Clever and simple cardboard cooker design
I spotted this on Designweek – it is a really clever and simple design idea by Jon Bohmer which is well deserving of winning the Forum for the Future’s Climate Change Innovation competition.
The design made from layers of cardboard costs under £5 to make and “As a result, health complications from smoke inhalation are reduced, while women are removed from their often dangerous obligations of collecting fuel.” – It can also be used to serialise water by boiling – meaning that it could save lives as well as providing a safe, cheap and eco-friendly way of cooking. The cooker is made from two ordinary cardboard boxes, which use black paint and reflective foil to maximise absorption of the sun’s energy with an acrylic lid to keep heat in and can reach potentially temperatures over 80 degrees C.
Bohmer said: “We’re saving lives and saving trees. I doubt if there is any other technology that can make so much impact for so little money.”
Peter Madden, the forum’s chief executive said “The Kyoto Box has the potential to transform millions of lives and is a model of scalable, sustainable innovation,”
Bohmer has plans to make a longer lasting corrugated plastic version which he says can be manufactured for the same price as the cardboard one. it would remove the need for people in hot third world countries to need to use any fuel to obtain clean water and cook food and reducing emissions and deforestation. Richard Black
Environment correspondent on the BBC News website said “Reducing reliance on firewood reduces deforestation, but also improves the health and well being of villagers who do not have to trek for miles collecting the increasingly scarce wood nor spend hours inhaling wood smoke, a major cause of respiratory disease.”
Read the full article here http://www.designweek.co.uk//Articles/141899/Article.html
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How is it saving trees? What do you do when it’s dark?
Hi， The design is intended for hot third world countries where they would otherwise have to spend hours searching for ever more scare materials to burn. It avoids the need to cut down trees, saving them time and saving trees preventing further deforestation in these areas. It also means that people will suffer less from smoke inhalation related health complaints.
The ability to boil and make safe drinking water for themselves using such a simple and easy to produce device is a massive breakthrough. Of course it would need to be used during the day over a period of time to supply enough drinking water for that day and night. But this is something that would be much harder without such a cooker. This could save lives if it was mass produced and I wish the designer luck in this endevour.
I hope that helps
I’m am impressed with the concept and execution of the device, but the question remains – what will the people do in the rainy season?
A good point. The long lasting heavy cloudcover and colder weather would lessen it’s ability during those months in countries which are affected by rainy seasons. The main focus was to boil water for drinking, which I am guessing is not as urgent during the rainy season where water is (too) plentyful? Forgive my ignoreance if that doesn’t work. Cooking food over the rainy season would still be difficult. The plastic version would avoid the cooker only lasting one season as well (as the cardboard one wouldn’t survive the rainsy season). I wonder if it could act as a slow cooker using the available light in these times? Will keep a lookout online and see how it evolves.
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