Both President Hamid Karzai and President Barack Obama have made it clear: the obstacles facing Afghanistan demand a new way of thinking about the challenges which face us, as well as changes in the management, resources and focus of assistance to the people of Afghanistan. A light bulb in every kitchen, as well as lights in police stations and in medical clinics, will transform the night and change Afghanistan – from the bottom up. The SNS BoGo Lights allow people to take greater control of their own lives – whether it is going to the latrine at night, reading to their children (or having their children read to them!), or doing some extra work to increase their income. For them, as it is for us, lighting is empowerment.

A recent U.S. National Defense University paper states: Providing lighting to every Afghan house, school and business would have an enormous impact. It’s what people say they want most, and one former Afghan cabinet minister described a light in every Afghan kitchen as being the most transformational single thing that could be done.

We are in a race against time to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan population. A number of senior officials, both civilian and military, Afghan and American, have noted that the next twelve to eighteen months are critical. The following points, taken from US policy papers and the Afghanistan National Development Strategy, define the challenges; and we have commented on the impact lighting can have on these challenges.

• The Afghan Central Government and the US/NATO allies suffer a lack of trust and credibility among the population and we must begin to win their confidence and persuade them we are there to help them.

Afghan Ministries, non-governmental organizations, Provincial Reconstruction Teams and the US military forward operating bases can distribute lights directly to their local communities. Lights can also be provided to the population via village councils – all politics are local and, as General McChrystal has noted, this is a retail war. There is no other item we can provide to people in the developing world with a more immediate, personal and more lasting impact then giving them light. When people say they want electricity, they want light more than anything else a grid brings. The local communities will be appreciative and that appreciation will be long-lived, as the SNS BoGo Lights last for years prior to simple battery replacement, then more years with the fresh batteries. (BoGo Lights can last for as long as twenty years.) This is winning hearts and minds on a bottom-up, very personal basis. Distribution can be locale specific; direct donation in most cases, meeting set goals in other areas or working with new or existing NGO or USAID programs related to education, health, or economic development, or as part of a micro-enterprise development effort.

• We must increase the effectiveness of the local police and security forces.

There are a number of reports which indicate that the enemy has old-fashioned flashlights, but the Afghan police, the Afghan Army and the recently commissioned Afghan Public Protection Force do not. Conceding the night to the enemy, giving the enemy both maneuver and surprise, can be greatly negated with hand held lighting carried by our allies. SNS proposes to equip the police, army and local security forces with BoGo Lights – a flashlight that is superior to that used by the enemy. With most IEDs being placed at night, having patrols with BoGo Lights will limit the enemy’s ability to deploy these devices. Equipping the local security forces with the ability to light the night will also reduce the incidence of common criminal activity and increase the population’s safety and security.

• We must provide assistance to farmers, weaning them away from the opium trade.

There is considerable evidence that farmers experience many benefits from lighting. With lighting, they can, for example, repair tools, prepare seedlings, keep records, move to farm land before daybreak and after the sun sets, and operate irrigation systems at night. And, they can assist in the birthing of livestock at night, resulting in more live births. All of this has huge, positive impacts on agriculture and on the life of farmers, a critical goal in Afghanistan where 70 percent of the population resides in rural areas. A recent news article reported that, in the high summer heat in the southern provinces, many farmers worked in the evenings and at night; equipping them with light would increase the productivity of their labor, and their safety.

• We must deal with the issue of health – Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for a women to bear a child, among other health issues.

In Africa and elsewhere, BoGo Lights are frequently used to assist in births and medical emergences at night. They are also used as back up lighting at clinics and hospitals when the grid fails or the generator is inoperative or out of fuel.

• We must deal with the issue of corruption and the perception of corruption.

Distributing lights to create a lighting infrastructure, instead of distributing money for infrastructure projects, greatly reduces the opportunities for graft and corruption, especially if Americans are passing lights out directly to their local communities. There is also no need for training or outside technical experts, further reducing the expense of standard assistance programs.

