Editor’s note: Panasonic’s Cut Out the Darkness project has ended with no plans further collection, selection, or donation of designs.
Want to light up the life of someone who needs it? Now you can. Panasonic’s Cut Out the Darkness project allows visitors to the company’s website to design lampshades that could be sent along with solar lanterns to those who live in areas without access to electricity.
Worldwide, one in five people lives without electricity. Those people face a number of economic and health problems, according to Panasonic, since they can’t perform basic tasks like studying in the evening or receive medical treatment at night. Additionally, many people in these regions use kerosene lamps, which pose fire risks and cause health issues from the smoke.
Panasonic first became involved with this issue through its 100 Thousand Solar Lanterns initiative, which aims to donate 100,000 solar lanterns to those without electricity by 2018, the company’s 100th anniversary. These solar lanterns charge during the day and provide light at night. They also reduce CO2 emissions, according to a company press release. In 2013, Panasonic kicked off the project by donating 8,000 solar lanterns to nonprofits, humanitarian groups and refugee camps in Asia and Africa.
Now, to raise awareness about the difficulties faced by residents of regions without electricity and to involve people with the company’s work, Panasonic is asking its website visitors to get creative and design images for lampshades using paper-cut techniques. You don’t necessarily have to be handy with scissors, since the designs are made virtually using a Web application — all folding, drawing and cutting are done with the click of a button.
In February, people voted for their favorite designs, and the top 100 will be turned into lampshades and donated with the solar lanterns. Panasonic plans to transport the donated solar lanterns and shades to recipients in March.
Eleven recognized paper-cut artists from around the world have also contributed designs to support the project — check out their work for inspiration.
To participate by creating a design or voting, visit the Cut Out the Darkness project’s home page.