Cooking: Earth friendly Methods

Methods Biodigestors Solar Cookers Clay Ovens

Biodigestors Use waste of livestock for cooking and lighting gas: Pigs, cows, goats Prevents environmental problems of animal waste: water contamination, foul odors, insect breeding Eliminates need for harvesting trees for cooking fuel Eliminates pollution from burning wood Eliminates health risks associates with cooking with wood: respiratory problems, eye damage, burns

Biodigestors Most efficient with manure of 4-5 pigs Costs ~$ Fixed dome over ditch lined with plastic. A tube catches and funnels gasses released from the breakdown of the organic materials within. The gas can be used directly to cook or for lighting.

Solar Cookers

Use direct energy from the sun to cook food Uses mostly local resources to build Takes you off the grid and away from reliance on gas and electric

Solar Cookers Basic Construction: Small wooden box lined in metal sheets painted black within a larger frame box. Local organic materials insulating between the boxes. Covered with double pain glass or plexi-glass (select material which allows most sun sun to penetrate) Use mirror or reflective material to direct sunlight into oven. Reaches temperatures of degrees.

Solar Dryers Same concept as cookers, but used for drying herbs, fruits, plants, etc. *Same type of system can be used to heat water

Clay Ovens

Can be made from many different materials: wooden mold, clay/sand mix, concrete, organic matter, saw dust Costs ~$40 in materials ~$60-80 in labor Fire clay bricks in kiln Cook using wood in back of dome shaped oven