“Smart” Community Mini Jam

Every new technology goes through a phase of euphoria, followed by a phase of retrenchment. Automobiles were a fantastic replacement for horses, but as their numbers increased it became clear that they had their own health and cleanliness issues. The same is true of the internet .

-Hal Varian, Chief Economist at Google

Techrice supports the efficiency of agricultural work by monitoring the condition of rice fields, such as measuring the height of the water level. You can view the data uploaded to the cloud from the measurement hardware using the smartphone app. The data that can be confirmed at this time are “water level”, “temperature”, and “humidity”.

Techrice is an open data sensor network research and hardware project. The sensor network is designed by Freaklabs. Techrice was also developed in collaboration with Digital Garage, Inc.’s Future Lab, Freaklabs, and Hacker Farm.

Image source: https://freaklabs.org/

Waste Surfer Project started as an Earth Day initiative and local call to action from existing FabCafe collaborators to crowdsource the available upcycle-able materials. This project developed a method of making surfskate boards by upcycling plastic and other materials which otherwise would have become waste. They’ve also created open-source system for the decks and wheels so individuals can customize all the parts themselves.

The Waste Surfer project is organized by FabCafe Bangkok with the support of the Thailand Creative & Design Center (TCDC), the Creative Economy Agency (CEA) and Material ConneXion Bangkok.

Image source: https://fabcafe.com/magazine/bangkok/waste-surfer-report

Safecast is an international volunteer driven non-profit organization whose goal is to create useful, accessible, and granular environmental data. All Safecast data is published, free of charge, into the public domain under a CC0 designation. 

Safecast’s community is inclusive and non-partisan, comprising people of all ages and from all walks of life. Energetic outreach activities allow Safecast to share their experiences with individuals and groups worldwide through frequent workshops, talks, and educational programs.

Image source: https://safecast.org/

Do you have a passion for solving social challenges to improve lives? Do you want to leverage your skills and ideas in a diverse and high-energy setting to identify and attack issues in sustainability?

Join us on “Smart” Community Mini Jam, where innovators, entrepreneurs, and creatives will join other change makers around the world ONLINE to explore how to create a resilient and “smart” community. 

・Creators, Designers, Engineers and all citizens who are interested in sustainability, and social challenges.

・People interested in sustainability initiatives, wildlife and environmental conservation technology, and eager to create positive social and environmental change.

・Academic researchers interested in citizen science related topics.

・And of course, current and aspiring Global Goals Jam Community Alumni!

FAQ and Important Points

Q: The event sold out but I still want to join! Is there a waiting list?

A: Yes, please message FabCafe Tokyo via Peatix to be added to the waiting list. Members on the waiting list will be contacted 72 hours in advance to be alerted if they will be able to join the event.

Q: What is the language for this event?

A: The event will be held primarily in English. Some facilitators speak English, Japanese and/or Chinese so there may be an opportunity for some language assistance.

Q: What are the technical requirements to join?

A: We will be using ZOOM for communication and Miro for the design thinking workshop. Participants should sign up for a free account on ZOOM as well as Miro before joining, have access to stable internet and a relatively undisturbed space.