Appropriate Technology (AT) describes a way of providing for human
needs with the least impact on the Earth's finite resources.
When
determining if a technology is appropriate for a specific use, members of the Center for Appropriate Technology
(CCAT) examine a number of issues:
Is the technology built locally or use local materials?
Can it be built, or at least maintained, with a minimum of specialized training?
Is its use sustainable over many generations?
Does it cause suffering in its manufacturing or use, human or otherwise, disproportionate to its benefits?
Can we financially afford it?
With answers to these questions, or at least predictions, we try to balance the benefits and harms of a technology to determine if it is appropriate.
Appropriate technology is not a specific item--it's not solar panels, or a greywater marsh, or anything. It's a way of evaluating a technology, a way of thinking about the social, economic, and environmental impacts of introducing a technology into our lives, and a technology may be appropriate in some situations and not in others. As E.F. Schumacher said when he coined the phrase, "AT is technology with a human face."
If you would like a more thorough description of the history of CCAT and four other demonstration cites at universities accross the United States see the following link [PDF 465.6 KB]. It was written by graduate student Kathy Jack under the advisement of Dan Ihara of HSU and the Center for Economic and Environmental Development.
Center for Appropriate Technology
Humboldt State University
Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.humboldt.edu/~ccat/drupal-5/?q=node/5
