Solar Cooking
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[[File:HotPots_in_Mexico.jpg|none|400px]]
 
[http://fmcn.org/sustainable-rural-life/?lang=en Sustainable Rural Life] is the new face of the HotPot Initiative that was launched by the [[Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature]] in 2003. Delivering [[HotPot]]s and training communities how to use them, served as an effective introduction to clean cooking and provided an alternative to burning firewood in indigenous communities around the country. Approximately 20,000 [[HotPot]]s have been distributed in sixteen states of Mexico. Another 464 were purchased by MFCN and delivered by local partners, and 445 [[fuel-efficient woodstove]]s of various types were also delivered between March and September 2012. At SRL they believe that using the Hot Pot, together with fuel-efficient cookstoves, is the best option to improve cooking habits in Mexico. Read more at [[Media:Mexico Sustainable rural life, 2-13-13.pdf|Sustainable Rural Life: Update 2012]].
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==Events==
 
==Events==
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{{MexicoEvents}}
 
{{CalendarAndPastEvents}}
 
{{CalendarAndPastEvents}}
   
=={{FeaturedProjectTitle}}==
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=={{HeadingNews}}==
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*{{NewApr16}}'''April 2016:''' [[Kathy Dahl-Bredine]] reports: "We were finally able to do that solar workshop we had planned for last November [near Oaxaca]. It was a phenomenal success. We had demonstrations of six different models of cookers. We're going to meet again to build cookers, which will include different ones of those models. Everyone wants them and wants to invite more people." Read more in the [[Media:Kathy_Dahl-Bredine_newsletter_Mar-April_2016.pdf|March-April 2016 newsletter]].
[[File:Sustainable Rural life Hot Pot, 2-13-13.jpg|thumb|300px|Workshop participants receive their [[HotPot]] solar cooker from Sustainable Rural Life in Mexico.]]
 
*'''February 2013:''' [http://fmcn.org/sustainable-rural-life/?lang=en Sustainable Rural Life] is the new face of the HotPot Initiative that was launched by the [[Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature]] in 2003. Delivering [[HotPot|Hot Pot]]s and training communities how to use them, served as an effective introduction to clean cooking and provided an alternative to burning firewood in indigenous communities around the country. Approximately 20,000 [[HotPot]]s have been distributed in sixteen states of Mexico. Another 464 were purchased by MFCN and delivered by local partners, and 445 [[fuel-efficient woodstove]]s of various types were also delivered between March and September 2012. At SRL they believe that using the Hot Pot, together with fuel-efficient cookstoves, is the best option to improve cooking habits in Mexico. Read more at [[Media:Mexico Sustainable rural life, 2-13-13.pdf|Sustainable Rural Life: Update 2012]]
 
   
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*'''January 2015: Assessing lasting impacts of HotPot projects''' - [[Solar Household Energy]] is revitalizing relationships with previous partner the [[Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature]] (Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza, or FMCN) to assess long-term project outcomes. FMCN has distributed over 25,000 HotPots in [[Mexico]]. Quantifying the lasting impacts of these projects will prove [[HotPot]] long-term adoption and durability, demonstrating that the HotPot is a viable clean cooking solution. Read more: [http://campaigns.serverhost.net/index.php?action=message&l=773&c=19938&m=18692&s=181badfd23dafdc19b1e089aa04d1cb7 Assessing lasting impacts of HotPot projects in Mexico] - ''[[SHE]]''
{{SignificantProjectLink}}
 
   
==News and recent developments==
 
 
*'''August, 2014:''' [[TrinySol]] built and installed a series of reflectors in El Sauz, Mexico. The cookers are either 10-square-meters or 16-square-meters and can cook for up to 60 people, said [[Gregor Schäpers]]. [http://phys.org/news/2012-12-german-solar-ovens-sunbaked-tortillas.html More info...]
 
*'''August, 2014:''' [[TrinySol]] built and installed a series of reflectors in El Sauz, Mexico. The cookers are either 10-square-meters or 16-square-meters and can cook for up to 60 people, said [[Gregor Schäpers]]. [http://phys.org/news/2012-12-german-solar-ovens-sunbaked-tortillas.html More info...]
   
[[File:Solar cooking training in Tapachula, Mexico.jpg|thumb|300px|Solar cooking training in Tapachula, {{state|Chiapas}}, Mexico]]
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[[File:Solar cooking training in Tapachula, Mexico.jpg|thumb|350px|Solar cooking training in Tapachula, {{state|Chiapas}}, Mexico]]
 
*'''September 2013:''' In conjunction with the Municipal government of Tapachula in {{state|Chiapas}}, Mexico, the [[Rotary Club of Tapachula Centenario]] has sponsored a number of solar cooking workshops in 2012 and 2013. Forty-four new instructors were trained in how to present solar cooking workshops back in their home communities. Restaurant staff was introduced to solar cooking in Santo Domingo, and at the Universidad Valle del Grijalva, City and Tapachula, culinary students were also introduced to solar cooking. On-site Experimental INIFAP "Rosario Izapa" trained twenty-seven people as users of alternative cooking systems. More photos here: https://www.facebook.com/ClubRotarioTapachula/photos_albums
 
