Lighting Up the World: This Energy Giant’s Making a Difference in a Very Texan Way

We tend to take light for granted. For those who live in the world’s affluent countries, it’s just always there at the flick of a switch or the touch of a smartphone command. Most of us never even think about it amid the frenzy of work emails, kid activities and social commitments. But for much of the world, light’s power remains unquestioned. It is a miracle maker.

Have a steady source of it — and your world changes. New possibilities open up. It makes the future seem a lot less dark, too.

In the developing world, 1.5 billion people are still eagerly waiting for such a moment. That’s how many people on earth live without electricity. It is a staggering number, one that becomes even more stark when one realizes how dangerous that makes many of the everyday activities so many of us take for granted. Most families without electricity turn off kerosene lamps, which give off dirty toxic fumes and easily start fires. People are literally dying to have light.

Which makes PaperCity’s choice for its 2017 outreach initiative an easy one. We’re adopting Direct Energy’s Luci® Lights campaign. The energy giant is providing MPOWERD™’s innovative Luci Lights to homes in the developing world. These inflatable solar lights are lightweight and waterproof — and they last up to 12 hours on one solar charge. Simply put them in the sun and you’ll have a lantern and emergency light in one at night. No more awful kerosene.

Direct Energy’s already given away more than 18,000 Luci Lights in the developing world. That’s more than 18,000 families whose lives have been potentially changed in direct ways.

From the Luci Lights campaign to the $5 million donation it made to Texas Children’s Hospital — the largest corporate gift ever to a Texas Children’s campaign priority — Direct Energy has proven to be a company that cares. Charity is part of its corporate culture with more than 6,000 Direct Energy employees supporting causes and charities, using their free time to make a difference. That’s a very Texan thing to do. Charity Navigator — an independent charity monitoring service — ranked Houston the most charitable city in America again in 2016.

PaperCity’s all in — and we’ll be hosting an event this spring to promote the laudable Luci Lights program. This initiative touches parts of the world that many of us only think about when someone like Amal Clooney is talking about them on TV. It’s time for everyone to see the light.

One way to contribute is to sign up for Direct Energy’s Give Brighter 12 plan. When you do you’ll receive a Luci Light (kids love them), and one will be sent to someone across the globe who sees them lighting a way to a new life. For more info, go to directenergy.com/givebrighter.