The Nature Conservancy - Project Profile
SEAWORLD/BUSCH GARDENS/FUJIFILM ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS
 
Solar Solutions
Miami Country Day School - Miami, FL
     

After seeing missionaries demonstrate solar cookers, the students at Miami Country Day School decided to try their luck at building their own. In the beginning, they converted shoeboxes and flowerpots into solar cookers. After gaining some experience, they began to use hats, umbrellas, even old tires! Since 1994, the students have experimented with alternative energy uses and have taken solar cookers to a whole new level.

The students formed a non-profit corporation in order to raise funds to provide solar cookers on an international level. The funds help to provide solar cookers and solar cooker training in several different countries. Recently, their solar cookers have reached the refugee camps of Afghanistan. Their website provides educational material for solar cooker programs in Senegal, Ghana, and Uganda. The website gives the children an opportunity to distribute informative articles, interviews, lesson plans, webcasts, and important links.

The Solar Solutions Project allows the students to learn about the science of solar energy, while allowing them to teach one another. They have collaborated with students from Australia, Haiti, India, Iran, Japan, and numerous African countries. Their efforts have been recognized not only by those that use the solar cookers, but also by various local, state, and international organizations. In fact, they were the only children to present workshops at the UNEP International Children's Conference in Victoria, Canada in May of 2002. In July 2002, the project was presented at an IEARN (International Education and Resource Network) conference in Moscow. The conference exposed the project to several teachers representing 92 different countries.

According to the Nature Conservancy, "Through the Solar Solutions Project, the Miami Country Day School has shown incorporation of fundamental strategies employed by The Nature Conservancy. In taking on this project, they have demonstrated holistic thinking as well as recognized the vital importance of local and global partnerships. These partnerships, in conjunction with their innovative ideas, have greatly expanded their reach and effectiveness. The Nature Conservancy looks forward to working with such a progressive group of students and teachers."

 
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