Lighten Up Your Night: MPowered Inflatable Light
The Luci Light Charges From The Sun And Is Totally Kerosene-Free, Not To Mention It Is Lightweight, Portable, Waterproof And Very Bright
Hurricane Sandy is one of the most expensive storms to ever hit the United States. New York City was basically shut down. The power was out for millions, almost all the subways were completely submerged in water, and the city that never sleeps was put to bed. “Even though we lived in one of the most modern well known cities in the world, half of New York City was effectively in energy poverty,” explains John Salzinger, Co-Founder of MPOWERD. “For several days the city was submerged and it took days for power to come back on. It was a real taste of what it must be like for so many around the world.” For a Native New Yorker like Salzinger, this must have been an eye-opening experience.
Luckily for Salzinger he had a product that he helped create - Luci. Luci is an inflatable solar light that charges with the sun and gives off light at night. About 7 hours of direct sunlight is what it takes to fully charge its lithium ion battery and then it can last up to 18 hours. The company says if you use the battery up every day, “you’ll get about 1-2 years of use out of just one Luci.” If it isn’t used all the time - it can last for up to 7 years. Salzinger was able to use the product during a situation where it was necessary. “I was able to make it up and down my stairs safely, I was able to read, I was able to have a conversation while looking someone in the eyes at night. I felt safe and could find my way to garner help should it become necessary,” he recalls.
This type of experience is what influenced Salzinger to create Luci and MPOWERD in the first place. “I took a trip after the devastating earthquake in Haiti five or so years ago,” he recalls, “I traveled to see what we could do to assist and what we found there was shocking.” He was taught by his parents to always help when you see “adversity, suffering, poverty, or people in pain.” He realized he had a responsibility, as a good person, to help and “For the first time I realized I was born on the right side of the coin. I was lucky,” he says. That is how he started the company MPOWERD and created a “quality, safe, reliable, clean energy product.”
Indeed, the MPOWERD website, with all sorts of interesting Luci lights - colors, candle-like, and more - also has a whole section devoted to the impact the light has had on people around the world. According the website, over 1.2 million people have been affected in 90 different countries, by the light. There is an option to donate the light to someone without electricity and there are inspiring stories from all over the world included - so one is able to get a personal story to the cause. For example in Nepal - there is a story of two kids and their association with Luci: “Rakesh and Sunil are students at Mangalabhairab Primary School. As the rambunctious younger brother, Sunil loves using Luci in unique ways, like picking the vegetables out of his dinner. Rakesh is just happy he doesn't have to fight Sunil over light for homework and going to the bathroom.”
Salzinger explains that his product is unique in that it is “lightweight, portable, waterproof, bright and clean.” Clean is especially important to him as he hopes to reach more underserved communities “to replace dirty forms of energy like Kerosene.” In the world, there are 1.2 billion people without electricity. Governments of developing countries often subsidize kerosene as a relatively safe fuel for people to have light and other basic necessities. The World Health Organization states that “almost half of all African households surveyed rely on highly-polluting kerosene lamps.” This may not seem like such a big deal, but that is millions of households that are burning kerosene, both polluting the earth and polluting their bodies with the fumes. These kinds of statistics, along with Salzinger’s personal experiences, are the driving force behind the company's goals.
Just because the goal is to create a necessary product for people all over the world - light - doesn’t mean it has to be boring. “We want beautiful, reliable and functional products to better people’s lives,” explains Salzinger. They have mood lights that can be set in a room after dark - violet, sky color, mint, etc- and they also have one that can be the light of the party, so to speak - it changes to 8 vibrant colors. All of the products, though, follow the same simple process. It charges in the sun and then is inflated and used indoors or at night.
It is with these products and these hopes that MPOWERD hopes to create more products that can be used by anyone who desires light. And Salzinger thinks this can be everybody. “You literally blow life into the light and have clean bright light from an endless resource - the sun!”
Andrew Malo
A graduate of Northeastern Illinois University in Education, Andrew has taught for the past decade in Chicago, New Mexico, and Japan. He enjoys tinkering with trucks and motorcycles, woodworking, reading and computer programming.
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MPowered Inflatable Light, also known as Luci Solar Light, taps into a source of light that’s limitless and readily available to everyone on our planet — the sun. Perfect for outdoor camping adventures, backyard parties or just everyday living.