*'''September 2013:''' In conjunction with the Municipal government of Tapachula in {{state|Chiapas}}, Mexico, the [[Rotary Club of Tapachula Centenario]] has sponsored a number of solar cooking workshops in 2012 and 2013. Forty-four new instructors were trained in how to present solar cooking workshops back in their home communities. Restaurant staff was introduced to solar cooking in Santo Domingo, and at the Universidad Valle del Grijalva, City and Tapachula, culinary students were also introduced to solar cooking. On-site Experimental INIFAP "Rosario Izapa" trained twenty-seven people as users of alternative cooking systems. More photos here: https://www.facebook.com/ClubRotarioTapachula/photos_albums
   
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[[File:16-brick rocket stove Mexico 2012.jpg|thumb|Sixteen-brick [[Rocket Stove]]]]
 
[[File:16-brick rocket stove Mexico 2012.jpg|thumb|Sixteen-brick [[Rocket Stove]]]]
 
*'''May 2012:'''Volunteers from the [[Rotary Club of Fresno]], California, led by [[Wilfred and Marie Pimentel]], teamed up with the [[Rotary Club of Tapachula Centenario]], Mexico, to host a five-day [[Integrated Cooking Method|integrated cooking]] workshop in Tapachula. This is the tenth grant project completed in Mexico by the Rotary Club of Fresno. Although only twenty students were expected to attend, ninety-one arrived on opening day to participate—a clear indication of the desperate need for affordable fuel-saving cooking devices in this region. Local instructors and expert solar cooks from Torreon and Oaxaca led the workshop. Participants learned to build three types of [[rocket stoves]]: mud and chopped grass, five gallon tin can, and sixteen brick, which were used to make tortillas. Students cut out cardboard sheets and glued them to pieces of aluminum foil to make solar panel [[CooKit]]s. A variety of meat, vegetable and egg dishes were prepared with the CooKits along with desserts like pineapple upside down cake. Students also learned how to use [[WAPI]]’s to [[pasteurize water]] with a CooKit. Finally, the instructors showed their ninety-one students how easy it is to make a [[retained heat cooker]] with a pillowcases and crumpled newspaper stuffed into a woven basket. [[Media:Tapachula Centenario - Fresno Rotary 2012.pdf|Read more about the event and see more photos...]]
 
*'''May 2012:'''Volunteers from the [[Rotary Club of Fresno]], California, led by [[Wilfred and Marie Pimentel]], teamed up with the [[Rotary Club of Tapachula Centenario]], Mexico, to host a five-day [[Integrated Cooking Method|integrated cooking]] workshop in Tapachula. This is the tenth grant project completed in Mexico by the Rotary Club of Fresno. Although only twenty students were expected to attend, ninety-one arrived on opening day to participate—a clear indication of the desperate need for affordable fuel-saving cooking devices in this region. Local instructors and expert solar cooks from Torreon and Oaxaca led the workshop. Participants learned to build three types of [[rocket stoves]]: mud and chopped grass, five gallon tin can, and sixteen brick, which were used to make tortillas. Students cut out cardboard sheets and glued them to pieces of aluminum foil to make solar panel [[CooKit]]s. A variety of meat, vegetable and egg dishes were prepared with the CooKits along with desserts like pineapple upside down cake. Students also learned how to use [[WAPI]]’s to [[pasteurize water]] with a CooKit. Finally, the instructors showed their ninety-one students how easy it is to make a [[retained heat cooker]] with a pillowcases and crumpled newspaper stuffed into a woven basket. [[Media:Tapachula Centenario - Fresno Rotary 2012.pdf|Read more about the event and see more photos...]]
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{{OldNewsLink}}
*'''May 2011:''' [[Solar Household Energy]] (SHE) is working to expand the solar cooking promotion efforts it undertook in Mexico with the [[Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature]] (FMCN) begun in 2004. They has also been active in the areas of solar cooking advocacy, research and technology development. Read more in the [[Media:SHE update spring 2011.pdf|SHE spring update 2011]].
 
   
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=={{HeadingHistory}}==
[[File:Solar-Powered Cooking Arrives in Southern Mexico|thumb|300px|thumb|Solar-powered cooking arrives in southern Mexico.]]
 
*'''December 2010:''' Solar cooking is growing in popularity in both the rural and urban areas of Mexico. The [http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xg7dep_solar-powered-cooking-arrives-in-southern-mexico_tech video] features a roadside street vender in Oaxaca who has realized substantial savings by converting his cart to solar cooking.
 
[[File:Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas - July 2010.jpg|thumb|[http://bit.ly/a6mk04 Hornos solares, nueva forma de cocinar en Tamaulipas]]]
 
 
[[File:Modified CooKit design Tom Carter.jpg|thumb|300px|Modified [[CooKit]] design by Tom Carter]]
 
*'''April 2010:''' While travelling in Mexico late last year, [[Tom Carter]] taught a class on solar cooking and water pasteurization for local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The nearly 40 students in attendance learned how to conduct and read simple water tests, and how to make biologically contaminated drinking water safe by heating it in a solar cooker to pasteurization temperatures as indicated by a [[Water Pasteurization Indicator]] (WAPI). The class built about 15 simple solar cookers based on [[Solar Cookers International]]’s [[CooKit]]. Carter modified the design by removing most of the curves and by joining multiple cardboard panels together instead of using one solid piece. The product is somewhat easier to build and reduces the amount of cardboard needed. “This pattern … is easier to make,” says Carter. “It requires three boxes of approximately the same size or perhaps only two if they have nice tops or bottoms.” The solar cookers and a number of water testing kits and WAPIs were left with the NGO representatives.
 
[[File:Greegor Mexico.jpg|thumb|350px|S.Greegor working with rural residents]]
 
*'''April 2010''' S. Greegor of Idaho has been working through the [[Peace Corps]] to introduce solar cookers to rural Mexico. She has a goal of introducing solar cookers to 500 families before leaving Mexico.
 
