For two weeks in October 2008, Associate Chad Groshart volunteered in Nepal with a grass-roots sustainable lighting initiative in conjunction with the Himalayan Light Foundation. During this time, Chad donated, delivered, and installed photovoltaic lighting systems for three schools in rural Nepali villages.
While in Nepal, Chad lived in villages with no electricity or running water to gain a better understanding of how electric lighting is a precious resource; he observed and learned how people’s lives are shaped by days almost completely without controllable lighting. Through Chad’s work with the school, the overcrowded classrooms were able to extend their teaching day to allow more children access to education and the community gained a place to congregate after dark to do homework and income producing handicrafts. Seeing how rural Nepalese do more with less light has direct application to Atelier Ten’s approach to designing lighting in the Western World.
As Atelier Ten’s lighting design practice leader, Chad’s US and international project work is centered on providing high-performance, low-energy, environmentally-responsible lighting design for large-scale commercial, institutional, and educational facilities.