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− | {{Updated| |
+ | {{Updated|10|14|15}} |
− | [[File:Infographic2014.jpg|350px|right|thumb| |
+ | [[File:Infographic2014.jpg|350px|right|thumb|SCI Annual Report 2014 Highlights. [https://www.solarcookers.org/report Full Report]]] |
[[File:National Geographic Video covering work of SCI|350px|right|thumb|National Geographic covers the work of Solar Cookers International]] |
[[File:National Geographic Video covering work of SCI|350px|right|thumb|National Geographic covers the work of Solar Cookers International]] |
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− | '''[http://solarcookers.org Solar Cookers International]''' (SCI) |
+ | '''[http://solarcookers.org Solar Cookers International]''' (SCI) leads and convenes the global solar cooking sector. SCI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, non-governmental organization that spreads solar cooking awareness and skills worldwide, particularly in areas with plentiful solar energy and diminishing sources of biomass and fossil cooking fuels. SCI alone has enabled 30,000 families in Africa to cook with the sun's energy, freeing women and children from the burdens of gathering wood and carrying it for miles. Tens of thousands of individuals and organization from all over the world have learned about solar cooking through SCI's international programs, education resources, and information exchange network. |
*'''SCI''' has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. |
*'''SCI''' has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. |
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*'''SCI's Worldwide Office''' is located in Sacramento, California. |
*'''SCI's Worldwide Office''' is located in Sacramento, California. |
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− | Solar Cookers International continues in 2015 to provide grant funding to current partners with solar cooking programs in [[Kenya]]. They are [[Dinah Chienjo]], [[Friends of the Old]] (FOTO), and [[John Amayo]] with Sustainable Use of Renewable Energy ([[SURE]]). The funds allow the distribution of solar cookers, Safe Water Packages, provide training in their use, and a follow-up program to help insure continued use of the new technologies. In August, 2013, SCI began a partnership with the Foundation for Sustainable Technologies ([[FoST]]), in Nepal. Like |
+ | Solar Cookers International continues in 2015 to provide grant funding to current partners with solar cooking programs in [[Kenya]]. They are [[Dinah Chienjo]], [[Friends of the Old]] (FOTO), and [[John Amayo]] with Sustainable Use of Renewable Energy ([[SURE]]). The funds allow the distribution of solar cookers, Safe Water Packages, provide training in their use, and a follow-up program to help insure continued use of the new technologies. In August, 2013, SCI began a partnership with the Foundation for Sustainable Technologies ([[FoST]]), in Nepal. Like SURE and FOTO, FoST benefits stressed families living in environments that are deforested. The FoST program empowers single mothers and orphanages in Kathmandu and Lalitpur with skills to make and use solar cookers, dry foods with solar cookers, retained-heat cooking, and manufacture of fuels briquettes from biomass wastes to use when the sun isn't shining. |
If you would like to promote SCI's global work to introduce solar cooking technology to families around the world to improve health, quality of life, and the environment, please donate and make a difference [https://www.epa316.net/donate/donate.aspx making a donation on-line] or to the postal address below. Interested in buying a solar cooker or cooking accessories? Shop at the [http://shop.solarcookers.org/ SCI marketplace]. Your purchase helps fund SCI's programs. The majority of SCI's funding comes from individual donors and environmentally conscious people such as yourself. We will put your contribution to very good use by helping gain a better quality of life for people in communities much less fortunate than yours. Only with your continued support can SCI meet the ever-expanding needs of the worldwide solar cooking community. |
If you would like to promote SCI's global work to introduce solar cooking technology to families around the world to improve health, quality of life, and the environment, please donate and make a difference [https://www.epa316.net/donate/donate.aspx making a donation on-line] or to the postal address below. Interested in buying a solar cooker or cooking accessories? Shop at the [http://shop.solarcookers.org/ SCI marketplace]. Your purchase helps fund SCI's programs. The majority of SCI's funding comes from individual donors and environmentally conscious people such as yourself. We will put your contribution to very good use by helping gain a better quality of life for people in communities much less fortunate than yours. Only with your continued support can SCI meet the ever-expanding needs of the worldwide solar cooking community. |
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==News and recent developments== |
==News and recent developments== |
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+ | <tabber>News=<h2 style="display:none;">'''News'''</h2> |
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[[File:2015-07-19_12-10-53-2.jpg|right|150px]] |
[[File:2015-07-19_12-10-53-2.jpg|right|150px]] |
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*{{NewAug15}}'''August 2015:''' [http://www.solarcookers.org/events/north-america/ The SCI Regional Convention 2015 (North America) a success in sunny Sacramento, California, USA] |
*{{NewAug15}}'''August 2015:''' [http://www.solarcookers.org/events/north-america/ The SCI Regional Convention 2015 (North America) a success in sunny Sacramento, California, USA] |
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*'''March 2014:''' [[Pat McArdle]] was interviewed for the feature story in this month's edition of the [[TIDES]] (Transformative Innovation for Development & Emergency Support) newsletter. She describes her role, and that of Solar Cookers International, to introduce solar cooking to, as Pat puts it, "people in sun-rich countries in the developing world who were running out of wood to burn." Solar cooking was unknown in this part of the world at the time. Many of the early projects were started in the late eighties. She also explains how solar cooking is a key component of the practical [[Integrated Cooking Method|integrated cooking]] method. [http://startidesnet.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/interview-with-solar-cookers-internationals-pat-mcardle/?utm_source=February+2014+Newsletter&utm_campaign=Jun+2012&utm_medium=email Read the interview...] |
