PEDAL POWER CMT was a project I started to think about during my high school graduation thesis. However, it took about three years to finally come to fruition with the help of my team consisting of Emma Wosje, Alyx Price, and the NGO Maya Pedal in Guatemala. This project focused on creating and developing machines that work through pedal power to improve a better impact not only on the environment but also on low-income communities in Guatemala, specifically in the department of Chimaltenango. During our time in Chimaltenango, we had the opportunity to create two machines. One was a washing machine, which helps the community to make this task easier without having to waste electricity and travel long distances. Finally, the other machine we created was a plastic shredder, which was donated to the organization Las Niñas Lideran to encourage recycling in the community, give the girls a tool for entrepreneurship and empower them to get out of the idea that "women belong in the house."

​

2022

By Javier A. Chau