Eco Challenge – Solar Light Lanterns

This ended up being one of the simplest projects, but it has had such a great effect. Over Christmas last year, I picked up a few boxes of Solar Christmas Lights from Target. (You can still buy them online, in stores they also had a smaller string of 25 bulbs). They were more expensive, but worth it since I wasn’t using any additional electricity in the home thus, not increasing my electric bill. Plus they have a built in timer, meaning they only go on at dusk.

I tucked them away because I wasn’t sure what to do with them. I knew that I wanted to use them in the yard since I only have one outlet outside anyway, but I wasn’t sure how. That is…until I saw HomeGoods had restocked their garden section.

I found these lanterns for a great deal, and the finish is black rust so even when it rains, they won’t be damaged. The lights will be fine in rain as well, but the sensor should not be kept in a place where it will be submerged or in standing water.

Here comes the seriously easy part…shove the lights in the lantern.

Yep, that’s it.

I kept the solar sensor outside the lantern and wedged it between the wall and the potting bench. It’s able to absorb plenty of light, but I’m able to block it from view with some plants. Once dusk hits, they automatically turn on.

There are beautiful! I seriously LOVE these. I wish I could show you how great they look at night, but I wasn’t able to get a good picture. The greatest thing is that you can tuck them all over the yard and not worry about extension cords, outlets, timers, wasted electricity, etc.

I even wrapped a strand around the potted cypress trees I have on either side of the French doors.