I’ve always found the global development system frustrating. It was the 1980’s when it first got my attention, with suffering and extreme poverty dominating my daily news feed. The Ethiopian famine in 1985 was the turning point, forcing me to seriously question why a sector awash with money and resources could have so little visible impact (and … Continue reading One last throw of the dice.
Category: Conservation
Ken Banks on technology for conservation: how mobile phones and other tools are helping protect wildlife and ecosystems in Africa and beyond.
The end of a golden age of discovery?
Exactly six years ago this week I was in Washington DC to collect the Pizzigati Prize for Software in the Public Interest, an award given each year to an individual who has created or led an effort to create an open source software product of significant value to the non-profit sector and movements for social … Continue reading The end of a golden age of discovery?
Breakfast with explorers
I’m sitting on the top deck of a 747 after British Airways kindly decided to upgrade me to First Class. After a week in Washington DC it feels like a fitting – if not fortunate – end to a crazy and hugely productive, thought-provoking few days. The main purpose of my trip was to attend the … Continue reading Breakfast with explorers
What technology-for-conservation might learn from technology-for-development
Although the majority of my more recent work has sat in the ‘global development’ bucket, much of my early interest lay in conservation. Before I stumbled into the world of mobiles-for-development (m4d) I was helping with biodiversity surveys in Uganda and running primate sanctuaries in Nigeria, and focusing my academic studies on the role of … Continue reading What technology-for-conservation might learn from technology-for-development
The “Tweet. Recycle. Repeat” of ICT4D
During a rare, quiet, bored few minutes last week I looked through a few early blog posts from some of the longer standing members of the ICT4D community. Between around 2012 and now, many of the same statements, proclamations and questions have come up time and time and time again. The same tweets with the … Continue reading The “Tweet. Recycle. Repeat” of ICT4D
2013: The end of sustainability?
One of the most interesting comments I’ve read for while came in this article by Andrew Zolli for the New York Times, written in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy late last year: Today, precisely because the world is so increasingly out of balance, the sustainability regime is being quietly challenged, not from without, but from within. … Continue reading 2013: The end of sustainability?
In numbers: A decade of mobile
January 2013 will be my ten year anniversary in “mobiles for development”. To say a lot has changed is something of an understatement. Back in those early pre-m4d-community days I would often get asked “Do they have mobile phone networks in Africa?”, or “How do people in Africa afford phones?”, or “Why are you wasting your … Continue reading In numbers: A decade of mobile
Back at National Geographic
I was no different to many other children my age, taking every opportunity to get my hands on a National Geographic magazine and flicking through each colourful page in wonder and amazement. I’d get most of mine cheap from jumble sales back then – I can afford to buy them full price these days – … Continue reading Back at National Geographic
Primates and people: Understanding local needs
Driven by a curiosity and a strong interest in primate conservation, late one night back in December 2001 I arrived in Nigeria to take up my post as Project Manager at a sanctuary in Calabar, Cross River State. The year I spent there – starting exactly ten years ago this month – turned out to … Continue reading Primates and people: Understanding local needs
Appropriate technology: Lessons from nature
“Our life is half natural and half technological. Half-and-half is good. You cannot deny that high-tech is progress. We need it for jobs. Yet if you make only high-tech, you make war. So we must have a strong human element to keep modesty and natural life” Nam June Paik, Artist (1932 – 2006) There’s a … Continue reading Appropriate technology: Lessons from nature
The Environmental Network
Date: Thursday 2nd June, 2011 Venue: Aspen Environment Forum, Aspen, Colorado Chair: Ned Breslin Speakers: Ken Banks, William Powers, Courtney Hight, Charles Porch The Environmental Network “Recent social movements in North Africa and the Middle East have shown the power of social media and mobile devices to accelerate change at the grassroots level. What lessons … Continue reading The Environmental Network
The Aspen Environment Forum. In tweets.
Last week I was fortunate to attend the three-day Aspen Environment Forum (#AEF2011) in Aspen, Colorado. It gave me the perfect opportunity to “leave the tech behind” and immerse myself in some of the bigger environmental issues and challenges facing the planet today. The event boasted a fantastic line-up not only of speakers, but also … Continue reading The Aspen Environment Forum. In tweets.
National Geographic: Interview
The following interview – “Solving eco challenges with grassroots messaging” – was given to the National Geographic website last autumn. It’s republished here after it turned out to be one of the most comprehensive to date – covering everything from the role of anthropology in mobiles-for-development, the environmental impact of mobile phones and the thinking behind … Continue reading National Geographic: Interview
Spreading the “Mobile Message”
Over the past year or so, it’s become increasingly clear to us that we need to take the “mobile message” out of its technology silo and make it more available – and accessible – to a wider audience. This was the thinking behind our regular series on PC World, and is the thinking behind a … Continue reading Spreading the “Mobile Message”
Keeping up the heat on climate change
As part of this years International Day of Climate Action on October 24th, 350.org – with support from Tactical Technology Collective – are planning a new and innovative text messaging campaign designed to mobilise citizens around the world “Project MOBiLIZE” will use decentralised, country-specific FrontlineSMS servers to deliver targeted messaging blasts to 350.org supporters in … Continue reading Keeping up the heat on climate change