Green Business
of the Week

SunNight Solar and BoGo Lights

NASA, the Department of Energy, and a bunch of scientists at universities around the country developed them. The Rockefeller Foundation helped pay for the research. And one businessman named Mark Bent has been getting them out to the people who need them around the word, from soldiers in Afghanistan to children in refugee camps in Africa. What are they? Flashlights.

Of course BoGo lights are not your ordinary flashlights. They have LED bulbs and special technology to make their light stronger so that they can function as lamps. They are powered by three rechargeable AA batteries. And those batteries recharge with solar power. A day in the sun gives a BOGO owner a night in the light. The batteries last 3 to 5 years, and the sturdy flashlight lasts twenty.

Mark Bent--one-time Marine, diplomat and oilman--spent a lot of time in Africa. While he was there, he realized just how many people in the world have no light at night. Women who are supporting their families by sewing have to stop at sunset. Girls who should be studying spend hours gathering firewood for illumination, also worsening deforestation. Kids can do their homework after the sun goes down only by the light of kerosene lamps that pollute the air in their homes. "It was just amazing to me that two billion people on the Earth don't have light at night," says Bent.

Those people include a lot of the U. S. military. Standard-issue flashlights are plentiful, but batteries are sometimes impossible to find. One soldier said, “My team and I are currently stationed in Iraq on a forward operating base that does not have street lamps or significant illumination. It is pointedly called the "Dark Side" of FOB Warrior. We have to use flashlights for everything (especially bathroom... port-a-johns have spiders and scorpions). It's a real pain burning through all the batteries too. Such a waste when we get 12 hours of blazing sunshine everyday! I haven't seen clouds in months!”

Mark Bent’s scheme to distribute the flashlights is as ingenious as the light itself. Bent’s company, SunNight Solar, sells the lights for $39.99 each. For each light purchased, SunNight gives another to a not-for-profit organization to distribute. The price also includes a little cash to help the organization pay for the distribution. And you can choose where you want your BoGo to go.

If you were to buy a BoGo for, say, a holiday gift, your giftee would unwrap a cool looking flashlight that would be handy for camping, emergencies, or just everyday use. They wouldn’t have to spend a dime on batteries. And somewhere in the world, someone would be able to light up the corner where they live.

For more information, go to bogolight.com. If you order a Bogo before December 17th, it will arrive before Christmas.