You may think it takes an extraordinary person to see a problem and create a solution where none exits. But actually, it just takes initiative in someone that finds themselves faced with a problem. The three folks below found themselves with a problem on their hands and took it upon themselves to solve it, and each is being rewarded for their efforts. In doing so, they prove that the news isn’t all bad (in case you were still having doubts).
Shubham Banerjee, a 13-year-old who built a low-cost Braille printer out of toy parts. Photo by Marcio Jose Sanches, AP.
One day, Shubham Bnaerjee, of Santa Clara, CA, asked his parents, “How do blind people read?” They told him to “Google it.” He did, and on reading further about Braille printers, he was shocked to find out that they cost around $2,000-$3,000. As he puts it, “I decided to hack it.” For his Science Fair project, he used a $350 Lego robotics kit to build a prototype of a braille printer. Proving that you can’t keep a good idea down, he went on to win a prize at the county fair for his project and Intel bought a share of his nascent company, Braigo (named from Braille + Lego), to allow him to continue his work. His company now employs five other engineers to further develop the product. As Edward Ross, director of Inventor Platforms at Intel, puts it, “[Shubham] is solving a real problem, and he wants to go off and disrupt an existing industry. And that’s really what it’s all about.”
Lauren Singer, creator of the Trash is for Tossers blog and The Simply Co., advocates a low-waste lifestyle. Photo by Margaret Badore.
After pursuing environmental studies at New York University, Lauren Singer felt like a hypocrite for producing so much trash. She took it upon herself to reduce her own waste to the point where she has produced just a mason jar’s-worth of trash in the last two years. Her blog, Trash is for Tossers helps others learn about zero-waste lifestyles. She finds people are surprised when they meet her to find that she looks—how shall I put it— unlike they expected. As Lauren puts it, “What did you expect, dreads and a knapsack filled with all my worldly possessions? No. That’s just not me.” Lauren has started The Simply Co. to provide folks with the zero-waste, plastic-free products that hold to the same sustainable and trash-free standards she herself adheres to. She also believes that sustainable living doesn’t need to be something for wealthy people who have time to spare, but that it can actually save everyone money.
James Robertson, a Detroit factory worker known for walking 21 miles to work each day, after his car broke down and bus lines were cut. He’s been doing so for nine years. Photo by Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press.
James Robertson’s car broke down about ten years ago. So, he started taking the bus to work. Then, a year later, when the Detroit bus lines were cut back, he started walking to work—21 miles everyday. Over time, that’s the equivalent of walking from Detroit to Honduras… via Anchorage, Alaska. When his story recently made the news, a 19-year-old college student set up a crowdfunding campaign for him that raised over $350,000 and a local car dealership surprised him with a new Ford Taurus.
James, like Lauren and Shubham, saw a problem and took it upon himself to apply grit and determination to take something that wasn’t working and make it happen anyway. Despite difficult circumstances, an under-resourced population and a world full of garbage, these folks persevered to make their little piece of world better—to make it work.
The world does reward initiative.