Ben Peterson, Clean Technology Chief Innovator at Reinvent the World
Name: Ben Peterson
Occupation: Chief Innovator at Reinvent the World, a clean technology incubator and publisher of DIY construction guides
Place of Residence: Redmond, Washington
Background and Personal Story: Ben started apprenticing in a metal shop at 16 and has spent the last 20 years working in the manufacturing trades. Eight of those years were focused on renewable energy working with wood and solar power.
He grew up on acreage and when his kids were old enough to swim in a pond and chase a coyote, he moved them back to the land to live in peace.
Ben’s first adventures in wood gasification were inspired by the original Mother Earth News wood gasifier plans. His inquisitive mind and rapid fabrication skills took over from there. To share some of his hard-earned knowledge, he published a step-by-step construction manual called the Wood Gasifier Builder’s Bible, released in 2014. It teaches homesteaders how to use mostly local parts to build a powerful woodgas generator.
Current Projects: Ben is working on a solar-powered cargo container micro-factory to bring manufacturing jobs back out to the rural areas where people still enjoy using their hands and their minds together. Opportunity should exist everywhere, not just in the cities.
He is also wrapping up his next book with step-by-step instructions for how to build a solar-powered shed for home and gardening. The book will be available summer 2015.
Fuel for Innovation: Ben is the father of two amazing girls and it’s the desire to leave them a better world that drives him. He believes that society is in the beginning stages of a great reorganization fostered by the internet and instant communication. Given the choice, most people choose to organize around ideas and passions, not demographics. He is designing and building the infrastructure that these “ideo-tribes” will need to thrive in a world experiencing rapid change.
More Places to Find Ben on the Web:
