Out of the box: Alternative energy campaign launched
Whilst building solar-powered shelter homes for flood refugees in Badin and Kashmore, two districts in Sindh regularly treated to temperatures of above 50 degrees Centigrade in the summer, several labourers collapsed with sunstroke.
Faces Pakistan, an NGO helping with flood-relief efforts in the region, came up with the idea of giving the labourers solar caps. The cap includes a small fan powered by a solar cell whose speed varies automatically with availability of sunlight.
The NGO started making the caps three months ago and has given them to 25 labourers working on 600 one-room shelter homes in Badin and 1,000 temporary refuges in Kashmore, as part of USAID-funded project.
About 100 caps and 200 t-shirts were on sale at Cinnabon Cafe near Hussain Chowk on Saturday. “This is just a small initiative to encourage electricity generation using alternative means such as the sun,” said Ali Imran Raja, who is in charge of Faces Pakistan’s Green Energy Campaign.
By mid afternoon, they had sold some 20 caps to café customers. “If they can spend Rs500 on a cup of coffee, I’m sure they can also purchase a Rs1,000 cap and move the idea forward,” said Elaine Alam, who is the programmes coordinator at Faces.
Raja said that some groups had expressed an interest in placing large orders for caps and then distributing them among those who work in the sun. “They are good for low-end labourers, traffic wardens, construction workers and security guards,” said Alam.
In a few weeks, an event for selling the caps will also be organised in Defence.
Alam said they were concentrating their campaign in affluent areas as the aim was to encourage investment in alternative energy projects. The funds from sales would be used to manufacture more caps for free distribution among those who need them, as well as to fund several social projects, including three in Lahore.
Faces Pakistan President Javaid Williams said the initiative was taken in view of the current energy crisis. “We are trying to educate people about wind and solar energy use,” he said. “The funds from sales will be used to educate students in villages across Punjab and Sindh about the importance of planting trees.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 27th, 2012.
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Whole pakistan need these fan caps these days.
These caps are on sale on ebay for 4 dollars, why 1000 rupees
No wonder pakistan is in trouble, this guy really thinks people in Pakistan spend 500 rupees on a cup of coffee.
Money from USAID can really be expected to be wasted on such "show piece" stuff. A serious effort could have been construction of a few wind turbines but ofcourse that would have been less "showy" ...less novel and might not have been able to blow such "hot air" in the media ;)
The fan blowing 50 degree hot air on your face..are you kidding? Follow the traditions which our elders adopted, (when there was no electricity)..Start work before sun rise, around 11 AM have a long break under the shade and resume work again when Sun starts descending. Use white cotton cloth (turban) as head gear, drink lots of sugar/salt mix water. (Please note, my comment is regarding solar hat, its nothing to do with solar energy.)