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Let’s face it, those of us in the developed western world are selfish capitalists.
SunNight Solar understands and harnesses that selfishness to do some good with their solar powered BoGo (Buy One, GIVE One) flashlights.
Read on to see how you can help give light to the darkness of Haiti.
Co-founder and president of CoolPeopleCare (as well as a good friend of mine), Sam Davidson, first tipped me off to the BoGo Haiti program.
It’s no secret that I already love what SunNight Solar is doing with their BoGo Light program, but this has got to be one of the best uses of capitalism that I’ve ever seen…and it’s almost as easy as the Red Cross’s Haiti texting donations.
Sam describes the Haiti BoGo program best,
Now, when you buy a cool flashlight for yourself, another one is sent to Haiti through the Clinton Global Initiative Light Haiti Project. While power remains out nearly everywhere in Haiti, a flashlight can do a lot when it comes to relief work. The delivery of your flashlight will be delayed so that the one being sent to Haiti can be prioritized. But maybe that’s the point anyway, right?
The BoGo lights available to donate via the Light Haiti Project are the MiniBoGo Light ($29.99) and the SN2 ($59.99).
Why Haiti (besides the 7.0 Earthquake)?
SunNight Solar says:
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country’s widespread deforestation. More than 85% of the population lacks access electricity, again, the lowest coverage of electricity in the Western Hemisphere
If you feel so inclined, consider a BoGo light (or maybe even a few of them – you can give both of them if you want) for yourself and for someone in Haiti. If you don’t feel moved in that direction, that’s perfectly fine, you’re not a bad person. Maybe you should see if you could help out one of your neighbors instead.
FeedingAmerica.org says, “In 2008, 49.1 million (16.4%) Americans lived in food insecure households compared to 36.2 million (12.2%) in 2007.”
It doesn’t take much to make a difference in the world, and it doesn’t matter whether that means helping someone on the other side of the world or on the other side of the street.
I think every little step toward living green is an awesome one… but eco-snobbery sucks! My goal is to help newbies learn the most important steps toward living green — individually and collectively. Personally, I strive to have as little impact as possible on Planet Earth while I'm here.
