Who invented liters

Can you imagine? Carmelinda, Moser's wife of 35 years, says her husband has always been very good at making things around the home, including some fine wooden beds and tables. But she's not the only one who admires his lamp invention.

MyShelter specialises in alternative construction, creating houses using sustainable or recycled materials such as bamboo, tyre and paper. Alfredo Moser is putting them on roofs.

Following the Moser method, MyShelter started making the lamps in June They now train people to create and install the bottles, in order to earn a small income.

In the Philippines, where a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line, and electricity is unusually expensive, the idea has really taken off, with Moser lamps now fitted in , homes. The idea has also caught on in about 15 other countries, from India and Bangladesh, to Tanzania, Argentina and Fiji.

Diaz says you can find Moser lamps in some remote island communities. People in poor areas are also able to grow food on small hydroponic farms, using the light provided by the bottle lamps, he says. Overall, Diaz estimates, one million people will have benefited from the lamps by the start of next year.

Did Moser himself imagine that his invention would have such an impact? The foundation operates in the Philippines where, according to data from the World Bank , The idea also has become very popular in more than 15 other countries, including India, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Kenya, Colombia and Fiji.

The high number of people who lack electricity service in the Philippines may surprise some. However, other countries have even less coverage, including South Sudan, where just 5.

Although electricity coverage in Latin America is much higher than that, there are still millions of people who live in the dark. In Haiti, for example, only That number rises for Nicaragua Now the project is crossing borders. Last October, it arrived in the Renca community in Chile, where it was received with open arms. And now, they are expanding into solar panels for community lighting.

Thanks to Liter of Light and a donation from a private company, 50 ecological lampposts, made from bamboo, PVC, wood and solar panels, have been installed in the community, improving the quality of life of local people and increasing their safety. There is no doubt that this socially innovative mechanism improves the lives of the most vulnerable people.

But, in some ways, it is no more than a Band-Aid for the problem of social exclusion in the poorest areas of many countries. Should governments make greater investments to expand the energy grid to poor regions, as part of the effort to promote more equitable development Or should they concentrate on innovative methods like this, which promote ecological sustainability? And, can governments help more Alfredo Mosers emerge by investing in quality public education that motivates and encourages creativity?

What is certain is that governments must continue to work for the social well-being of people, ensuring that basic human rights are afforded to everyone and that their needs are provided. And they must do so by seeking initiatives that can address inequality and contribute to effective development solutions, and by addressing the structural problems that exist with regard to accessing basic services. In any case, initiatives like these will always be welcome, because even if they are a Band-Aid, they can help transform and improve the lives of millions of people around the world, regardless of how much more there is still left to do.

Your email address will not be published. By then, other countries had begun to adopt it, usually in the wake of political upheavals of their own. By the midth century, meters, kilometers and milliliters were standard units nearly the world over.

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