Gravity Light – lighting for the developing countries

GravityLight is a revolutionary new approach to storing energy and creating illumination. It takes only 3 seconds to lift the weight which powers GravityLight, creating 30 minutes of light on its descent. For free.

Following the initial inspiration of using gravity, and years of perspiration, we have refined the design and it is now ready for production. We need your help to fund the tooling, manufacture and distribution of at least 1000 gravity powered lights. We will gift them to villagers in both Africa and India to use regularly. The follow-up research will tell us how well the lights met their needs, and enable us to refine the design for a more efficient MK2 version. Once we have proved the design, we will be looking to link with NGOs and partners to distribute it as widely as possible. When mass produced the target cost for this light is less than $5.

Why GravityLight?

Did you know that there are currently over 1.5 billion people in the World who have no reliable access to mains electricity? These people rely, instead, on biomass fuels (mostly kerosene) for lighting once the sun goes down.

Lift the weight and let gravity do the rest.

The World Bank estimates that, as a result, 780 million women and children inhale smoke which is equivalent to smoking 2 packets of cigarettes every day. 60% of adult, female lung-cancer victims in developing nations are non-smokers. The fumes also cause eye infections and cataracts, but burning kerosene is also more immediately dangerous: 2.5 million people a year, in India alone, suffer severe burns from overturned kerosene lamps. Burning Kerosene also comes with a financial burden: kerosene for lighting ALONE can consume 10 to 20% of a household’s income. This burden traps people in a permanent state of subsistence living, buying cupfuls of fuel for their daily needs, as and when they can.

GravityLight vs Solar powered lighting.

A commonly held view is that solar powered lighting is the answer to these problems in the developing world. However a number of conflicting factors combine to complicate matters. Solar panels produce electricity only when the sun shines, so the energy needs to be stored in a battery to produce the light when it becomes dark. The amount of energy stored is dependant on the size of the panel, the size of the battery, and how much (if any) sun has shone.

However batteries, panels and lights are expensive, and beyond the reach of people with no savings. Solar lighting projects continue to provide lighting for thousands of people in the developing world, but the spread is slow because the cost is too high for individuals, so they need to be bought and installed by communities instead.

LED bulbs do not attract mosquitos like conventional bulbs.

Lower cost self-contained lamps are becoming more widely available, but batteries are the weak link, because they are expensive and deteriorate through use and over time. Very often, when buying a low cost solar lamp with an inbuilt rechargeable battery, a full third of what you’re paying for is the battery, and you will need to replace it every few years. Assuming you can get a new battery… The capacity is often reduced to save money which limits the use time, after which there is no light.

With GravityLight, however, it only takes a few seconds to lift the weight, which creates enough energy for half an an hour of light, whenever it is needed. It has no batteries to run out, replace or dispose of. It is completely clean and green.

Because there are no running costs after the initial low cost purchase, it has the potential to lift people out of poverty, allowing them to use the money they have saved to buy more powerful solar lighting systems in the future.

Where will you use yours?

Hang it in the shed or make it into a great porch light, you can clip on a hanging basket or anything weighing about 20lbs.

No batteries to drain or replace.

Credentials

We are Martin Riddiford and Jim Reeves, London based designers who have spent 4 years developing GravityLight as an off-line project. We work for therefore.com, which has over 20 years of experience in designing and developing hand held computing and communication products for a host of pioneers including Psion, Toshiba, NEC, TomTom, Inmarsat, ICO, Sepura, Racal Acoustics, Voller Energy, FreePlay and SolarAid.

We’re using a tried and tested manufacturer who has the right expertise to make GravityLight. We have some links to partner organisations in Africa and need to do the same for India. If you’re part of an organisation and would like to get involved then please contact us. We are particularly looking for contacts in South America.

Visit our skunk-works website here www.deciwatt.org.

Our movie soundtrack kindly created by Belinda from the bush the tree and me.

Check out John Keane’s great Solar For Africa blog.

Growing food in the desert… a solution to the world’s food crisis?

