Simon Doble, CEO of SolarBuddy, shares his mission to provide solar-powered lights to children in energy poverty, helping them study after dark. He discusses the transformative power of solar technology in enhancing education and combating toxic fuels. The podcast also delves into the intersection of environment and infrastructure, highlighting the conservation of bats at the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, showcasing how thoughtful design can foster coexistence between wildlife and urban spaces. Doble emphasizes the urgency to eliminate energy poverty by 2030.
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Accidental Bat Habitat
Mark Bloschock, a Texas engineer, renovated the Congress Avenue Bridge in the late 1970s.
A seemingly minor decision about beam spacing unintentionally created a perfect habitat for bats.
question_answer ANECDOTE
The Batman Arrives
Merlin Tuttle, a bat scientist, noticed the public's fear of bats and aimed to change that perception.
He challenged the negative media portrayal of bats and highlighted their ecological importance.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Bat Advocacy in Austin
Merlin Tuttle moved to Austin to advocate for the Congress Avenue bat colony.
He faced initial resistance but used education and media appearances to change public opinion.
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Mark Bloschock is an engineer from Texas, and in the late 1970s he got a job with the Texas Department of Transportation renovating the Congress Avenue Bridge. The bridge was a simple concrete arch bridge that spans Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin. It needed to be rebuilt with more contemporary beams called “box beams.” The box beams sit below the road’s surface, and they needed to be spaced a certain distance apart. Bloschock and the other engineers decided that the gap should be somewhere between ¾ of an inch and an inch and a half, which didn’t seem like a particularly meaningful decision… until the bats moved in.
A tale of bats and bridges and how the built environment and the natural environment don’t need to be at odds with one another.
Plus, we talk with Simon Doble, CEO of Solar Buddy. Light access (both day and night) is a basic need many people take for granted. SolarBuddy is an Australian charity uniting a global community with a big dream to gift six million solar lights to children living in energy poverty by 2030, to help them to study after dusk and improve their education outcomes.
99% Invisible’s Impact Design coverage is supported by Autodesk. The Autodesk Foundation supports the design and creation of innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges. Learn more about these efforts on Autodesk’s Redshift, which tells stories about the future of making across architecture, engineering, infrastructure and manufacturing.
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