 
[[File:Palomas teens make solar oven.jpg|thumb|350 px|Teens constructing solar ovens for their school.]]
 
*'''March 2010:''' Teens construct their own solar ovens for the school hot lunch program. Utilizing the enthusiastic energy of teens, [[Peter Edmunds]] is introducing a solar-powered school hot lunch program into an economically disadvantaged Mexican middle school. The dream that the dusty border town of Palomas will become "the most solar conscious town in Mexico" is closer to reality with four student-constructed solar ovens in place and in use. Edmunds, 71, a New Mexican retiree, founded the nonprofit organization [[Border Partners]] to address poverty in the desolate US-Mexico border area of Columbus, NM and Palomas, Mexico last year. [http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/5449113-teens-construct-own-solar-oven-school-hot-lunch-program Teens construct solar ovens]
 
 
*'''August 2009:''' The Technological University of San Juan del Rio presented a solar oven for cooking food to Casa Conciencia, a "green demonstration home" located in Leon, Guanajuato. This project was developed by the teachers of the university to help find solutions to prevent health problems faced by people of limited means who use wood or coal for their energy. For more information, go to [http://rotativo.com.mx/sanjuanrio/entrega_ut_de_san_juan_horno_solar_a_casa_ecologica/659,21,18531,html ''Diario Rotativo: Líder en Querétaro''.]
 
 
[[File:British embasy Mexico1.jpg|right|350px]]
 
*'''August 2009:''' The British Embassy in Mexico has instigated an ambitious project to reduce its carbon footprint and save money. Over the past 2 years steps have been taken including purchasing more efficient cars, recycling paper and toner cartridges, and increased use of tele and video conferences to reduce travel. This year they have embarked on a new phase with a new goal to further reduce emmissions and main energy costs by 20%. They anticipate reducing the embassy's use of butane gas by at least 80% through the use of solar heaters and better management of hot water. They plan to institute more efficient recycling, to solar heat shower water, to install and use solar coffee makers and solar ovens for people to cook their lunches, to recycle water, to relamp inefficient lighting fixtures, and to turn-off hot water to the toilet room sinks. To be effective, all staff is encouraged to buy in to the projects and to contribute their ideas. To facilitate this, they have created a Green Terrace which doubles as an additional meeting room. The Terrace has a solar powered coffee maker, solar oven, and water purifier. For more information, go to the [http://ukinmexico.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/?view=PressR&id=20583133 UK embassy in Mexico website.]
 
 
*'''July 2009:''' [[Solar Household Energy]], Inc.’s [[Richard Stolz]] reports that 400 [[HotPot]] solar cookers were provided to victims of the floods that ravaged the southern state of Tabasco in late 2007. “In addition to the devastation caused to homes, the floods knocked out Tabasco’s electricity and gas distribution plant. As a result, even after flood waters had receded, many residents had no means of cooking food, particularly when firewood was unavailable.” The HotPots were made available by two of Solar Household Energy, Inc.’s partner organizations, the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature, and International Logistics Solutions, which manufactures HotPots in Mexico.
 
 
[[File:HotPots in Coahuila, Mexico 2008.jpg-350px.jpg|thumb|right|350px|In November 2008 more than 120 [[HotPot]] solar cookers cooked lunch in Torreon's Ecological Park.]]
 
*'''November 2008:''' Mexico's Federal Government Department of Social Services SEDESOL helped launch the biggest solar cooking demonstration to date in Coahuila, Mexico. Over 120 [[HotPot]] solar ovens cooked lunch in Torreon's Ecological Park. Torreon's Mayor who was present acknowledged that "Torreon has 300 days of sunshine."
 
 
*'''April 2007:''' El Sudcaliforniano, newspaper of La Paz, recently reported on a small solar cooking project started by [[Mercedes Gorrete Solis Lucero]], a local biochemical engineer. Thus far, 20 demonstration solar cookers have been constructed -- eight parabolic-type, six box-type and six panel-type. The purpose of the project is to make solar thermal technology available to the community at low cost while contributing to an ecological culture. The state of Baja California Sur enjoys more than 260 sunny days per year, suffers from scarcity of [[Fuelwood|firewood]] and is home to people who tend to put new technologies into practice, the newspaper says. Gorrete Solis Lucero demonstrates the cookers at events such as the state government’s women’s exposition She says most people become interested, show enthusiasm and ask questions, and she has a special method for dealing with doubts. “I make pastries,” she says.
 
 
*'''January 2007:''' The International Relations Center, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide information and analysis that increase social and economic justice throughout the world, recently cited the [[HotPot]] as an example of an effective solar cooker that is both produced and sold in Mexican communities. Mexico is currently working to structure a national training program to help individuals understand the utility of solar and wind power in cost effectiveness for health and the environment. Read more [http://www.she-inc.org/art.php?id=60 here].
 
 
*'''August 2006:''' [http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scraug06.htm#Learning_together_ Learning together on the Mexican border]
 
[[Image:SHE Mexico 2006.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Over 1,000 HotPots were sold by the end of the World Bank funding year in September 2005. The World Bank was satisfied with the results. Radio and television coverage had reached tens of thousands of Mexicans, spreading solar cooking awareness where little or none existed before. Also, a long-term HotPot distribution network had been established. See [[Solar Household Energy]].]]
 
