saxby's founder Nick Bayer talks about the one-of-a-kind program and why he wishes there was one for himself years ago. Carly Okyle Presented by Young Entrepreneurs Laura Entis Fear. How to Raise Cash With Crowdfunding. Crowdfunding sites are putting money in the pockets of budding entrepreneurs like Sam Miller and Leona Liu, founders of jeans company Civali. Photography by Tom McKenzie Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo attract hobbyists and wannabes, but they can also net real cash for those who use them strategically.
With savvy profiles and targeted campaigns, some aspiring entrepreneurs are even raising amounts in the five or six figures. Here's how they do it. Sam Miller was so sick of not being able to find jeans that fit that he decided to start a business to solve the problem. The two found the kick in the pants their business concept needed from the crowdfunding website Kickstarter. Aspiring entrepreneurs are increasingly jumping onboard with sites like Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, peerbackers and ChipIn. The poster boy for successful crowdfunding is Scott Wilson, who worked on his LunaTik watch design as a pet project while running his Chicago-based design consultancy, Minimal. Raising Veterinary Funds through IndieGoGo.
The Best Sites to Raise Money and Get Your Ideas Off the Ground. Crowdfunding Revolution: Should I Do This? Posted by Don Lehman | 6 Feb 2012 | Comments (10) By Hannes Grobe (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons Is crowdfunding right for your project? From my introductory essay, you can already get the sense that I'm pro-crowdfunding. But let's be honest with ourselves, in an ideal world where everyone has access to easy, no-strings attached money, no one would look for outside funding. Just like seeking out loans or investors, there are pros and cons to crowdfunding your project. 1) Do I have the time to make this commitment? If you are funded, do you have the flexibility in your schedule, or at the very least, the willingness to forgo sleep for the several months it will take to get your project done in a timely matter? I suppose the real question to ask yourself is, "Do I believe in this idea so strongly that I am compelled to see it through, no matter what?
" 2) Do I want to develop this publicly? Let's start by thinking about the process of how things get made. Click for larger image. 5 Crazy Crowdfunding Campaigns On IndieGoGo. IndieGoGo, a crowdfunding tool similar to Kickstarter, has seen some wild campaigns this year. The most interesting projects from 2011 include everything from the humorously political to personal and highly innovative. These five projects raised a total of $88,000 to achieve their goals. Take a peak at each one and let us know your favorite in the comments below! Suits for Wall Street Suits for Wall Street campaigned to provide protesters business outfits as a form of tactical camouflage. The campaign intended to raise $800 but ended up with nearly $3,000 for sending the Occupy Wall Street protestors suits as well as progressive tailors, radical barbers, and tactical image consultants. Jefferey Self Needs a New Tooth Jeffery chipped half of his tooth off, and because he lives without dental insurance, he couldn’t afford to fix it.
Polar Vision Polar Vision follows the journey of the first visually impaired person as he hikes to the South Pole. LuminAID Help the Haleys Have a Baby. Strangers online help man pay medical bills.