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Another approach to the term, among advocates of voluntary simplicity (sometimes termed Luddites by others), is that appropriate technology is technology whose risk/cost/value tradeoff is compelling enough to justify continued use.

The term came into use during the 1973 energy crisis and the environmental movement of the 1970s.

A related term, intermediate technology, refers specifically to tools that cost more than those currently in use in a developing nation but much less than those that would be used in a developed nation. This is a first step towards "appropriate" criteria.

Appropriate technology is often used to describe technologies, like wind power, that provide an alternative to fossil fuels. Also, it is sometimes used to describe things like the telephone, radio and television that can reduce the need for travel or replace print. Such usage is controversial, as, very often, windmills or electronics may rely on very high technology elsewhere. It is usually only "appropriate" to use technologies that can at least be locally repaired. Which technologies are truly "appropriate" remains a matter of ongoing debate among those that have pioneered the concept.

However, many advocates of the term and the changes that it implies extend it even to the "highest" technologies when those technologies are, in fact, the technologies best fitted to their applications.

The University of WaterlooIn Detail) Motto: Concordia cum veritate ( Latin: In harmony with truth Chancellor Mike Lazaridis President David L. Johnston School type Public Religious affiliation Main campus: None Conrad Grebel: Mennonite Renison: Anglican St. Jerome's: Catholic St. in Ontario, Canada has a Centre for Appropriate Technology. It has adapted tools of nearby MennoniteThe Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations based on the teachings and tradition of Menno Simons. They are one of the peace churches which hold to a doctrine of non-violence, non-resistance and pacifism. They are the modern denominati communities to direct use in developing nations.

See also

• Alternative technology
• BiodieselBiodiesel is an alternative to petroleum-based diesel fuel made from renewable resources such as vegetable oils, animal fats, or algae. It has very similar combustion properties to petroleum diesel, and can replace it in current uses. However, it is most
• Community-based economicsCommunity-based economics or just community economics encourages local substitution and a rejection of outside energy subsidy and coercion. It is most familiar from the lifeways of those practicing voluntary simplicity, including traditional Mennonite, Am
• Eco-village
• Amory Lovins
• Lewis Mumford
• Wind-up Radio