Agriculture uses 60-80% of the planet’s scarce fresh water, but what would happen if food production used no water at all? That is what is happening right now in South Australia, and soon in Qatar.

A group of international scientists is using the sun to create something-from-nothing — fresh water for irrigation, from condensation; electricity for heating and cooling greenhouses, from a solar thermal system — all integrated to grow high-quality, delicious, pesticide-free vegetables in greenhouses year-round.

So far, the company, Sundrop Farms, has grown commercial quantities of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, using the same proven technology and close to zero fossil fuels. Salty seawater is abundant like the sun, especially with our ice caps melting away, so the venture is ready to scale up in a big way. A a 20-acre greenhouse is being built that will grow produce for supermarkets now clamoring for an exclusive contract, reports the Guardian.

“They are making food without risk, eliminating the problems caused not just by floods, frost, hail but by lack of water, too, which now becomes a non-issue,” says the head of Australia’s government-funded desalination research institute, Neil Palmer. “Plus, it stacks up economically and it’s infinitely scalable.”

Typical horticulture is highly water and energy intensive. These inputs are finite, getting more scarce and rising in price. In some regions energy and water costs represent up to 70% of total farm expenses.

In light of these supply constraints facing our horticultural system today and the need to grow more crops closer to where people live, Sundrop Farms has developed technologies that rely mainly on renewable inputs, namely seawater and sunlight to produce the same quantity and higher quality food.

The Sundrop Farms System™ harnesses the sun’s energy to desalinate seawater to produce freshwater for irrigation, produce electricity to power our greenhouse and provide the energy to heat and cool our greenhouse. Our seawater drenched greenhouse ventilation cleans and sterilises the air, making it possible to grow crops without chemical pesticides. The Sundrop Farms System™ system relies mainly on renewable inputs to achieve the best possible outcomes for our planet and the best possible produce for our customers. To learn more about our greenhouse solutions for arid climates, please contact us.

Therefore, instead of extracting groundwater at unsustainable rates, we produce fresh water from seawater. We don’t consume fossil fuels to control the climate in our greenhouse, but substitute them with the sun’s energy to do that for us. The salt and nutrients won in our desalination process are re-used to either fertilize crops or the salt is sold on to other agricultural producers. Moreover, we can locate Sundrop Farms on degraded land and in arid climates, which typically would not be considered suitable for agriculture, let alone horticulture, thereby conserving valuable farmlands and soil.

The Sundrop Farms technologies and farming practices are positive for the planet, our customers, and our communities and also our business.

http://www.sundropfarms.com/

http://www.seawatergreenhouse.com/

From GoodNewsNetwork.com and the Guardian

The Soil Solution Film preview – Santa Barbara International Film Festival World Premiere

http://www.sustainableworldmedia.com What if a solution to climate change was just beneath your feet? Sustainable World Media visits with farmers, scientists, and educators who are exploring the connection of soil fertility to water quality, food security, and carbon sequestration. Produced by Jill Cloutier and Carol Hirashima.

Green Gold – EcoVillages and Permaculture

Green Gold – Documentary by John D. Liu
A clear extraordinary path to sustainability…

“It’s possible to rehabilitate large-scale damaged ecosystems.” Environmental film maker John D. Liu documents large-scale ecosystem restoration projects in China, Africa, South America and the Middle East, highlighting the enormous benefits to people and planet of undertaking these efforts globally.

John D. Liu (environmental photographer), Geoff Lawton (designer of Permaculture), Jordanian Princess Basma bint Talal (permaculture enthusiast)

More information:

http://eempc.org/

What If We Change social media project:

http://www.whatifwechange.org

NIGER DELTA – MALI PROJECT: http://www.whatifwechange.org/index.php#/stories/158

###

Greening the Desert
Geoff Lawton (designer of Permaculture)

###

Dryland Permaculture Strategies
-Bill Mollison, Father of Permaculture

Bill Mollison Father of Permaculture Shares his Wisdom on Dryland Systems, to find out more about Bill and his work please visit; http://www.tagari.com

###

Ecovillages and Permaculture: a reference model for sustainable consumption?

