Hands On Programme Back Listings (Series 1 to 6)

 

SERIES 1

SERIES 2

SERIES 3

SERIES 4

SERIES 5

SERIES 6

 

Hands On is a highly successful programme, an offspring of Earth Report, which takes a focused look at the challenges of
sustainable development. Hands On offers a range of positive, practical solutions, based on examples of successful
small-scale business enterprises and sustainable, transferable technologies.


TITLE

DESCRIPTION

Theme

COUNTRY

Series 1

 

 

 

Do it Herself

The first ‘Hands On’ special featuring five stories about how women are developing, and/or using, more appropriate technologies. It includes: Sue Roaf and her energy efficient ‘Power House’ in the UK; Maasai women and their innovations to traditional homes; ways of recycling rags into paper in India; the latest ‘Spice Girls’ who are ‘hitting’ the supermarkets of Uruguay; and improved fuel efficient stoves in Ethiopia. Presenter – Annie Lennox. (SEE LATER DESCRIPTIONS)

Appropriate Technology

 

Reports 1-6  

S1 Here you will find links to 6 articles:

 

 

Bricking It - Zimbabwe

The building industry in Zimbabwe is growing fast and new brick houses are being built everywhere. Traditional homes are being replaced by these brick houses. There are standard specifications for bricks in Zimbabwe which effectively prohibit the use of farm bricks in urban construction.

Construction

Zimbabwe

Cementing Alternatives - Zimbabwe

Lime is a versatile material produced by burning limestone and is found in two main forms: quicklime and hydrated lime. It has been used in numerous manufacturing and processing industries and is an essential ingredient of many soaps, bleachers and fertilisers. It can also be used in building, road construction, agriculture, water and waste treatment.

Construction

Cements And Binders

Lime

Zimbabwe

Fishing For Change

A gill net is a special kind of fishing net comprising a long length of fibre (cotton or nylon etc.) meshes. It may be set on the sea bottom, surface or midwater and is usually left overnight.

Fishing Equipment

 

Holding Up The Himalayas - Nepal

In Nepal, the road network has expanded rapidly since the 1950s and the design, construction and maintenance of roads needs to focus on the long and steep slopes which are subject to erosion and very shallow slope failure. Bioengineering can be used to protect almost all slopes against erosion through slope protection and stabilisation.

Transport Roads

Nepal

Safa Tempos Nepal

The Kathmandu Valley is surrounded by hills on all sides and is very susceptible to air pollution. Increasing urbanisation, industrial activities and automobile traffic all contribute to air pollution in the valley. In order to try and reduce the problem of air pollution from vehicle exhaust emissions, two companies in Nepal have developed environmentally sound tempos (electric vehicles) which operate on batteries.

Transport

Electric Vehicles

 

Nepal

Stop The Leak

Life on earth has been safeguarded for thousands of years because of the ozone layer in the atmosphere, which acts as a shield to protect the earth against the harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. This programme looks at ways to preventing unnecessary release of refrigerants which damage the atmosphere from existing systems

Environment

Pollution

 

 

Reports 7-12

S1 Here you will find links to 6 articles:

 

 

Get Sorted - Denmark

The Danish government aims to for all the municipalities recycle at least 50% of their refuse. The object is to send as little as possible to the tip, only using it as the last resort. The reason for reducing the refuse dumped on the tip to an absolute minimum is that nearly all of the waste can be used as a resource and therefore, should not be dumped in nature.

Waste Management

Recycling

Denmark

Maasai Housing - Kenya

The Maasai have traditionally been pastoralists leading a nomadic life, moving from place to place with their cattle in search of better grazing land and good sources of water.  In the last two decades, however, the Maasai have been forced to lead more settled lives. The Maasai women have always been responsible for constructing, maintaining and managing their homes and now more durable and permanent houses are required.

Construction

Kenya

Mirte Stoves - Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, one of the most popular staple foods is injera (household bread) which is a large flat pancake eaten by the majority of Ethiopians at least once a day. Injera baking is the most energy-intensive activity in Ethiopia. It accounts for over 50% of all primary energy consumption in the country and over 75% of the total energy consumed in households. This programme looks at an improved Mitre Stove.

Stove

Ethiopia

Safety Caps - South Africa

Paraffin is the major source of energy for the majority of the population in South Africa. The most common cause of accidental poisoning in South Africa is paraffin ingestion and another associated danger of paraffin is fire. The introduction of child resistant safety caps on paraffin bottles reduced poisonings by 50% amongst children in South Africa.

Health

South Africa

Spice Processing - Uruguay

The living conditions in the North East Canelones area were poor - the region had been neglected and was inhabited by poor, rural families with small plots of land. A group of women farmers, experienced in producing fresh crops, desperately needed to find an alternative income in order to survive. The setting up of the Cal Manana cooperative processing spices was an attempt to alleviate the acute economic crisis they were facing.

