I come from an island called the Dominican republic. It is not very innovative, aware of the effects of climate change, or up to date on more sustainable strategies. However, I was surprised when I came across an article that said that, “a versatile architectural technology created by a Cornell design professor has been adopted by sustainability-minded students to build bamboo-based hurricane- and earthquake-resistant structures where they’re needed most.” The technique was not only sustainable as the Dominican Republic has 1,000 varieties of bamboo that could bring the cost of construction down while also creating a much stronger and resistant structure.
I was amazed by this initiative and sustainable solutions for the past years, Dominicans have completely disregarded the importance of sustainability and why we should apply it. Aside from that, so many impoverished Dominicans will benefit from the new design structure. Not only is it less expensive, but it will also be more resistant to earthquakes and therefore if the country is hit with a natural disaster, they will not loose their homes. Many poor communities of the Dominican Republic are stuck in the never-ending cycle of poverty because they spend all the money they have on their houses and many times end up losing them because of natural disasters like cyclones and earthquakes. This invention is revolutionary for a small country like my own and I am eager to see it be implemented in the construction of new houses and schools around the Dominican Republic. Furthermore, the inventor even said, “We didn’t want this technology to be just for the rich to enjoy, ‘Elliott said, noting that the Punta Cana resort offers vocational schooling for children of its Haitian employees.” Hopefully in the near future this structure will also be made in Haiti so that they can also benefit from all the sustainable and affordable features it has.
https://phys.org/news/2016-01-bamboo-based-safe-classroom-dominican-republic.html