This is a documentary about ecovillages and permaculture seen from a sustainable consumption perspective. The intention is to show an example of lifestyles that take sustainability to the extreme, living and consuming in a way that causes minimum impact on the planet.

###
Food Forest
by c2agriculture.com

Longevity Nutriceutical Medicine making waves

8 News NOW

###
LAS VEGAS — A Las Vegas company claims it has developed a compound which holds promise for millions of people who are facing a debilitating disease — but most people will never hear of it.

The compound is made from natural ingredients so it can’t be patented. The company claims the pharmaceutical industry has used its influence with doctors to kill a possible cure for blindness.

Remember the big splash made a few years ago about the benefits of drinking red wine? Researchers found that a natural ingredient in red grapes — resveratrol — is the reason the French have a much lower risk of heart attacks and strokes. And then they found evidence that resveratrol could possibly ward off cancer. Suddenly the studies stopped and the potential fizzled. Resveratrol became just another supplement sold at health food stores.

There is now a growing body of evidence that this can also cure blindness in older Americans. So where are the clinical studies to move this forward?

“I took it every day for five days. In just five days, I could see. I don’t know what happened. What I do know is, I could see.”
###
Read more…

Here is the website for the totally natural nutriceutical Longevinex: http://www.longevinex.com/

Saving Lives through Clean Cookstoves: Ethan Kay

The BioLight is an amazing solution not just because of what it does, but HOW it does it.

What it will do is save millions and millions of lives around the world, half of which are under the age of 5.
It does this by providing a smoke free alternative to the toxic open flame and smoke that is currently used by almost half of the world.
It also provides enough electricity to power a cell phone, and lighting to do homework at night.
All from whatever natural fuel source is available, wood, cow dung, bio scraps, etc.

How it will sold and marketed is just as important…
As a full cultural integration… it will be presented to the tribal elders first.
From there it will integrate as a way to bring financial independence to tens of thousands that will sell, service and distribute.

It will be affordable… and have an average return on investment to the end user of less than 7 months.
Enurgy, Inc. will be supporting this project in some fashion in the very near future.

This is one of those products that will really make a difference in the world.
Pleaese watch the TEDx video below.

Peace,
Bruce

BioLite develops and manufactures advanced energy products that make cooking with wood as clean safe and easy as modern fuels while also providing electricity to charge cell phones and LED lights off-grid. We feel a strong sense of responsibility not just to develop products that work well but also to create businesses that make a positive contribution to the global community.

Ethan Kay:
Building on his doctoral dissertation, Ethan’s project as a Sauvé Scholar was to collaborate with BioLite to bring to market smokeless cookstoves for low-income families in developing countries. He helped BioLite design and develop its: channel partnership and scaling strategy; pilot programs; end-to-end value chain; and carbon financing model. He also plans to publish at least two articles in prestigious journals, focused on debunking the so-called ‘poverty penalty’ and codifying the common pitfalls of market-based poverty alleviation strategies. He also served as Lead Technical Expert on the World Bank’s 2012 ‘State of the Cookstove Sector’ report. Ethan had a 30-minute nationally televised interview on social entrepreneurship with Robert Scully on PBS; delivered a TEDxMontreal Talk on indoor air pollution and ultra-clean cookstoves; and gave several lectures at McGill’s Desautels Faculty of Management and Concordia’s Department of Communication Studies. He also submitted an article for publication debunking the so-called ‘poverty penalty’.

