Lucent Water BottlesGabe Pyle
Intro to Sustainable DesignMinneapolis College of Art and Design
For millions of homes around the world, electric lighting is simply too expensive.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
So as soon as the sun goes down, the community is surrounded
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
In complete darkness...
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
But in 2002, Brazilian inventor Alfredo Moser found a solution
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
And all it takes is an empty bottle
Bottle
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Clean Water
Bottle
water
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Roof Material
Bottle
water
RoofMaterial
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
And Some Bleach
Bottle
water
RoofMaterial
bleach
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
And it works like a little like this:
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Bottle
Bottle +
Water +
Caps of Bleach
bleach
x2
RoofMaterial
water
Sunlight(input)
lientctorsransformationsorldviewwnernvironment
cat
woe
Very darkin there
bottle
Design Phase
liter of light/myshelter foundation
poor communitieswith no lighting
hole inroof material
refraction!illumination!
about 60 watts!(output)
Member of communitywith no lighting
light should be available to everyone-- not just those who can afford electricity
build phase
end of life
use phase
(rich picture produced for Systems Thinking course)
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
And in 2011 Filipino entrepreneur Illac Diaz brought the “solar bulb” large scale
through MyShelter Foundation with a group called Liter of Light
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
In one year, Liter of Light installed over 200,000 bulbs
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
And wants to grow that number to1 million by 2015
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
They even have a solar-charged LED bulb for night time lighting!
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
So while Liter of Light is providing lighting solutions across the world with old plastic bottles, billions of dollars are exhausted each year
in the bottled water industry.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
The proposal, then, is to connect two unrelated industries
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
With two related elements
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Water
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
And light
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Two basic elements of life that give us
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Lucent Water Bottles
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
The idea is simple Sell bottles. Send light. Share Hope.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Sell Bottles:Design and sell a reusable water bottle to cut down on disposable bottle consumption, encourage healthy
drinking habits, and promote Liter of Light
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Send Light:Partner with Liter of Light to help fund lighting solutions around the worldthrough proceeds of bottle sales
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Share Hope:Light is not just a resource.
It’s a symbol for something much stronger. Hope.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
So while Liter of Light is doing their part to satisfy the needs of dark communities, Lucent Water wants to satisfy their needs while tackling some needs of our own.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
How do Lucent Bottles meet unmet needs? For People?For Profits?
For the Planet?For the Public?
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
People By creating a regular economic resource stream for Liter of Light actors, Lucent Water brings opportunity and income to those who are otherwise operating on local economic
streams. While the income streams have been considerably subsidized by regular donations, wider resource bandwidth means less pressure on donators, more energy
allocated towards existing actors, and greater opportunity to fund additional actors, which could change thousands of lives—particularly the underemployed women that Liter of Light
has already begun to assist.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Profit Liter of Light aims to bring low-cost lighting solutions to poor communities. Instead of advancing the cause by encouraging affluent communities to cut back in order to give more, Lucent Water redirects economic energy by celebrating the consumption of water as a means to bring light to others. A 2013 Cone Communication Impact Study revealed that 91% of American consumers want more products and social services that they use to support a cause, and a Nielsen study states that 50% of consumers are willing to pay
more for a cause-related product or service. This means that Lucent Water, similar to the premium tacked onto Fair Trade products to promote healthy development, could charge
an additional premium for greater impact.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Planet The disposable bottled water industry might be one of the least sustainable business on the planet. It has been revealed that for every gallon of bottled water sold, an additional three to four gallons are required to manufacture, process, and transport the water -- and
all for conveniently buying a product one-to-ten thousand times more expensive than local tap water (which, by the way, is usually what’s in the bottles anyway). Lucent
Water tackles this problem from two sides:
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
1. By selling reusable water bottles, Lucent Water aims to cut the consumption of disposable plastic water bottles, which means less wasted plastic, money, and water.
