Appropriate Technology is Respect for the Natural World

Appropriate Technology provides for human needs while preserving and/or

restoring the environment and community. The theory of Appropriate
Technology involves:

• Making the best use of the Earth’s finite resources.

• Seeking to be energy efficient, natural resource conserving, and
environmentally sound.
• Providing the needs of the user and is maintainable by the user.
• Being suitable for the specific location in which the technology resides, taking
into consideration the local culture, economy, available resources, and
ecosystem. AT’s are Cite Specific.
• AT should involve and develop community: employ local skills, support local
businesses, and create jobs (ideally).

To determine whether a technology is “appropriate” or not, consider these

questions:

1) Does the technology conserve natural resources?

2) Does the technology serve the needs of a majority of the community?
3) Is it harmonious with the long-term use of natural resources?
4) Can it be owned, controlled, operated, and maintained by the people that it
serves?
5) Does it enhance the skills and dignity of those who use it?
6) Can the technology be made economically possible and are the required
materials locally available?

Some related terms:

Sustainability: This widely used and debated term is thrown around all over
the place and can often be misused. Something that is sustainable meets the
everyday needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of the
future generation to satisfy their needs. The earth’s ecosystems and cultures
cannot be harmed past the point of maintaining a healthy balance if humanity is
to flourish into the future. Sustainability involves being aware of how our actions,
and the actions of our community, impact the environment and society as a
whole. It involves taking positive steps toward creating a healthy future.
Sustainable development is “the use of land in such a matter that the resources
will be sustained at a given level indefinitely.”

Ecological Design: Design that minimizes the impacts of environmental

degradation by mimicking living systems. Ecological design uses nature as the
prime source of inspiration and nature plays an integral part in the design.
"Designing to meet human needs while preserving the health of planetary life is
the fundamental task of ecological design."