The Power From the Sun Film was honored at 2012 MY HERO International Film Festival. The film documenting Miami Country Day School students attempt at setting the 2012 Guinness Book of World Records™ for “The Most Cookies Baked In One Hour Using Solar Ovens” was the 3rd place winner in the High School Experimental category.

An excerpt of the film was screened during the Youth/Community Screening of The My Hero Film Festival event, on December 15th at USC.

A little bit about The My Hero Project:
The MY HERO Project uses media and technology to celebrate the best of humanity and empower people of all ages to realize their own potential to effect positive change in the world.

Since 1995, MY HERO has provided free resources for sharing hero stories, art, audio and short films. MY HERO gives lifelong learners access to an ever-growing digital archive of inspiring content, tools for self-expression and tutorials to help them share their uplifting stories with the world. Through MY HERO’s award-winning website, workshops, mentorships and film festivals, MY HERO enables people to recognize the heroes who inspire them and in turn to inspire others.

Educators use The MY HERO Project in schools, libraries, after-school workshops, and community and media centers around the world to build student’s 21st Century skills, stimulate character development and engage them in thinking critically about heroism, personal and cultural values, human rights, and environment issues. To support class and partner projects, MY HERO distributes DVDS, books, equipment, and lesson plans that bring students, teachers and communities together for local, international or online celebrations. Virtual classrooms called Learning Circles allow students to communicate and collaborate, fostering an appreciation for diversity and a sense of global citizenship.

MY HERO’s educational resources are used by approximately 10 million participants age 2-94 from over 190 countries each year.

More Information on My Hero Project Can be found here:
www.myhero.com
www.facebook.com/MyHeroProject
www.twitter.com/myhero

The event was led by Matthew Cohen, a 16 year old Miami Country Day sophomore who has been actively involved in bringing attention to the solar oven movement for the past 8 years. After seeing how the devastating 2010 earthquake left the people of Haiti suffering without electricity and unable to keep their drinking water safe, Cohen sprung into action launching a website www.powerfromthesun.us to educate people worldwide about the benefits of solar cooking and to help raise funds for Sun Ovens International to send solar ovens to Haiti. His passion for making a difference and helping the lives of those less fortunate, inspired Cohen to organize this world record attempt.

The event was judged by John Richards – Director of Miami Culinary Institute International Hospitality Center, Collen Engle – Chef Instructor of Miami Culinary Institute International Hospitality Center, Micah Edelstein – Top Chef season 3 contestant and owner of Miami’s Nemesis Bistro, Larry Berrin – owner of Hot Cookies and Albert Killigan, President Elect of the Rotary Club of Bal Harbour. Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Judge Rosa Rodriguez acted as event steward. Raj Singh – Chairman of the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association, Bonnie Hirschel – Duckie Design Creative Solutions, Paul Munsen – Sun Ovens International, photographer Ricardo Serpa and countless others offered support throughout the event.

The whistle blew at 12 noon and the baking began. Students mixed ingredients, scooped cookie dough and baked their cookies in the solar ovens. At the conclusion of the hour, the cookies were counted and the judges declared the final count:1225 cookies baked in one hour using solar ovens, exceeding expectations! The event raised over $20,000, which exceeded our goal, allowing us to cover the cost of baking supplies, and the purchase and shipment of the 40 ovens used at this event to “Help Bring Hope For Haiti”. We were also able to purchase and send a Villager oven to Haiti through “Hope For Haiti’s Children”. The cookies baked at the event were donated to Feeding South Florida.

About Solar Cooking

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that more than 2.4 billion people lack adequate cooking fuels. For developing nations that are sun rich and fuel poor, Solar Ovens can use free sunshine to cook food and pasteurize drinking water. Countries like Haiti and Nepal have less than 2% of their original forests remaining. Cooking fires pollute the atmosphere and contribute to global warming and the greenhouse effect. Many people primarily women and children suffer from violent attacks while gathering wood or lung disease from cooking in the cooking huts. Solar ovens can help make a difference.
Matthew Cohen, Project Coordinator

