Over a billion people worldwide lack access to electricity.  One of the foremost consequences of this staggering statistic is that 1 in 7 people predominantly resort to kerosene, candles, and batteries to light their homes and workspaces.  Unfortunately, these alternatives are costly, dangerous, and dirty. Enter Benjamin Bunker and the Global BrightLight Foundation. At the beginning of 2016, Bunker was appointed CEO of the nonprofit, which aims to improve standards of living in low-income countries by providing safe, comparatively inexpensive, and renewable sources of light.  The company’s slogan, “A little power makes a world of difference,” could not be more true.   “Our approach to providing access to electricity uses solar lanterns, which consist of small solar panels coupled with super-efficient LED lights,” explains Bunker.  “One of these systems can save the average family in Latin America up to $900 over 5 years. For a family making $60 a month, this is life-changing.”  

One of Bunker’s primary initiatives as CEO has been to refocus the foundation’s efforts in South America, a region of the world that wasn’t getting much international attention with regards to energy access.  To date, the Global Brightlight Foundation has deployed 12,000 solar systems in Peru and 9,350 systems in Guatemala, improving the lives of over 100,000 people.   In order to raise awareness about BrightLight’s impressive impact, Bunker partnered with Facebook and Oculus to create a virtual reality (VR) film showcasing Global Brightlight’s work in Guatemala.  The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2017.   Bunker comments, “Like any nonprofit, our success ultimately depends on our ability to tell compelling stories.  Rather than showing someone pictures or a video, we can actually put you on the ground in a village and have you emotionally experience how solar changes lives.”

https://youtu.be/3kzpkCKEdh4