Recycling Tech

In the 60s, my dad entered the Peace Corps, and was placed in Nigeria to teach. While there, he connected with a young man named Kayude Subair. They stayed in contact, and Kayude went on to become a professor as well as the principle of the First Class International School in Nigeria.

 

My family had tried to think of ways to raise money for Kayude’s school, and I had the idea of incorporating unused and discarded electronics into a sell-able product. I had seen a clock design using circuit boards in a shop, and I realized that I could easily produce a similar product.

I found unused electronics around my own house, and also offered to take discarded products from neighbors and family friends. I cut up the circuit boards using a Dremel tool and varied the designs of the individual clocks depending on the material and look of the available circuit boards.

By selling the clocks for about $25 apiece, I was able to raise around $2,500 for Kayude. He was used the money to perform repairs on the school’s exterior and buy supplies for the students.

 

 

Skills

Fabrication, Product Design, Social Design