Award for Appropriate Technologies

In April 2009, the "Forum for the Future", a charity organization with the aim of supporting sustainable development, announced the winner of its 75,000 Dollar prize. Criteria for wining this green competition were to support concepts that have "moved off the drawing boad and demonstrated their feasibility" for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but are not supported by industry. This year the prize was awarded to the inventor of the "Kyoto Box", a solar cooker in very easy design. For DED Philippines this is encouraging indeed, because here, too, solar cookers are being propagated.

Homemade Solar Cookers in Mindanao

Solar Cooker Training in Cotabato City

Trainings on how to build simple but effective solar cookers were conducted within the framework of the Mindanao Trust Fund - Reconstruction and Development Program. The DED is one of several contributors to the Trust Fund and supports it by providing an environment expert.

With diminishing natural resources and increasing poverty people have to find alternative and cost-effective options to conventional cooking. Unfortunately, Mindanao is one of the regions of this world with high poverty and a high number of internally displaced people.

Out of three groups trained, two belong to those, who were displaced by violent conflicts and are forced to take shelter in nearby towns where they live in poor conditions. For them solar cookers are a good option because they can save money that otherwise is used to buy firewood. But also for those affected by a more recent outbreak of hostilities, who have been living for many months in evacuation camps and where trees for firewood are rare, solar cooking will be useful. Other potential beneficiaries are inhabitants of coastal zones wishing to maintain or expand their mangrove forests.

Preparing Meals without Burden to the Environment

In March 2009 we started solar cooking with two different models of solar cookers. They differ in size and material - for one we were able to salvage a glass plate for the lid, while the cover of the other model is just a rain sheet like they are used for protecting tricycle passengers from rain. We also used carton of different thickness and size. Only after that my colleagues were convinced that cooking without using gas, electricity or firewood, is possible. In the meantime more than 20 people, among them many community volunteers who will disseminate their knowledge withing their communities, are trained in the construction of a solar cooker, using carton boxes, aluminium foil, and clear plastic sheets. Depending on the materials used, the cost for our solar cookers are in the same range as that of the "Kyoto Box".

Many of the trainees are women

Our cookers don't follow a construction blueprint: we use whatever materials we can find locally and buy only those that cannot be scavenged. Often, the women had very good ideas how to substitute and how to improve. For the future we plan to expand solar cooker training and include also school children.

Text and Pictures: Beate Pinisch, DED environment expert

Contact: bpinisch@cfsi.ph