It’s often hard not to succumb to the built-in stimuli of digital entertainment – especially when it’s everywhere we turn. But we often forget that there’s a lot to be had with just one’s imagination and a little bit of physical energy. So as an alternative to carbon hungry toys that ultimately tout nothing more than flashes on a screen, we’ve rounded up 6 amazing designs that do double duty as a fun toy or game and pay back to the grid. While some are humanitarian designs meant to aid areas struggling with limited resources, and others are just for good clean fun, each of these pieces turn all its human powered input into usable energy that, even in a few cases, can be applied to do a little housework! Check out our Top 6 Designs that harness the power of play!
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You do know that the Roundabout Play Pump you have pictured, is a huge failure that has done more to hurt than it has helped, right? It was one of those projects that was great in concept, but didn’t work in practice. Many of the communities who implemented it, with the idea of having a fresh source of water, have ended up shipping in expensive water from elsewhere. 3/4′s of the pumped failed within a year or two of operation, and since they require specialized knowledge to fix (unlike a regular hand pump, which is easier to use & fix), they’ve been abandoned.
http://www.justmeans.com/Play-Pumps-When-Sustainable-Development-Goes-Awry/21312.html