I am feeling less bitter about plastic bottles today, and more proud of the human race. Why? The Liter of Light initiative. Check it out:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOl4vwhwkW8&w=420&h=315]
Simple. Practical. Brilliant. A whole cut in the roof would allow the sun to shine into the room below in a direct line, ceiling to floor. By snugly inserting a plastic (glass would work too, I guess) bottle of water into that hole, however, the sunlight is refracted in all directions, illuminating the room with the strength of a 50 watt bulb. Bleach keeps algae from growing in the water, and allows the liter of light bulb to function for five to ten years without replacement.
How can you not love this? In these days of gloom and doom and worry and fear, a bit of inspiration.
(Many thanks to author Susan Taylor Brown, who posted this video on her Facebook page and, so, brightened my day.)