Ancient Knowledge – Health-Revolution – Energy-Consciousness – Pi-Phi-Fibonacci Sequence – Zero-Point

Ancient Mysteries/Knowledge Part 1

Ancient Mysteries/Knowledge Part 2

Ancient Mysteries/Knowledge Part 3

Ancient Mysteries/Knowledge Part 4

Ancient Mysteries/Knowledge Part 4.5

Ancient Mysteries/Knowledge Part 5

“The Ancients” knew much more than given credit for regarding Life, The Universe, Astronomy, Advanced Mathematics, Magnetism, Healing, Unseen Forces etc.
Encoded knowledge is information that is conveyed in signs and symbols and we can find this knowledge all over the world. All these ancient sightings and geometric patterns (Sacred Geometry) symbolise unseen forces at work. We are being lied to by the media. Modern archaeologists don’t know what they’re talking about. “The Ancients” were not stupid or primitive. We just failed to de-code this knowledge conveyed in signs, symbols and ancient artwork. This kind of information is kept hidden from the public.

Scientists dont know what holds the universe together, the answer is sound and unseen forces. Matter is governed by sound frequencies. There is much more to life than we can perceive with our 5 senses. The question then becomes “who or what governs unseen forces?” What is behind the symmetry throughout nature? (Golden Ratio, Phi, Fibonacci Sequence etc.) It simply cant be just coincidence, in my opinion there is an intelligent mind / consciousness behind all this that keeps it all together.

Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the copyright act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as critisicm, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statue that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Don Tapscott: Four principles for the open world

The recent generations have been bathed in connecting technology from birth, says futurist Don Tapscott, and as a result the world is transforming into one that is far more open and transparent. In this inspiring talk, he lists the four core principles that show how this open world can be a far better place.

Don Tapscott can see the future coming … and works to identify the new concepts we need to understand in a world transformed by the Internet.

Declaration of Interdependency

Independence without separation = Interdependency

Our bodies are made of the earth… our bodies shall return to the earth…

The earth is made of star dust… and so are we…

We are connected to each other and to the cosmos…

Our heart is our closest star… our Sun is our closest galactic star portal…

We are stewards of our body, hearts and earth…

Watch this wonderful video laying out a description and dedication to just that…

“Ethics is nothing else than reverence for life.”
~ Albert Schweitzer

We, Spiritual and Compassionate Beings having a human experience, living on Planet Earth at this time, collectively assent in the recognition of the Laws of Balance, the interdependency with all forms of life, the basic understanding that we are all One inside of Mother’s / Father’s heart.

“The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others.”
~ Albert Schweitzer

We voluntarily agree to protect Life in its diverse manifestations; to guard and safeguard the purity of our environment; to respect and preserve cultures, sacred grounds and natural reserves as true patrimonies of Earth’s Humanity.

Compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind.
~ Albert Schweitzer

To be a World Server, diligently assisting the anchoring of a culture of Light based on harmony, unity and love; we commit to follow with Integrity, Honesty and Dignity in the conduct of our Actions, being ever mindful of our attitudes, thoughts and actions, and to pursue the Practice Spiritual Transparency.

We promise to adopt compassion to be the motivating force behind your actions; ever cultivating a position of pure and altruistic Love.

“Relativity applies to physics, not ethics”
~ Albert Einstein

We commit ourselves to collaborate for the well being of every sentient being, always fomenting a culture of Peace, nonviolence, and sustainable policies to all; and we collective pledge to seek out solutions that maintain or restore the dignity of individual humans and their communities.

We assume the role of one of the keeper of the earth for the sake of the future generations.

“The first step in the evolution of ethics is a sense of solidarity with other human beings.”
~ Albert Schweitzer

We voluntarily promote Peace, we believe in Peace and we wish for Peace to all Beings.

“I can do no other than be reverent before everything that is called life. I can do no other than to have compassion for all that is called life. That is the beginning and the foundation of all ethics.”
~ Albert Schweitzer

Jeff Skoll talks about the planet and folks that can make a difference

Participant Media, the production powerhouse behind films including “Waiting for Superman,” “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Good Night and Good Luck,” and “Charlie Wilson’s War,” bills itself as a company that “exists to tell compelling, entertaining stories that also create awareness of the real issues that shape our lives.”

Tanking about his mentors, philantrophy, and how he created financial independence was given one pivotal point of advice”
“Bet on good people doing good things.” – Jeff Skoll