Solar Cook It Day at Prairie: Meals Cooked Using the Sun
By: Christine Arteta
Published: June 24, 2011

Solar Cook-It Day was celebrated by first grade students at Prairie Elementary School in California. They have learned first-hand how to cook meals using solar power. Teachers Skye Smith and Nancy Ludu facilitated and led the cooking while the young learners assisted. Prairie Elementary School was given a solar grant from the California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) to hold events such as the Solar Cook-It Day, which was celebrated on June 16, 2011. On that sunny morning, teachers Smith and Ludu and the students set portable stoves called “panel cookers” outside their classroom. Out of cardboard and foil, they cooked Heart and Sol Apple Bread Pudding, Solar Flare Carrots, Meateorite Balls and Venus Veggies, which they ate together after lunch. It took them between six and eight hours to finish all the dishes.
The main goal of the activity was to teach the children the benefits of using solar power. According to Smith, even at very young age the idea of solar power could be easily understood. She says, “the earlier the better.” During the activity, the two teachers explained to the kids the environmental benefits of cooking using solar energy.
Since solar stoves are smoke and fire-free:
1) They help in clearing the atmosphere
2) They don't cause lung irritation and other illnesses
3) They won’t start a fire that can damage houses
The use of solar stoves was initiated by Bob Metcalf, a CSUS biology professor. Metcalf’s organization, the Solar Cookers International (SCI), has already provided solar stoves in different countries. The stoves are not just used for cooking, but also as water purifiers in rural communities.