My Shelter Foundation, A Liter of Light Project 210  Loring  St,Pasay  City,  Metro  Manila  1300  

PHONE   FAX   WEB  09189403513   (02)8339815   info@aliteroflight.org    

Background  on  MyShelter  Foundation  During  natural  disasters,  survivors’  immediate  needs  are  food,  water,  and  shelter.  Often,  people  will  run  to  schools  or  other  similar  public  gathering  places  in  their  towns  for  shelter.  These  structures  are  often  not  built  to  withstand  the  elements,  and  with  storms  becoming  more  powerful  each  year,  survivors  are  often  left  stranded,  or  worse,  killed  when  the  very  buildings  where  they  seek  refuge  collapse.  With  power  lines  down  and  electricity  cut,  there  is  also  no  safe  way  to  navigate  storm-­‐affected  areas  once  the  sun  goes  down,  putting  people,  especially  the  most  vulnerable  like  the  elderly,  women,  and  children,  in  danger.      When  Typhoon  Ondoy  hit  the  Philippines  in  2008,  it  was  one  of  the  worst  storms  on  record.  This  calamity  flooded  80%  of  Manila,  leaving  many  people  with  no  access  to  basic  needs.  Working  with  emergency  and  humanitarian  disaster  relief  agencies,  Illac  Diaz  launched  MyShelter  Foundation  to  design  creative  solutions  to  address  the  needs  of  those  most  affected  by  natural  disasters.  An  urban  planner  by  training,  Illac  wanted  to  find  a  way  to  provide  disaster-­‐resistant  structures  and  emergency  lighting  in  the  refugee  areas  where  thousands  lacked  consistent  access  to  proper  shelter  and  electricity.      MyShelter  Foundation’s  mission  is  to  bring  sustainable  building  solutions  that  are  easily  replicable,  scalable,  and  locally  sourced  to  the  grassroots  level,  to  people  who  are  most  in  need  of  low-­‐cost,  disaster-­‐resilient  infrastructures.  We  want  to  reframe  the  way  people  think  about  solutions  to  climate  change,  not  as  a  product  of  industrialized  nations  but  as  a  gift  that  developing  countries  can  share  with  the  rest  of  the  world.    Background  on  Liter  of  Light  MyShelter  Foundation’s  Liter  of  Light  redesigns  solar  lighting  for  the  developing  world.  The  simple,  two-­‐step  solar  lighting  technology  creates  local  jobs,  teaches  green  skills,  and  empowers  local  communities.    Liter  of  (Day)  Light  is  a  DIY  affordable  system  that  allows  the  sun's  rays  into  homes,  schools  and  public  centers  for  less  than  US  $2,  including  US  $1  in  net  profits.  Using  recycled  plastic  soda  bottles,  10  milliliters  of  bleach,  and  distilled  water,  the  bottle  is  placed  through  galvanized  steel  sheet  roofs  common  to  many  developing  countries.  Sunlight  refracts  through  the  bottle  and  bends  to  light  the  space  below  with  55  watts  of  brightness,  saving  an  average  of  US  $10  in  electricity  bills  a  month  and  200  kilos  of  carbon  a  year.  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-­‐Fpsw_yYPg)    The  second  phase  of  the  program  provides  training  kits  to  cooperatives  to  teach  them  how  to  build  simple  night  lighting  systems  by  hand.  Micro-­‐solar  panels  or  solarettes,  widely  available  in  the  Philippines,  are  assembled  by  hand,  and  other  electronic  parts,  easily  accessible  in  most  cities,  are  locally  assembled.  With  a  simple  circuit  panel  drill  and  soldering,  an  upgrade  night  solar  LED  light  and  MOBILE  charger  is  built  and  inserted  into  the  already  installed  day  light,  providing  10  additional  hours  of  power  at  night  at  a  cost  of  US  $10,  while  saving  350  kilos  in  carbon  emissions.  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQCHvO2H0_0)  

 The  Liter  of  Light  began  with  one  carpenter,  one  solar  bottle  daylight,  and  one  paid  installation.  Through  social  media  and  easy  replication  by  local  partners,  this  movement  has  spread.  140,000  households  in  the  Philippines,  and  350,000  homes  in  over  15  countries  now  benefit  from  what  is  arguably  the  cheapest  bulb  in  the  world.      The  Liter  of  Light  creates  livelihoods  for  people  like  Demetrio  Bukas,  an  unemployed  carpenter  in  Laguna  province  who  installed  over  1000  Liters  of  Light  in  his  community.  Children  in  Demetrio’s  hometown  can  study  in  healthy  environments;  women  have  started  small  businesses;  and  families  have  more  income  to  pay  for  critical  needs.      By  training  local  communities  to  create  cheap  and  sustainable  solar  technology,  MyShelter  Foundation  empowers  the  disenfranchised  in  the  Philippines  to  address  a  pressing  problem  that  hampers  their  quality  of  life.  Instead  of  relying  on  international  aid  or  the  government  during  natural  calamities,  the  beneficiaries  touched  by  the  Liter  of  Light  recognize  that  they  have  the  power  and  tools  to  improve  their  own  well-­‐being.  Local  communities  have  regained  access  and  ownership  of  the  technologies  that  are  improving  their  quality  of  life.  Most  significantly,  by  helping  individuals  to  become  positive  sources  of  change,  we  are  challenging  them  to  come  up  with  even  better  solutions  to  solve  the  energy  crisis  in  their  community.    The  Liter  of  Light  is  helping  to  end  energy  poverty  one  bottle  at  a  time.    Triple  Bottom  Line    

• Safety:  prevents  fires  and  inhalation  of  toxic  fumes  from  kerosene  lamps.  • Environmental:   Reuses   discarded   plastic   bottles   from  being   thrown  away  and  upcycled   to   a   daylight  

system  in  10  minutes.  • Sustainable:  Manufacturing  and  parts  are  all  local  and  abundant    • Income-­‐generating:  each  entrepreneur  funded  to  build  solar   lights  has  an  average  of  11,000  homes  /  

clients  a  year.  We’ve  trained  over  370  grassroots  solar  entrepreneurs  in  20  months.  • Open-­‐source:   In   20   months,   Liter   of   Light   has   installed   350,000   lights   around   the   world   through   a  

decentralized,  open-­‐source,  and  crowd-­‐sourced  system.    • Carbon-­‐offsetting:   WWF   (Philippines   has   computed   the   carbon   emissions   restricted   emissions  

:(http://www.co2list.org/files/carbon.htm)  o Carbon  footprint  for  the  manufacture  of  one  incandescent  bulb  =  0.45  kg  CO₂.  o Electricity  consumption  is  approximately  0.77  kg  CO₂  per  kW·∙h,  so  a  50W  bulb  that  runs  for,  let's  

say,  14  hours  a  day  for  30  days  releases  16.17  kg  CO₂  a  month,  or  nearly  200  kg  a  year.  o Moreover,   approximately   90%  of   the   power   consumed  by   an   incandescent   bulb   is   emitted  as  

heat  rather  than  visible  light.