The best world source for appropriate technology is
The Intermediate Technology Development Group:
http://www.oneworld.org/itdg/publications/index.html
This group based in the UK seems the best basis for projects
like the Tibetan Project. I have two of their books "Lost wax
casting " and “Metal casting”.
They are a little hard to get in the US. I went to the UK for
one.
Any one interested in this subject should pursue the
considerable output from this group.
I hope Pat knows about this organization.
The old Whole Earth Catalogs also provided some coverage on the
use of appropriate technology.
Another source is the Mother Earth News magazines.:
I don’t know what really came out of the US Peace Corps
although this was part of that program. JESSE