Isang Litrong Liwana: A Liter of Light

Posted by Desmond Wong on Oct 5, 2011 in Non Profits | 0 comments

In Sitio Maligaya, a village in the Philippines, a group of innovators led by the man known as “Solar Demi” are installing solar bottles to bring light to hundreds of darkened homes. With limited resources and the cost of electricity, it is unrealistic to rely on electrically powered light sources. The MyShelter Foundation, established by Illac Diaz, has found a way to remedy this problem by creating a sustainable lighting project designed around soda bottles that are filled with a mixture of water and bleach that are then seal and installed into roof tops which allow the sun’s rays to shine through to produce interior lighting for these dark homes.

This sustainable lighting project aims to bring the eco-friendly Solar Bottle Bulb to underprivileged communities nationwide. This brilliant invention was designed and developed by students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The principal behind the Solar Bottle Bulb is the idea of Appropriate Technologies, the concept that provides simple and replicable technologies that address the needs of developing countries by utilizing the limited resources they have.

In the Philippines, millions of families still live in the dark because of underdeveloped communities and the lack of proper resources due to poverty.

“According to statistics from the National Electrification Commission in 2009,
3 million households still remain powerless outside Metro Manila. And even in the metro, families still continue to live in darkness. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has reported that a large number of fire- related incidents involve faulty electrical connections. Informal settlements are high-risk areas, since the BFP does not conduct fire hazard inspections in these communities. MyShelter envisions sharing to unprivileged communities an economically- and ecologically-sustainable source of light that will provide an immediate solution to our fellowmen’s
problems.”

The MyShelter Foundation aims to bring this sustainable lighting system to one million homes in the Philippines by the years 2012. These Solar Bottle Bulbs are inexpensive to make and you can do your part to brighten up one million homes. Take part by sponsoring solar bottle lights or volunteering to assemble or install in your communities. Together, we can brighten up the lives of a million families living in poverty.

www.isanglitrongliwanag.org/

Catch the amazing video after this!