Aisa Mijeno, a young Filipino engineer and environmental advocate, has conceptualized a product that is not only environmentally friendly, but will provide basic lighting to the less-privileged: a lamp that runs on salt water!
Many of us take our everyday luxuries for granted. Things like indoor plumbing and electricity are comforts that a good portion of the world’s population has to do without, due to limited resources and fuel prices that are gradually increasing. After spending some time with the Butbut tribe in the Philippines’ Kalinga Province and seeing how they had nothing but kerosene lanterns and moonlight to rely on once the sun went down, Mijeno came up with the concept of a lamp powered by saltwater, a resource that is quite abundant on our planet.
Mijeno, also a faculty member of Engineering at De La Salle University-Lipa, co-founded the company Sustainable Alternative Lighting (SALT), and presented the innovative saltwater-powered lamp at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit on November 18. The SALT lamp can run for up to eight hours to produce light or even electricity for cell phone charging.
Even U.S. president Barack Obama praised Mijeno’s enterprise, which is recognition well deserved. Her invention can make a modern convenience like lighting more readily available to people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to it, and the clean technology it uses can also be expanded on to create more environmentally friendly amenities. We hope the SALT lamps will really take off!
Source, top image: Coconuts Manila
Japan Develops Lantern Which Runs Solely on Salt and Water, Makes You Wish You Paid More Attention in School
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Starbucks Japan opens new cafe and art gallery in top Tokyo tourist neighbourhood
Man in Japan falls into hole with a bear in it
Heinz Japan finds its perfect pitchman: Pokémon’s Pikachu!
Nine great places to see spring flowers in Japan, as chosen by travelers (with almost no sakura)
15 years after Tohoku tsunami, Japan’s free disaster phone message number is important to remember
Godiva’s Tokyo bakery is FINALLY easy to get into and shop at
One Piece creator has hidden secret of anime treasure’s identity in chest at bottom of real-world ocean
Japan’s cherry blossom season predicted to start earlier than we’d thought, especially in Tokyo
Awesome Japanese sandals give you the footprints of a cat or T-rex
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026
Japanese government planning higher ticket prices for foreign tourists at Tokyo National Museum
Starbucks Japan releases a new Cream Puff Frappuccino for a limited time
Silicone testicle covers banned from Japanese sauna following cups being left behind and on shelves
Studio Ghibli now sells Ursula’s backpack from Kiki’s Delivery Service at its anime shop in Japan
Is Japan’s Crab-shaped Cup Ramen Timer worth the hype?
Pizza Hut Japan teams up with creator of one of the country’s best kinds of ramen for ramen pizza
Mister Donut unveils new sakura doughnuts for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamed
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
The 10 most annoying things foreign tourists do on Japanese trains, according to locals
Naruto and Converse team up for new line of shinobi sneakers[Photos]
Take a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on Earth
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says