The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Interview with William on the Daily Show:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-7-2009/william-kamkwamba

TED Talk with William:

http://www.ted.com/talks/william_kamkwamba_how_i_harnessed_the_wind.html

The story of William Kamkwamba is certainly inspirational. Growing up in Malawi, his family was largely dependent on agricultural for income. When he was 14, there was a severe drought and his family had to pull him out of school because they could not afford it. So, William spent time in the library reading books about physics, and in particular, windmills. Despite the fact that he could barely read English, he learned that windmills could pump water and generate electricity. He believed that he could build a windmill and in turn, provide water for his family’s crops. Using diagrams and scraps of metal that he could find, he constructed a rudimentary windmill that provided electricity for his house and irrigation for a garden.

Despite the fact that William’s invention was not based on environmental concern, but was a survival mechanism, this story still provides hope for sustainable development in some of the poorest countries. By harnessing the clean energy of wind, William was able to generate electricity and irrigation, basic things that can improve the lives of rural farmers around the world. The fact that this windmill was built entirely out of scrap metal, at practically no cost, means that William’s model can be replicated in communities all over the world. The environmental problems of the developing world are much different from the environmental problems of the developed world. By tying in environment with the development process, at a community level, small initiatives can be taken to lessen the environmental impact of development. These technologies are not necessarily expensive, which means that it only takes some dedicated people to replicate at a larger level.