March 19, 2003 Features the other press Lighting Up Nepal White-LED technology shines hope a Chris Evans The Manitoban WINNIPEG (CUP)—When University of Calgary pro- fessor David Irvine-Halliday left Canada in 1997 for a one-year sabbatical in Nepal, he had no idea that the trip would evolve into a development initiative that would ultimately bring light to communities in Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. Irvine-Halliday developed a low-cost, durable and environmentally-friendly system for lighting off-the-grid settlements, that is, settlements that are not accessed by electricity infrastructure. Consequently, he became the founder of the Light Up the World (LUTW) organisa- tion, which has enriched the lives of thousands of people in rural communities. LEDs: Cutting Edge Technology for the Third World In 1997, Irvine-Halliday returned from his journeys in Nepal, appalled at the conditions. He vowed to develop an affordable, sustainable and ecologically responsible method for lighting the impoverished settlements. He began searching for an inexpensive, long-lasting source of light, but soon found that the options offered by available technologies would not meet the demands imposed by the poverty of the Third World. The income of an aver- age Nepalese household is only US$200 per year, far too little to afford conventional incandescent or fluorescent lighting systems. One year after Irvine-Halliday began looking for an appropriate technology, the Nichia Corporation devel- oped the world’s first white light emitting diode (WLED). Light emitting diodes (LEDs) comprise a unique form of illumination known as solid state light- ing. Instead of the tungsten filaments used in incandes- cent bulbs, diodes produce light from the energy given off by electrons moving through a semiconductor. Because they operate without a filament, LEDs do not burn out and can operate for 100 times longer than an incandescent bulb. In addition to their sustained life, LEDs are much more efficient than bulbs in that they do not squander energy in the form of heat. LEDs have been around since the 1960s, but until 1998 they were only available in blue, red, yellow, orange, and green. Once Nichia developed the first WLED, Irvine-Halliday finally had the technology he needed to bring light to the third world. LUTW Britghens Rural Communities The World Bank estimates that 67 percent of rural pop- ulations in developing countries do not have electricity. In Nepal, only 200,000 of the 3.4 million households have access to reliable power. These staggering figures underline the immense demand that exists for self-sus- taining illumination. At present, households in Nepal are lit by fuel-burning devices, such as candles or kerosene lamps, both of which pose substantial health- and fire-related hazards to the occupants. Children are unable to study past dusk due to the poor quality of light provided by these sources. Finally, the lamps create a continual dependence upon expensive fuels in order to maintain even this inadequate means of illumination. With the efficient, durable solution provided by © page 16 http://otherpress.douglas.bc.ca WLEDs, Irvine-Halliday is beginning to turn the wheels of development. In 2000, 144 Nepalese homes were pro- vided with clean, renewable lighting. The six- and nine- cluster LED lamps used in the homes consume only one watt of power, vastly more efficient than the equivalent 25 watts gobbled up by a single incandescent bulb. The energy required to power the LED lamps was generated using pedal generators developed at the University of Calgary. Thirty minutes of slow pedalling is all that is required to provide enough power to light a home for four to five hours. The benefits of this technology are immediately tangi- ble. Children can now study in the evening, investing the time stolen by daily chores into education. Since the success of the initial Nepal project in 2000, LUTW continued its mission to brighten developing nations. In 2001, 200 additional homes in Nepal were outfitted with LED technology as well as two villages in India and 50 residences in Sri Lanka. Future projects will include initiatives in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala, with the possibility of eventually working in Bangladesh, Africa, the Caribbean, and South and Central America. Micro Enterprises and Buddhist Economics Realizing the need to educate as well as illuminate, LUTW has made micro-enterprise development a funda- mental component of its philosophy. By facilitating the start-up of local businesses in order to distribute LED lighting systems, the organization is fostering economic growth from the ground up. Pico Power Nepal was founded, and originally financed, by Irvine-Halliday as a manufacturing compa- ny to develop LED lighting systems and install them in local communities. Once the company was off the ground, a local entrepreneur assumed control, allowing Pico Power to work in partnership with LUTW by pro- viding the necessary installation and maintenance servic- es that are critical factors in the project’s continued sus- tainability. Irvine-Halliday has entrusted the responsibil- ity of development back upon the local people, which has guaranteed their long-term prosperity. LUTW’s approach to business enterprise operates on the principles of Buddhist economics, a concept that embodies the basic ideals of humanitarian labour, enriched livelihoods, and fair business practices. It is a system which demands that each party must benefit from a business contract—including the often overlooked cul- tural and environmental implications of an agreement. Through the empowerment of locally-based enterprises, Irvine-Halliday has kick-started a cycle of social and eco- nomic development: an independent, self-sustaining ini- tiative that seeks to minimize any ecological impacts imposed on developing communities. Social-Environmental-Economic Focus To address issues from a sustainable development per- spective, the impact of technology on social, environ- mental and economic fronts must be fully assessed. An example of the organization’s focus on producing long- term, sustainable effects, a current LUT W-initiated pilot project is attempting to provide female entrepreneu with a means of generating income. The demand fo flashlights is very high in remote communities, but cu rent incandescent models last for only three hours o three D-cell batteries. The pollution generated by dis carded batteries is becoming a serious environmentz issue, as over 300 million batteries are thrown out ann ally in Nepal alone. Pico Power Nepal manufactures LED flashlights thal increase the efficiency of three D-cell batteries by up td ten times. The pilot project involves financing a sola panel, a battery charging unit, and five WLED flashlighy out to women in local villages. Instead of discardin spent batteries, the residents pay half the price of a ne set to have them recharged by the businesswomen, wi the income going toward paying off the loaned equip ment. With this opportunity, local Nepalese women are abl to realize a higher social standing within local communi ties by becoming the brokers of technology transfer. / well, the village residents benefit from the reduced cosy of charging batteries, and from the increased efficiency o the flashlights. The waste generated by discarded lig bulbs and batteries is significantly reduced, offering tremendous benefit to the surrounding environment. The Development Circle LUTW’s responsible, sustainable approach to develop ment has garnered recent international praise. In Octobe 2002, Irvine-Halliday was named a laureate with th Rolex Awards for Enterprise by a committee composed o scientists with the goal of supporting unique, sustainabl solutions to worldwide problems. LUTW was also recog} nized by the Tech Museum Awards, receiving the Knight Ridder Award for fostering equality through develop ment. The encouraging amount of international acclaim tha the project has received is a testament to its responsibl development strategy. By reaping the merits of sustain able prosperity, LUTW has highlighted the shortcoming of First World growth throughout the 20th century. Wit the Western world becoming increasingly more aware o the threats posed by overconsumption and unregulate« expansion, an economically feasible approach tha encourages social and environmental sustainability sug gests an improved method of progress for the future Ideally, a circle of development may yet be achieved. B applying their technology against problems of impove ished nations, wealthier countries may in turn learn fron the progressive economic initiatives that arise from su tainable applications and responsible business practices. Irvine-Halliday’s vision of efficient lighting in impove ished communities has helped realize a potential for envi ronmental and social reform in these underdeveloped areas. With the continued application of sustainable eco nomics, it is hoped that one day both First and Thirg World countries will reap the benefits of LUTW’s pro gressive development initiatives.