• We must deal with the issue of gender inequality.

BoGo Lights replace kerosene and natural gas lighting, eliminating the fumes from these sources. Women suffer disproportionately from the inhalation of kerosene fumes due to in-home labors. According to the WHO, globally, 1.6 million people die each year from bio-mass inhalation. Also, BoGo Lights expand women’s educational opportunities by facilitating home study. Because many women lose their lives when forced to give birth in darkness, BoGo Lights save lives, both mother and child.

• We must deal with the lack of education. With 44 percent of the population under 14 years of age, and half the schools in the county closed, this is a huge challenge.

Education is greatly enhanced by lighting; of all the benefits, education is most commonly cited as the number one benefit of lighting. In many cases, children cannot read during the day due to field or cottage industry labor and night is the only chance to read. Kerosene or natural gas lighting is too expensive and illiteracy is perpetuated. Our lights are perfect study lights, and many students can read with only one light in its room illumination mode, and we have many testimonials from around the world.

• We must build up the local village councils. Both the Soviets and the Taliban marginalized these groups and they are the keystone to long term stability.

Supplying lights to the local village councils empowers them and allows them to control the night, not giving it by default to the Taliban. Giving the local leadership lights allows them to better take care of their local consistencies and demonstrates their care and concern, as well as that of the Afghan government and the US/NATO allies.

• We must provide real economic assistance.

With light, cottage industries and small shops can stay open later, allowing for greater income. In Africa, Coca-Cola experiences, on average, a 30% increase in sales when a kiosk receives lighting. This has a huge impact. With BoGo Lights providing additional hours for weaving, the carpet industry in Afghanistan could immediately expand. BoGo Lights also make it possible for small shops, restaurants, etc. to stay open longer, increasing income and community.

• We must deal with internally displaced communities.

Lighting is invaluable in refugee camps. SNS has worked closely with the UNHCR, which purchased 10,000 BoGo Lights last year for Dufar alone. Lighting, particularly, greatly increases the safety and security of women in camps.

• We must work better together, military and civilian, Afghan and American, as well as with our international partners.

Light is something everyone understands and can support – military and civilian, American or NATO ally.

• We must counter the enemy’s propaganda.

Placing the message “Gift from the American People” on a BoGo Light helps counter the enemy’s propaganda claims of US disregard for the population. Likewise, identifying the Ministry of Health or the Ministry for Rural Development, for example, as the supplier of lights, will create the same feelings of gratitude. It is hard to not appreciate a light, and the people who provided it to you, when it transforms your life in such a positive manner. Other messages or slogans in the local languages can be placed on the BoGo Lights, using the lights as portable billboards. Also, small booklets, in the local languages, describing American values and our goals in Afghanistan, could be distributed with the lights.

• We must put programs in place which have a clear and demonstrable benefit to the Afghan people, showing the media, Congress and the American people we are taking action.

Providing BoGo Lights will be popular in the international media and with the American and Afghan population – everyone can understand and support lighting the night – creating a favorable reflection on the Afghan government and the US/NATO allies. One of the reasons SunNight Solar and our BoGo Lights have received so much publicity is that the stories of the impact of these lights are so personal, accessible, dramatic and positive. Tens of thousands of BoGo Lights have been purchased by Americans to be given as gifts to people in developing countries who need light. More tens of thousands of BoGo Lights have been purchased by humanitarian organizations and NGO’s for people in the developing countries who need light. The favorable publicity BoGo Lights will generate for Afghanistan will build on a well-established foundation of other favorable stories and reports.

As an example of attention to this area, attached as Appendix A is a recent article written by Congressman Steve Israel and Dr. Isobel Coleman, of the US Council on Foreign Relations, on off grid lighting.

Perhaps the best summary of what BoGo Lights can do appeared in an editorial in the New York Times about SunNight Solar:

May 25, 2007

Lighting the Way

Sometimes thinking small can get things done. To bring artificial light to an isolated village or refugee camp could require building an enormous hydroelectric dam, followed by laying hundreds of miles of cable. Or it could take the donation of a $10 solar flashlight.

