A solar-powered cardboard cooker is the winner of the Forum for the Future’s Climate Change Innovation competition that consists of two cardboard boxes and an acrylic cover. Kenyan-based Jon Bøhmer created what he calls the Kyoto Box which claims to tackle environmental and social issues on various levels by using a layer of straw or newspaper between the boxes which acts as insulation, while black paint inside and an exterior foil help to preserve heat.
The cardboard cooker costs €5 to create, and reduces an estimated two tons of carbon each year.
Kyoto Box was chosen from five shortlisted entries that included evaporating tiles, a low-carbon alternative to air-conditioning systems, designed by the UK’s Loughborough University; a lightweight aerodynamic cover for lorry wheels that reduces drag; and a feed-additive given to livestock to control flatulence, reducing methane production.
He plans to use the prize to conduct mass trials in ten countries, including South Africa, India, and Indonesia, and gather data to back an application for carbon credits.
Bøhmer has developed a more durable version in corrugated plastic, which he says can be mass-produced as cheaply as the cardboard version. Carbon credits will allow the venture to be scaled up.