*'''March 2014:''' [[Pat McArdle]] was interviewed for the feature story in this month's edition of the [[TIDES]] (Transformative Innovation for Development & Emergency Support) newsletter. She describes her role, and that of Solar Cookers International, to introduce solar cooking to, as Pat puts it, "people in sun-rich countries in the developing world who were running out of wood to burn." Solar cooking was unknown in this part of the world at the time. Many of the early projects were started in the late eighties. She also explains how solar cooking is a key component of the practical [[Integrated Cooking Method|integrated cooking]] method. [http://startidesnet.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/interview-with-solar-cookers-internationals-pat-mcardle/?utm_source=February+2014+Newsletter&utm_campaign=Jun+2012&utm_medium=email Read the interview...] |
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− | [[Image:Dar Curtis with HotPot.jpg||thumb|175px|Dar Curtis with a [[HotPot]] solar cooker]] |
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− | *'''Darwin Curtis receives SCI Order of Excellence 2013''' - In the 1980’s, [[Dar Curtis]] made his own [[solar box cooker]] from SCI instructions in the Sonoran Desert. Inspired, he began volunteering for Solar Cookers International. Together with SCI volunteer [[Louise Meyer]], they created a new model of solar cooker: the [[HotPot]]. Together with Louise, Dar cofounded [[Solar Household Energy|Solar Household Energy, Inc.]], (SHE), which is a public charity dedicated to introducing solar cooking where it can add quality to life and alleviate stress on the environment. Today, Dar works with SHE in developing and demonstrating the effectiveness and practicality of solar cooking technology, as well as training thousands of solar cooks. |
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− | *'''February 2014:''' Read the recently released annual report for Solar Cookers International at: [[Media:SCI Annual Report 2012-2013.pdf|SCI Annual Report July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013]] |
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− | *'''September 2013: Inspiration from Solar cookers International fosters a CooKit introduction project in Malawi''' - [[Claudia Sansone]], whose interest in solar cookers began when she met with current Solar Cookers International board member, [[Arline J. Lederman, PhD.|AJ Lederman]], and then SCI board member [[Pat McArdle]], at a UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York in 2011. Sansone says that after she read McArdle’s novel [[Farishta]], she was convinced that solar cooking could be successfully introduced in Malawi. With guidance from SCI executive director [[Julie Greene]] in Sacramento, {{state|California|CA}}, [[USA]], Sansone purchased several [[CooKit]]s. She used these cookers to make templates, and then produced a number of the [[solar panel cooker]]s to distribute. Traveling with her family to [[Malawi]], she hosted classes and demonstrations on solar cooking with the CooKits. With a friend, she taught the women at Elizabeth Chikoya’s Women’s Development Center and members of the [http://www.gogograndmothers.com Gogo Grandmothers] how to make more solar cookers with locally available materials. Read more at: [[Media:Malawi and Solar Cookers International.pdf|Malawi and Solar Cookers International]] |
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− | *'''August 2013: Partnering in Nepal to promote integrated cooking''' Solar Cookers International began a partnership with the Foundation for Sustainable Tchnologies ([[FoST]]), in [[Nepal]] in August 2013. Like [[SURE]] and [[FOTO]], [[FoST]] benefits stressed families living in environments that are deforested. The FoST program empowers single mothers, and children in orphanages, in Kthmandu and Lalitpur with skills to make and use solar cookers, dry foods with solar cookers, retained-heat cooking, and manufacture of fuel briquettes from biomass wastes to use when the sun isn't shining. |
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− | *'''July 2013: Julie Greene, SCI Executive Director, interviewed on The Renewable Energy Hour''' - [[Julie Greene]] discusses Solar Cookers International's mission and the effect of solar cooking in developing countries. Visit the [http://www.kzyx.org/index.php/talk-shows/self-help-and-sustainability/the-renewable-energy-hour/entry/upcoming-re-hour-show-07-29-13-solar-cooking-with-solar-cookers-international show page] or [http://solarcooking.org/media/audio/RE_Show_07-29-13_Solar_Cookers_International_48k.mp3 listen to the interview]. |
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− | *'''June 2013: A roundtable discussion helps smaller organizations to share ideas''' - [[Julie Greene]], the Executive Director of [[Solar Cookers International]], took part in a virtual roundtable discussion on May 30th with leaders from three other organizations, to share ideas ranging from communication techniques to fundraising approaches. Even though the groups have different missions they face similar hurdles getting their message out. Julie describes how solar cooking can help solve the mostly unrecognized problem of respiratory illness faced by the three billion people on the planet cooking over open fires. Often their cooking takes place indoors with little or no ventilation. Listen to the [http://www.roundtablecs.org/#1 roundtable discussion]. |
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− | *'''May 2013: Safe water packages helping in Kenya''' - Solar Cookers International released information on the their latest efforts to offer safe water packages to low-income families in [[Kenya]]. The package contains all the necessary components to use the [[Integrated Cooking Method|integrated cooking]] approach, which means using the [[solar panel cooker]] to heat water and kill pathegins when it is sunny, and use an efficient [[Rocket Stove|fuel stove]] when it is not. A [[haybasket|heat retention basket]] is included to keep cooked food warm, and to extend cooking times. Working with their partners, who provide the training and follow-up, they have distributed 212 safe water packages from November 2012 through April 2013. These packages have provided over 1,000 people a virtually cost free way to maintain a healthy water supply and prepare their meals. SCI has set a goal to increase the number of packages they fund from 35 per month to 100 per month through the fall of 2013. Please consider donating to SCI to help reach this goal. [[File:Solar Cookers & Safe Water 2013 Goals|none|400 px]] |
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− | *'''April 2013:''' Again, SCI wishes to thank the many volunteers that have recently provide support. Read more about upcoming events and requests in the [http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/910109/e32b7b258a/1430203323/44a46efd83/ SCI Volunteer Newsletter, April 2013]. We are looking for volunteers to demonstrate solar cooking at events in the Sacramento, CA area. There have been requests for solar cooking demonstrations, but not enough trainers to meet the need. [mailto:julie@solarcookers.org julie@solarcookers.org] |
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− | *'''March 2013:''' SCI wishes to thank the many volunteers that have recently provide support. Read more about upcoming events in the [http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/910109/d0a5665d3f/1430195199/44a46efd83/ SCI Volunteer Newsletter, March 2013] |
