The grass is always greener on the other side. People living in cold places complain about how much they long for a warm summer. On the other hand, people living in warm places dream of a cool breeze just to be able to breathe.
If you live or have lived in extremely hot parts of the world, you know how unbearable summers can be. People on the other side of the world would actually want that heat, but can barely tolerate it. It’s the kind of heat where all you can do is sit at home with the AC on or in front of a fan, while sipping on cold lemonade. Many of us go through the summer this way.
But imagine not having an AC, or even a fan. Meanwhile, it’s so hot that sitting in the shade becomes unbearable.
Unfortunately, this is the reality in many countries around the world. Bangladesh is one of those countries – extremely hot, with a large percentage of the population living without electricity. But thanks to a very simple new invention, a solution has been found to help thousands.
In the village of Daulatdia, in Rajbari, Bangladesh, there are 28,000 people living without electricity in small huts. Summers in Bangladesh are incredibly hot, with temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius, so you can imagine how the local community in Daulatdia experiences the heat. Homes are impossible to live in and people suffer greatly during the long summer period.
Grey Dhaka, the Bangladesh branch of the American multinational Grey Group, has come up with a clever and simple solution: the world’s first air cooler without electricity, made of cardboard and plastic bottles.
You can make one yourself, all you need is a large cardboard board with holes cut in it, and then insert half-cut plastic bottles. Hang it in front of a window
The logic is that hot air enters through the open end of the bottle and is compressed in the bottle neck, making the air slightly cooler before it enters the house.
The designer, Ashis Paul, told The Hindu: “Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world, with over 80% of the population living below the poverty line, without access to electricity. From day one, Eco-Cooler was designed to be distributed for free – utilizing sustainable products that have the lowest possible impact on the environment.”
It’s a very simple method that recycles bottles – so you not only do not consume electricity, but you also recycle old plastic bottles.
The invention has been shown to lower temperatures by 5 degrees, which may sound little but can make a huge difference in such heat.
So far, over 25,000 households have Eco-Coolers in their homes in various parts of Bangladesh.
Watch the video below for more information about the project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSbZWNk84F4
This may seem like a small invention, but it can be a huge change for many people around the world. Share this if you were as impressed as we were!
