SunLight solar powered flashlights!

A few months ago, we saw a blog post on EcoGeek, one of the green blogs that we frequent regularly to keep up on green stuff, mentioning that SunLight was giving away their first 500 lights to those that wrote in and provided the reasons why they wanted to try one of their solar flashlights.

We asked to receive one so that we could test it out and then blog about it on this blog and my Raise a Green Dog blog. And share some alternative lighting sources with our readers on Green Dog.

The flashlight was developed with the assistance of the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program. It was supported by NASA and shaped by specific field work on prototypes in Africa in the harshest conditions by scientists from the US Department of Energy. And their entire project was funded by research grants from the Rockefeller Foundation. They say their flashlights are the next generation of portable, reliable and environmentally friendly lights for nightly use, for camping and outdoor activities, and a product which should be in every family’s emergency preparedness kit. And you know how important we think emergency kits are!

The company has developed several programs to aid in the distribution of these lights to those in need. Their programs include 'WarLights.' 'Lights For Good,' and 'BoGo Lights' - their Buy one/Give one - program which has successfully provided lights to many, many thousands of people in the developing world, changing lives because of purchases and participation.

So we've been trying it out, conserving our energy in the process, and we really like the light! We put it on our windowsill during the day, and then some nights we'll use it to light our kitchen/family room at night. It has two modes of operation, task light and room light. And we definitely plan on using it for those early morning and late night poos, and taking it with us in the car for agility trials. Now that the sun is coming up later and later, it will really come in handy.