Thanks to all you wonderful ZimAid performers, volunteers, and attendees for helping create a great evening!

This message is to let you know that ZimAid Hood River 2008 had a profit of $618. This money will be sent directly to the Dewedzo villages in Zimbabwe for Ancient Ways’, Jangano Project. An estimated 125 people attended the evening, and purchased over $1200 worth of arts and crafts from the two non-profits in the lobby: Ancient Ways and Zimbabwean Artists Project. If we include all revenue for the weekend (i.e. CDs sold, bake sale, donations and workshop fees) the total money generated comes to well over $3,000!!!

In addition to the money raised, there were many memorable moments. Here a few of my favorites: seeing members of Zinindinka, Jamba, and other members of the Gorge marimba community dancing to Boka - seeing the Chigwaya teens sitting with their solar light water bottles listening to Sheasby - hearing that Dee and Shannon of Small Planet Trading are arranging to sell the beautiful wall hangings and board paintings that ZAP has for sale. It’s these connections that make putting on a benefit so rewarding.

We also want to thank the following local businesses who supported ZimAid this year, and encourage you to support them through your patronage:

Columbia Center for the Arts …. very, very supportive staff and what a wonderful venue!
Solight….for donating ten solar powered light/water bottles
Small Planet Trading….. Hood River’s fair trade shop
Hood River News….for the great articles and advertising
Water from the Hood……pure delicious water, “Raft the Zambezi, drink the Hood”

We’re kicking off the holiday specials early this year. Starting today, we’ll be offering a special each week for the next five weeks. This week, take care of two people on your list with two great gifts, a LightCap and a Lightcap 200 for only $39.95 (regularly $24.95 each).

This offer is good only until November 24. To order, go to our specials page.

The American Park Network wrote a glowing review of our LightCap 200 in the Gear Up section. Kelly Restucia writes,

“With improvements in technology used to harness the sun’s energy, solar power is quickly finding its way into the outdoor market—and that’s great news for campers, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts who are looking for a way to conserve resources, pack lighter and minimize their impact on the planet.
The latest in the recent wave of solar-powered gadgets is the LightCap 200 from SolLight, which will turn your water bottle into a solar-powered lantern that’s not only effective, but also a great way to make your next hiking or camping trip more sustainable!
The SolLight LightCap 200 provides just the right amount of light to give the inside of your tent a comforting glow or illuminate the path to the outhouse, and this extra light source lets you save your flashlight’s battery power serious night hikes.”

Check out the full review on the Oh Ranger! website.

Our latest addition to Team Sollife is Rod Parmenter. Rod  has been a fan of action sports since he was a child growing up in Oregon. At 16, Rod had already made a name for himself, appearing on the cover of Ski Magazine and featured on the pages of numerous other publications. A starring role in the Warren Miller movie, “Steep & Deep” soon followed as Rod gained notoriety for his daring and smooth skiing style.

Check out Rod’s full profile in our Sollife section.

In an effort to bring relief to a horrible humanitarian situation in the eastern Congo of Africa, Sollight is partnering with New Design High School of New York and UNICEF to bring solar-powered lanterns to refugee camps and help raise money through fundraisers in Los Angeles and New York.

The project, conceived by James Long of New Design High School, involves providing 200 LightCap200 solar-powered lights to the project. The LightCap 200 is a small, lightweight solar-powered cap with four bright LEDs that fits on any standard water bottle, effectively turning any water bottle into a solar-powered lantern. Long’s eleventh grade design students will design and make 50 lanterns using the LightCap 200. The idea behind using renewable solar power fits perfectly with the cost and logistical constraints of the situation in this camp.  These solar-powered lanterns will be sent to the Congo to be donated to refugees in the eastern Kivu region who have been displaced due to a long civil war. “The situation in the camps is very dreary. Our hope is that some light can bring a small amount of hope to people living through a horrible situation,” says Long

In addition to the 50 lanterns made by Long’s students, materials to make an additional 150 lanterns will be sent to the Congo to be decorated by children living in those camps. The decorated materials will then be returned to Long’s students who will use the materials to make an additional 150 lanterns. Those lanterns will be sold at two fundraisers, one in Los Angeles, the other in New York City, where the lanterns will be auctioned to the attendees to raise money to provide services to children in the Congo refugee camps.

