The Filipino Cultural Association is supporting the Isang Litrong Liwanag (Liter of Light) charity by collecting empty aluminum cans and trading them in for money to donate to the charity.
Liter of Light, a project of the MyShelter Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to creating sustainable projects and jobs, seeks to create sustainable lighting around the world, especially in places where people cannot afford electricity, using the “Solar Bottle Bulb”.
The Solar Bottle Bulb is a plastic one liter soda bottle filled with water and bleach installed in the roof of a house, bringing light to a room from the sun.
The project first caught the attention of FCA member Matthew Magnaye who was shown a video about the project by a former high school teacher.
The video detailed people in the Philippines who had no light in their houses because they could not afford electricity. Liter of Light installed the Solar Bottle Bulbs and changed that.
“I was so moved and intrigued by the simplicity of the concept, I felt that FCA could do something to help out,” Magnaye, a senior criminology and criminal justice major, said. “Growing up in America … we are all given so much and have much to be thankful for, so it’s important that we help those who aren’t as fortunate as we are.”
The video shows how many of the houses are made with corrugated metal sheets. Residents avoid being indoors because it is dark, even during the day, as their houses have no windows and are closely built together.
The light bulb works by cutting a circle in the metal and installing a Solar Bottle Bulb in it. The bleach and water mix reflects light into the house, and the bleach prevents mold from forming in the bulb.
Tyler Babich, the community service chair of FCA and person in charge of the fundraiser, decided to help after Magnaye showed him the video. Babich felt that because of the serious need and simplicity of the solution to the problem, trading in recycled cans was a good way to raise money.
“Our cans will be traded in for money to donate to the charity so they can purchase supplies and fund other costs. I had a lot more success finding recycling centers that would take cans, and it still fit the theme of recycling for more than environmental change,” the sophomore government and politics major said.
The MyShelter Foundation seeks to use the solar bulbs to provide lighting to one million homes in the Philippines by 2012.
According to the Liter of Light project website, millions of homes outside Manila, the capitol of the Philippines, remain without power. Many cannot afford the electricity, and often fires are caused by faulty electrical connections for those who have them.
In 2005, nearly half of the 10,728 fires reported were caused by electrical connections and open flame, according to the National Statistical Coordination Board, a policy-making and coordinating agency on statistical matters in the Philippines.
Carl Alejandro, a freshman mechanical engineering major and member of the FCA, said he wanted to help out because he was “fascinated by the clever idea of using bottles and cans to give light to …the community in the Philippines.”
Babich had originally only envisioned receiving “a couple of large trash bags,” but he said he has received “more like eight” in the four weeks the collection was held.
No definite amount of money has been determined, as the cans have not been traded in yet, Babich said, also noting that they had received many donations in addition to the cans.
“As a kid, I would visit family members in the Philippines who live in the same, if not worst, living conditions,” Magnaye said. “One can’t help but want to do something.”