*'''March 2006:''' [http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrmar06.htm#Mexico One thousand Mexican families buy solar cookers]
 
*'''March 2006:''' [[Kathy Dahl-Bredine]], who works with the [[Nino a Nino]] organization, reports that solar cooking is taking hold in the state of Oaxaca. She gave nine workshops in her first year and helped about 150 people learn to make and use solar cookers. In the workshops, new solar cooking students are given homework — to teach others how to make and use a [[CooKit]]-style solar panel cooker. Ms. Dahl-Bredine reports that many of her students have done their homework and taught others. She has also taught solar cooking skills to Indian development promoters who are spreading the idea to many other families. She writes, “It sounds like a great many of the cookers are getting used. … One woman I work with said, ‘Now I know that I don’t have to worry about whether I’ve turned the beans off when I leave the house, because if they are in the solar cooker, I know they are fine.’ … One woman I know here in Oaxaca City told me about a certain dish she makes, a particular chicken enchilada, that her 10-year-old son never especially liked, but the first time she made it in her solar cooker … her son said, ‘Wow, this is delicious. What makes it so different?’” Ms. Dahl-Bredine reports that the major motivation for using the solar cookers is that people have little income, and benefit from reduced fuel costs. The [[CooKit]]-type solar cooker is practical because it is inexpensive and can be made by the families themselves. She emphasizes follow-up visits with new learners, because people don’t always get everything they need to know from one workshop. When people are learning, she says, “you want all the conditions to be right to succeed at first.” After people have some experience, they can try more challenging cooking problems. She believes that experienced solar cooks can use their solar cookers most days even during Oaxaca’s rainy season, by starting early in the day and planning carefully.
 
 
==The History of Solar Cooking in Mexico==
 
 
A substantial amount of solar cooking activity has been instituted in Mexico
 
A substantial amount of solar cooking activity has been instituted in Mexico
under a wide range of auspices, almost certainly more than can be described here. Girl Scout leader [[Barby Pulliam]] has conducted training programs for Girl Scout leaders and other representatives of NGOs in a number of cities and towns. Rotarian [[Wilfred Pimentel]] has also conducted a number of pilot programs in various cities. In some of those places, Rotary and Girl Scouts joined forces. A number of missions and other religious groups have promoted solar cookers in various parts of the country. One example is the [[Mission Mazahua]], in Atlacomulco, which has produced around 600 cookers. Several university faculty members have conducted research on cooking devices, as well.
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under a wide range of auspices, almost certainly more than can be described here. Girl Scout leader [[Barby Pulliam]] has conducted training programs for Girl Scout leaders and other representatives of NGOs in a number of cities and towns. Rotarian [[Wilfred Pimentel]] has also conducted a number of pilot programs in various cities. In some of those places, Rotary and Girl Scouts joined forces. A number of missions and other religious groups have promoted solar cookers in various parts of the country. One example is the Mission Mazahua, in Atlacomulco, which has produced around 600 cookers. Several university faculty members have conducted research on cooking devices, as well.
   
 
A large project originated in an unusual venue, a nature conservancy area, the Sierra Gorda Nature Reserve. In the spring of 2003, [[Louise Meyer]] of [[Solar Household Energy, Inc.]] (SHE, Inc.) conducted a training program to test user acceptance of a new solar device called the HotPot. The device uses a modified [[CooKit]] design, initially of a plastic material rather than cardboard, and later metal. The black pot is enclosed within a tempered glass "greenhouse" instead of the plastic bag used in the original [[CooKit]].
Currently, a large project is underway in an unusual venue, a nature conservancy
 
area, the Sierra Gorda Nature Reserve. In the spring of 2003, [[Louise Meyer]] of [[Solar Household Energy, Inc.]] (SHE, Inc.) conducted a training program to test user acceptance of a new solar device called the HotPot. The device uses a modified [[CooKit]] design, initially of a plastic material rather than cardboard, and later metal. The black pot is enclosed within a tempered glass "greenhouse" instead of the plastic bag used in the original [[CooKit]].
 
   
The Director of the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature, [[Lorenzo Rosenzweig]], has partnered with SHE, Inc. in planning and implementation of the project.
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The Director of the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature, Lorenzo Rosenzweig, has partnered with SHE, Inc. in planning and implementation of the project.
   
 
Within the confines of nature conservancies in Mexico, as elsewhere, trees cannot be cut
 
Within the confines of nature conservancies in Mexico, as elsewhere, trees cannot be cut
 
down for use as fuelwood. Households living within the area thus must find other sources
 
down for use as fuelwood. Households living within the area thus must find other sources
of energy for cooking. Therefore, the managing group of the Sierra Gorda site, the [[Grupo Ecologico de Sierra Gorda]], was delighted to explore the potential of solar cooking. The town of Purisima and a village, Mavi, were selected as the site for the initial training program.
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of energy for cooking. Therefore, the managing group of the Sierra Gorda site, the [[Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda]], was delighted to explore the potential of solar cooking. The town of Purisima and a village, Mavi, were selected as the site for the initial training program.
   
 
Ms. Meyer traveled to Mexico, and conducted training for Sierra Gorda women, who were given [[HotPot]]s and trained in their use over a two-day period. After the training, Ms. Meyer visited the women in their homes as follow-up for days of further training and coaching. The women were all interested in what others were cooking, and eventually a throng of cooks accompanied Ms. Meyer on most visits, enhancing the group learning substantially. Two women from the group were chosen for additional training in "how to teach others". The new trainers were again visited and coached in the art of training.
Ms. Meyer traveled to Mexico in May, and conducted training for Sierra Gorda
 
women, who were given [[HotPot]]s and trained in their use over a two-day period. After the training, Ms. Meyer visited the women in their homes as follow-up for days of further training and coaching. The women were all interested in what others were cooking, and eventually a throng of cooks accompanied Ms. Meyer on most visits, enhancing the group learning substantially. Two women from the group were chosen for additional training in "how to teach others". The new trainers were again visited and coached in the art of training.
 
