Press Releases

Washington, DC (January 21, 2015) — A Philippines-based nonprofit group, Liter of Light, this week won the 2015 Zayed Future Energy Prize in the NGO category for the social impact of its energy access work. The UN Foundation honored the Prize winner and other finalists that are part of the UN Foundation’s 2,000-member global Energy Access Practitioner Network.

Richenda Van Leeuwen, Executive Director, Energy Access, at the UN Foundation said, “The recognition received by Liter of Light and several additional members of the Practitioner Network highlights the invaluable work of these entrepreneurs in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors in delivering a range of sustainable energy solutions to help improve the lives of the 1.2 billion people without access to clean and affordable modern energy services. Their innovative work brings us closer to reaching the UN Sustainable Energy for All goal of achieving universal access to modern energy services by 2030.”Liter of Light and its parent organization, MyShelter Foundation, were recognized by the Zayed Future Energy Prize for their grassroots work to bring decentralized lighting solutions to underserved communities in the Philippines and around the world. Liter of Light provides training to create and install a low-cost “bottle of light” – a plastic soda bottle filled with chlorinated water that refracts light and provides the equivalent of a 55-watt solar light bulb – to help address the lighting need of residents of low-income housing. Liter of Light’s low-cost daylighting solution has been installed in 28,000 homes in Metro Manila in the Philippines, as well as in many other cities around the world.

United Nations Foundation President and CEO, Kathy Calvin, a judge in the contest, congratulated winners and finalists at this year’s awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi. Other Practitioner Network members honored as finalists included: First Solar in the Large Corporation category, SELCO in the Small and Medium Enterprises category, and Électriciens sans frontières, SolarAid, Practical Action, and World Resources Institute in the NGO category. The Zayed Future Energy Prize, announced during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2015, celebrates impact, innovation, long-term vision and leadership in renewable energy and sustainability solutions. For more information on the UN Foundation’s Energy Access Initiative, visit www.energyaccess.org and http://www.se4all.org/about-us/practitioner-network/

####

Media Contact:

Mahalakshmi Mahadevan

Email: mmahadevan@unfoundation.org

Phone: +1-202 864 5159

THE ENERGY ACCESS PRACTITIONER NETWORK:
In support of Sustainable Energy for All, the United Nations Foundation’s Energy Access Practitioner Network promotes universal access to modern energy services. With close to 2,000 members, the Network focuses on decentralized low-carbon household and community-level electrification. It supports innovative financial and business models in predominantly market-based applications that help address development issues such as income generation, health, agriculture, education, small business, and telecommunications.

THE UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION:
The United Nations Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. We build and implement public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and work to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. Through our campaigns and partnerships, we connect people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. These campaigns seek to reduce child mortality, empower women and girls, create a new energy future, secure peace and human rights, and promote technology innovation to improve health outcomes.