Using an entrepreneurial distribution model, the Natural Light project will now donate a second instalment of 20,000 solar lamps. These will be sold by new sales agents in off-grid communities in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and, for the first time, in Malawi.
The aim of this project, besides bringing a sustainable light source to off-grid communities, was to create a business model for local sales agents to make a living. This has been a great success. Today more than 50 sales agents in three African nations – Zimbabwe, Zambia and Sierra Leone – have their own businesses selling Natural Light solar lamps.
The Natural Light project, in collaboration with social business Little Sun, and NGO Plan International, was created to celebrate the VELUX Group’s 75th anniversary. Following an international design competition last year, which received 172 submissions from all over the world, the winning design was chosen and 14,500 units of the solar lamp were distributed in Africa – one for each employee of the VELUX Group and its sister companies.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8006751-velux-more-natural-light-shine-in-africa/
Not a single small SUV out of 21 tested earns a good rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s headlight evaluations, and only four are available with acceptable-rated headlights.
Among the 21 vehicles, there are 47 different headlight combinations available. More than two-thirds of them are rated poor, making this group of vehicles even more deficient when it comes to lighting than the midsize cars that were the first to be rated earlier this year.
Headlight performance in today’s vehicles varies widely. Government standards are based on laboratory tests, which don’t accurately gauge performance in real-world driving. The issue merits attention because about half of traffic deaths occur either in the dark or around dawn or dusk.
As with midsize cars, the IIHS evaluations of small SUVs showed that a vehicle’s price tag doesn’t correspond to the quality of headlights. More modern lighting types, including high-intensity discharge (HID) and LED lamps, and curve-adaptive systems, which swivel in the direction of steering, also are no guarantee of good performance.
Globally, 1.2 billion people have no access to electricity. On the occasion of VELUX 75th anniversary the company decided to address this issue. Together with the social business Little Sun and the NGO Plan International they are collaborating to bring clean, reliable and affordable light to off-grid regions in Zambia, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe.
14,500 Natural Light lamps from the VELUX Group have now arrived in Africa and the first recipients can already look forward to a better quality of life.
Among them are young girls between 10 and 18 years of age who live in a safe house in the slum area Mntendere in the Zambian capital Lusaka.
"The lamps mean the girls can do their homework when they get back from school and can feel safer at night, instead of huddling together in the dark after sunset. And it’s particularly important for our children that they feel safe – many are carrying the mental baggage such as the trauma of violence, rape or drugs," says safe house manager Verann Delarey.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7769151-velux-natural-light-and-life-zambia/
Approximately one year after leading roof window manufacturer VELUX Group joined forces with social business Little Sun and NGO Plan International, launching a design competition to bring clean, sustainable light to Africa, the first solar lamps have now arrived on African soil.
The VELUX Natural Light International Design Competition received 172 proposals from 65 countries. A high-level jury of experts in the fields of architecture, art and design subsequently selected the winning design, by Mariana Arando and Luca Fondello of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Their solar lamp design was inspired by the way light can bring people together.
The VELUX Group has so far produced and donated 14,500 of the solar-powered lamps, and 150 local sales agents are now being trained in how to sell the lamps in off-grid communities in Senegal, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The training combines workshops, roleplay, demonstrations, and group work.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7724551-velux-natural-light-solar-lamps-in-africa/
The winners of the Natural Light - International Design Competition have now been chosen from the 172 impressive Natural Light Lamp designs submitted from 65 countries around the world. The winners are two very talented Argentinian Industrial Design students, Ms. Mariana Arando and Mr. Luca Fondello, both from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The production phase of the winning design for the Natural Light Lamp will begin shortly, followed next year by shipment of the lamps to three African countries without access to electricity.
Last year, the VELUX Group and Little Sun joined forces to launch the Natural Light – International Design Competition, which challenged design students around the world to create a design for a solar lamp which would help to bring clean, reliable, affordable light to some of the 1.2 billion people worldwide living without electricity. Now the jury has voted and decided on the winning solar lamp design by two Industrial Design students from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7533451-velux-winner-announcement-natural-light/
The winners of the Natural Light - International Design Competition have now been chosen from the 172 impressive Natural Light Lamp designs submitted from 65 countries around the world. The winners are two very talented Argentinian Industrial Design students, Ms. Mariana Arando and Mr. Luca Fondello, both from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The production phase of the winning design for the Natural Light Lamp will begin shortly, followed next year by shipment of the lamps to three African countries without access to electricity.
