FOLLOW THE MONEY
While it certainly is true that powerless-ness, poor health, poor education, and absent transport infrastructure are important root causes of poverty, there can be no question that the most direct and cost-effective first step out of poverty is to find ways to help poor people to increase their income. This allows them to make their own choices about which root causes of poverty to address. The most effective way to help poor people increase their income is to bring new life and profitability to the grassroots enterprises, such as small farms in rural areas and countless small businesses in urban slums, where poor people earn their livings.

upcoming Events

To invite Paul Polak to speak at your event concerning issues of poverty alleviation, design and engineering, please send your request with schedule information to jessie@d-rev.com.

July 25, 2008, 9am - RESCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 1, 2008
Summer Design Institute, Design for the other 90% | more info »
LOCATION: Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Website: Design for the Other 90% explores a growing movement among designers to design low-cost solutions for this “other 90%.” Through partnerships both local and global, individuals and organizations are finding unique ways to address the basic challenges of survival and progress faced by the world’s poor and marginalized.

July 28-30, 2008
Scaling Technology Solutions for Rural Communities | more info »
LOCATION: Mexico City
Website: This event will gather selected leading social entrepreneurs from around the world working on technology solutions for rural populations and interested in scaling their work through effective social-business models, including distribution, marketing and retail financing issues. As much as possible, various technology offerings for rural populations will be represented. In order to keep the spirit of a “roll-up your sleeves” event, the dialogue will be limited to 15 social entrepreneurs to ensure fluid communication and generation of new ideas. Selected business leaders and investors will also take part in some sessions to brainstorm on collaboration opportunities to bring technology solutions to scale.

AUGUST 2008

August 1 , 2008, 9am
Summer Design Institute, Design for the other 90% | more info »
LOCATION: Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Website: Design for the Other 90% explores a growing movement among designers to design low-cost solutions for this “other 90%.” Through partnerships both local and global, individuals and organizations are finding unique ways to address the basic challenges of survival and progress faced by the world’s poor and marginalized.

August 4 & 5, 2008
MIT International Development Design Summit | more info »
LOCATION: Cambridge, MA
Description: The International Development Design Summit (IDDS) is a collaboration between students, mechanics, social workers, doctors, carpenters, farmers, and professors from over 18 countries. During IDDS, they join forces to build technologies to improve the quality of life in the developing world. The summit is headed by MIT Senior Lecturer and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Amy Smith, and is organized by MIT, Olin, and Caltech.

SEPTEMBER 2008

September 8 & 9, 2008
Rainer Fellows Course | more info »
LOCATION: Reno, Nevada
Description: Good ideas and tools are necessary but not sufficient -- to have real impact you need people who know how to use them to create change in the real world. The Rainer Arnhold Fellows Program works to produce people who know how to take a good idea through a process that will make a real difference in the lives of those looking for a better life.

September 11 & 12, 2008
CUSP Conference | more info »
LOCATION: Chicago, IL Museum of Contemporary Art Theater, Chicago
Description: The Cusp 2008 Conference will bring together thinkers, innovators, skeptics, believers, visionaries and explorers from the arts, sciences, technology, business, design and government.

September 25, 2008
Community Action Partnership Conference on Poverty | more info »
LOCATION: Santa Rosa, CA
Website: www.capsonoma.org more details to come.

OCTOBER 2008

October 3, 2008
University of Western Ontario Homecoming | more info »
LOCATION: Room M146, Medical Science Building, The University of Western Ontario
Description: Alumni Only - Paul Polak will speak on Global Health.

October 13 - 16 , 2008
Social Capital Markets 2008 Conference
LOCATION: San Francisco, CA
Description: Hundreds of leading social entrepreneurs and investors from around the world meet to discuss the accelerating flow of capital to good.

October 24, 2008
"Bottom Up Approaches to Alleviating Poverty" at Baylor University | more info »
LOCATION: Baylor University, Waco, TX
Description: The conference will include engineers who develop appropriate technologies, social entrepreneurs and people who work with churches overseas in the areas that address the physical needs of the people in their communities.

NOVEMBER 2008

November 7-9, 2008 | more info »
"A Better World By Design Conference" at Brown University
LOCATION: MacMillan Hall, Thayer St b/w Waterman St & George St, Providence, RI
Description: Over three days, you will hear from 20 industry leaders about novel approaches and solutions to extreme poverty, access to basic resources, and environmental degredation. Workshops will put theory to practice in the spirit of engineering. And at night, get ready to let loose at our mixer and gala! Design for a better world is often user-centered, affordable, and simple. As E.F. Schumacher famously put it, "small is beautiful." The urgency and scale of today's global crises is making this approach to appropriate technology more relevant than ever.

DECEMBER 2008

December 29, 2008
Global Gathering of Architecture and Design Students | more info »
LOCATION: Denver, CO
Description: Hosted by the AIAS Chapter at the University of Colorado-Denver. If you are interested in attending, please e-mail event@paulpolak.com.