Food Processing Spices

Uruguay

The Oxford Solar House - England

The Oxford Solar House is the first low energy house in the United Kingdom with a fully integrated photovoltaic roof. It was designed to function as an ordinary standard family home which requires only a minimum amount of energy for heating, cooling and lighting.

Construction

UK

Reports 13-18

S1 Here you will find links to 6 articles:

 

 

50/50 - Germany

To reduce energy use schools in Hamburg the Fifty-Fifty Project was started in a number of the schools.  The key element of the project is a system of financial incentives that enables the schools to share the saving in energy and water costs they have achieved themselves.

Energy Efficiency / Solar Energy / Renewable Energy

Germany

A Clean Concern - Jamaica

Tremendous pressure has been placed on Jamaica's supply of housing and the growth in squatter settlements is accelerating rapidly. They are developing in vulnerable areas without access to acceptable sewage disposal, garbage collection and domestic water facilities. Improper sewage disposal facilities are a serious threat to vital water systems. There is no clean water to drink due to contamination and the risk of contracting typhoid, cholera and other water born diseases is high.

Sanitation

Waste Management

Urban Environment

Jamaica

Ease the Jam

The lack of effective modes of transport means that households in rural areas of developing countries spend many hours each day in transport activities related to their basic needs for water, fuel and food. Lack of transport reduces peoples' opportunities to earn a living from agriculture or other trades and may limit access to health, education and other essential services.

Transport Policies

Kenya

Gone With The Wind - Philippines

The Philippine government aims to utilise renewable energy sources to achieve energy self-sufficiency by the year 2005. There is high potential for utilising wind energy.

Energy
Wind Energy

Philippines

Rags To Riches - India

Developing countries are faced with an increasing shortage of raw materials, energy sources and capital. In India the demand for paper will continue to grow. Paper production requires a supply of raw materials and as deforestation becomes an issue of international concern and the traditional wood-based resources become increasingly scarce, environmentally sound methods which move away from large-scale industrial paper production, primarily dependent on wood, are becoming more popular.

Manufacturing

Paper

India

Snack Attack - Bangladesh

In Bangladesh there is a booming street trade in snack foods and the demand is rising. Very little investment is needed to establish a roadside restaurant and vendors can be found in most public places where profit margins are high, such as stations, bus terminals, schools and streets.  "Chana chur", a similar product to "Bombay Mix", and vegetables fried in pastry are extremely popular snacks and are eaten regularly by people going about their daily business.

Agro-processing
Snack Foods

Bangladesh

Reports 19-24

S1 Here you will find links to 6 articles:

 

 

100% Virgin Olive Oil - Spain

Andalucia in southern Spain is the world's biggest olive oil producing area. In the cultivated hills of Baena, below the mountains of the Sierra Madre, the Nunez de Prado family has produced extra-virgin olive oil making one of Spain's premier condiment extra-virgin olive oils.

Agro-processing

Oil Processing

Spain

A Strapping Solution - Jamaica

Homeowners in the lower income bracket in Jamaica are most at risk during a storm or hurricane because many live in wooden houses that are generally not structurally sound. When Hurricane Gilbert hit Jamaica it caused millions of dollars of damage. For those living in informal settlements and poor housing the devastation was catastrophic.

Construction
Disaster Resistant Construction / Roofing

Jamaica

Back to the Future

Life on earth has been safeguarded for thousands of years because of a life-protecting ozone layer in the atmosphere which shields the earth against the harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

Environment
Climate Change Greenhouse Gas

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Cut The Noise - The Netherlands

New locations are needed for housing in the Netherlands and planning policy is now focused on building in and near towns.  The volume of motorised traffic on Dutch roads has increased by a third in the last ten years, increasing traffic means increased noise levels. This is a problem for building companies which by law have to construct houses to comply with strict noise regulations.

Construction Design / Noise Pollution

Netherlands

Forest Of The Future - Mexico

About 26% of the State of Quintana Roo in South East Mexico is covered by forests and most timber producing forests are owned by the ejido (common land) communities. Most of the people earn their living through subsistence farming and forestry. Unless the forests become more productive, they are likely to be burned to create farmland. The people from the local communities in and around the forests need to be given a good incentive to conserve the forests to ensure that they are not completely destroyed.

Forestry Policy / Logging/ Road Construction

Mexico

Smart Car - France

The motor car has been responsible for high levels of pollution since its invention at the beginning of this century. With growing concern about the world's pollution, the German company, Mercedes Benz, and the Swiss company, Swatch, decided to join forces and build a car that was as ecologically sound as possible. The Smart Car is designed by Micro Compact Car GmbH.

Transport

France

Reports 25-31

S1 Here you will find links to 7 articles:

 

 

Bomberos 65 - Peru