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− | *'''February 2013:''' The March 2013 issue of Solar Cooker Review is now available online''' - [http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scr_pdfs/scr_mar13.pdf Read the latest issue] or [[Solar Cooker Review#Back issues|see back issues]]. |
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− | [[File:Julie Greene, Tom Sponheim, Paul Hedrick atthed ETHOS 2013, 1-27-13 .jpg|thumb|250px|[[Julie Greene]], SCI Executive Director, and [[Tom Sponheim]] and [[Paul Hedrick]], SCWNet Administrators, attended the recent ETHOS Conference in Bellevue, {{state|Washington}}, [[USA]].]] |
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− | *'''January 2013: SCI Executive Director and SCWNet Administrators attend the 2013 ETHOS Conference''' - [[Julie Greene]], SCI Executive Director, and [[Tom Sponheim]] and [[Paul Hedrick]], SCWNet Administrators, attended the recent ETHOS Conference in Bellevue, {{state|Washington}}, [[USA]]. The national conference is held to exchange design technologies and promotion strategies for [[Rocket Stove|fuel-efficient]] wood and biomass cookstoves. It is encouraging that there seems to be more acceptance of solar cooking in this traditionally fuel-burning cookstove community, and that combining various cooking approaches will ultimately help more people and the environment. Julie was asked directly if Solar Cookers International would be interested in preparing a presentation for next year's conference. |
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{{OldNewsLink}} |
{{OldNewsLink}} |
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+ | |-|Twitter=<h2 style="display:none;">'''Twitter'''</h2> |
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+ | <twitter widget-id="645400050537857024" /> |
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+ | </tabber> |
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==Focus== |
==Focus== |
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===Why solar cookers?=== |
===Why solar cookers?=== |
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− | Depending on need and climate, there are many types, sizes and designs of appropriate solar cookers; however, '''SCI’s''' simple and effective [[CooKit]] is a low-cost cooker that is especially well suited for the developing world since it is made of cardboard and foil which are readily available materials in most communities.[[Image:Food versus charcoal.jpg|left|thumb|350px|Each group of items costs 75 Kenya Shillings (about US$1) as does the pile of charcoal shown. By using a [[CooKit]] or other solar cooker, people can buy food instead of fuel.]] Solar cooking is beneficial to anyone who lives where there is an abundance of sunshine, and especially where traditional cooking fuels are progressively being depleted. Women in developing countries often walk many miles to collect wood to cook with, or must purchase cooking fuel with meager incomes and/or trade food or goods for cooking fuels. In addition to this physical and monetary stress, women and children who habitually cook inside are subject to severe upper respiratory problems caused by [[household air pollution]] from smoky fires. Perhaps most disturbing is the fact that women and girls living in refugee camps risk injury, rape and even death when forced to forage for wood outside the compound. |
+ | Depending on need and climate, there are many types, sizes and designs of appropriate solar cookers; however, '''SCI’s''' simple and effective [[CooKit]] is a low-cost cooker that is especially well suited for the developing world since it is made of cardboard and foil which are readily available materials in most communities.[[Image:Food versus charcoal.jpg|left|thumb|350px|'''Buy food instead of fuel''' - Each group of items costs 75 Kenya Shillings (about US$1) as does the pile of charcoal shown. By using a [[CooKit]] or other solar cooker, people can buy food instead of fuel.]] Solar cooking is beneficial to anyone who lives where there is an abundance of sunshine, and especially where traditional cooking fuels are progressively being depleted. Women in developing countries often walk many miles to collect wood to cook with, or must purchase cooking fuel with meager incomes and/or trade food or goods for cooking fuels. In addition to this physical and monetary stress, women and children who habitually cook inside are subject to severe upper respiratory problems caused by [[household air pollution]] from smoky fires. Perhaps most disturbing is the fact that women and girls living in refugee camps risk injury, rape and even death when forced to forage for wood outside the compound. |
In many cases, fuel wood is too scarce to use to boil water as well as cook with, so people drink water from contaminated water sources, causing millions to get sick and/or die every year from preventable waterborne diseases. An estimated 1.5 billion cases of diarrhea occur each year, resulting in the death of nearly 2 million children. Solar cookers provide a practical method of heating water to the point of [[Water pasteurization|pasteurization]], requiring only time and the sun to kill the most common waterborne pathogens and making water safe to drink. |
In many cases, fuel wood is too scarce to use to boil water as well as cook with, so people drink water from contaminated water sources, causing millions to get sick and/or die every year from preventable waterborne diseases. An estimated 1.5 billion cases of diarrhea occur each year, resulting in the death of nearly 2 million children. Solar cookers provide a practical method of heating water to the point of [[Water pasteurization|pasteurization]], requiring only time and the sun to kill the most common waterborne pathogens and making water safe to drink. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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− | '''Solar Cookers International (SCI)''', originally called Solar Box Cookers International, was founded in 1987 by 17 solar cooks residing in the sunny Central Valley of California. Among the founders were |
+ | '''Solar Cookers International (SCI)''', originally called Solar Box Cookers International, was founded in 1987 by 17 solar cooks residing in the sunny Central Valley of California. Among the founders were: |
*'''[[Bev Blum]]''': first president and executive director of '''SCI''' from 1989-1999 and 2003-2006. She developed a mass-producible, foldable box cooker in 1992, and coordinated the development of the [[CooKit]] solar cooker. In 2009 she was the secretariat of the [[Solar Cookers International Network]] (now the Solar Cookers International Network, or SCInet). |
*'''[[Bev Blum]]''': first president and executive director of '''SCI''' from 1989-1999 and 2003-2006. She developed a mass-producible, foldable box cooker in 1992, and coordinated the development of the [[CooKit]] solar cooker. In 2009 she was the secretariat of the [[Solar Cookers International Network]] (now the Solar Cookers International Network, or SCInet). |