As Will Connors and Ralph Blumenthal reported in The Times recently, the entrepreneur Mark Bent, through his company SunNight Solar, has developed and manufactured a solar-powered flashlight that gives up to seven hours of light, before recharging, and can last close to three years between battery replacements. The flashlight retails for around $20 in American stores, but corporate donors have gotten them for aid groups at half the price, a deep discount but still a profit for Mr. Bent.

One might be tempted to ask what’s the big deal about a flashlight? In America they often sit under car seats for years without being used, or are the object of fruitless searching when the power goes out.

Artificial light is among the easiest things for people in the developed world to take for granted. But to those living off the grid — a number approaching 2 billion people worldwide — access to a safe, affordable source of light can be life-changing. The productive day stretches past sunset to allow students to do schoolwork or small vendors to extend their selling hours. Light means added safety, whether at home or traveling alone, particularly for women. As a replacement for kerosene and wood fires, the flashlights are a boon for the environment.

As technologies advance, people in wealthy countries carry ever smaller computers in knapsacks and phones in their pockets. But the same advances bring simple, rugged technologies like the solar torch within reach of the poor. The brightest minds shouldn’t be afraid to think incrementally. Often that’s where you find the best results.

####

What is needed now is for the many parties working for the good of Afghanistan to embrace the role of lighting in making a positive impact on the lives of the Afghan people and to make a commitment to immediate action to realize this vision. Specifically, what is needed is the

• engagement of the NGO community in developing these concepts and incorporating BoGo Lights into their existing programs, and into new programs;
• incorporation of the distribution of BoGo Lights into the US/NATO military strategy and tactical operations;
• incorporation of BoGo Lights into the USAID health, education, economic development, women’s empowerment, housing and other programs;
• endorsement and engagement of the Afghan government in developing and defining their needs for BoGo Lights and their distribution plans, and communicating those needs to the US/NATO allies, to the NGO community and to the people of the world, especially the American people; and
• greater publicity on the availability of a lighting solution that can have an immediate, positive impact on the Afghan people that will help the US/NATO allies and the Afghan government achieve their common goals for a peaceful, more prosperous, more stable Afghanistan.

This position paper has been prepared by SunNight Solar Enterprises LLC, Houston, Texas, as of August 17, 2009.

Rep. Steve Israel & Dr. Isobel Coleman

13 July 2009

Roll Back the Darkness in a Sustainable, Cost Effective Way

Imagine a U.S. development program that can dramatically improve global health — even saving 4,000 lives a day. It can significantly reduce violence against women. It can help combat the effects of climate change. It can enable millions of poor girls to attend school. It can help the world’s poorest save and earn more money. And these results can be achieved with relatively small amounts of money in some of the most unstable places like Pakistan and Somalia, where results are most needed.

We are talking about deploying small-scale solar devices through microfinance projects designed to empower woman as small business leaders. Funding solar villages can help meet the basic energy needs of the more than 3 billion people in the world with no reliable access to electricity and be one of the highest returns on investment for U.S. development assistance.

Every day, tens of thousands of people are burned by kerosene lamps. Not only are these lamps dangerous and dirty, they are expensive and provide poor lighting, which destroys eyesight. Solar-powered lanterns can replace the kerosene that billions of poor families rely on to light their homes. Most importantly, solar-powered lanterns and the hours of light they provide bring hours of increased safety and security for communities in dangerous areas. LED lanterns can even double as chargers to power up electrical devices. In terms of cost-effectiveness, an LED lantern pays for itself in less than a year.

Just a few years ago in rural India, a small group of women transformed their lives and their village with a small stock of solar lanterns. The housewives-turned-entrepreneurs sold solar and other renewable energy products; their main income generator was portable solar lamp rentals, which provided eight hours of light to families who rented the lanterns. The women turned a profit, improved their village, and demonstrated the demand for these devices in remote areas. Their success was made possible with a small grant from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a Department of Energy lab located in Colorado.

