Carlos
Pedal Power Engineer
Maya Pedal
San Andres Itzapa, Guatemala
In the rush to rebuild after Guatemala’s brutal civil war, farmers in San Andres Itzapa were left at the wayside. In order to empower his fellow farmers and reduce the air pollution that now prevents them from working for much of the day, Carlos helped found Maya Pedal, an organization dedicated to creating low-cost, low-impact mechanized tools to assist rural farmers. Their inventions: the bicimaquinas – pedal powered water pumps, corn grinders, coffee de-pulpers, and whatever else Carlos can dream of – are all crafted from old bicycles that were collecting dust in garages across the United States.