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'''SCI''' produced and distributed manuals describing construction and use of solar box style cookers. SCI advocated for solar cooking to be incorporated into development and relief agency programs. '''SCI’s''' role evolved into networking with other solar cooking organizations worldwide, hosting forums for dialogue including co-sponsoring three international solar cooking conferences with the University of the Pacific, USA in 1992; the National University of Costa Rica in 1994; and the Deemed University, Coimbatore, India in 1997. |
'''SCI''' produced and distributed manuals describing construction and use of solar box style cookers. SCI advocated for solar cooking to be incorporated into development and relief agency programs. '''SCI’s''' role evolved into networking with other solar cooking organizations worldwide, hosting forums for dialogue including co-sponsoring three international solar cooking conferences with the University of the Pacific, USA in 1992; the National University of Costa Rica in 1994; and the Deemed University, Coimbatore, India in 1997. |
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− | '''SCI''' |
+ | '''SCI''' administered a series of solar cooking field projects. Since 1995, '''SCI''' has managed or co-managed solar cooking projects in the Nyakach district, Kenya; in the Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya; in the Aisha refugee camp, Ethiopia; in various communities, Zimbabwe; and in Dadaab refugee camp, Kenya. See Programs & Projects section above for a description of the Sunny Solutions program in Nyakach, Kenya. For information about refugee camp work in Darfur, Sudan, refer to the [[refugee camp]] article. |
'''SCI''' supported the development of the [[CooKit]], a mass-producible, foldable solar cooker in the 1990s. This simple, panel-style solar cooker remains the most recognized solar cooker in the world. |
'''SCI''' supported the development of the [[CooKit]], a mass-producible, foldable solar cooker in the 1990s. This simple, panel-style solar cooker remains the most recognized solar cooker in the world. |
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==Organization== |
==Organization== |
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'''SCI''' is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/501(c) 501(c)](3) nonprofit [[Nongovernmental organization|non-governmental organization]] whose Worldwide Office is located in Sacramento, California, [[USA]]. |
'''SCI''' is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/501(c) 501(c)](3) nonprofit [[Nongovernmental organization|non-governmental organization]] whose Worldwide Office is located in Sacramento, California, [[USA]]. |
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+ | |||
+ | ===Advisory Council=== |
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+ | *[[Ajay Chandak|Dr. Ajay Chandak]] |
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+ | *[[Paul Funk|Dr. Paul Funk]] |
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+ | *[[Deepak Gadhia]] |
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+ | *[[Louise Meyer]] |
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+ | *[[Catlin Powers|Dr. Catlin Powers]] |
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==Resources== |
==Resources== |
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+ | {{SolarCookersInternationalDigest}} |
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− | == |
+ | ==Solar Cooker Review (Archive)== |
{{SolarCookerReview}} |
{{SolarCookerReview}} |
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===SCI Kenya newsletter: ''suNews''=== |
===SCI Kenya newsletter: ''suNews''=== |
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[[Category:Verified active 2015]] |
[[Category:Verified active 2015]] |
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[[Category:Washington, D.C.]] |
[[Category:Washington, D.C.]] |
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+ | [[Category:Twitter feeds]] |
Revision as of 01:07, 12 November 2015
Last edited: 14 October 2015
|
Solar Cookers International (SCI) leads and convenes the global solar cooking sector. SCI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, non-governmental organization that spreads solar cooking awareness and skills worldwide, particularly in areas with plentiful solar energy and diminishing sources of biomass and fossil cooking fuels. SCI alone has enabled 30,000 families in Africa to cook with the sun's energy, freeing women and children from the burdens of gathering wood and carrying it for miles. Tens of thousands of individuals and organization from all over the world have learned about solar cooking through SCI's international programs, education resources, and information exchange network.
- SCI has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
- SCI sponsors the Solar Cookers International Network website (this site), an internationally recognized Internet resource for solar cooking information.
- SCI publishes the bi-weekly digital Solar Cookers International Digest covering solar cooking developments throughout the world.
- SCI won an Ashden Award in 2002 for their work with solar cookers in Kenya. In August 2006, SCI was the winner of the World Renewable Energy Award.
- SCI's Worldwide Office is located in Sacramento, California.
Solar Cookers International continues in 2015 to provide grant funding to current partners with solar cooking programs in Kenya. They are Dinah Chienjo, Friends of the Old (FOTO), and John Amayo with Sustainable Use of Renewable Energy (SURE). The funds allow the distribution of solar cookers, Safe Water Packages, provide training in their use, and a follow-up program to help insure continued use of the new technologies. In August, 2013, SCI began a partnership with the Foundation for Sustainable Technologies (FoST), in Nepal. Like SURE and FOTO, FoST benefits stressed families living in environments that are deforested. The FoST program empowers single mothers and orphanages in Kathmandu and Lalitpur with skills to make and use solar cookers, dry foods with solar cookers, retained-heat cooking, and manufacture of fuels briquettes from biomass wastes to use when the sun isn't shining.
If you would like to promote SCI's global work to introduce solar cooking technology to families around the world to improve health, quality of life, and the environment, please donate and make a difference making a donation on-line or to the postal address below. Interested in buying a solar cooker or cooking accessories? Shop at the SCI marketplace. Your purchase helps fund SCI's programs. The majority of SCI's funding comes from individual donors and environmentally conscious people such as yourself. We will put your contribution to very good use by helping gain a better quality of life for people in communities much less fortunate than yours. Only with your continued support can SCI meet the ever-expanding needs of the worldwide solar cooking community.
