Zeer pot: a fridge in the desert
Desert Fridge. At first glance, the combination of these two words may seem strange as they are opposites, and yet, this object is indeed a reality. The Zeer, its name in Arabic, was invented by Mohammed Bah Abba. This Nigerian teacher has developed this item to help Sudanese families, without commercial purpose but for the welfare of mankind and the planet.
The “Zeer pot” or the fridge desert is a 100% Moroccan design which is attractive by its originality. This desert fridge is like a terracotta pot that keeps food in a temperature that can reach up to 5 ° C without the use of electricity. According to the magazine ‘Science et Vie’, the principle consists of a baked clay pot placed in a larger pot, and separated from it by a layer of sand with a thickness of four centimeters. Wetting the sand, the internal temperature decreases as the water evaporates.
The pottery company GO Energyless, based in Marrakech, manufactures two different models; one aimed at rural populations, the other for customers wanting to eat organic. This innovation was discovered as part of an expedition by the ‘Nomade des mers’, a catamaran which is touring the world in search of new environmental applications and the discovery of the low-tech products around the globe. The crew of Nomadic seas installed a Zeer pot in the kitchen of the boat so as to keep the products of the hydroponic farm covering the deck. These vegetables (tomatoes, salads) are accompanied with mealworms and egg products also in the boat and rice to provide the crew’s daily meals.
Fascinated by this invention, TV channel Arte has decided to devote an entire programme entitled Focus on Innovation on the Zeer pot talking to Soufian Brahimi from GO Energyless. Arte is a European channel that promotes programming in the areas of culture and the arts.