Project Illumination is about bringing light and awareness to a dark situation.  The team at SolLight is honored to be a part of these efforts.  We will be following the developments of this project and hope ………..lanterns.

Every member of the SolLight team is an active, environmentally-concious individual who loves to play outside. It’s a passion and a way of life for us and we want to spotlight others who share that passion too. We call it SolLife and we’ve dedicated a section of our website to showcase people who share these values.

We’re pleased to announce the latest addition to Sollife, Don Rasky. Don is a kayaking enthusiast that paddles several hundred to a thousand coastal or channel miles each year. He routinely assists channel swimmers training for English and San Pedro Channel swims. In 2008 he had the privilege of being one of several kayakers on the first successful marathon swim/channel crossing from Santa Rosa Island to Goleta (Coal Oil Point) California for Marc Lewis. For the balance of 2008, Don intends to paddle the San Diego County coastline and over the next several years hopefully all the way to the Canadian border.

To learn more about Don, check out Don’s Sollife page on our website.

Recognizing SolLight’s commitment to high quality, engineered products, Yakima asked SolLight to develop an integrated solar-powered LED lighting system to be a standard feature in their new LoPro15 Skybox straight from the factory.

The LoPro Skybox is made of 80% recycled material and with the solar Skylight represents a true green product. The Skylight automatically illuminates the SkyBox when opened for better visibility.

The integrated, self-activating solar light is the first of its kind in the cargo box category.  Look for more solar accessories from SolLight in this category soon!

Yakima Products, Inc is a world leader in the design and manufacture of destination hardware and gear management solutions.  Committed to providing rack solutions for outdoor enthusiasts, Yakima’s products include vehicle racks for bikes, boats and ski and snowboard gear and a line of cargo boxes and bags for a variety of needs. Yakima Products is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon.  For more information, visit www.yakima.com.

From Forbes Magazine:

Solar-generated electricity, long decried as too expensive to be practical, may have gotten a little closer to being competitive. The Senate on Tuesday approved its version of a bill that would extend income tax credits for the solar industry through 2016.
The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 would extend the 30% tax credit, which is due to expire at the end of the year, on the upfront cost of solar installations. With the 30% credit, solar cells can produce electricity for as little as 20 cents per kilowatt hour on residential rooftops, putting the cost of solar juice on par with grid electricity in states like California, where energy costs are high. The tax credit would be extended for commercial and utility-scale solar projects as well.  Read Full Article

Roz Savage set out on May 25th from the San Francisco Bay on a quest to become the first women to row solo across the Pacific Ocean.  On September 1st Roz completed the first leg of her journey after three months of open ocean conditions-from raging storms, waves and wind to 99% humidity and dead calm-she rowed into the Molokai Channel and on to Oahu, arriving to a throng of press and supporters at the Waikiki Yacht Club.

A SolLight RailLight was along with her, providing her only night-time safety light on board her 23′ ocean rowing boat, The Brocade. Mounted on a railing with the rest of her navigation antennas, the RailLight bore the full brunt of the Pacific for over three months, working perfectly.
Roz also carried a LightCap solar-powered water bottle and many Shockles to keep her gear secure.
To learn more about Roz, be sure to check out her SolLife profile as well as her website, RozSavage.com.

From the August 2008 issue of Bicycling Magazine:

If Nalgene’s decision to stop using the chemical BPA left you wondering what to do with your old bottles, the Sollight LightCap 200 (Sollight.com) will convert your screw-top water bottle into an LED lantern. You’ll be the envy of 24-racers everywhere.