2. By directing proceeds towards Liter of Light, Lucent Water provides poor communities with a means to better handle their own pollution problems by helping them turn plastic
bottles into sustainable lighting solutions.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
PublicLucent Water wants to bring light to the world—both in illuminating homes everywhere, and in enlightening the world as to how their money can make a difference through movements like Liter of Light. It will also highlight the global community and how
important our collaboration is to our continued growth.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
And it wouldn’t be the first time water bottles were used to promote environmental and social causes.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Jointhepipe.org sells clear modular blue water bottles shaped like water pipes, complete with bends, runs, and joints, that can be combined
with limitless potential to form what Jointhepipe calls the “world’s longest water pipe,” a metaphor
for the global relationship they’re creating by selling water bottles to help provide clean
drinking water for communities around the world
(join-the-pipe.org)
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
And in 2009 KOR unveiled their limited edition “Thirst for Giving” bottle line that featured artwork
of different natural habitats on the bottles and donated proceeds to non-profits working to save the
environment
(inhabitat.com)
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Perhaps Lucent Bottles can be a similar product for
Liter of Light?
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
But how would it work?
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Well there are really two parts to the proposal:The partnership, and the product
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
So let’s take a quick look at both
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
The Partnership
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Selling a product with the interest of donating proceeds is called
“cause marketing” or “charity marketing.” Establishing a successful brand or product
with charity woven into its DNA requires transparency in three things:
identity, amount, and frequency
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Identity is easy. Lucent Water contributes to Liter of Light
But how much and how often?
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Some experts suggest donating quarterly to establish reasonable expectation for your consumers and your cause
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
As to how much? Really, that’s up to the consumer.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
But if we look at it from the other side, from what would help Liter of Light the most, we might get a
better idea of what would be helpful.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Since it costs about $2 to install a regular solar bottle, and it costs about $12 to install a LED bottle,
we could say that $12 dollars of each sale goes towards Liter of Light.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
That means selling one Lucent bottle would fund one LED bottle, or six regular solar bottles
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
And the partnership has more than one way to become a reality
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
It could start from the ground up with the hard work of a motivated team of entrepreneurs
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Or an already established bottle manufacturing company could adopt the model to gain exposure and credibility.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Once established, Lucent Water could run independently of Liter of Light, promising their
continued support
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Or Liter of Light could establish a co-op business venture to better direct the bottles mission, visibility, and funding while still directing the bulk of their
attention towards their own mission
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Or, if Liter of Light felt led, they could own Lucent Water outright as a product-providing wing of their
foundation
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
All roads lead to cleaner water and brighter homes. Some are simply shorter than others.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
While the partnership is the real MVP of the proposal, it would be an injustice to ignore the
opportunities the bottle presents. Keeping in mind how Jointhepipe and KOR have used their bottle designs, let’s take a closer look at Lucent Water
bottles.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
The Product
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
“Lucent” has the connotation of being bright or clear (a reference to the quality of the water
as well as Liter of Light’s mission). So Lucent bottles ought to be the same.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
In addition to that, Lucent would want to design a bottle that is transparent, fashionable, durable, easy to use, easy to clean, has room for a clip, fits in a standard cup holder, and is BPA-free. Many of these are just givens as far as bottle design is concerned.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
However, “lucent” also means glowing. So why not remind the consumer of the cause in the same way
that Jointhepipe does with their bottles?
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
That is, why not make Lucent Water bottles glow like the Liter of Light bulbs?
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Lucent bottles could borrow the solar-powered LED cap
technology that is already on the market
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
OR Lucent bottles could explore installing mini-turbine-powered LEDs into the bottle’s lid that charge
as the consumer drinks water.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
This would open the market to consumers that don’t spend as much time in the sun, and would likely
encourage more frequent water consumption
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
In the end, what the bottle looks like is fairly
inconsequential. So long as it holds water, cuts pollution, and promotes Liter of Light,
it’s a good design
Bottle
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Lucent Water Bottles
(but here are some ideas anyway)Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
In conclusion:Lucent bottles provide a way for consumers to
contribute to a cause that not only helps change lives by bringing light into the dark, but also cleans
up their own lives by cutting disposable bottle consumption and promoting healthy drinking habits.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Many element of the proposal has already proven effective in other scenarios, and through the
collaborative efforts of the consumer culture and Liter of Light, Lucent Water presents an opportunity to change the way we buy water to help change the
way we live.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Sell bottles. Send light. Share hope.
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Lucent Water Bottles
gabe Pyle | Intro to Sustainable Design | MCAD | 12.10.13
Top Related