Bright idea
Rotarians feed the world with donations of sun-powered ovens

TheDoingsWeekly
April 6, 2008

Sun Oven International ovens provide much-needed food and income for people all over the world, but as Paul Munsen demonstrates, they also can bake up some tasty cookies. (Doings photo by Steve Johnston)

A sunny day is the most important ingredient in any recipe going into one of Paul Munsen's sun ovens. (Doings photo by Steve Johnston)

Communities that receive the gift of a Sun Oven from the Temple Solar Project also receive training on how to make the most of their sun-powered appliance. (Doings photo by Steve Johnston)

In addition to its village-sized ovens, Sun Ovens International in Elburn manufactures and sells more compact versions such as this for solar cooking on a smaller scale. (Doings photo by Steve Johnston)

Gustavo Iturbe assembles the components for a new solar oven at Sun Ovens International in Elburn. (Doings photo by Steve Johnston)

By Sandy Illian Bosch

Teach a man to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime. Give an impoverished village a solar-powered oven, and there's no telling what good will come of it.

The Temple Solar Project was born in Hinsdale more than a decade ago as a way for Rotarians, long committed to helping those in need, to provide a way for people all over the world to cook affordable, nutritious food without using wood or fossil-based fuel. Since then the project conceived by the late Bill Temple of Hinsdale, a Rotarian and District 6450 governor, has grown to provide solar-powered ovens for communities and organizations all over the world. And those ovens have proven to provide much more than a daily loaf of bread.

The sun's heat didn't stop once the children were fed, and neither did these enterprising women.

"They used the extra time to do baking," Parsons said, and they sold their goods to people in the village. Their small venture eventually earned enough money to buy a refrigerator and furniture for the school.

Another group of women in Africa turned their sun oven into a mid-day pizzeria, turning out pies for drivers on the highway who passed by their orphanage.

"That's what we want to see," Parsons said.

Rotarians have placed nearly 100 village-sized ovens into operation all over the world, said Mike Sedlak, a member of the Hinsdale Rotary Club. Hospitals, orphanages and communities on five continents use the solar-powered ovens in lieu of more expensive wood-burning ovens.

"They can cook with solar power," said Sedlak, who said the ovens also can be used to purify water and sanitize medical equipment.

A green idea

Solar ovens are good for the environment as well as the people who use them. A single oven can save 150 tons of fire wood in one year, according to Rotary statistics, and it can save hours of labor for people in areas experiencing deforestation. There are parts of the world where gathering firewood can take half a day.

Walt Jenkins of Naperville is chairman of the Temple Solar Project.

"This is a project of District 6450," he said. District 6450 involves about 160 clubs, including those in Hinsdale, Oak Brook, La Grange, Elmhurst, Darien, Burr Ridge, Willowbrook and Western Springs. But clubs from all over the world get involved. An oven purchased by a club in Germany recently was shipped to a village in South Africa. A club in Kentucky is working to send an oven to a women's prison in Kenya.

The placement of each oven requires a partnership between a local Rotary club, which is responsible for buying and shipping

the oven, and a Rotary club in the vicinity of the recipient. That club is responsible for seeing that the oven is properly placed and put into use. The third part of the partnership is a local organization, often the hospital or orphanage where the oven is placed, that will oversee the oven's long-term use and maintenance.

Service above self

Paul Munsen, president of Sun Ovens International in Elburn, has worked with Rotary clubs for 10 years to make the ovens that make their way to the far corners of the world. To be a member of the Rotary would be considered a conflict of interest for Munsen, but Sedlak said Munsen is a Rotarian in every other way.

"He lives the life of a Rotarian -- service above self. This project fits in," Sedlak said.

Munsen said his company is a for-profit venture. He sells several sizes of sun-powered ovens, including about 1,000 family-sized ovens, every year. But making money isn't Sun Oven International's first priority.

In fact, Munsen works hard to boost his competition.

"We license private-sector entrepreneurs in other countries to make our ovens," Munsen said.

Rotarians in various parts of the world are trained to set up plants in developing countries where solar ovens can be made, providing jobs and income for a community and solar-powered ovens for its residents.

"That's part of the project," Munsen said.

Only the fuel is free

Mother Nature provides the fuel for these ovens, but the Rotarians provide the money to get them started.

Sedlak's role is to help raise the $16,000 it takes to put a single village-sized oven into use. The money pays for the oven itself, the tools it takes to use it, shipping costs and, when possible, food. The Hinsdale club's annual Rotary Run for Wellness, set for Oct. 4 this year, helps Wellness House in Hinsdale, but it also will help put solar ovens where they are needed.

Rotary Clubs and Rotary Districts throughout the U.S. hold fundraisers that help Temple Solar Project place ovens where they are needed. Individuals can contribute by supporting their local club, or by making a donation to the project. Money can be targeted to a specific area of the world or to a specific project. Send an e-mail to Rotarian Pat Merryweather at rotarysolarpat@aol.com for more information about how to help.

Merryweather, a member of the Naperville club, said support of the Temple Solar Project does so much more than provide food. Self-esteem is being created in these ovens too. In a town with dirt roads and shacks for homes, Merryweather saw women use the oven to hold culinary class.

"They were earning their culinary certificates," which for many was their first formal education, Merryweather said. While the traveling teacher conducted lessons in cooking, she also taught the women to read.

"It's tremendous how people can use these to meet so many needs," Merryweather said.