[PrayAndVoteConservesInLibsOut]

Look at how something so simple is changing lives. This is awesome! There is more at the link..and even a great little video about it there. Here is a little bit more from this article:

Diaz says you can find Moser lamps in some remote island communities. "They say, 'Well, we just saw it from our neighbour and it looked like a good idea.'" People in poor areas are also able to grow food on small hydroponic farms, using the light provided by the bottle lamps, he says.

Overall, Diaz estimates, one million people will have benefited from the lamps by the start of next year.

"Alfredo Moser has changed the lives of a tremendous number of people, I think forever," he says.

"Whether or not he gets the Nobel Prize, we want him to know that there are a great number of people who admire what he is doing."

Did Moser himself imagine that his invention would have such an impact?

"I'd have never imagined it, No," says Moser, shaking with emotion.

"It gives you goose-bumps to think about it."

Light to work in Bangladesh

Most homes and businesses in the slums of Dhaka have no power and no windows, so 80-90% of them hook up to electricity lines illegally - and fall back on candles or kerosene lamps during regular blackouts.

A voluntary organisation called Change began distributing the bottle light, or botul bati, earlier this year. It's helped hundreds of people - including sari makers and rickshaw repairers - whose livelihoods depend on having sufficient light.

There were teething problems. "Some people said they felt poorer after installing a bottle light," says Change founder Sajid Iqbal. The group counters this by stressing that each one helps tackle climate change.

Unlike some other charities, Change charges a small amount for the lights - roughly the price of 2-3kg of rice. "If you give the light for nothing, people don't maintain them," Iqbal says. "They don't understand their value."

[xjcsa]

There were teething problems. "Some people said they felt poorer after installing a bottle light," says Change founder Sajid Iqbal. The group counters this by stressing that each one helps tackle climate change.

Great story, but these envirof***ers ruin everything.

[from occupied ga]

How well does it illuminte the house at night?

Skylights BFD

[Uncle Chip]

Can you turn them off when you want to go to sleep???

[Fester Chugabrew]

Wrapping his face in a cloth he makes a hole in a roof tile with a drill.

True to my nature, I got totally wrong visual reading this.

[cyclotic]

Wait, where’s the government in this? Mr. Moser needs their help.

What an awesome idea. And the part about a small charge is also critical. Teaching a man to fish does not mean giving him an unlimited supply of line and hooks.

[Cold Heart]

Eventually they will leak. Guaranteed

[null and void]

[Leaning Right]

Good for him. His idea is very much like the deck prisms that were used on the sailing ships of old.

Deck Prism

[donmeaker]

Sailing ships had glass prisms in the deck to distribute light to lower decks.

That this is made out of what is essentially garbage is new, but it replaced ‘going outside’ for most users.

Expect more insanity as less sociable poor people stay in their homes rather than being in a social situation getting feedback.

[rawhide]

Thanks OP for posting this. This invention is amazing!

[Osage Orange]

. "If you give the light for nothing, people don't maintain them," Iqbal says. "They don't understand their value."

Iqbal for POTUS!!!

[rusty schucklefurd]

I think it is a great idea, especially good for people in 3rd World countries. As for the environmentalists, I would love to see them drilling holes in THEIR roofs to install the soda bottles while dispensing with all of their regular lighting. But I am not holding my breathe. This is just another thing for the masses, but not for the elites. Along the same lines as Sheryl Crow pronouncing that we should only be allowed one square of toilet tissue at a time to meet our needs while using the toilet.

[Hot Tabasco]

After a half dozen holes were drilled in my roof and the bottles inserted, I discovered the light doesn't penetrate the attic floor.....

[HeadOn]

Now this is what my old Engineering Professor would call, “elegant”. Very simple, yet very effective.

Obviously not for houses like ours, but a tremendous advance for third world folks who can’t get/afford electricity but need light during the day.

(P.S. I’m often a pretty cynical guy. If I shake MY head at your cynicism, you have a problem, in my opinion. This guy is not a politician, he’s not trying to be famous or rich, and he’s not claiming he’s found the solution to the world’s energy problems. He’s also not trying to sell you on it. HE’S JUST OFFERING HELP TO PEOPLE WHO NEED IT. So all you “so what” guys out there, please just take a deep breath, and realize, not everything deserves to be reviled.)

[ArtDodger]

The big problem I have seen with these ‘lights’ is the photo-reactive property of plastic. It breaks down and falls apart at various rates, depending on the intensity of the sun. In the tropics, I would give it a year. then you work to replace them or you have gaping holes in the roof to let the rain rot the wooden structure....Glass bottles would be better than plastic.

[Lazamataz]

Decent idea. Useless at night, but I give the guy credit.

[ransomnote]

Ok but plastic becomes brittle in sunlight over time. So they do have to be replaced periodically and one hopes they are replaced before they drain onto the floor......