This page is currently being revised and updated. Suggestions very welcome. Bev Blum, Secretariat

Purpose

'Solar Cookers World Network (SCWNet)'- formerly Solar Cookers International Association (SCIA) improves health, economics and environments through collective actions to spread solar cooking, solar water pasteurization and solar food processing.

Its 115 independent agencies and 210 individual promoters in 52 countries share news, educate policy makers, and address challenges common to all. We are united in addressing these world needs:

* 1/3 of humanity cooks meals over smoky open fires, and respiratory disease are a main killer of children and young women. Growing fuel scarcities add heavy burdens to families in time, labor and cost, and contribute to malnutrition. Each solar cooker is safe, clean, emission free and used on sunny days can save a ton of wood per year – about 1/3 of a family’s needs.

* 1/3 of the world lacks access to safe drinking water. Pasteurizing water and milk in a solar cooker reduces diarrheal diseases, another major killer of young children.

* 1/3 of food produce in some regions is lost to spoilage before it can get to markets or be consumed. Solar food drying quickly preserves it for much longer storage.

'JOIN '

'JOIN SCWNet today using our convenient online form.' Membership is free. Members are entitled to pages in this wiki and edit and add information as they choose, and are also invited to participate in activities (below). Increasing our numbers will help us increase visibility and effectiveness.

A trifold brochure in PDF format is useful.

'Support SCWNet'

==='DONATIONS ARE WELCOME' and will support the all-volunteer work of this network. Donate by credit card or PayPal through our online application. All donations are tax-deductible in the USA through SCI, a 501-c-3 charitable organization. THANK YOU.===

==

SCWNet Members by World Region and Country

Also a Google map shows the general location of SCWNet member organizations around the world. (The map takes about 30 seconds to display completely. Click on a bubble to get more information.)

Activities

ADVOCACY

Solar cookers, pasteurizers and food processers address major world needs including United Nations goals, especially the U. N.’s Millennium Development Goals. Currently our focus includes World Health Organization (WHO), High Commissioner for Refugees (HCR), Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) and the Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD).

Through consultative status with United Nations agencies by SCWNet’s legal umbrella Solar Cookers International, volunteer U.N. representatives educate policy makers.

These efforts open doors for SCWNet members to advocate and work with these agencies’ country offices.

Advocacy resolutions to date

TECHNOLOGY

Current efforts include

Developing standards for evaluating solar cookers performance for diverse consumer needs. Leading this is Prof. Ajay Chandak at Promoters & Researchers in Non Conventional Energy (PRINCE) in India.

Developing training by members to upscale capacity to produce, distribute, introduce and maintain services.

Increasing capacity regionally to respond in the aftermath of disasters where solar devices can save lives.

NETWORKING

Members share info through their web pages in this wiki

Occasional conferences allow discussions on ways to increase marketing and visibility of our simple solutions. The most recent international conference was in Spain in 2006, and since then there have been two regional conferences in Asia - in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2007 and in Indore, India in 2009.

At http://solarcooking.org/discuss there are discussion groups. Each section works mostly independently among its interested participants.
An Internet discussion forum allows association members to freely share ideas and experiences.

Contact

SCWNet Secretariat, Bev Blum, USA
scwnet@solarcooking.org
or blumbev@aol.com

ASIA PACIFIC REGION

Center for Rural Technology Nepal (CRTN) - Ganesh Ram Shrestha (Nepal)

International Center for Networking, Ecology, Education & Re-integration (ICNEER) - Eng. Deepak Gadhia (India)

AFRICA REGION

Solar Cookers for Africa Network - Crosby Menzies (South Africa)

IBERO-LATIN AMERICA REGION

Red Cosinas Solares (RECOSOL) - Prof. Pedro Serrano

CANADA, USA, EUROPE REGION

Sharon Cousins, Viola, Idaho, USA

HISTORY

SCWNet was formed at the 2006 International Conference on Solar Cookers and Food Processing in Granada, Spain [1] and renamed in 2009.

Solar Cookers International Network

Contents