That’s Nuts

December 18th, 2008

Notebook? Check. Pen? Check. Coconut? You bet!

At Baylor University in Waco, Texas, students in the Social Entrepreneurship and Economic Development course have spent their semester on a quest to turn coconuts into cash for developing nations. Dr. Steve Bradley, who leads the class, first found the practical purpose of these tropical treats while working with his brother Dr. Walter Bradley, on a project to create usable resources from waste products — and it turns out that the fibers in a coconut shell can be used to make things like door panels, truck liners, and automobile floorboards.

Car companies have already expressed their interest in using the new material, it’s just up to Bradley and his class now to figure out if such an industry could be feasible and profitable for the countries — like Brazil, Indonesia, Liberia, and Ghana — that need it.

– Genevieve M. Blaber

Entry Filed under: College Craziness, News