The Arduino– an affordable, open source microcontroller board- has been touted as connecting the real world to your computer. To get an idea of what that means, here is just a sample of sustainability-related projects created by the Arduino community:

• battery life extender;
• DIY Water meter;
• tweeting, self-watering garden system;
• GardenBot;
• open energy monitor;
• sun-tracking solar panel.

In this video, we talk to Arduino co-founder Massimo Banzi about the power of the Arduino, how it’s “not for nerds” and how it was kept alive by the fact that it was open source.