About the Kyoto Twist Solar Cooking Society
Who, What, How, and Why…..
Who we are…..
The Kyoto Twist Solar Cooking Society is a Canadian registered non-profit organization. Our headquarters and office is located in Lund, British Columbia. There are six people on our board of directors and we have two volunteer program coordinators who report to the board. Our Annual General Meeting takes place just prior to Earth Day. Our roots are local, but our connections are global. We are part of the larger international solar cooking movement, which is developing and spreading this beneficial technology around the world.
What we are doing…..
Primarily we do two things. We raise money and we support existing successful solar cooker programs in developing countries. Our Vision extends into the social as well as the environmental sector, because solar cookers address the problem of poverty. By supporting solar cookers, we not only reduce GHG emissions and our own environmental footprint, we are attacking one of the pillars of poverty in the world, the fuelwood crisis. The Kyoto Twist strives to accomplish and document both of those goals.
How we do this…..
By working with organizations in the developing world that already have a proven track record in the field, our organization supports the expansion of their success. The Kyoto Twist Projects section of this website will give more details on our program and Solar Cooking in the World Today will lead you into the exciting world of this international network.
Why the “Twist”
By making a change or “twist” in our priorities and lifestyle, we can share our resources with those most in need. We believe that our program creates a viable solution to two of the most serious challenges facing humanity today, abject poverty and climate change. When you sponsor solar cooker projects through the Kyoto Twist, you are providing relief to a family who is greatly burdened by the shortage and cost of cooking fuel. The UN estimates that 2 billion people worldwide are in this predicament and the situation is worsening. Solar cooking powerfully addresses all eight of the UN Millennium Development Goals to alleviate extreme poverty, all eight.
The Spirit of Kyoto is international cooperation on what is now being called the biggest challenge mankind has ever faced, massive and rapid climate change. At an average cost of ten dollars per tonne, donating to the Kyoto Twist is an effective way to help make a difference. Cooking fires in the world today consume an estimated one billion cubic meters of wood or biomass annually, which produces an estimated one billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. Those are easy figures to remember and very significant in the mitigation of global warming.
Save a tonne, Save a life.
