Innovative Thinking: A Plastic Bottle Can Change The World

A revolution of its own kind began in the Philippines in April 2011. In homes in Manila’s poorest district, there was no way of telling whether it was day or night.Despite the sun shining in all its glory outside, the small shanty houses packed tightly together meant that not much sunlight was able to get through. People often found themselves bumping into things inside their homes, unable to locate anything in the darkness. But now all that has changed with the Liter of Light Project.

Using just an old bottle filled with water and chlorine, 28,000 homes in Metro Manila have been lit up with 55-watt solar bulbs that don’t use any electricity, but instead, refracts sunlight. The innovative project has not only saved people in these villages from expensive electricity bills, but it has also proved to be an eco-friendly and easy way to bright up people’s lives.

Started by the MyShelter Foundation, they are quickly proving that a plastic bottle can indeed change the world. The movement that began with just one bottle bulb in the Philippines has now spread to India, Indonesia and Switzerland. By volunteering with them, you can help spread the movement even further and continue bringing light into people’s homes all over the world.