Appropriate Measures — Real Life

Changing the tech we use is not enough to mitigate the environmental and social harm of mass technology

Appropriate Technology

In 1973 the term Appropriate Technology appeared, in the book Small is Beautiful by Buddhist economist Ernst Schumacher 1. He first used intermediate technology, to describe technology designed with special consideration to the environmental, ethical, cultural, social, political, and economic aspects of the community it is intended for. The term changed to Appropriate Technology (AT) and became a movement encompassing technological choice and application that is about ’enoughness’, robustness and sustainable living. Although many associated projects involve the introduction of technology to developing countries, it is practised in a variety of contexts.