   
 
This pilot project, growing into a large scale follow up in other areas of Mexico,
 
This pilot project, growing into a large scale follow up in other areas of Mexico,
 
was among the winners of the 2003 Development Marketplace competition, held
 
was among the winners of the 2003 Development Marketplace competition, held
annually by the World Bank. The award of funds to SHE, Inc. in collaboration with the Fondo Mexicano will permit faster dissemination of the new Hotpot in this area and perhaps in other parts of South America. Reports on this activity will become available later in 2004 on the SHE, Inc. web site (she-inc.org).
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annually by the World Bank. The award of funds to SHE, Inc. in collaboration with the Fondo Mexicano will permit faster dissemination of the new Hotpot in this area and perhaps in other parts of South America. Reports on this activity will become available later in 2004 on the SHE, Inc. web site (she-inc.org). [[Sun Ovens International]], is also working in Mexico, though its main offices for the area are in Europe. They report
The [[Sun Oven Organization]], an offshoot of [[Sun Ovens International]], is also
 
working in Mexico, though its main offices for the area are in Europe. They report
 
 
promoting both Sun Ovens and Sheffler type parabolics in Cuernavaca and Mexico City
 
promoting both Sun Ovens and Sheffler type parabolics in Cuernavaca and Mexico City
 
(http://info@sunoven.de>) The parabolic portion of this work, conducted by the Grupo Scheffler de Mexico installs large commercial and institutional cooking and water heating.
 
(http://info@sunoven.de>) The parabolic portion of this work, conducted by the Grupo Scheffler de Mexico installs large commercial and institutional cooking and water heating.
   
 
The first industrial solar kitchen of México (6 Schefflers reflectors of 10m2) [http://www.trinysol.com was built] in the Hidalgo State by Gregor Shäpers. New projects are on the pipeline in Hidalgo and Jalisco states, and in particular for steam applications.
''[Information for this section was taken originally from [[Media:sam.pdf|State of the Art of Solar Cooking]] by Dr. [[Barbara Knudson]]]''
 
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{{ArchivedPagesForHistory}}
   
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=={{HeadingClimateCulture}}==
The first industrial solar kitchen of México (6 Schefflers reflectors of 10m2) [http://www.trinysol.com have been build] in the Hidalgo State by Gregor Shäpers. New projects are on the pipeline in Hidalgo and Jalisco states, and in particular for steam aplications.
 
 
==Climate, Culture, and Special Considerations==
 
 
[[Image:Mexico insolation.jpg|thumb|right|450px|Insolation in Mexico]]Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country with over 100 million inhabitants. One-quarter of the population lives in Mexico City, the world’s largest city. Rapid population growth and industrialization in Mexico over the last few decades have put an enormous strain on the environment, economy and on individual health.
 
[[Image:Mexico insolation.jpg|thumb|right|450px|Insolation in Mexico]]Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country with over 100 million inhabitants. One-quarter of the population lives in Mexico City, the world’s largest city. Rapid population growth and industrialization in Mexico over the last few decades have put an enormous strain on the environment, economy and on individual health.
   
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In addition to the negative environmental and economic impact of fuel wood dependence, women and children suffer from health problems caused by cooking inside small, enclosed kitchens that often lack windows or other ventilation. Women and children inhale toxic smoke for many hours each day which can lead to pneumonia and respiratory infections, the biggest killers of children under five years of age.
 
In addition to the negative environmental and economic impact of fuel wood dependence, women and children suffer from health problems caused by cooking inside small, enclosed kitchens that often lack windows or other ventilation. Women and children inhale toxic smoke for many hours each day which can lead to pneumonia and respiratory infections, the biggest killers of children under five years of age.
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===See also===
 
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*{{WikipediaClimate|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Mexico}}
 
*[[Solar cooker dissemination and cultural variables]]
 
*[[Solar cooker dissemination and cultural variables]]
 
==Possible funders for solar cooking projects in {{PAGENAME}}==
 
 
* [http://www.kiva.org/partners/18 Fundación para la Vivienda Progresiva (FVP)]
 
   
 
==Resources==
 
==Resources==
===Possible [[funders]] for solar cooking projects in Mexico===
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===Possible [[funders]]===
 
*[http://www.kiva.org/partners/130 Fundacion Realidad A.C (FRAC), a partner of World Vision International]
 
*[http://www.kiva.org/partners/130 Fundacion Realidad A.C (FRAC), a partner of World Vision International]
 
*[http://www.kiva.org/partners/18 Fundación para la Vivienda Progresiva (FVP), a partner of CHF International]
 
*[http://www.kiva.org/partners/18 Fundación para la Vivienda Progresiva (FVP), a partner of CHF International]
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*'''February 2013:''' [[Media:MEXICO Xuni Presentacio´n Editada final 1ro de Agosto.pptx copy copy.pdf|Kit Para Cocina Solar]] - ''Xuni''
 
*'''February 2013:''' [[Media:MEXICO Xuni Presentacio´n Editada final 1ro de Agosto.pptx copy copy.pdf|Kit Para Cocina Solar]] - ''Xuni''
   
