Archive for year: 2020

Since 1956, the ADI (Industrial Design Association) has brought together designers, companies, journalists, critics, researchers and teachers around the themes of design: design, consumption, recycling, training.

Two years later ADI established the “Compasso D’Oro” award, the first recognition in Europe for the Design sector. From then on, the award acquires ever-increasing prestige up to the present day, where it represents an institution for the recognition of applied talent and creativity.

The 2017 edition of the award saw the nomination of nearly 800 projects, but only 204 of them were selected by the ADI Permanent Design Observatory. Among the proposals admitted to the prize, the solution shown by Liter Of Light Italia has been included in the category “Design for social”.

“Thanks to the collaboration with the Architect Simone Gori, the simple, recyclable and replicable structure of the Liter Of Light solar lamps has managed to reduce to the essential an instrument that, in some areas of the world, from inaccessible becomes an everyday object to those who benefit from it “

We are clearly referring to the social implication that the initiatives and technologies of Liter Of Light bring in the contexts of energy poverty and rurality.

These characteristics, combined with the open-source nature, the repairability and efficiency of the lamps, were decisive for accessing the “Compasso D’Oro” Award, having in 2018 the privilege of the “Honorable Mention” by the ADI’s Standing Committee of Observation and to enter into the “Historical Collection of the ADI Compasso d’Oro Award”.

“The result obtained, with the super- low technological contribution required by the Liter Of Light lamps, underlines how simple inventions can generate a large-scale impact.“

The difficulties generate creativity, and sometimes suggest game-changing solutions; from the favelas of Rio De Janeiro to more than 20 countries, the Liter Of Light solution passes through Italian Design to return, enriched, to the south of the world and to rural life, with the purpose of giving light to the darkest corners of the World. Step by step.

An hour’s walk on the outward journey, to be repeated on the way back if you are not lucky enough to find a ride on wheels, drive or towed by animal force.

This is the time normally used by the inhabitants of Sikilo, a community in the Kaffrine region, to reach the capital of the same name and to be able to recharge their mobile phones.

Sikilo is located 6km from Kaffrine, from this distance derives the name of the community (literally, “Six kilomètres”), most of the workers of the community spends a good part of the day in town for job reasons; the luckiest ones in nearby Kaffrine, otherwise: Kaolack, Mbour or Dakar.

“We accepted the challenge: the goal was to allow free and green access to the recharge of mobile telecommunication devices”

 

Such distance between people and their loved ones requires the use of telecommunications and can find some obstacles on its way, one above all: access to electricity.

Recharging mobile systems is a constant problem in rural communities, so much that most of them are urged to request us to intervene in this field on several occasions.

We accepted the challenge, with the aim of allowing green and free access to recharge of mobile telecommunication devices

From this experience the “Mobile Charger”, multiple solar charging station for mobile phones, was born. This station allows the charging of two devices in parallel, for a total of eight total recharges per day *, in a completely autonomous and green way.

 

“A small gesture for us, two hours of daily life for Sikilo”

 

The workstations are installed in public and accessible spots around the communities, so that they can be freely used and controlled.

Thanks to systems such as the Mobile Charger we have made it possible to enable energy access to the telecommunications service: a small gesture for us, two hours of daily life for Sikilo.

 

* number of top-ups referring to the latest generation smartphones, less “energy-efficient” phones allow a greater number of top-ups during the day.

In his spare time, a mechanic spends his spare time “inventing” solutions to make everyday home life easier. Nothing sophisticated, something simple reusing materials found here and there. Among others, one invention stands out for its simplicity and usefulness. The mechanic drilled a hole through the tin roof of his house and places a transparent plastic bottle containing clear water and a couple of chlorine caps. As a result, the sunlight that hits the bottle is amplified and radiated inside the room, illuminating it fully with a power of 60 Lumens. The mechanic has just created a daytime chandelier that costs less than two US dollars.

It happens that the mechanic is called Alfredo Moser, and that his home is part of one of the main and most crowded favelas of the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. And it also happens that, like all his neighbors, Mr. Moser is not a particularly wealthy person.

Alfredo Moser shares his discovery with the inhabitants of the favela, and in turn they share it with their known people scattered throughout Brazil, and from Brazil this simple yet effective solution spreads to the rest of the world.

From a favela house, the invention of a creative mind has today changed the lives of millions of people in conditions of energy poverty at any latitude and this solution is called Liter Of Light.

This is only an example of the changes that the sharing of knowledge can generate, and how a simple and accessible solution for everyone can go where economic interests stop: the least ones, the forgotten ones, the invisible ones.

The Liter Of Light network, while evolving technology and methods of intervention, has made this philosophy its cardinal point, applying it to all the interventions carried out worldwide. To cope with the dramatic lack of access to basic services such as drinking water, energy, food, it is unthinkable to continue with the unsuccessful welfare approach that has characterized 80 years of international cooperation.

It is necessary to share innovation and knowledge to generate sustainable business and competition on a local basis that will really benefit the local population.

In order to enhance local entrepreneurship, Liter Of Light has always pursued the “zero expatriates” goal. That is to say that if on the one hand there is an international collaboration between the teams and it often happens to make travel abroad, on the other hand all the professionals involved in the project work in the same country where they reside.

This choice allows to develop, assist and closely monitor all the on-field activities carried out, providing effective support to the beneficiary communities; at the same time, when it is necessary to carry out a feasibility study or a project is conceived, the staff is directly in contact with the interested communities and the direct relationship maximizes the effectiveness of the interventions.

The “zero expatriates” goal was also designed due to the environmental component, another cornerstone of Liter Of Light.

The geographical proximity to the interventions carried out drastically reduces logistics costs (-70%) and consequently the emissions generated by it. Moving by road or rail, where possible, generates an exponentially lower environmental impact than air transport, and the transfer of know-how to local inhabitants on lamp maintenance further lowers it.

It is possible to think of a truly inclusive, responsible, sustainable and effective international cooperation on the territory, which creates resilience and opportunities for those who are deprived of it, but in order to achieve this goal we must start from the bottom: from the needs of these people and their potential. Creating not divisive, but inclusive sharing tools.

Without these tools, we will continue to patch the problem without remedying it, thus condemning millions of individuals to mere survival rather than life.