See SCI's organizational site for detailed information about SCI.
Most significant solar cooking projects
- A refugee camp in Kenya was the first to receive a large scale solar cooking project - The Kakuma Refugee Camp was formed in 1972 when Sudanese refugees first arrived in Kakuma, Kenya. Introducing solar cooking to the camp was Solar Cookers International’s first large-scale refugee project, beginning in January 1995. Kakuma had considerable refugee turnover, but by 2004, when Solar Cookers International (SCI) concluded the project, the camp had tripled in size to nearly 90,000 refugees. Though rapid growth posed problems for assisting all those who wanted to solar cook, SCI ultimately served over 15,000 families. This project was one of the earliest to use the CooKit solar panel cooker to introduce solar cooking. The program also extended solar cooker technology to schools, especially primary school, through demonstrations, poems, songs and drama.
Events
News and recent developments
News
- August 2015: The SCI Regional Convention 2015 (North America) a success in sunny Sacramento, California, USA
- Receive the Solar Cookers International Digest - The digest is an approximately monthly email newsletter with relevant updates regarding the global solar cooking community. It includes feature articles on topical solar cooking issues; grant, employment, and volunteer opportunities; upcoming event information; advocacy efforts at the United Nations, Solar Cookers International Network partners' projects; tech talk, and more.
- May 2015: SCI accounces an open position:
- Director of Communications
- The ideal Director of Communications will ensure that Solar Cookers International is viewed as the primary source, disseminator, and conduit of information within this diverse global network and constituent base. Reporting to the Executive Director, and working closely with a senior peer group, the Director of Communications will set and guide the strategy for all communications, website, and public relations messages and collateral to consistently articulate the mission of Solar Cookers International (SCI). This is a full-time, career position for the worldwide office of Solar Cookers International, located in Sacramento, California.
- April 2015: Solar Cookers International has produced a new video called The Solar Cooking Solution which explores how solar cooking can help minimize deforestation, improve the health of those who cook indoors with traditional cook stoves, and reduce reliance on non-renewable fuels, specifically in developing countries. Watch The Solar Cooking Solution.
- April 2015: In response to many inquiries regarding the recent tragic earthquake in Nepal, SCI has published Solar Cookers International’s Work for Disaster Preparedness.
- Missed the SCInet Solar Cooking Convention 2014? - Watch all the presentation videos online...
- July 2014: SCI sponsored and organized the two-day SCInet Solar Cooking Convention 2014 in Sacramento, California.
- April 2014: Afzal Syed wishes to report that he has received Verizon's Employee Environmental Excellence Award, for his volunteer work for starting recycling at Dar Alnoor mosque in Manassas,Virginia, USA, and for voluteering to promote solar cooking. Thanks go out to the congregation at Dar Alnoor, members of Solar Cooking International, Solar Household Energy, STAR TIDES at NDU, and family and friends for their support.
- March 2014: Pat McArdle was interviewed for the feature story in this month's edition of the TIDES (Transformative Innovation for Development & Emergency Support) newsletter. She describes her role, and that of Solar Cookers International, to introduce solar cooking to, as Pat puts it, "people in sun-rich countries in the developing world who were running out of wood to burn." Solar cooking was unknown in this part of the world at the time. Many of the early projects were started in the late eighties. She also explains how solar cooking is a key component of the practical integrated cooking method. Read the interview...
Focus
SCI promotes solar cooking and solar water pasteurization worldwide, especially in developing countries where their use can literally save lives. According to the their website, SCI's mission is to assist "communities to use the power of the sun to cook food and pasteurize water for the benefit of people and environments" by focusing in the following areas:
- Influencing others in support of solar cooking and water pasteurization/testing.
- Developing programs, in partnership with others for the purpose of promoting solar cooking, and water pasteurization and testing. In addition, in parts of Kenya, the focus is to achieve independent spread of solar cooking and water pasteurization/testing.
- Facilitating broader access to solar cooking and water pasteurization/testing knowledge, including marketing educational materials and solar products.
- Partnering with other relief agencies to assist refugees and disaster relief with solar cooking and water pasteurization/testing training and support.
SCI is paving the way for mass solar cooker acceptance and use through promotion of such products as the CooKit solar cooker and the WAPI water pasteurization indicator; field projects in communities and refugee camps; development and dissemination of education resources; and advocacy with the United Nations and other governmental and non-governmental institutions.
Why solar cookers?
Depending on need and climate, there are many types, sizes and designs of appropriate solar cookers; however, SCI’s simple and effective CooKit is a low-cost cooker that is especially well suited for the developing world since it is made of cardboard and foil which are readily available materials in most communities.
Solar cooking is beneficial to anyone who lives where there is an abundance of sunshine, and especially where traditional cooking fuels are progressively being depleted. Women in developing countries often walk many miles to collect wood to cook with, or must purchase cooking fuel with meager incomes and/or trade food or goods for cooking fuels. In addition to this physical and monetary stress, women and children who habitually cook inside are subject to severe upper respiratory problems caused by household air pollution from smoky fires. Perhaps most disturbing is the fact that women and girls living in refugee camps risk injury, rape and even death when forced to forage for wood outside the compound.
In many cases, fuel wood is too scarce to use to boil water as well as cook with, so people drink water from contaminated water sources, causing millions to get sick and/or die every year from preventable waterborne diseases. An estimated 1.5 billion cases of diarrhea occur each year, resulting in the death of nearly 2 million children. Solar cookers provide a practical method of heating water to the point of pasteurization, requiring only time and the sun to kill the most common waterborne pathogens and making water safe to drink.
