abstract
| - They see solar cooking as an important alternative cooking method to help save remaining forests. Typically, in areas where severe deforestation has already occurred and where, fortunately, sunshine is abundant. Their initial projects have taken place in India. They have used butterfly style parabolic solar cookers produced in China. The parabolic cookers provide the focused heat necessary in baking the traditional roti. As has been experienced by other groups wishing to introduce solar cooking to areas currently using wood stoves, thorough training is necessary, as well as a follow-up program. Recruiting local residents to become trainers and mentors for the community has historically been a successful strategy. Climate Healers, however, has taken the innovative approach by creating an incentive based system incorporating cell phone use. Their solution is to provide solar cookers with integrated charging stations, along with cell phones and LED lights at no cost to members of the community. The cell phones are configured to measure the usage of the cookers as they get charged, and then rewards are issued in the form of cell phone talk time proportional to the usage. Technology is used extensively to ensure transparency of the whole process. Cell phones are used as the communications medium since their signals are ubiquitous even in remote regions of the world. Satellite imagery and independent certification is used to verify growth of the forest regions. The forest growth and the cooker usage will also be monitored by campus Climate Healers clubs associated with schools and universities. The technology underlying our operation is being developed in conjunction with IDEA in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
|