*'''January 2009:''' [[:Image:CHOCOSOL- An experience of producing joy without generating malice - Aline Desentis Otálora (January 2009).pdf|CHOCOSOL- An Experience of Producing Joy Without Generating Malice]] - ''[[Aline Desentis Otálora]]''
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*'''January 2009:''' [[:Image:CHOCOSOL- An experience of producing joy without generating malice - Aline Desentis Otálora (January 2009).pdf|CHOCOSOL- An Experience of Producing Joy Without Generating Malice]] - ''Aline Desentis Otálora''
   
 
*'''January 2009:''' [[:Image:Agave syrup production – a sweet tradition goes solar - Gregor Schapers (January 2009).pdf|Agave syrup production – a sweet tradition goes solar]] - ''[[Gregor Schäpers]]''
 
*'''January 2009:''' [[:Image:Agave syrup production – a sweet tradition goes solar - Gregor Schapers (January 2009).pdf|Agave syrup production – a sweet tradition goes solar]] - ''[[Gregor Schäpers]]''
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*'''August 2006:''' [http://solarcooking.org/regional/Mexico/Nogales_Report_Excerpts_August_2006.pdf Report on the use of HotPot solar cookers to reduce air pollution from cooking fires in northern Mexico]
 
*'''August 2006:''' [http://solarcooking.org/regional/Mexico/Nogales_Report_Excerpts_August_2006.pdf Report on the use of HotPot solar cookers to reduce air pollution from cooking fires in northern Mexico]
   
*'''Spring 2004:''' [http://www.she-inc.org/art.php?id=34 The HotPot in Mexico] - ''[[Louise Meyer]]''
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*'''Spring 2004:''' [http://www.she-inc.org/?s=hotpot The HotPot in Mexico] - ''[[Louise Meyer]]''
   
 
===Articles in the media===
 
===Articles in the media===
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*'''March 2008:''' {{GoogleLinkFromSpanish|1=http://ciencias.jornada.com.mx/ciencias/noticias/disenan-horno-solar-economico|2=Diseñan horno solar económico|3=La Jornada en la Ciencia}}
 
*'''March 2008:''' {{GoogleLinkFromSpanish|1=http://ciencias.jornada.com.mx/ciencias/noticias/disenan-horno-solar-economico|2=Diseñan horno solar económico|3=La Jornada en la Ciencia}}
   
*'''Summer 2005:''' [http://www.she-inc.org/art.php?id=45 Mexican Straw Weavers in Mixteca Region of Oaxaca Learn to Solar Cook] - ''Weave A Real Peace Newsletter''
+
*'''Summer 2005:''' [http://www.she-inc.org/?p=1373 Mexican Straw Weavers in Mixteca Region of Oaxaca Learn to Solar Cook] - ''Weave A Real Peace Newsletter''
   
 
===Websites===
 
===Websites===
Line 137: Line 103:
   
 
===Audio and video===
 
===Audio and video===
  +
*'''May 2013:'''
[[File:Taquería de Oaxaca funciona con energía solar en vez de gas|thumb|none|400 px|Desde hace tres años funciona en Oaxaca una taquería que en vez de gas utiliza la energía solar. Los rayos de luz son captados a través de un panel móvil de aluminio que los convierte en energía y permite cocinar elementos mediante una estufa solar.]]
+
::[[File:Taquería de Oaxaca funciona con energía solar en vez de gas|thumb|none|400 px|Desde hace tres años funciona en Oaxaca una taquería que en vez de gas utiliza la energía solar. Los rayos de luz son captados a través de un panel móvil de aluminio que los convierte en energía y permite cocinar elementos mediante una estufa solar.]]
   
  +
*'''June 2012:'''
[[File:Taquería oaxaqueña trabaja con energía solar|thumb|none|400px|Alfredo García instaló un reflector cilindro parabólico en su puesto ambulante para calentar el consomé y los tacos que venden en las calles de Oaxaca. Además del ahorro que representa el no utilizar gas, otro de los beneficios de este sistema es que la comida resulta menos grasosa.]]
 
 
::[[File:Tortilla Sunshine||400px|none]]
   
  +
*'''February 2010:'''
[[File:Tortilla Sunshine||400px|none]]
 
 
::[[File:Taquería oaxaqueña trabaja con energía solar|thumb|none|400px|Alfredo García instaló un reflector cilindro parabólico en su puesto ambulante para calentar el consomé y los tacos que venden en las calles de Oaxaca. Además del ahorro que representa el no utilizar gas, otro de los beneficios de este sistema es que la comida resulta menos grasosa.]]
  +
  +
*'''February 2009:'''
  +
::[[File:LA COCINA SOLAR|thumb|none|400 px]]
 
{{CountryContacts}}
 
{{CountryContacts}}
[[Category:North America]]
 
 
[[Category:Countries]]
 
[[Category:Countries]]
[[Category:Spanish-speaking countries]]
 
[[Category:Americas]]
 
 
[[Category:Mexico]]
 
[[Category:Mexico]]
 
[[Category:North America]]
 
[[Category:Americas]]
 
[[Category:Spanish-speaking countries]]

Revision as of 17:08, 26 April 2016

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Last edited: 26 April 2016      
HotPots in Mexico

Sustainable Rural Life is the new face of the HotPot Initiative that was launched by the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature in 2003. Delivering HotPots and training communities how to use them, served as an effective introduction to clean cooking and provided an alternative to burning firewood in indigenous communities around the country. Approximately 20,000 HotPots have been distributed in sixteen states of Mexico. Another 464 were purchased by MFCN and delivered by local partners, and 445 fuel-efficient woodstoves of various types were also delivered between March and September 2012. At SRL they believe that using the Hot Pot, together with fuel-efficient cookstoves, is the best option to improve cooking habits in Mexico. Read more at Sustainable Rural Life: Update 2012.