This is exactly the type of smart program we need to help recreate around the developing world. Other solar devices, such as solar cookers, can reduce the devastating environmental impact of chopping down trees to provide fuel for fires. The resulting deforestation leads to severe flooding and ruined soil quality. Leading climate scientists also contend that black soot from cooking stoves across the developing world is contributing as much as 18% of the planet’s warming. The dangerous toxins from the cookers also cause respiratory illnesses which lead to 1.6 million deaths each year — more than the number who die annually from malaria. Solar devices can be a cost-effective way to slow global warming and save lives. And we’re giving people sustainable ways to improve their own lives, by owning businesses that create wealth.

Humanitarian aid and microfinance organizations have been among the first to embrace small-scale solar devices. Solar lanterns are providing increased security for communities. Solar-powered water-purification systems are providing clean drinking water to refugees. Camps in Sudan, Chad, and Nepal have all begun using solar devices and the results so far have been overwhelmingly positive.

One of the smartest foreign assistance initiatives the United States could undertake is to jump-start these promising solar-powered efforts around the world. There is currently a bill pending in Congress (sponsored by Congressman Israel) to help authorize five years’ worth of funding starting with an initial $10 million investment in the deployment of these devices to the developing world, and another $90 million investment over the next four years to bring commercially viable and affordable renewable energy options to the world’s poorest through microfinance programs targeted at empowering women. The House of Representatives has committed to the initial $10 million investment. If passed, this bill could create a long-standing program to provide financing for millions of LED lanterns to be distributed through microfinance organizations, as well as the development of next-generation solar cookers. It would also be a game-changer for U.S. businesses working to develop solar technology, providing them with new demand and competition to spur research and development.

Going green is no longer simply a luxury for wealthy countries. As these simple solar tools show us, exactly the opposite is true. People in impoverished, resource-scarce, conflict-ridden areas need renewable energy more than anyone. We now have the technology to light up the darkness in cost-effective, sustainable ways. Funding these innovations should be a priority for U.S. foreign assistance.

