Weekend Reading List (03.02.2013): Kabul Skateboards, E-Bike Increase in Europe, Goal Tech

Kabul Skateboards

From Good Is: Students of DIY Workshop Make First Skateboards in Afghanistan
Skateistan began as a Kabul-based NGO, and now operates projects in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and Pakistan, with a second facility opening in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, in 2013. Skateistan focuses on reaching out to girls and working children, using skateboarding as a tool for developing leadership opportunities, and building friendship, trust, and social capital among its students. While skateboarding is the initial way to get students involved, Skateistan is then able to provide access to education and platforms for self-expression that help break the cycles of poverty and exclusion. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (03.02.2013): Kabul Skateboards, E-Bike Increase in Europe, Goal Tech

Power Shift in eBikes Coming

Electric powered bicycles are helping people commute, but the technology is finally seeing a major shift in the development of the lithium battery industry, reports BusinessInsider. This addresses one of the dirty little secrets of the so-called green technology of electric bikes. At present, a fact which is widely reported, is that the majority of bicycles in the developing world rely on the route are dirty sealed lead acid batteries, rather than the cleaner – and more environmentally friendly – lithium batteries.

According to a recent report from Pike Research, the global market for electric bicycles will climb at an estimated compound annual growth rate of more than seven percent over the next six years, and annual sales of electric bikes will pass 47 million by 2018. Continue reading Power Shift in eBikes Coming