Audi and Litro de Luz install lampposts and solar lamps in Amazonian communities

"The partnership between Audi do Brasil, Audi Environmental Foundation and Litro de Luz was born with a very clear purpose of bringing light to those without stable energy connectivity, without CO₂ emissions. After following and being part of this unforgettable action, I can say that this is one of the projects that best shows the essence of the project partners, companies that seek clean solutions for everyone," says Antonio Calcagnotto, responsible for institutional affairs and Sustainability at Audi do Brasil and one of the volunteers during the installations in the riverside communities. "It was a joy and satisfaction to be one of the volunteers bringing improved quality of life and safety to the residents. We could make a little difference for these people," adds Calcagnotto.

The action in Amazon

The Litro de Luz action in the Amazon started long before April 20th, when all the volunteers arrived in Manaus. To define which communities will receive the lighting solutions, a working group visited riverside communities and found three places that suffered from the lack of energy in the region: Nova Canaã, Nova Jerusalém, and Lindo Amanhecer.

Some of the communities located on the riverside of the Rio Negro have a power generator that provides electricity to the local schools and Basic Health Units, but they work for short periods of the day and not always regularly. In the Nova Canaã community, for example, there had been no electricity since December in the school. Even in the communities where the diesel generator worked, the period of use was limited, during school activities. Therefore, alternative solutions were necessary for the community members to have more security and illumination during the periods without power, especially at night.

"On the evening of the first day that we installed the poles and delivered the lamps, we could already see the improvement in the quality of life and safety of the riverside residents, not to mention the evident joy with the solutions, stamped on the faces of the children and their families" says Calcagnotto.

For each community, two solutions were presented: the battery-powered LED lantern and the LED poles charged with photovoltaic plates. The lantern has a PVC structure, with PET, LED bulbs, and an appropriate size that allows mobility during nocturnal activities, inside and outside the homes of the community. The LED pole, on the other hand, is assembled with a lithium battery (high performance and low maintenance) and positioned in strategic places with a large movement of people in the communities. Both use solar plates for charging and, in the case of the poles, they remain lit throughout the night, with automatic daytime charging.

Tried and tested solution

"The project was created after being inspired by the solution of Alfredo Moser, from Minas Gerais, who brought an alternative of lighting in PET bottles. It was already successful all over the world before returning to our country.We are always looking for sustainable alternatives to offer to the communities that participate in our actions, bringing light to everyone who needs it", says Laís Higashi, president of Litro de Luz Brasil.

The methodology used by the NGO Litro de Luz makes the assembly process to be carried out through engagement with the communities, by the residents themselves, so they create a bond and take care of the solutions to last as long as possible. Local ambassadors are formed in each community so that the contact with the NGO is permanent and the solutions have the attention during their use.

In addition to maintenance, one of the requirements of the Audi Environmental Foundation was that the batteries, when they lose capacity and usability, be returned for recycling, and Litro de Luz will work to replace them.

For Rüdiger Recknagel, Managing Director of the Audi Environmental Foundation, "it is extremely important for the Audi Environmental Foundation to carry out sustainable actions with such special purposes, especially in the Amazon region. By signing this partnership with the NGO Litro de Luz in Brazil, we feel that our role is being fulfilled by positively impacting more than 100 families from riverside communities in the Amazon."