Congressman Steve Israel represents New York’s 2nd Congressional District. Isobel Coleman is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and directs the Council’s Women and Foreign Policy program.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The War July 23, 2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When it comes to cold, I am pretty darn stoic. When it gets down in the 40’s and we don’t have heaters here, I am widely admired for how I handle the temperature. I’ve found that yelling `I’m dying of the cold, and no one CARES’ a dozen or so times a day does WONDERS for office morale. I’ve discovered that wearing a hoodie with the hood up under a winter coat is a wonderfully inviting image for impressionable young people who are nervous about college. Last week, when I could see my breath as I walked to the office, the joyful noises that came almost unbidden from my lips were probably an inspiration to all. It is so good to be an inspiration. But I would trade being a role model to be warm. Tabitha has had a tough life. Her father died when she was two years old.  Her mother has AIDS. She has lived in a rented one room shack without power or water her whole life. No one can quite explain her sweetness of spirit, her brilliant mind, or her determination. There was a missionary couple who hired her to work for them, and they invested heavily into her. The Howorths came to me and asked me to help her with studying in the United States. I told them that she needed to take the SAT. Many Kenyans desire to study in the US, and the SAT proves to be their undoing. Tabitha would get up at 4am and study with a solar flashlight we gave her. She did well enough that I began to contact colleges on her behalf. Warren Wilson College accepted her, and gave her a generous scholarship, but we were still 7k short. Before we had a chance to ask, an old friend wrote to us and said that he and his wife would provide the monies. A friend and colleague from Darlington School collected all sorts of great items for her to have. The Howorths wanted to provide her airline ticket. My sister and husband live fairly close, and offered to house her before school began. She needed a passport. It should be a fairly easy process. You submit paperwork and pay your substantial fee, and it should be done. But Tabitha went to the passport office many many times and always got discouraging news. She actually had someone say `I never have had an opportunity like that; why should you?’ After 20 visits, each of which cost her a day of work and car fare, she was no closer. I poured out my frustration to RVA’s accountant, who is a wonderful Kenyan man with many connections. He put us in touch with one woman at the office who offered to help. It took three more times, but 23 trips later, Tabitha has her passport. The only other hurdle was to get her student visa. Since I have taken dozens of RVA students through the process in the last five years, I was pretty confident that it wouldn’t be a problem. We had all the paperwork, and we had paid all the substantial fees. We made an appointment and went to the Embassy. Our appointment was scheduled for 8am. We arrived at 7:30 am and after waiting outside in the rain with hundreds of other people with appointments, we got through security and she went to the first stage of the process, where they make sure you have paid your fees and have all the appropriate paperwork. And she was rejected. The woman behind the counter threw her passport at her and told her to leave. She was rejected because she did not have a residential address. She has a PO Box. Like 90% of all Kenyans. I am not often at a loss for words, but I had nothing to say as we left. We drove straight to the Kijabe post office and asked them for a residential address. They informed us that there were no residential addresses in Kijabe- only PO boxes. I didn’t know what to do. Tabitha’s sponsor wrote and asked what had happened, and I informed her of the rejection. She had an upper level government contact who wrote and asked what had happened. Tabitha was rejected on a Thursday. The government contact wrote to me on Friday. On Tuesday, I received a call from the US Embassy inviting Tabitha to come to the Embassy on Wednesday for another appointment. This time, they didn’t keep her waiting. They only asked one question: Where did you hear about Warren Wilson College? She was granted her visa on Wednesday. She is perhaps the most excited person on the planet, which makes me realize how much I took my own education for granted. But I hurt for all the qualified candidates who have done everything right and get rejected for no good reason. It is a reminder that we are in a war. There isn’t any easy ground to take anymore. Everything is a fight, and nothing is easy. Most of the schools ran out of food last week. I got frantic calls from headmasters, but we just didn’t have any money left to buy additional food. What is happening is this: around 11 am, students leave school to go search and beg for food. I have been told that I’m not direct enough, so let me say it as clear as I can. We need more money to buy more food.  I understand the horrible economy in the US, and please don’t give unless you are supposed to. But if you are supposed to, please give. We are way under the monies we need for the September through November term. The guilt and disappointment I’ve felt in the past few weeks have been enormous. If only I was a better fund raiser; if only I was a better speaker, if only… But He has done so many things to encourage us in the past few weeks. RVA has a yearbook, and each year they dedicate the yearbook to a staff couple. On the night they presented the yearbook, I was leaning over to Nancy and telling her that I’d hoped my friend Wally and his wife would be chosen. They announced our name. We were so surprised (I was; Nancy had figured it out) and so blessed to have the students pick us. We didn’t deserve it, but we so appreciated it. And the picture of me dancing in the yearbook will again be an inspiration to all who see it. I was sitting in a computer center last week, and I was as tired and discouraged as I could remember. I had a little girl tell me her dream was to own a pair of shoes. The class came in, and suddenly I was watching kids without shoes learn how to query a database. It was so exciting and so encouraging; the progress they are making is so exhilarating. It struck me that I’m in a war, and spend much of my time getting the crud kicked out of me. But watching those kids get a fairly difficult lesson was like a year of being beat up and then standing up and hitting the bully right in the mouth. Every once in awhile, we get to hit back, if we realize we are in a war. I was at Njira Primary School today, which is the most remote school we provide food for. They were out of food, but I knew they had been given enough to make it through the term. I was suspecting theft, but then I discovered that  there were two schools nearby that did not receive food… and Njira had shared their food with these other schools. Somehow, in the war, that had to really hurt the other side. Your pal s PS. Our latest video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGzeBlQFsWQ

