Solar Cooking Initiatives Worldwide

For many people living in the poorer regions of the world...
solar cooking has become the means to having a hot cooked meal most days, and has ultimately become the means by which they are able to afford basic food staples as opposed to spending their scant resources on cooking fuel..

Solar cooking has also become a great time saver and an important factor with regards to personal safety for many of the millions of refugees in Africa, Asia and elsewhere. Worlds largest Solar Kitchen in India.

With the ability to solar cook, many women and young children are not as prone to scavenge and search in dangerous areas for limited firewood sources, far from the refugee camps.

A solar cooker also allows them to conserve more of their meager funds (if any) to purchase fuel in the form of charcoal, kerosene, or gas thereby retaining more money for the purchase of food staples.

Through the availability of inexpensive solar cookers many of the worlds poor are, for the first time in their lives, able to enjoy a small bit of economic stability and a little more sense of personal security and well being by knowing they don't have to struggle so hard just to survive.

World wide, there are a number of organizations and individuals who have accomplished much among the worlds impoverished by bringing this means of harnessing a valuable, yet free energy resource to the hands of these needy souls.

In the USA there is a campaign to help put more solar cookers into the hands of the world's most needy by putting solar cookers into the hands of more Americans, in fact 5 million solar cookers into the hands of five million Americans...

In deference to these organizations, I have taken up a small part of the overall cause, and in my own way have worked to educate, inform, and instruct others within my own community and beyond about the necessity and benefit of adopting solar cooking as a viable and necessary alternative for use by people every where. Including right here in the United States.

In fact I personally feel that we can and should become an example to the rest of the world by greatly increasing our own use of this excellent tool, even to the level of institutional application, in due course.

Some may argue that; we here have no real "need" of using such a trite and insignificant form of alternative energy when, there are more impact full ways of harnessing renewable resources, such as solar panels or wind generators. But I suggest that every effort helps! Especially when it has to do with something so fundamental and as widespread as the preparing of daily meals.

As for me I will continue to work my small part of the garden in hopes of touching the lives of others for good with this unique God-given gift and opportunity.

As more and more people here in our country are educated on the possibilities made available through this exceptional method of cooking, then much more can be accomplished in parts of the world with a real and urgent need.

...I would therefore like to introduce you to a handful of the people and organizations that have already made a difference in the lives of many through their efforts to bring solar cooking to the world.

Solar Cooking Organizations and Their Initiatives:

-------------------------------------- Solar Household Energy Inc

--------------------------------------------- Solar Oven Society

---------------------------------------- Solar Cookers International

---------------------------------------------------- Solar Circle

The Wear Surma Clinic

Here is great site: (SOLAR FIRE) about a loosely grouped organization of people who are helping to bring larger scale solar cookers to communities around the world, including in the USA. Here you can find information and see the results of many who are working to bring solar cooking to the masses. Solar Fire Project

*Besides the obvious benefits to mankind and the environment of living in a sustainable manner, there will come a time when alternative means of “doing and living” will help us to better confront and deal with periods of disaster, trouble, unrest and scarcity.

Being prepared beforehand, for any emergency, will be the source of peace and stability for our families and communities alike. Solar Cooking can play an essential part in your Emergency Preparedness plans and preparations too. Emergency Preparedness with Solar Cooking

Ya'at'eeh, I work at Diné College and we are looking for ways to help community members cook food without using propane. I noticed in one of the comments you mention teaching Navajo how to use solar ovens. What were the results? What would you recommend during the windy season. We may purchase a solar oven to demo to students.
-Amber Crotty

Greetings Amber,

Thank you for visiting our website and for your inquiry.

Yes, we and the organization, Adopt-a-native-Elder, have helped quite a few people on the reservation learn to solar cook .

And, there are those still using and getting a lot of benefit from their solar cookers.

Here is the page that you heard reference to about the solar cooking project we did on the reservation:

https://www.solarcooker-at-cantinawest.com/navajo_reservation_solar_cooking.html

Wind can be overcome when solar cooking, of course if it gets over 40 miles per hour then that is a bit too much, but we have been able to cook on pretty breezy days, all it requires is a bit of stabilizing the cookers with bricks or some sort of weight or blocks.

The new Sun Ovens we carry now are even more wind stable than before.

With a solar cooker you can cook dry beans, cook roasts, chickens, veggies of all kinds, rice and pasta and even do some baking.

I carry and use a small solar cooker (which I keep in my car) to cook and heat up leftovers of stew, chili, tacos, casseroles, pizza, frozen burritos, pot pies and such for my lunches almost every day (sunny days of course).
The time required to heat things up is not too much.
Most things are heated up in an hour or less depending on how much food I am heating/cooking.

An oven would give you a bit more of an advantage in the winter due to the greater insulation that most box style solar
ovens have over panel style cookers.

https://www.solarcooker-at-cantinawest.com/solarcookers-prosandcons.htm

You should have no problems getting your solar oven up to 350 F. even on
a cold winter day.

We had our coldest winter in the last forty years here, -5 below, which is unusual for our area and the day after the (unusual snow storm) I had my three Sun Ovens out cooking without a problem.

You just need a nice sunny day. (even high thin cloudy days you can cook many items)

Using a solar cooker

We have customers all over the New England States and Canada that solar cook in the winter on the sunny days they do have.

If you have not already seen our pages, you might find these helpful:

when to solar cook

Where to solar cook

Winter time solar cooking

Solar Cooking Tips

Also check out our Facebook page for lots of winter, and year round, solar cooking posts etc.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Solar-Cooker-at-Cantinawest/107497525996738?sk=wall

Throughout our website you will find lots of helpful information and shared stories from people all over who solar cook at all times of the year in all kinds of places around the world.

I hope this is helpful, and if you need to know any more, just let me know.

Nathan Parry

Worldwide Solar Cooking Initiatives

Solar Cooking Organizations and Their Initiatives:

-------------------------------------- Solar Household Energy Inc

--------------------------------------------- Solar Oven Society

---------------------------------------- Solar Cookers International

---------------------------------------------------- Solar Circle

The Wear Surma Clinic

HOW WHAT WHERE WHEN WHY

Worldwide Solar Cooking Initiatives

Solar Cooking Organizations and Their Initiatives:

-------------------------------------- Solar Household Energy Inc

--------------------------------------------- Solar Oven Society

---------------------------------------- Solar Cookers International

---------------------------------------------------- Solar Circle

The Wear Surma Clinic

HOW WHAT WHERE WHEN WHY

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