Sustainability

One of Afghanistan’s simplest handicrafts starts with something most people would throw away: an empty sack. Boji-dozi — literally “sack-embroidery” — turns that plastic-woven material into something worth using, from shopping bags to table spreads, with nothing more than colored thread, a needle, and a hand-stitched design.

Afghanistan has a long tradition of building for the climate. From the underground channels of the karez irrigation system to the wind-catching towers of Sistan, Afghans have always found practical ways to deal with extreme heat without modern machinery. One of the most inventive examples is the Helmandi cooler — a low-cost evaporative cooler that has been keeping homes cool across Afghanistan for generations, no grid power required.