Exploring Alternative Energies in Malawi

One of the exciting aspects of our new 4 Day curriculum is the expansion of our environmental section. We began with our current solar energy activity-testing one mock solar oven painted black and one with a black bottom and foil sides. Early volunteer arrivers, Elizabeth Smith and Blair Lindley, assisted Coordinators with this endeavor. No surprise there, but the second oven got about 10 degrees hotter! Indeed, black to absorb the sun and foil to reflect the heat back in does work.

Coordinators Karen Clark and Katy Lackey have also been researching ways and partnering with a few organizations to actually bring real solar ovens to the communities we work in. More on these opportunities to come. 

Partly inspired by a desire to bring a more practical alternative energy source to our schools' villages (cardboard solar ovens have a little trouble heating nsima), partly by questions raised in Teacher Workshop meetings, and partly by William's story in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, this summer we'll be piloting World Camp's first ever wind energy section!!

Each camp participant will make their own pinwheel, while each class will build a model wind turbine that demonstrates how wind can convert energy to "do work," as evidenced by the model pulling up a pen. Karen Clark built our first ever model (a success!), while Blair Lindley taught our Summer Session 1 group our to deliver the material to our kids during orientation.  

A huge shout out and thanks to former volunteers Gretchen Visser, David Ederer, Caitlyn Cunningham, Maggie Savage, Monica Ralston, and Coordinator Rachel Dudasik for their help in developing this section!!

Stay tuned and we'll let you know how it goes!