Under the patronage of the Zayed Future Energy Prize in celebration of its 10th anniversary, social enterprise Liter of Light on Wednesday attempted to set a Guinness World for building solar light in order to raise awareness and action for the millions of people in the Philippines and around the world who lack access to clean, affordable energy.
Taking place in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Liter of Light won the seventh edition of the Zayed Future Energy Prize in the Non-Profit Organization (NPO/NGO) category in 2015, and is the only Filipino organization to have won this prestigious prize.
Illac Diaz go for a Guinness World Record
“Liter of Light’s Guinness World Record endeavor is about more than setting a new milestone for community-built solar lighting,” said Liter of Lite founder and executive director Illac Angelo Diaz.
“In organizing this large-scale action, we want to raise awareness for the millions who continue to live without access to clean energy, including the tens of thousands of Muslim Filipinos in the southern areas of Mindanao,” said the model-actor-turned-entrepreneur.
The Guinness World Record attempt called on thousands of students and young volunteers to participate in an environmental sustainability lesson, building simple, repairable solar lights rendered into an art installation at the end of the day.
The world’s biggest award for renewable energy and sustainability honored the organization for an innovative lighting solution that addresses the combined challenge of climate change, energy security and the environment.
A rendering of His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the UAE, made from ‘Liter of Light’s’ community-built solar lights, in front of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
The Liter of Light is both a day and night solution that provides passive daylight as well as charged evening solar lights such as lanterns, house lights, and streetlights through local skills building and sourcing electronic parts for building the products at the base of the pyramid instead of merely retailing imported, finished products.
It has already brought 131 streetlights and thousands of community-built solar lights to Marawi as part of relief efforts, but tens of thousands remain displaced by the conflict. Without access to electricity, the communities in the post-conflict zone will continue to suffer from increased vulnerability to theft and violence.
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