Climate action-themed participative solar art created by the Liter of Light is set to go live this July 2021 at the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig, Metro Manila.
Liter of Light, a Filipino-born global grassroots solar lighting movement, is organizing the newest installation of its large-scale solar artworks for a Day of Climate Action on July 3-4, 2021, coinciding with the International Day of Cooperation.
The artwork, built using 1,500 hand-built solar lights assembled from the safety of home for Liter of Light’s award-winning “Light It Forward” Challenge, features a symbol for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) #13: Climate Action.
The new solar art which will rise on 5th Avenue in front of the Philippine Stock Exchange in Bonifacio Global City is being built this time in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy in Manila and the Philippine Italian Association (PIA).
Joining the Day of Climate Action are Liter of Light partners Management Association of the Philippines, Fort Bonifacio Development Corp., Galleria Duemila, Rotary Club of Makati Business District 3830, Philippines AirAsia, Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, Archipelago for you.
The Day of Climate Action event invites members from the private sector, organizations, individuals, and residents of Bonifacio Global City to join the initiative and show their commitment to taking action for climate change.
Following are the events lined up for the July event:
- There will be socially distant workshops at the tented area of My Street High Street to raise funds to provide clean and sustainable sources of energy for communities that have been affected by the lack of tourists due to the pandemic restrictions.
- At 6:30pm on July 4, Liter of Light will unveil a huge woven participative solar artwork on 5th Avenue in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.
The new BGC artwork is the latest in a series of pop-up artworks that Liter of Light has built across Metro Manila to pay tribute and call for action in achieving the UN SDGs in the lead-up to the global climate change conference (COP26) which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, this November.
Liter of Light will be participating at COP26, as well as the special Pre-COP26 program organized for youth climate change advocates, Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition, hosted by conference co-host Italy in September 2021.
“More than ever, youth want to be empowered to be part of creating climate solutions,” says Illac Diaz, Founder and Executive Director of Liter of Light. “We have been given an opportunity to activate Filipino youth through our engagement at the Pre-COP26 and COP-26 meetings. Through these artworks, we are making a strong statement to raise awareness on climate action by giving people an opportunity to contribute to real solutions and have a tangible impact, even at a time when public art has disappeared and people are confined to their homes.”
“The Embassy of Italy joins the Light it forward campaign to build up awareness on the greatest challenge of our time – climate change – and bring attention to the pre-COP26 and COP26 events that will take place later this year,” announces Eugeniu Rotaru, Deputy Head of Mission of the Italian Embassy in Manila. “The importance of these meetings in Milan and Glasgow cannot be overstated: they will have to update the global framework on climate change that was agreed in 2015, in Paris, and set the basis for protecting our Planet and future generations in the spirit of ambition, sustainability, and solidarity. We believe that campaigns such as “Light it forward” are crucial for building momentum to Milan and Glasgow and show to the world the commitment of ordinary citizens, ordinary Filipinos, to a brighter, cleaner future.”
“Light it Forward campaign will be moving Italy during the PreCOP26 event in Milan this coming September and the Italian community in the Philippines is united in giving its endorsement” adds Alessandro Milani, general manager of the Philippine Italian Association. “As PIA, we are very happy to endorse this campaign that is able, through public art, to bring people together for the defense of the environment and the purpose of giving the right to access clean electrical power to those who are more in need. For this, we warmly invite everyone to join the Light it Forward Challenge, in time for our Day of Climate Action”
Liter of Light began its Light It Forward campaign (www.lightitforward.ph) in July 2020 with building messages of hope to pay tribute to medical frontliners. In the past year, its grassroots campaign has grown to mobilize thousands of youth from across Metro Manila to take action for energy poverty and the 13 million Filipinos still without light, making an impact from the safety of home and giving these communities a new means of livelihood even in the middle of a global health pandemic.
The Philippines’ geography is one of the main factors for being most at risk from the effects of the climate crisis. The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 typhoons every year, with the intensity of these storms increasing exponentially in recent years, making it one of the most countries most vulnerable to climate change. Many youths are nervous about the future, with billions of pesos in economic losses, and thousands of lives already lost due to the effects of climate change.
Through large-scale participative solar artworks that the organization will unveil at landmarks throughout Metro Manila, Liter of Light is showing how grassroots actions can amplify the voices of our youth to take action on the SDGs.
Everyone who participates in the LIGHT IT FORWARD campaign receives a kit that they will use to build a solar light, which takes less than 30 minutes to assemble. Liter of Light has created online videos to guide participants on how to assemble the devices. Challenge participants are asked to dedicate their light to an essential worker or frontline that has impacted them during the COVID-19 pandemic. After recording their solar light building, each participant must challenge their friends to build a light.
The campaign is part of a broader strategy for Liter of Light, a UN FCCC “Momentum for Change” Awardee and the Philippine private sector representative to the upcoming World EXPO, which will take place in Dubai from October 2021 to March 2022. [https://tinyurl.com/yxfv2e7b] The organization will use its platform to shine a light on how Filipino malasakit is paving a way for a brighter future in a tangible, measurable way.
To learn more about Liter of Light and its Light It Forward campaign, visit:
www.lightitforward.ph
Instagram: @literoflight
Facebook: www.facebook.com/aliteroflight
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmkj2sShWG4O5xGdq15gB7A/
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