Last year, the VELUX Group and Little Sun joined forces to launch the Natural Light – International Design Competition, which challenged design students around the world to create a design for a solar lamp which would help to bring clean, reliable, affordable light to some of the 1.2 billion people worldwide living without electricity. Now the jury has voted and decided on the winning solar lamp design by two Industrial Design students from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7533451-velux-winner-announcement-natural-light/
Bulbs.com, one of the nation’s largest Philips Lighting distributors, announced today that it is adding the new Philips InstantFit LED T8 lamps to its product assortment, making energy efficient lighting even more accessible for its customers. LED T8s will provide customers with an opportunity to slash conversion cost and time to replace fluorescent tubes with LED technology.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/65767-bulbs-com-new-philips-instantfit-led-t8-now-available
The Dodge brand is upping the ante in the fast-growing full-size sport-utility vehicle (SUV) and crossover segments by introducing the new 2014 Dodge Durango at the 2013 New York International Auto Show. This new SUV is built on the Dodge brand’s pillars of performance, style and innovation, delivering a new standard state-of-the-art class-exclusive eight-speed automatic transmission. That powertrain improves fuel economy up to 9 percent, the Chrysler Group’s award-winning. The 2014 Durango also features Uconnect Access easy-to-use touchscreen technologies and the Dodge brand’s signature racetrack LED tail lamps to driving enthusiasts in the market for a three-row family performance SUV.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60823-new-2014-dodge-durango-ultimate-no-compromise-suv
Lovers of art, history and gardens will encounter a feast for the senses during the Tiffany at Biltmore exhibition, now open at Biltmore, George Vanderbilt’s 8,000-acre mountain estate.
The exhibition of stained-glass lamps created by Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) and The Tiffany Studios fills the Biltmore Legacy exhibition hall in the estate’s Antler Hill Village. Known as “Tiffany Lamps: Articles of Utility, Objects of Art,” the exhibition comes to Biltmore from The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass in New York City. It is an in-depth look at the Tiffany Studios’ efforts to produce lamps that balance artistry with utility and profitability.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/50782-tiffany-at-biltmore
Kalpavasi experience
The kalpavãsi experiences are the most unique that a human can undergo in this mortal world. A kapavãsi basically transcends the linear space-time barrier by submitting himself / herself to a day in the Brahmaloka, Which is equivalent to 4.32 billion earth days. We invite you find out how this magic (time-travel) unfolds
We are the pioneers of an ongoing research on the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela and other Indian Traditional Knowledge Systems from the last 10 years and the packages presented through this Kalpavãsi program have been designed with complete assimilation and understanding of both the sensitivities of the participating religious organization and the sensibilities of the modern traveller
We present to you the best possible experiences of the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela in an effort to introduce you to the essence of the Indian Tradition, Heritage, Culture, Spirituality and Religion with the least possible expenditure of time, effort and money. The Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is not just a Religious/Spiritual event and there is a popular misconception that it is all about naked Indian Sadhus (Ascetics), snake charmers and cheap magicians
The Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is a conglomeration of religion, trade and amusement. The ground is dotted with makeshift shrines, temples, thatched Mantapams, and Ashramas of innumerable sects, saints, the lay folks, etc. In the evenings and early mornings one may hear the sound of Bhajans, Kirtans, the telling of Kathas, chanting of hymns, jingling of bells, and blowing of conchs and observe the scenes of millions of people taking a dip in the holy rivers with offerings of flowers, lamps, Etc. watch the colourful ceremonial processions of various Akhadas and Sampradayas. The most distinctive and attractive feature of the Kumbha Mela is the ceremonial bathing of Nagas Sadhus who are traditionally given priority in the bath for being the initiator of this festival. The joy of being a part of this conglomeration is truly unique and there are no words to explain the experience
kalpavasi.com