Events

Featured international events

SE for ALL forum logo 2024, 10-3-23
  • 4-6 June 2024 (Bridgetown, Barbados): Sustainable Energy for All Global Forum - The event will be co-hosted by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the government of Barbados. It is a platform for government, business and finance leaders, entrepreneurs, and youth and community representatives from around the world to come together to broker new partnerships, spur new investment, and address challenges at the nexus of energy, climate, and development. More information...

Online events

Requests for proposal

  • Decentralized Renewable Energy Solutions utilizing Solar and Bio-Energy - Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments of ScienceDirect, is requesting guest-author submissions. The special issue, VSI: DRES is devoted to publishing research articles reporting the innovative designs and design interventions in solar thermal and bio-energy for decentralized energy systems (DES). It includes i) new and novel designs of prototype or commercial devices and technologies, their development, modeling and simulations and experimental validation; ii) innovations for processes, techniques, utilization, and applications; iii) novel use of materials for improving efficiency, performance, techno-economic feasibility, and sustainability and iv) research findings addressing the socio-economic, health and safety impacts, and life cycle assessments leading to proposing novel devices for DES. The Deadline for submission is 31 July 2024. More submittal information...
See also: Global Calendar of Events and past events in Mexico

News

  • April 2016: Kathy Dahl-Bredine reports: "We were finally able to do that solar workshop we had planned for last November [near Oaxaca]. It was a phenomenal success. We had demonstrations of six different models of cookers. We're going to meet again to build cookers, which will include different ones of those models. Everyone wants them and wants to invite more people." Read more in the March-April 2016 newsletter.
  • August, 2014: TrinySol built and installed a series of reflectors in El Sauz, Mexico. The cookers are either 10-square-meters or 16-square-meters and can cook for up to 60 people, said Gregor Schäpers. More info...
Solar cooking training in Tapachula, Mexico

Solar cooking training in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico

  • September 2013: In conjunction with the Municipal government of Tapachula in Chiapas, Mexico, the Rotary Club of Tapachula Centenario has sponsored a number of solar cooking workshops in 2012 and 2013. Forty-four new instructors were trained in how to present solar cooking workshops back in their home communities. Restaurant staff was introduced to solar cooking in Santo Domingo, and at the Universidad Valle del Grijalva, City and Tapachula, culinary students were also introduced to solar cooking. On-site Experimental INIFAP "Rosario Izapa" trained twenty-seven people as users of alternative cooking systems. More photos here: https://www.facebook.com/ClubRotarioTapachula/photos_albums
  • November 2012: GloboSol annual report: Switzerland/Germany - Partner-meeting “Skillshare” - As a “première”, some of our closest friends and solar colleagues from various foreign countries were invited to visit Globosol with Michael Götz. In the course of a manifold study and sight-seeing program, they also became acquainted with parts of Switzerland and southern Germany. Unfortunately only two guests were able to participate: Lorena Harp from Oaxaca, Mexico, the co-organizer of the project “Food-stalls in Mexico”, and Sourakatou Ouro-Bangna, head of the solar center “Solasol” in Sokode,Togo. It was a stimulating event that nevertheless raised questions and unfortunately required significant administrative expense.
  • November 2012: GloboSol annual report: Mexico - Solar energy for food stalls - This project, beginning in autumn 2009, has been characterized by a particular dynamic. Often typical of the bureaucratic planning process in Mexico, decisions can be made very spontaneously and without forethought for the future, a big challenge for the project’s manager, Michael Götz, who is continually evaluating the possibilities and finding new ways of improvising for project success. Central to Phase 3 of the project, which ran from November 2011 until May 2012, were further improvements to the Taqueria Poncho, solar street vendor equipment, extension of the food stalls to small restaurants and food processing businesses, construction of a gastro-steamer for a canteen, and building a demonstration center website, Cocina Solar Mexico.
FMCN Proyecto Olla Solar August 2012

Proyecto Olla Solar

  • August 2012: FMCN involved in Proyecto Olla Solar that involved distribution of a modified CooKit called the Xuni. Read more...
16-brick rocket stove Mexico 2012

Sixteen-brick Rocket Stove

  • May 2012:Volunteers from the Rotary Club of Fresno, California, led by Wilfred and Marie Pimentel, teamed up with the Rotary Club of Tapachula Centenario, Mexico, to host a five-day integrated cooking workshop in Tapachula. This is the tenth grant project completed in Mexico by the Rotary Club of Fresno. Although only twenty students were expected to attend, ninety-one arrived on opening day to participate—a clear indication of the desperate need for affordable fuel-saving cooking devices in this region. Local instructors and expert solar cooks from Torreon and Oaxaca led the workshop. Participants learned to build three types of rocket stoves: mud and chopped grass, five gallon tin can, and sixteen brick, which were used to make tortillas. Students cut out cardboard sheets and glued them to pieces of aluminum foil to make solar panel CooKits. A variety of meat, vegetable and egg dishes were prepared with the CooKits along with desserts like pineapple upside down cake. Students also learned how to use WAPI’s to pasteurize water with a CooKit. Finally, the instructors showed their ninety-one students how easy it is to make a retained heat cooker with a pillowcases and crumpled newspaper stuffed into a woven basket. Read more about the event and see more photos...
See older news...

