Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/118686
" the Simplest Study Aid city of angels A Santa Barbara nonproit distributes clean, renewable lamps W • Pins & Needles • Tingling • Sharp Pain • Burning • Cramping • Numbness • Dificulty Sleeping Dr. Kambourakis offers state of the art, scientiically proven, drug-free neuropathy treatment endorsed by the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Come to our Sherman Oaks ofice for a free consultation. 818.986.8484 12 CofA.indd 12 Photos: Top: Teri Gabrielsen ; Bottom: Courtesy Unite to Light Get Drug-Free Neuropathy Pain Relief! hen Teri Gabrielsen irst heard about Santa Barbara-based nonproit Unite to Light more than two years ago, she jumped at the chance to team with the organization. The founder and executive director of Africa Schools of Kenya (ASKenya.org), a nonproit that promotes education and sustainability among the nomadic Maasai tribe, initially requested 300 lamps to be delivered to southern Kenya. Gabrielsen plans to distribute another 200 lighting units this month. The lamps are small, portable, solar-powered, rechargeable LED lights, green in both color and purpose, and ideal for areas where electricity is scarce. Sunlight feeds the rechargeable batteries during the day, providing hours of light in darkened rooms and communities at night. Although Gabrielsen's irst shipment of lights was intended for students, the entire Kenyan village took advantage of the devices. "They really embraced the use of these lights," Gabrielsen said. Tiny as the units are, users can get at least four hours of power per eight-hour charge. Unite To Light (www.unite-to-light.org) was founded in November of 2010 by John Bowers, director of the Institute for Energy Eficiency at U.C. Santa Barbara, and local attorney Claude Dorais. The mission was to create a light more functional than a solar lashlight, one with a base and an adjustable neck. The light also had to use renewable energy, replacing the makeshift dirty kerosene lamps that cause health problems by polluting the immediate environment and also pose safety issues. "Being the green company that we are, we felt we needed to do something that's sustainable," explained Dawn O'Bar, Unite to Light's president. Sixty percent of the nonproit's funding is donor based, according to O'Bar, and more than 36,000 lights have been distributed in 56 countries. Coming soon is a new edition that features a USB port through which mobile devices can be charged. "The most rewarding part for me," said O'Bar, "is to hear the stories of people who have received our lights." Letters from students say how the lights have helped their studies, and she's heard of doctors delivering babies with the aid of the lights. There's not much that's more rewarding than knowing you are helping to bring more light into the world. —Robert Fulton wholelifetimesmagazine.com 3/27/13 12:23 AM