The Peifer’s Quick Links… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our Website View Steve’s CNN Hero Video on YouTube Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Steve and Nancy Peifer Rift Valley Academy PO Box 80 Kijabe, Kenya 00220 Mission: AIM PO Box 178 Pearl River, NY 10965 Home Number: 011-254-20-3246-458 Office Number: 011-254-20-3246-170 Steve’s Cell: 011-254-0734-124292 Nancy’s Cell: 011-254-0734-124291 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

July 22, 2009

Dear Friends:

Thank you very much for your interest in and support of SunNight Solar and our BoGo Lights.  One of the many great benefits of overseeing the growth of this company and impact we bring to the world is the opportunity to interact, exchange comments and become friends with so many of our wonderful customers. The phrase ‘we cannot do it without you’ might be overused in our culture, but here at SunNight Solar, the customers truly are the foundation of everything we are able to accomplish as we work together to light the night for hundreds of thousands of people around the globe.

We want to increase our connection between our customers and our team here in Houston and one of the ways we are going to reach out to you is in a monthly e-mail. What we hope to do is to engage you in a dialogue as we seek to increase our reach and impact.  We do not have all of the answers (or resources) in trying to replace kerosene lantern or candles as the source of home lighting for much of the developing world and the old fashioned single use disposable battery flashlights in the developed countries, and we seek your input. When it comes to light, we want to impact every single person on the planet, and hope that we can join together in that mission.  I look forward to this journey as we share ideas, create initiatives and continue to change the world via our collaborative efforts.

You will find below some updates and on some of our activities.  In some cases, you will also see a call for help, where we are particularly missing something,  and are seeking your assistance. We really appreciate your consideration in helping us to change the world through lighting.

Lighting Afghanistan – As I am sure they do for everyone, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan weigh heavily on my heart and we at SunNight Solar are doing our best to support both our fellow Americans and reach out to the civilians impacted by the fighting. As a Marine and US Diplomat, I saw wars up close and personal in Somalia, Iraq, Bosnia, Angola, Liberia and elsewhere and, like everyone who has been to war, it has impacted me in many ways and created a strong desire for peace. I know there are just wars, but just or not, the pain, death, suffering and loss are terrifyingly real – and it is primarily civilians who are affected. We cannot do much from here, but we can get them light, and that is what we are attempting to accomplish.

The military’s new policy in Afghanistan is to focus on direct development and to win the confidence of the people – and lighting with BoGo Lights is a quick, economical and sustainable way to have a beneficial impact on the civilian population, more than 90 percent of whom are off the electrical grid. A statement attributed to a former Afghan Minister tells the story perfectly: “There would be nothing more transformational to Afghanistan than a light in every kitchen.” The BoGo-2 Light is that light; it is, as Time Magazine once called it, “a portable light bulb.”

We are knocking on every door we can find in Washington to tell them how we see the place that the BoGo Lights could play in improving the situation in Afghanistan – and to do so quickly and economically.  But, we’re having a hard getting our message across.  We would welcome any efforts you could make to help get the message through to Washington; maybe, together, we can “light a path” to an improved situation in Afghanistan.  Also, any suggestions would be most welcome, and you can send them to info@sunnightsolar.com.

New Products. We currently have the BoGo-2 Light in production, and will soon be introducing two new products and a new version of the BoGo-1 Light.

In the fourth quarter of 2009, our product line will include the Mini-BoGo; and the BoGo-1, -2, and -3.  The two dramatically new lights are the Mini-BoGo and the BoGo-3.  The BoGo-3 has the task and room illumination features of the BoGo-2 plus a universal jack for charging cell phones or other small electrical devices.  An hour of sun will provide 15-40 minutes of gadget use.  Popular Science is featuring the BoGo-3 in their July issue, and you can find it at
http://www.popsci.com/gear-amp-gadgets/gallery/2009-06/gallery-apocalypse-now.