History

A substantial amount of solar cooking activity has been instituted in Mexico under a wide range of auspices, almost certainly more than can be described here. Girl Scout leader Barby Pulliam has conducted training programs for Girl Scout leaders and other representatives of NGOs in a number of cities and towns. Rotarian Wilfred Pimentel has also conducted a number of pilot programs in various cities. In some of those places, Rotary and Girl Scouts joined forces. A number of missions and other religious groups have promoted solar cookers in various parts of the country. One example is the Mission Mazahua, in Atlacomulco, which has produced around 600 cookers. Several university faculty members have conducted research on cooking devices, as well.

A large project originated in an unusual venue, a nature conservancy area, the Sierra Gorda Nature Reserve. In the spring of 2003, Louise Meyer of Solar Household Energy, Inc. (SHE, Inc.) conducted a training program to test user acceptance of a new solar device called the HotPot. The device uses a modified CooKit design, initially of a plastic material rather than cardboard, and later metal. The black pot is enclosed within a tempered glass "greenhouse" instead of the plastic bag used in the original CooKit.

The Director of the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature, Lorenzo Rosenzweig, has partnered with SHE, Inc. in planning and implementation of the project.

Within the confines of nature conservancies in Mexico, as elsewhere, trees cannot be cut down for use as fuelwood. Households living within the area thus must find other sources of energy for cooking. Therefore, the managing group of the Sierra Gorda site, the Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda, was delighted to explore the potential of solar cooking. The town of Purisima and a village, Mavi, were selected as the site for the initial training program.

Ms. Meyer traveled to Mexico, and conducted training for Sierra Gorda women, who were given HotPots and trained in their use over a two-day period. After the training, Ms. Meyer visited the women in their homes as follow-up for days of further training and coaching. The women were all interested in what others were cooking, and eventually a throng of cooks accompanied Ms. Meyer on most visits, enhancing the group learning substantially. Two women from the group were chosen for additional training in "how to teach others". The new trainers were again visited and coached in the art of training.

This pilot project, growing into a large scale follow up in other areas of Mexico, was among the winners of the 2003 Development Marketplace competition, held annually by the World Bank. The award of funds to SHE, Inc. in collaboration with the Fondo Mexicano will permit faster dissemination of the new Hotpot in this area and perhaps in other parts of South America. Reports on this activity will become available later in 2004 on the SHE, Inc. web site (she-inc.org). Sun Ovens International, is also working in Mexico, though its main offices for the area are in Europe. They report promoting both Sun Ovens and Sheffler type parabolics in Cuernavaca and Mexico City (http://info@sunoven.de>) The parabolic portion of this work, conducted by the Grupo Scheffler de Mexico installs large commercial and institutional cooking and water heating.

The first industrial solar kitchen of México (6 Schefflers reflectors of 10m2) was built in the Hidalgo State by Gregor Shäpers. New projects are on the pipeline in Hidalgo and Jalisco states, and in particular for steam applications.

Archived articles

Climate and culture

Mexico insolation

Insolation in Mexico

Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country with over 100 million inhabitants. One-quarter of the population lives in Mexico City, the world’s largest city. Rapid population growth and industrialization in Mexico over the last few decades have put an enormous strain on the environment, economy and on individual health.

Less than 10% of Mexico’s native tropical rainforests remain today. These rainforests are limited to southeastern Mexico and are most threatened by subsistence activities—especially fuel wood collection. Fuel wood supplies 69% of the energy consumption in rural areas, particularly for cooking. As the supply of wood decreases it negatively impacts the lives of the people who depend on it.

For instance, women and girls are responsible for procuring fuel wood and they must travel farther from home as wood becomes more scarce. This task demands many hours and minimizes opportunities to attend school and participate in income-generating activities. In other areas, it is no longer feasible to gather wood. Families in these areas can spend 15% to 37% of their income on wood and/or gas.

In addition to the negative environmental and economic impact of fuel wood dependence, women and children suffer from health problems caused by cooking inside small, enclosed kitchens that often lack windows or other ventilation. Women and children inhale toxic smoke for many hours each day which can lead to pneumonia and respiratory infections, the biggest killers of children under five years of age.

See also

Resources

Possible funders

Reports

Articles in the media

Websites


Audio and video

  • May 2013:
Taquería_de_Oaxaca_funciona_con_energía_solar_en_vez_de_gas

Taquería de Oaxaca funciona con energía solar en vez de gas

Desde hace tres años funciona en Oaxaca una taquería que en vez de gas utiliza la energía solar. Los rayos de luz son captados a través de un panel móvil de aluminio que los convierte en energía y permite cocinar elementos mediante una estufa solar.

  • June 2012:
  • February 2010:
Taquería_oaxaqueña_trabaja_con_energía_solar

Taquería oaxaqueña trabaja con energía solar

Alfredo García instaló un reflector cilindro parabólico en su puesto ambulante para calentar el consomé y los tacos que venden en las calles de Oaxaca. Además del ahorro que representa el no utilizar gas, otro de los beneficios de este sistema es que la comida resulta menos grasosa.

  • February 2009:
LA_COCINA_SOLAR

LA COCINA SOLAR

Contacts

The entities listed below are either based in Mexico, or have established solar cooking projects there:

SCI Associates

NGOs

Manufacturers and vendors

Individuals

Government agencies

Educational institutions

See also

References