Are you in good shape and do you like to work in open air? Are you interested in cultural heritage and inspired to build a sustainable future? Then we need your help to create the first 21st century dredging colony in Friesland, the Netherlands. Join our workshop and you will never look at a watercourse in the same way.
The Human Power Project investigates the possibilities of human power production in a modern society. In our second case study, we turn towards a backbone of the Dutch economy: the dredging industry. Sustainability is all about cars and smart appliances, but what about large infrastructure and maintenance works? If canals and other waterways would not be dredged out for a few years, the whole economy would literally grind to a halt. However, modern dredging machines use enormous quantities of oil, which is not sustainable.
The Dutch waterways were dredged out by hand for centuries, using very simple tools. What if we would (need to) do that again? Human power is the most sustainable power source on Earth, but how many people would it take to maintain the waterways with human power alone? Where do we find those people? And could we design technology that improves the efficiency of human powered dredging operations? We are currently investigating these questions in Drachten, Friesland.
During the workshop on May 24, we will dredge out a natural harbour by hand, using old types of tools that we will build ourselves. The aim is to investigate which dredging techniques work best, and especially how much time it takes to clear a cubic metre of muck. With the data that we gather during the workshop, we can calculate how many people would be needed to dredge out the province and the whole country by human power alone.
When? May 24, 2018. You are welcome anytime from 10h to 17h. There will be food and drinks.
Where? Gaasterdjip Drachten, Friesland, the Netherlands. Follow the paved road to the head of the island, and then keep walking over the grass for another 100 metres.
Sign up: send a message to info@humanpowerplant.be under the mention of "baggerworkshop".