Solar lights are great for people without electricity, but do YOU really need one?
Yes. Yes you do. Here’s why:
A solar light is cord-free, doesn’t create heat from the bulb (because they use LEDs), is transportable, lightweight, bright and rechargeable from just the power of the sun. From hikers, to mechanics, or families playing nighttime games, a solar powered light is the right tool for everyone. Here’s how you can use a solar light every day.
Solar powered lights collect solar energy throughout the day and store it as electrical energy to be used when the sun goes down (learn more about how a solar light works here). They are environmentally friendly and reduce your global carbon footprint by using the power of the sun. Since they are made for outdoor use, most are durable and some are even waterproof (like our Luke Light).
Here are 10 different times a solar light would be useful in your life:
1. Bedside Reading is a favorite way to use a solar light. You can place it on the nightstand or your pillow while you read yourself to sleep. The targeted light means you won’t bother your partner or pet. This could include nighttime journaling or last minute homework.
2. Camping is another great opportunity to whip out your solar light for assistance in your tent, when backpacking, rock climbing and more! You need light after the sun goes down and your solar light can help you start a fire to make s’mores or answer nature’s call in the middle of the night. A solar power bank is another option for providing light while also supplying energy for a GPS system, camera or phone. Need help picking a solar charger? Check out this blog post.
3. Emergency Kits are a must have for your car or home. Whether you are stuck on the side of the road and performing a car inspection or need to flash your light for communication, your solar powered light will become a necessity. A solar light is useful for your at home emergency kit too. Be prepared for earthquakes, tornados, floods or power outages from blizzards and wildfires. What else should you have in your kit? See this DIY Emergency Supply Kit.
Photo Credit: Santa Barbara Street Medicine, Doctors Without Walls
4. Nighttime Dog Walks should include a light (with or without Fido). This secures both you and your dog’s safety making yourself visible on the roads, and to other pedestrians. A solar light with a handle or hook makes it easier to juggle a leash, waste bag and anything else you need.
Photo Credit: Brandon Goodyear, Unite to Light
5. Flashlight Tag is one of the funnest games to play with kids (or kids-at-heart). Think of combining tag and hide and go seek but in the dark. All the standard hide and seek rules apply, but during this game all the lights are out and the person who is “it” uses a flashlight to find their friends who are hiding in the dark.
Photo Credit: Caleb Woods, Unsplash
6. Bike Lights are another great use for your solar light. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 846 bicyclists were killed in traffic crashes in 2019, the risk of crashes increases at night. You can attach this light onto the handlebars of your bike and will be more visible to anyone on the road. If you store your bike outside, you never need to worry about charging the battery!
Photo Credit: Brandon Goodyear, Unite to Light
7. Building a Blanket Fort was our favorite pastime as children. Finding pillows, blankets and chairs is the easy part, but there needs to be some sort of light accessible in the fort. Bring in your solar light! You could use it to share spooky stories, play games or read books. There are no cords to trip on or light bulbs to break.
Photo Credit: ColdwellPro, Pixabay
8. Shadow Puppets: You can use the solar light over dark walls of your home to create images. Ask a partner to hold the solar light up against a blank space and use your hands to portray different characters. Pictures can be simple, such as a bird or complex like a rabbit (check this out for inspiration). For more advanced, get creative with your puppet show; build a story or design a fairytale to show your family and friends.
Photo Credit: Rebecca Siegel, Flickr
9. Selfie Lights are essential for getting that perfect shot. Use a solar light as a selfie light when the indoor lighting isn’t doing your camera phone justice. Easy to position, cord-free and lightweight, a solar light will do just the trick when you need to shine extra bright.
Photo Credit: Mateus Campos Felipe, Unsplash
10. Self Defense. A solar light could help identify threatening situations in a low-light environment and help prevent an attacker using darkness for their advantage. Simply shining a light directly in your attackers eyes could give you the advantage you need to defend yourself. Being “seen” might make them change their minds.
Photo Credit: Timothy Eberly, Unsplash
For fun, safety and convenience, solar lights are a “must have” for everyone.
Want to go a step further and help those in need? For every solar light Unite to Light sells, we donate one to someone living without electricity. You can Change a Life and Light the World with your solar light.
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