Pedal Towards Sustainability

Over het initiatief / About the initiative

Pedal Towards Sustainability

In welke fase zit jouw initiatief? / In what stage is your initiative?

Uitgewerkt conceptfase

Heb je jouw initiatief al gevalideerd? / Did you validate your initiative?

There are various types of cargo bikes and trikes, but a specific design with an integrated push cart as you described is not commonly known. We have validated this concept by researching existing designs and confirming that such an integrated system does not currently exist.

Meer informatie over jouw initiatief / More info about your initiative

We are three Industrial Design Engineering students who enrolled in the Global Awareness minor. The goal of this minor is to set up a project abroad, aligned with the students’ expertise to help a local community. We chose the Philippines and were connected with Mother Earth Foundation. In Looc, Dumaguete, we worked with local waste workers to design a new cargo bike, fully optimized and tailored to their needs.

The uniqueness of this project lies in the fact that the local community conducted the entire design process themselves, while we played a facilitating role. We technically developed the final design and created a build manual. The bike was then manufactured by a local contractor and painted by the waste workers. The bike stands out for its simplicity: constructed from building materials such as angle bars and mesh, and equipped with an integrated push cart, allowing waste workers to collect waste in narrow streets without carrying heavy bags.

The bike is durable due to the use of construction materials, which are stronger and longer lasting than the commonly used tube frames. Its modular design makes it easy to disassemble and transport across the Philippines. What makes this project innovative is the combination of a user-led design process, the simple yet effective integration of the push cart, the use of construction materials, and the modular design.

Wat is er anders/nieuw aan jouw idee/oplossing t.o.v. bestaande oplossingen? / What is different/new about your idea/solution compared to existing solutions??

The bike is durable due to the use of construction materials, which are stronger and longer-lasting than the commonly used tube frames. In the Philippines, trikes are often built from regular tubes that are bent into shape, weakening the construction and making it difficult to produce without a pipe bender. Our cargo bike, on the other hand, is made from angle bars and mesh, materials that are not only stronger but also easier to work with without specialized equipment.

What makes our bike particularly unique is the integrated trolley. There is no existing cargo bike with an integrated trolley, which means waste collectors can now gather waste in narrow streets without having to carry heavy bags.

Additionally, our bike stands out for its modular design, making it easy to disassemble and transport across the Philippines.

What makes our project innovative is the combination of a user-led design process, the simple yet effective integration of the push cart, the use of construction materials, and the modular design. These are all elements that are not present in existing solutions, enabling the bike to be produced locally and without expensive equipment.

Wat zijn jouw volgende stappen om het verder te ontwikkelen? / What are your next steps to develop the initiative?

The bike has already been built by a local contractor in the Philippines, and the first prototype is currently in use on the streets of Dumaguete – a significant achievement in itself! However, we aim to further develop and adapt our bike to support low-income areas and neighborhoods struggling with waste management issues. The design was created for Mother Earth Foundation but is open source, meaning the bike can be manufactured and utilized in other locations as well.

Our next steps involve expanding this initiative to other low-income countries and neighborhoods that could benefit from our innovative solution. We plan to collaborate closely with our contacts in the zero-waste community to further optimize the bike and tailor it to the specific needs of these communities. This will require a budget for further development, as well as for the construction and financing of the bikes.

Through fundraising and establishing partnerships, we hope to secure the necessary resources to deploy our sustainable and innovative solution globally. Our goal is to help more communities tackle their waste management issues and improve their living conditions with our easy-to-build, durable cargo bike.

Wat heb je nodig om (nog meer) impact te maken met dit initiatief? / What do you need to make (more) impact with this initiative?

To make even more impact with our initiative, we primarily need a budget. We have the contacts to scale up the project and the knowledge and expertise to adapt the bike to the needs of other communities. What is now essential is the financial support to enable us to visit local populations, identify their specific problems, and customize the bike to their needs. We need to set up production and also require funds for the construction and further development of the bikes. With sufficient financial resources, we can deploy our sustainable and innovative solutions globally, helping more communities tackle their waste management issues and improve their living conditions.