'Kyoto Box' wins Climate Change Challenge
The Kyoto Box, a simple and inexpensive cardboard cooker, today took the top prize in the FT Climate Change Challenge.
The Forum for the Future competition, sponsored by HP, sought ideas from around the world for the best innovations to tackle climate change. In addition to receiving a $75,000 prize, Kyoto Box developer Jon Bøhmer will now be able to begin mass trials of the technology in South Africa, India, Indonesia and seven other countries.
During the trials, Bøhmer plans to collect data to support carbon credits for the project so the Kyoto Box can be made widely available. He eventually expects to make a yearlyl profit of €20 to €30 per stove, which will not only cover production costs but support the manufacture of other solar-powered technologies for the developing world.
Other finalists in the Climate Change Challenge included a giant industrial microwave that “fixes” carbon dioxide, a lightweight aerodynamic cover for lorry wheels that reduces drag and improves fuel efficiency, a garlic-derived feed additive to reduce the methane emissions produced by cows and other ruminants and special tiles that use water evaporation to provide indoor cooling.