When there's no sun
SCI promotes the Integrated Cooking Method, whereby solar cookers are used in conjunction with fuel-efficient stoves and heat retention devices (sometimes called hay baskets) to cook food and pasteurize water with a minimum of fuel. By using the sun when possible, and supplementing with fuel-efficient cooking technologies, fuel wood consumption and subsequent deforestation around the world can be drastically reduced.
Water testing
In addition to the basic fundamentals of solar cooking and water pasteurization that SCI has promoted for years, SCI has developed a revolutionary method of simple scientific water testing that requires no electricity or refrigeration. Most rural areas are unable to adequately test their water because the process of gathering samples and transporting them to a certified laboratory in an urban area is simply too expensive. SCI’s Portable Microbiology Laboratory (PML) contains laboratory materials small enough to fit in a Ziplock bag, and has already been adopted by the Kenyan Ministry of Health and Water Resources Management Authority. We are working closely with these government institutions to bring accurate and reliable water testing to rural areas that previously had no practical resources available with which to test their water sources.
Solar Cookers International: Mission
SCI focuses on four core areas to promote solar cooking globally: projects, partnerships, advocacy, and education.
Projects
SCI began the first and largest refugee camp solar cooking project in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. Sunny Solutions began in 2003 to introduce and create a market for solar cookers in the Nyakach district, Nyanza province, Kenya. Partnering with Nyakach Community Development Association (NYACODA), SCI demonstrated solar cooking introducing the CooKit solar cooker and the WAPI water pasteurization indicator. During the 5-year program, 80% of the population (113,000 people) were introduced to solar cooking, with 2,593 households purchasing one or more CooKits. SCI was one of several non-governmental organizations introducing solar cooking to the refugees in the Iridimi and Touloum refugee camps in Darfur, a region in Sudan in 2006. The primary goal was to reduce the neccessity of women and children leaving the camps to collect firewood.
Partnerships
SCI has developed an extensive worldwide network of solar cooking partners and helps create connections for collaborative projects and mentoring. In addition to facilitating working partnerships, SCI partners with community-based organizations in different countries to provide solar cookers and water pasteurization tools to people who live where fuel is scarce and sunshine is plentiful--and free. SCI does not accept unsolicited grant proposals.
Advocacy
SCI builds awareness for solar cooking and solar water pasteurization among policy makers, including closer collaboration with United Nations agencies. SCI was instrumental in the formation of the Solar Cookers International Association later renamed Solar Cookers International Network (SCInet) which is an association of 500+ non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and individuals promoting solar cooking, water pasteurization, and food processing. Promoters in many regions find regionally-specific information and guidance on this SCInet wikia. SCI has hosted regional and international solar cooking conferences, most recently the Solar Cookers International Conference held in Granada Spain in 2006.
Education
SCI's focus on education is evident in the solar cooking and related information available on the Solar Cookers International Network wiki, which SCI sponsors. The wiki includes over 1900 articles categorized by country, manufacturers and vendors, solar cooking basics, and solar cooker designs. The global solar cooking community findsAlso included is information regarding related technologies such as heat-retention cooking; water pasteurizing, solar food processing, solar food drying, solar autoclaving, and solar canning. Classroom resources for teachers are available, free, for teachers around the world.
Also available via the Internet are several key booklets published by SCI to help solar cooking promoters succeed. Our plans booklet, Solar Cookers: How to Make, Use and Enjoy, provides step-by-step construction plans for panel-type and box-type solar cookers. Our field guide, Spreading Solar Cooking, helps promoters plan solar cooking projects. Our trainer’s manual, Teaching Solar Cooking helps solar cooking instructors stay on task and monitor their students’ progress. All three booklets are available for download on the Solar Cookers International Network site, or for sale — along with solar cookers, cookbooks and related supplies on SCI’s web site. Booklets are mailed free of charge to select individuals and groups in developing countries where Internet access is difficult.
SCI digitally produces and distributes the Solar Cookers International Digest which provides important updates and opportunities for the global solar cooking community.
SCI also provides personal responses to over 100 inquires each month. Over the years, SCI has helped thousands of people answer important questions, find local experts, and access critical resources needed to successfully achieve their solar cooking goals.
If you are interested in starting a solar cooking and/or water pasteurization project, please see promoting solar cooking. You can also connect with people and programs in your own country by visiting our pages about solar cooking in each country. Basic information on solar cooking, frequently-asked questions and instructions on how to build various solar cooker models are also available. Large sections of the Solar Cookers International Network site have been translated into French, Spanish, Catalan, and Portuguese, and translations of articles can be found in languages as varied as Farsi, Chinese, Vietnamese, German, Italian, Urdu, and Arabic.
Events
- See Calendar of events.Calendar of events
History
Solar Cookers International (SCI), originally called Solar Box Cookers International, was founded in 1987 by 17 solar cooks residing in the sunny Central Valley of California. Among the founders were:
- Bev Blum: first president and executive director of SCI from 1989-1999 and 2003-2006. She developed a mass-producible, foldable box cooker in 1992, and coordinated the development of the CooKit solar cooker. In 2009 she was the secretariat of the Solar Cookers International Network (now the Solar Cookers International Network, or SCInet).
- Barbara Kerr: co-developer of the Kerr-Cole solar box cooker built from two nested cardboard boxes. She co-founded the Kerr-Cole Sustainable Living Center in Taylor, Arizona, USA. She received the "Women in Solar Energy" award from the American Solar Energy Society in July, 2006.
- Dr. Bob Metcalf: professor of microbiology at California State University at Sacramento and was selected as the 2000-2001 Outstanding Teacher in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. He is well known for his work on solar water pasteurization.