The other new product is the Mini-Bogo, a really wonderful, smaller light (about 6” tall), which we built after listening to groups such as World Vision, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and International Relief and Development.  They described their need for a small, low priced, effective and sustainable product for large scale distribution for post-disaster relief, refugee camps and AIDS caregiver kits. In these cases, room illumination as provided by the BoGo-2 is not as vital as getting lots of lights to lots of people. By taking advantage of recent improvements in LED illumination, the Mini-BoGo’s one, very powerful high white LED will illuminate an area equivalent to an open double page newspaper to western standards of illumination. This is more powerful that our early SL-1 lights!  The Mini-BoGo will be great for students to read at night and for all of the other reasons light is valued in the developing world.  In the developed world, the Mini-Bogo will simply be a wonderfully simple, straightforward and powerful flashlight.

Finally, the BoGo-1, known to many of you as the SL-1 or SN-1 BoGo Light, will be re-introduced in the fourth quarter to incorporate recent advances in LED technology.  It will continue to be a first-class, robust flashlight with a strong task light feature.

Summer Sale. At the end of June, we launched our Summer Sale on the BoGo-2, and we will continue the sale through August 15 (and may extend it further).  The response to date has been good.  This is the first time we have offered colors other than our standard orange and pink. Blue and orange are tied for most popular color; yellow, red, green and pink share a pretty distant second place.  The Summer Sale price for light is $25.99, a savings of $13.00 from the standard price. Please click here to transfer to the store to take advantage of this tremendous saving.  And, please remember: the Summer Sale lights are made to order and the delivery lead time is 6-8 weeks.

July Partner Spotlight each month we will focus on one of our non-profit partners and this month, we are looking at the Denver-based Elephant Energy, which is active in Namibia.  My thanks to Doug Vilsack for writing the following for our newsletter:

ELEPHANT ENERGY IN NAMIBIA

Someone shouted - I’m not sure who - and we all stopped walking and looked up into the eyes of the cobra.  It stood and flared its hood for a moment in the beam of my SL2 BoGo Light before slipping into the leaves beside our house on the banks of the Zambezi River.  We were lucky to have a BoGo Light that evening, but the people of the Caprivi Region of Namibia were luckier still.  Through the support of SunNight Solar, we had 250 more lights in our backpacks, the start of Elephant Energy’s (www.elephantenergy.org) program to funnel funds from wildlife tourism into renewable energy projects that benefit rural African communities.  My BoGo Light spared us from a few weeks in the hospital.  The 250 lights in our bags, and many more to come, will spare those living in remote villages from a far worse fate.  Stumbling into a few of the region’s 60,000 elephants at night is not uncommon and there is no cure for one of these encounters.

Elephant Energy is fostering a partnership between elephants and rural communities that will light rural Africa.  Through the efforts of the WWF in Namibia, money from wildlife tourism now flows directly to rural communities through organizations called “Conservancies.”  Electrification is often the first project requested by Conservancy members, though this type of infrastructure is extremely expensive in remote areas.  The BoGo Light is the missing link in Namibia’s community-based conservation program.  The “Give One” lights that Elephant Energy receives through SunNight Solar’s “Buy One – Give One” program are distributed strategically for the purpose of educating communities about the benefits of small-scale renewable energy.  A BoGo Light can pay for itself in months due to savings in battery costs.  In addition, BoGo Lights provide farmers with a portable light source to use in protecting their fields (often their only source of food and income) from incursions by elephants in the night.  BoGo Lights provide a benefit that all Conservancy members can receive and an incentive not to shoot an elephant to make quick cash or to protect their crops.

–Doug Vilsack

Please CLICK HERE to participate in SunNight Solar’s “Buy One – Give One” program and donate your “Give One” light to Elephant Energy today!

Social Media and Web Exposure.  We are always interested in expanding our on-line presence. If you wish to link to us, blog about us or otherwise suggest a way to heighten our on-line presence, please send an e-mail to info@sunnightsolar.com. We are working on a new web presence that we hope to roll out by the end of July – so check back in August and let us know what you think of our new web site.  Please send your comments to info@sunnightsolar.com.

