Looking for some great eco-friendly ways to light up your porch, deck, or patio this fall?
How does making your own solar powered lantern for less than $10 sound?
Yeah, it sounds GREAT to me too!
As the weather begins to cool down and the football season revs up, many of us will soon be spending more time outdoors.
To make sure you’re the coolest, greenest, most rock star cat at your own green fall cookout, check out the following 3 (not just 1) simple DIY lanterns. Two of them are solar powered.
$3 LED Tea Light Lantern
I first got the idea for this post when I saw the plans for this super easy, simple, and inexpensive mason jar LED lantern over at ShakYard.
While the plan looks like a great idea and it is a greener option, it’s also pretty wasteful as well.
Do to the simplicity of the idea (as you can see from the pic), the battery of each light is wasted rather quickly, as one commenter on those plans already mentioned.
That said, if you would like a quick, easy, temporary lighting solution, this idea may still be the way to go. Just note that it seems to give more of a tea light effect, rather than a lot of light.
$10 DIY Solar Powered SunJar
Many people have seen the original SunJar by Tobias Wong. Sure, it looks great, but who has the cash to drop $50 per light?
Not me, that’s for sure. Neither did Megan at NotMartha.org.
In fact, she went ahead and made her own for about $10!
Check out her solar powered frosted lantern tutorial, complete with very detailed instructions and pictures.
Note that the picture at the top of the post is how her finished product looks. It was also worthy enough to be featured in ReadyMade Magazine last year.
Ultimate DIY Solar Powered SunJar
As you can see from the pic, that last option may still not give you the accent lighting that you’re looking for.
If that be the case, check out the mack daddy of all the DIY solar lantern plans at UnpluggedLiving.
Now I’m no electrician, so all the “ohms”, “miliamps” and other technical jargon in those instructions kind of scare me, but after taking a second look, I think any DIYer could pull off that build.
I also don’t know what electrical materials (like resistors, etc) cost, but I’m betting this build is around $10 as well.
Best Option: Put ‘Em All Together!
I think the best option is to use the ultimate solar lantern electrical plans with the frosted glass container idea from the $10 DIY solar SunJar idea and BOOM… you’ve got some sexy, simple, eco-friendly lighting for your porch, patio, and deck.
Let the entertaining begin!
Have you found any other great outdoor solar lighting options or DIY ideas that you care to share?
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.
