SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — On Nov. 10, South Orange Village unveiled its new Soofa bench — an innovative bench that charges mobile devices using solar power while providing the user with a social experience — in the heart of South Orange’s historic downtown, according to a recent release from the village. These benches were provided by the Sustainable Jersey Small Grant Program funded by Walmart. South Orange Village is the first New Jersey municipality to install the Soofa bench in its downtown and has plans to install several more in the near future.
“South Orange has a long and proud history of being both environmentally conscious and at the forefront of new technologies,” village President Sheena Collum said in the press release. “Our goal is to provide this new technology in the heart of our downtown districts that will utilize free solar power to charge the most used digital tools of our on-the-go residents. Busy commuters, Seton Hall college students, local shoppers, senior citizens and after-schoolers will all benefit from this free power source. This program will also help show other municipalities a sustainable public project that is positive for all ages and demographics which can be replicated quite easily.”
The solar-powered bench was featured as an up-and-coming technology at President Barack Obama’s inaugural White House Maker Faire in June 2014 and was referred to as one of the “six wonders of the Maker Faire” in the Wall Street Journal. The first of its kind, the Soofa bench is the brainchild of three female entrepreneurs from the MIT Media Lab and Harvard University who came together with a vision for a sustainable, connected future.
South Orange will work with Soofa as an early adopter of leading-edge technology and will advise on new product development to solve problems facing cities and towns, big and small.
“At Soofa, our main goal is to make cities better for people through the implementation of technology,” Soofa CEO Sandra Richter said in the release. “To do so, we work closely with our network of partner cities to learn where the biggest opportunities are to innovate together. South Orange Village is a great example of what we look for in a partner — super focused on innovation, sustainability and making its outdoor spaces as inviting as possible for its residents and visitors.”
The Soofa Bench is in 18 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia, as well three other countries.
Photos Courtesy of Adam Loehner