Light Bulb Moment

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Recycling a single plastic bottle can save enough energy to light a 60W bulb for up to 6 hours.

So I got to thinking. . . how long and how brightly might a single plastic bottle fire the imagination when it comes to creating something amazing. To illustrate the point further, here is a story of how plastic bottles are actually lighting up homes in third world countries:

this-simple-plastic-bottle-becomes-a-bright-light-indoors-600x401Plastic Bottle Light Bulbs Thousands of homes in the Philippines have been lit up thanks to a scheme to fit sunlight-powered “bulbs” made from old plastic bottles. In a country where people often live on less than $2 a day, many are unable to afford electricity. Some use candles as a light source, but when family members share a small, dark space in shanty towns, accidental fires are often the result. It’s surprising how simple a solar bottle light is – just an empty plastic bottle, filled with water and a few drops of bleach to stop algae from growing. The whole thing is then glued into a hole in the roof, and with all the cracks filled up, hey presto! This project, designed by students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and run by the MyShelter Foundation, is transforming the lives of low-income people all across the Philippines.