SCI produced and distributed manuals describing construction and use of solar box style cookers. SCI advocated for solar cooking to be incorporated into development and relief agency programs. SCI’s role evolved into networking with other solar cooking organizations worldwide, hosting forums for dialogue including co-sponsoring three international solar cooking conferences with the University of the Pacific, USA in 1992; the National University of Costa Rica in 1994; and the Deemed University, Coimbatore, India in 1997.
SCI administered a series of solar cooking field projects. Since 1995, SCI has managed or co-managed solar cooking projects in the Nyakach district, Kenya; in the Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya; in the Aisha refugee camp, Ethiopia; in various communities, Zimbabwe; and in Dadaab refugee camp, Kenya. See Programs & Projects section above for a description of the Sunny Solutions program in Nyakach, Kenya. For information about refugee camp work in Darfur, Sudan, refer to the refugee camp article.
SCI supported the development of the CooKit, a mass-producible, foldable solar cooker in the 1990s. This simple, panel-style solar cooker remains the most recognized solar cooker in the world.
Organization
SCI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit non-governmental organization whose Worldwide Office is located in Sacramento, California, USA.
Advisory Council
Resources
SCI Digest
The SCI Digest was a digital publication put out by Solar Cookers International (SCI) between 2017 and 2018 that shared innovations and opportunities to increase success and impact for the global solar cooking community.
Sign up for other email news from SCI
Archived issues
- 15 February 2018: Volume 28
- 12 January 2018: Volume 27
- 15 December 2017: Volume 26
- 1 December 2017: Volume 25
- 17 November 2017: Volume 24
- 3 November 2017: Volume 23
- 20 October 2017: Volume 22
- 6 October 2017: Volume 21
- 22 September 2017: Volume 20
- 8 September 2017: Volume 19
- 25 August 2017: Volume 18
- 11 August 2017: Volume 17
- 28 July 2017: Volume 16
- 14 July 2017: Volume 15
- 19 July 2017: Volume 14
- 30 June 2017: Volume 13
- 16 June 2017: Volume 12
- 5 June 2017: Volume 11
- 19 May 2017: Volume 10
- 5 May 2017: Volume 9
- 21 April 2019: Volume 8
- 7 April 2017: Volume 7
- 24 March 2017: Volume 6
- 10 March 2017: Volume 5
- 24 February 2017: Volume 4
- 10 February 2017: Volume 3
- 27 January 2017: Volume 2
- 6 January 2017: Volume 1
Solar Cooker Review (Archive)
Back issues
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SCI Kenya newsletter: suNews
March 2012 update: For almost twenty years, Solar Cookers International has supported branch operations in Kenya. Our field projects have served tens of thousands of families in various East African countries. Due to the overwhelming logistical and financial challenges SCI has encountered in its efforts to effectively manage and restructure an operation 9,000 miles away from its home office in California, the Kenya operations have now been suspended. We are confident that SCI’s many years in that country have educated and inspired individuals and organizations in Kenya to continue with the very important work of spreading the use of solar cookers throughout Eastern Africa.
suNews was published twice a year by Solar Cookers International East Africa Office:
Educational materials from SCI
- Solar Cookers: How to Make, Use, and Enjoy
- Trainers Manual: Teaching Solar Cooking
- Field Guide: Spreading Solar Cooking
- Solar Cookers: How to Make, Use, and Enjoy
- Advocacy handouts provided for your use by Solar Cookers International
- Event Kit: Everything you need to promote solar cooking at events. Includes Suncookers DVD (with digital copy of Solar Cookers: How to Make, Use, and Enjoy), and educational posters. Can be ordered online from Solar Cookers International.
- More materials are available here.
Annual reports
- Annual Report for 2014
- Annual Report for 2013
- Annual Report for 2012
- Annual Report for 2011
- Annual Report for 2010
- Annual Report for 2009
- Annual Report for 2008
- Annual Report for 2007
- Annual Report for 2006
- Annual Report for 2005
- Annual Report for 2004
Reports
- November 2009:TchadSolaire Project Evaluation, Touloum Refugee Camp, Chad
- November 2008: International Program Development, Kenya Report Status report of SCI programs including the Safe Water Project and Sunny Solutions by Karyn Ellis, SCI Director of International Development.
- October 2008: Sunny Solutions Independent final evaluation
- September 2008: Sunny Solutions Final Report
- July 2008: East Africa Report: Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya by Karyn Ellis, SCI Director of International Development.
- October 2007: Solar Cooker Project Evaluation, Iridimi Refugee Camp, Chad
- December 2003: Evaluation of Solar Cookit Project in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya - Final Report
- January 2003: Aisha Solar Cooking Project, Evaluation Report to Solar Cookers International, Aisha refugee camp, Ethiopia.
