Bringing light where there is no power - using coke bottles, water & bleach

In a great piece of sustainable design, a Philippines charity is installing power-free “lightbulbs” made of empty Coke bottles across the shanty towns of Manilla.

The plastic litre bottles are filled with a mix of water and bleach, then stuck in the tin roof of these off-the-grid homes. They provide the light equivalent of a 60 watt bulb, and last for five years before the water needs replacing.

You can see a video about the idea here. Thanks to Fast Company for the story - we read it first here. 

Crowd-sourcing the perfect coffee cup

Fast Company brought this to my attention: Betacup is a U.S. start-up aiming to revolutionize the design and materials of the ubiquitous take-out coffee cup. Their objective is (presumably) profit as well as sustainability, and they’re crowd-sourcing the creative and industrial design process. It’s the “Your Country, Your Call” for the caffeinated set!