Committee – Upper School

Sebastian Aizo-Biggio • Mharlove Andre • Tina Aritan • Dylan Barron • Anne Beasley • Mallory Brown • Brittany Castellanos • Henry Clements • Lena Cohen • Blake Colongo • Armando Cortes • Michael Fente • Elizabeth Finny • Hunter Friedland • Jeremy Garg • Amanda Gavcovich • Richardo Gonzalez • Austen Weinberg • Simon Hoffman • Monica Howard • Cameron Ivory • Matthew Kanter • Isaac Kassab • Daniel Kassin • Alec Koss • Kayla Kotalik • Isabella Lazarus • Kristina Leiter • Harrison Lerner • Alyson Milberg • Alvoro Ortega • Winona Paez • Brandan Parizo • Teddy Pornprinya • Alexa Randolph • Dan Saad • Adam Seif • Tatiana Seikaly • Tyler Sherwood • Steven Soriano • Enrique Szerer • Alejandro Villaquiran • Pablo Vivas • Carter Weiss • Austin Zifferblatt • Andrea Serano • Veronica Serano

Team Members- Upper School

Lydie Alvarez • Anna Apice • Amanda Baldor • Jodie Bauson • Mila Boano • Steven Brown • Samantha Caballero • Jorge Castro • Shalini Chandar • Carol Civre • Brandon Colongo • Janmiya Cooper • Felix Elfering • Terry Graham • Miracle Heagle • Eli Iaslovits • Raina Innocent • Aaron Jones • Elizabeth Kaspraitis • Diana Katz • Jackie Lash • Ines Lei • Marianna Marulanda • Yordanos Meshesha • Gillian Milberg • Mitchell Mosheim • Inca Paghy • Kanesha Petit-phar • Ashley Puente • Gregory Revitz • Guilia Roncoletta • Jordan Rosendorf • Sam Schechter • Frederico Slezynger • Laura Szerer • Megan Tate • Danielle Tepper • Sidney Thomas • Rubén Volovitz • Margaux Walker • Austen Weinberg • Marni Weiss • Spence Be • Harry Berger • Max Cohan • Rachel Garazi • Paui-julien Ginaud • Justin Golden • Pablo Mejia • Gregory Ovadia • Cristian Padilla • Nico Rodriguez • Jake Stauber • Authur Vandervoort • Adriana Vivas

Committee – Middle School

Corey Altman • Veronica Apice • Melissa Benedek • Alex Cohan • Sam Cohen • Natalia Dela Guardia • Viioleta Dela Guardia • Nick Feola • Wendi Halpryn • Emily Kanter • Cameron Kasanzew • Phillip Kassab • Jake Katz • Everett Levy • Nicole Pollak • Janna Sayfie • Taylor Sennett • Nicole Sherwood • Ian Spence • Madison Staubuer • Christopher Ward • Lynna Weil

Team Members – Middle School

Jonathan Abramowitz • Richard Anapokky • Luna Aros • Patrick Basile • Sasha Bass • Yasmine Bazzi • Max Berlowitz • Lenee Blot • Elizabeth Bondareeva • Bobby Brunetti • Sonia Bucan • Skylar Carter • Karina Duse • Luna Elortegui • Tristan Escanante • Blue Estrazvias-Gullick • Hector Estupinan • Luis Felipe • Nina Feola • Julia Fernandez • Jade Id • Mia Ferrari-mathis • Katerina Filpi • Ryan Finvarb • Larry Frishberg • Carly Garazi • Izzy Goihman • Lauren Gold • Nicole Gracia • Sammy Halpern • Ava Hansen • Rashad Heagle • Lucas Henry • Madi Hertz • Ethan Hidnert • Chase Jacob • Nyasia John • Oliver Kelly • Blake Kushner • Mia Marcovsky • Camilla Mejia • Neb Meshesha • Megan Mosheim • Carlos Ortesa • Megan Osorio • Gaby Palmisano • Calypso Peraticoes • Sebastian Piyssan • Austin Pollak • Brooke Pumo • Laura Rameriz • John Reiff • Jeromimo Rio • Andre Rodrigues • Victor Sacal • Jordan Sale • Sydney Sazant • Mia Simmonds • Arman Singh • Alex Slezynger • Zach Smith • Felipe Thomaz • Nicholas Villegas • Gaby Wayor • Sarah Zelcer • Ian Zigel

Ingredients
2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter -soft (1½ sticks)
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 – 1½ cups chocolate chips

Directions
Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

Mix soft butter and sugars in medium large bowl until combined. Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla and mix well. Using spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined; do not over mix. Fold in chips.

Use a 25mm cookie scoop and arrange cookies 2″ apart on baking tray. Bake one tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10-14 minutes. Remove cookie sheet, let sit for one minute then transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.

If using a conventional oven, bake at 325°F.  Grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

Download Print Version Of This Recipe Here
Additional recipes can be found here: http://www.sunoven.com/archives/category/daily-solar-cooking-recipe