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0 viewsInspired by recurring power outages and countless fires in informal settlements that disrupt the lives of many families every winter in South Africa, a group of high school pupils from Johannesburg developed an innovative source of light to replace candles and paraffin lamps.
Their concept won them the top prize in the Global Social Innovation Relay, earning them the title “Best Innovation 2012”. The young pioneers also won laptops provided by electronics company Hewlett Packard (HP).
The challenge was for high school pupils around the world to create new business concepts intended to have a positive social and environmental impact in their communities, culminating in the final announcement of the winners at an event in Brussels in July.
Team Emulsified Environmentalists, which consists of Lebogang Ledwaba, Kgotso Mothoa, Siphesihle Madlala, and Tessy Odiley from Sandtonview High School, developed the Emu-Lamp, a solar-powered lamp made from recycled cardboard and foil.
“The lamp absorbs light energy from the sun through the use of photovoltaic (PV) cells. The PV cells convert it into electricity, which is used to power the lamp,” explained Odiley.
Mothoa added, “The solar panels also work with artificial lighting. You can charge it for eight hours and the light will last for 100 hours. You don’t have to charge it every day. The solar panels have a life of 25 years.”
The relay, now its second year, was born out of a collaboration between HP and global youth skills development organisation Junior Achievement. Linda McClure, managing director of Junior Achievement South Africa, said they often come across incredible ideas from South African pupils.
“We would like to congratulate Emulsified Environmentalists for their win. They have made us very proud,” she said, adding that it is a great opportunity for the country to receive recognition.
The first and second runners-up were Team Flower and Egalite from China and Slovakia respectively. Team Flower developed a programme that trains young volunteers to work with the elderly population to document their life stories and help them overcome their loneliness. Egalite’s educational DVD, on the other hand, was designed to raise awareness around issues related to migration.
For the Emulsified team, the win means they have achieved their main goal – to help local communities, they said, while on the other hand they also earned their school recognition in the science field, not to mention improving their social awareness skills.
Image 1: Lebogang Ledwaba, Kgotso Mothoa, Siphesihle Madlala, and Tessy Odiley, display their solar lamp prototype, the Emu Lamp.
(Image: Junior Achievement)