BoGo Stories and Photos. Please send us your BoGo stories and photos.  We will post them on our website.  The new website will have a special section for stories and photos.  Stories and photos from developed countries are equally welcome as stories from the developing world.  Please send your stories and photos to info@sunnightsolar.com.

New Commercial Affiliate Program. Want to earn money selling BoGo Lights or know someone who does?  We have launched our Commercial Affiliate Program that allows individuals and organizations to earn a commission on sales of BoGo Lights to customers that they refer to www.bogolight.com. This is intended for organizations or individuals to refer customers on a volume basis and, for SunNight Solar, is an effort to find more channels of distribution for our products. To learn more about the program or to sign up CLICK HERE.

“So much more to tell…” There are many other things going on at SunNight Solar.  We are working on some new distribution arrangements, and expanding our “Give One” program.  So, stay tuned – and let us hear from you.

Finally, please feel free to forward this newsletter.

All the best –

Mark

Much to the chagrin of my family I placed one of the lights in an upstairs bathroom and the other in a hallway.  As a result,  the use of regular “on-the-grid” lights overnight has been substantially reduced.  Whenever I go downstairs at night, to let the dog out, or any other reason, I take one of the lights with me, so I don’t have to turn on the kitchen lights, which even with CFL lamps still consumes 100watts from 6 lamps.  Our average bill is more than $260 monthly….and last month after extensive use of the Sn-2, and a lot of cutting back on power consumption in general, we went down to $206!   While it’s a small contribution to my efforts at reducing our electric bill, it is helping, and my wife and daughter recognize the impact because we’ve all discussed the amount of power we were using in those two areas prior to using the solar flashlights.  Is it a change, you bet, but I’m finding that just to use the restroom or check on a noise at night, you don’t need to bring down the western regional grid.

We are in the July issue of Popular Science - which is of course great news and we really appreciate the magazine featuring our lights.  The only issue is the variant they put on the site has been delayed in production and we will not have it until near the end of summer.

I am really sorry about this delay, however, we do not want to come to market until we have wrung the last bit of design and efficiency out of the prototype.  Please be assured we are pushing this and will make sure it comes to you as close to perfect as we can make them - like with all of our products.   The link is here for the photos from the magazine - http://www.popsci.com/gear-amp-gadgets/gallery/2009-06/gallery-apocalypse-now.

They do not show the full text on the link above, however, here it is:

“Apocalypse Now - Five Tools to Help You Survive Worst-Case Scenarios”

“Swine flu, nuclear tests, global warming - signs of impending doom abound.  Should the unthinkable happen, the smart survivalist has two options:  flee the planet or, for those of us who are not Richard Branson, stock up on gear that will meet your basic needs during Armageddon.  If the world does not end, you can always take your new gadgets camping.

Power - Grid down?  Plug in with the solar powered SN-3 flashlight.  While its bright LEDs shine, a universal jack charges your other electronic gear.  An hour of sun provides 15 to 40 minutes of gadget use.”

Mother Nature Network just did a nice story - see here  http://www.mnn.com/technology/research-innovations/stories/a-light-in-the-darkness#comment-470

Dear All,

We are in the process of working on some other solar related projects - please see this Discovery Channel episode on a device   -  a solar powered mosquito trap, killing the mosquito which causes malaria - which we are developing.

Best - Mark

http://watch.discoverychannel.ca/daily-planet/may-2009/daily-planet-may-27-2009/#clip177097

We are always pleasently surprised by all of the people who love BoGo lights and the desire to help spread the news about our lights and programs.   We are going to start a much greater outreach to the community of supportors - please check out http://bogolight.ning.com.  Please join and give us your ideas!

Best - Mark

Greetings,

I am really pleased and excited to launch our summer sale today.  The next few days will be busy as we continue to modify and develop our website and marketing campaign associated with this initiative.  I will blog later today or tomorrow on some of the background on this decision and our plans for the future.   As in everything we do, I look forward to interacting with our wonderful customers and supporters - please feel free to leave comments on our new look and our activities here at SunNight Solar.

Best - Mark