Wikia:Press: Solar Cooking Release
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SOLAR COOKERS AROUND THE WORLD UNITE ONLINE SEEKING TO DRIVE ADOPTION OF COOKING THE NATURAL WAY—WITH THE SUN
Solar Cooking Archive Wiki Surpasses 1,000 Article Milestone
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., (PRWEB) August 18, 2008 – More children die each year from smoke from cooking fires than die from either malaria or AIDS according to the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. Cooking with simple solar cookers made from scrap materials offers families in poor countries a way to decrease indoor air pollution while also reducing the financial impact of rising food and fuel prices. In addition, for the 17,000+ Darfur refugees at the Iridimi Refugee Camp in Chad, more than 5,000 simple solar cookers, made by the refugees themselves, have reduced the number of trips outside the camp to collect firewood by 90%. Before the introduction of solar cookers, almost all of the women had been attacked while gathering firewood.
The California NGO Solar Cookers International is spreading the knowledge and practice of solar cooking worldwide in hopes of improving health and prosperity, reducing deforestation, and limiting global warming. The group, including Tom Sponheim from Seattle, Washington, has created a collaborative website called the Solar Cooking Archive Wiki in order to share and disseminate information about the practice of solar cooking. At present, the site includes more than 1,000 articles on everything from how to build a solar cooker (including detailed plans and designs), to individual pages for 94 countries detailing the activities of over 280 NGOs and over 300 individuals involved in promoting this simple idea.
“The rising cost of fuel and diminishing natural resources in poor countries are making it increasing difficult for people to eat healthily, but these people have found a sustainable and reliable solution in solar cooking technology,” said Sponheim, Founder of the Solar Cooking Archive Wiki. “This Solar Cooking Archive Wiki really is a global effort—we have people from more than 210 different countries around the globe visiting the site with many contributing their expertise about solar cooking.”
The English version of the Solar Cooking Archive Wiki was started in 2006 with French, and Spanish versions coming later. The site is continually maintained by an active community of volunteers who are passionate about the practice of solar cooking and are dedicated to the continued growth and development of the site, with the ultimate goal of educating the world about cooking the natural way—with the sun.
To learn more or to become a member of the Solar Cooking Archive Wiki community, please visit: http://solarcooking.wikia.com
