It’s easy to get wrapped up in the little gadgets that run our lives. I own a laptop, a cell phone, a kindle, a video-game console, an ipod, a coffee maker, an alarm clock, and a few other personal electronic devices that essentially function to make my life easier. Some are green, some can be made green, and some just suck the energy right out of my wall like there’s no tomorrow. I can live without these things (barring the coffee-maker), but that’s not always the case with green gadgets, especially green gadgets that could address the energy needs of almost two billion people.
Nokero, the world’s first and only solar-light bulb, could hypothetically replace every kerosene lamp in every developing nation around the world. They’re cheap, easy to use, and recharge their own batteries with 4 built-in solar panels.
The Nokero isn’t like a flashlight or personal reading light that you have in your home, as a fully charged bulb will work for about four hours. But, the needs of someone in a small electricity-starved village are much different than yours and mine. Kerosene lamps are used in short stints, just as the Nokero is, but are expensive to fuel, energy-inefficient, and often dangerous to use. A family can receive one or two Nokeros through donation (www.nokero.com), and never have to deal with kerosene again. The Nokero’s NiMH battery lasts for 2 years, but then are easily replaceable by just about anyone.
I love gadgets like these because they serve a zillion functions. Purchase a few for the needy, but then purchase a few for yourself to keep around the house. If the power goes out and stays out, there will be no flashlight more reliable over the long haul.
Also, saving the planet’s neediest is always good, and often good for the ego, but it’s rare that it can be done while saving the eco-system as well. Kerosene is just one more fossil fuel we can do without, and the Nokero will go a long way to seeing that happens.
Photos from:
Biggreenbould.com
Igreenspot.com
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