Cooking Up A Storm The Eco-friendly Way

One potential area is for the carbon credit market to fill the gap via carbon offsetting, connecting the developed world’s emissions with solutions for those most at risk from the impact of global warming. Non-profit organisations like Solar Cookers International (SCI) and Worldstove are offering these communities real alternatives to their reliance on firewood and charcoal, a major cause of deforestation and topsoil erosion in Africa, Asia, Latin America and other third world areas.

Eco-cooking encouraging sustainable communities

Cassie Ryan in Epoch Times 26 May 2010

Since the early 1990s, expanding refugee populations in war-torn Africa have exacerbated problems with access to cooking fuel and clean water. Nonprofit organisations like Solar Cookers International (SCI) and Worldstove are offering these communities real alternatives to their reliance on firewood and charcoal, a major cause of deforestation and topsoil erosion in Africa, Asia, Latin America and other third world areas.

These carbon-negative initiatives are successfully linking with local governments and the private sector to stimulate sustainable initiatives.

One potential area is for the carbon credit market to fill the gap via carbon offsetting, connecting the developed world’s emissions with solutions for those most at risk from the impact of global warming.

Solar Cookers

In West Africa, many households spend over 25 per cent of income on cooking fuel, while others travel for hours to chop down firewood.

Some governments subsidise bottled cooking gas, but solar cookers are becoming part of the real solution.

Presently, SCI’s largest project involves three Darfur refugee camps in Chad where women have manufactured over 30,000 cardboard and foil “Cookits”, reducing firewood trips outside the camp by 86 per cent.

Solar stoves reduce household fuel consumption, while also improving child and maternal health. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), half the world’s population uses solid fuel – usually wood, charcoal or dung – for household energy, causing indoor pollution and 1.5 million deaths annually, with pneumonia the leading killer of children under five.

Senegalese women, trialling solar stoves in 2008, reported immediate benefits, such as clean air, sterilised water and utensils, and better-tasting food. Improved finances from reduced kerosene consumption and more time for profitable activities like sewing clothing to sell, rather than collecting firewood, were also noted. Other benefits include – safety, particularly for children; greater nutrition due to lower cooking temperatures and no burning; cooking nutrient-rich legumes despite the longer times required; and quicker cleaning with less washing water collected. Gender inequality is also avoided in countries like Tibet, where young girls collect firewood while the boys attend school.

Biochar

Produced from a growing range of biomass fuels – from nut shells to animal waste, bamboo and used vegetable oil – biochar generates energy for cooking and heating while its co-product is applied to soils, with many carbon sequestration benefits, such as increased bio-available water and organic matter, enhanced nutrient cycling and reduced leaching.

Scaling up

In 2008, the Senegalese Ministry of Biofuels and Renewable Energy entered an agreement with Solar Household Energy to produce and sell stoves locally and mobile solar bakeries are now establishing to support communities. Currently, African solar cookers cost up to $US200 ($A240) and are too expensive for war-affected communities without subsidies.

RESPECT International is researching affordable designs and producing an instruction manual on how to build and use these designs based on surveys collected in Liberia about available materials and the type of food and cooking habits.

According to IRIN, a project of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, carbon trading could achieve third world sustainability by enabling first world investors to help those most affected by global warming not to pollute.

Private-public investment partnerships are vital in places like Africa, with its growing number of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects able to massively cut global carbon emissions while multiplying energy production levels. UNEP’s Bakary Kante says:

 “Africa has an enormous potential to be eligible for more investment.”

The bottom line is that these simple initiatives are curbing carbon dioxide emissions while also enabling poor people to cope with climate change-related issues and still achieve sustainable, profitable growth – a worthy cause indeed for more investors to consider.

Source: www.theepochtimes.com

BBC World News and Newsweek in association with Shell have launched the sixth annual World Challenge competition to identify and honor projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grassroots level.

The 2010 Challenge invites nominations for innovative projects or ideas that demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit working for the benefit of the community while adopting a responsible approach. Nominated projects should demonstrate the innovative use of technology or an invention; should increase investment in the local community; and should take a responsible approach toward the environment. Nominations may be submitted in the categories of community welfare and enterprise, health and education, sustainable farming, energy, water and environment.

The first place winner of the challenge will receive a grant of $20,000, and the second and third place finalists will each receive a grant of $10,000.

Deadline: July 7, 2010

Source:  www.theworldchallenge.co.uk/