Appropriate Technology

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj AT intrex.net>]

Gaviotas & low tech inventions - from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaviotas

Technology

The community has produced a number of inventions and innovations over the years - notably including a children's seesaw 
that drives a water pump and a "distinctive 'sunflower' design" windmill that is well-suited to the plains in Colombia. 
Lugari notes that social experiments cannot simply import solutions from temperate climates. Gaviotas has made it a goal 
to always engineer solutions specific to the problems the community will be facing personally (Gaviotas Rising 1994).

Since already-existing solutions are often very costly to adapt, Gaviotas' innovations are often simple changes to a 
means of production that make otherwise expensive products available at affordable prices. One of the most widespread 
Gaviotas developments is a water pump that can tap aquifers six times as deep as conventional pumps with less effort 
being expended. While existing pumps in the region raised and lowered a heavy piston in a pipe, the Gaviotas engineers 
created pumps that leave the piston in place and instead lift and lower a cheap, light PVC sleeve around the piston 
(Weisman 1995).

When leading solar panel manufacturers explained the expense and complicated manufacture of panels efficient enough to 
collect sunlight in the often overcast weather of the llanos, the Gaviotas engineers crafted homemade solar panels out 
of cheap building materials that were better suited to the peculiar climate of the region. The ecovillage also creates 
some of its own building materials like a unique form of quickcrete brick made with the dirt of the region.