Get Water Education Today Festival
In 2008 and 2009 our club set up a station at the annual Get WET Festival held near the Folsom dam. This festival is all about educating the public about our water supplies and ecosystems. Various groups and organizations come out every year to show people what we can do to help keep our water clean and conserve this precious resource. RESC:UE, being all about renewable energy, displayed ways of using the sun to purify water using a simple solar cooker that uses nothing but the sun's energy! The solar cooker directs the sun's rays to a dark colored bottle (wrapped in an oven bag for insulation) which heats water until it is pasteurized. In many places around the world, water is unsafe to drink because of bacteria and viruses not fit for human consumption. By using a solar cooker to heat the water and kill all harmful life, the water becomes safe to drink (when cooled, of course). How will anyone know when the bottle has reached the correct temperature for pasteurization? A simple wax indicator is used which melts at a temperature above which harmful bacteria cannot survive. When the wax has melted, the water is safe for consumption!