Articles in the media
- July 2015: Solar cookers sizzle in Sacramento heat - The Sacramento Bee
- Solar Cooking: The No-Fuel, No-Emissions Way to Make Dinner - Edible Manhattan
- December 2011: Solar cooking works, from sunny Brazil to Seattle - Crosscut.com
- June 2011: Sierra High School partners with Solar Cookers International - Sierra Sun
- May 2011: The Science Channel explains the need for solar cooking in Iridimi refugee camps, and the work of the KoZon Foundation and Solar Cookers International. - The Science Channel
- September 2010: The Art of Solar Cooking - East Bay Express
- August 2010 Solarcooking for the Rural and Marginalized Communities - Global Action Atlas
- June 2010: Valley club makes solar cooking sizzle - The Fresno Bee
- January 2010: Solar Cookers International to Help Haitian Families - Sacramento Press
- January 2010: Solar Salvation for Haiti? - MSNBC
- November 2009: Youth giving, solar style - Solar Cooker Review
- October 2009: Kenya: Entrepreneurs Cashing in on Green Campaign - Business Daily (Nairobi)
- July 2009: SCI gives demonstrations galore in the Sacramento, California area - Solar Cooker Review
- April 2009: Sri Lanka's Sun in a Box! - Islam Online
- April 2009: VENTURE: Integrated Solar Cooking - genV Campaigns
- April 2009: Paper and Fuel Wood Biggest Stresses on Forests - Lester Brown
- January 2009: The dish on solar cooking: Local group touts the benefits of the sun’s power - Sacramento News & Review
- August 2008: Nuts + Bolts-Cooking with Sunlight - Natural Home Magazine
- July 2008: SCI featured on "Good Day Sacramento" TV show - CBS13.com
- July 2008: Taming harsh sunrays to make cooking easy - The Standard
- June 2008: Be Green: Here comes the sun - The Record
- May 2007: Sacramento’s Solar Cookers International uses the sun to improve quality of life, one village at a time - Sacramento News Review
- March 2007: A life in the Peace Corps: Public health volunteer in Kenya - Savannah Morning News
- February 2007: Rural Kenyan women on vanguard of African solar revolution - Agence France Presse
- January 2006: Cooking With the Sun - Highlights
Blog posts
- February 2009: Sun Worship and Self Reliance Report on SCI's visit to an HIV project in Kenya.
- April 2008: Black Carbon and Solar Cookers
Audio and video
- August 2015: SCI is featured on local Sacramento, California TV news demonstrating how solar cookers allow a household to cook during the current heat wave without heating up the kitchen.
- May 2015
- October 2014:
- September 2014:
- July 2014:
- July 2014:
- July 2014:
- August 2013:
- August 2013:
- 2013: Monica Woods, SCI Board Member and News 10 Chief Meteorologist, discusses how a basic solar cooker functions, and the social, environmental, and health benefits of cooking with the sun. Listen to the interview...
- July 2013: Mendocino County Public Broadcasting interviews Julie Greene, Executive Director of Solar Cookers International about solar cooking strategies, equipment, and the impact of SCI's work in emerging nations. Listen to the program...
- December 2012:
- April 2011:
- August 2009: Dr. Bob Metcalf gave a very informative interview to Kirk Hamilton PA-C, of http://www.prescription2000.com, an online resource that delivers credible nutrition research to health professionals and to the public. Listen here. There is also a transcript available.
- January 2009: Solar Cookers Head to Haiti (Audio) - Capital Public Radio
- 2008
- April 2008: World Bank audio interview with SCI's Margaret Owino
- January 2007: A video interview with SCI's Faustine Odaba at the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya.
- September 2006: A video interview with SCI's Margaret Owino (Low bandwidth version here)
- October 2007: Suncookers - A DVD showing the work of Solar Cookers International in Kenya
Become a supporter of SCI
Donors to Solar Cookers International save lives and change lives.
We work to solve the problem of inadequate household energy facing nearly 3 billion people on our planet. Since human health, quality of life, and environments are affected by cooking fuel choices, we offer a solution to the difficult choices nearly half of all families make every day: whether to buy fuel, or to buy food and other family needs. The sun’s free energy is a viable solution for all who live where the sun shines.
Early in its history, Solar Cookers International identified an urgent need for refugees and villagers in Africa to cook and pasteurize water, and SCI designed a panel solar cooker, the CooKit, to meet this need. Today, we work with partners globally to address health and energy needs in a variety of sensitive populations and environments. Solar Cookers International provides information and connects you to the partnerships you need to bring simple, effective and appropriate solar thermal cooking technology to people who are interested in changing their lives by changing their cooking tools.
There are many ways to become involved with SCI. One method is to make a donation to help bring solar cooking to the people who need this technology the most. Another way to help is to become a solar cook and help others learn about the benefits of solar cooking, too. The SCI website lists many ways you can get involved in community and international solar cooking efforts.
Donating to SCI
- Donate online: Donate to Solar Cookers International. All donations may be tax-deductible in the United States through Solar Cookers International, a 501-c-3 not-for-profit organization (Tax ID 68-0153141).
- Buy from Amazon.com Shop at Amazon.com and 0.5% of your payment will be donated to SCI. Just use this link and shop as you normally do: Support SCI with your Amazon Smile purchase.
- Good Search / Good Shop- Search the web with GoodSearch.com and each time you do a search, GoodSearch will donate a penny to our cause! Shop online at GoodShop.com and a percentage of each purchase will be donated to our cause! More than 600 top stores are participating including Amazon, Target, Staples, Best Buy and more! Code for inserting a Good Shop banner
- Fun(d)-raising - Your group or community can support SCI, AND have fun too. Creative events people have organized include community Solarbrations, Sol Food pot-lucks and Sun Runs. Please see these ways that schools and young people have raised money for our work.
- Sell items on eBay! SCI is a certified charity on eBay, which means you can help fundraise for us. Visit our eBay charity page for more information.
- Contact SCI's Sacramento, California office to discuss these or other options.
Contact
Solar Cookers International
1919 21st Street, Suite 203
Sacramento, California 95811-6827
USA
Tel: +(1) 916-455-4499
Fax: +(1) 916-455-4498
Email: info@solarcookers.org
Organizational website: http://solarcookers.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SolarCookersInt
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SolarCookers
Newsfeed: http://solarcooking.wikia.com/News
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/solar-cookers-international
US Tax Exemption ID: 68-0153141
See also
- Safe Water Project
- Brochure showing the benefits for target groups of SCI's work
- The history of Solar Cookers International to the year 1999
- Refugee camps
- Solar Cooker Review newsletter published by Solar Cookers International
- Julie Greene
External links
- Join or make a donation
- Online ordering of cookers, pots, books, etc.
- Solar Cookers International website
- Solar Cookers International Network - sponsored by SCI
- Wikipedia article on SCI - with references