駱駝大改造 變身太陽能迷你冰箱

Kenya’s camels recently started sporting some unusual apparel: eco-friendly refrigerators! Some of the African country’s camels are carrying the solar-powered mini fridges on their backs as part of a test project that uses camels as mobile health clinics. Organizers hope the eco-friendly transport system will provide a cheap, reliable way of getting much-needed medicines and vaccines to rural communities in Kenya and Ethiopia.
肯尼亞的駱駝們最近穿上了一身“奇裝異服”—環保冰箱！作爲駱駝移動診所計劃的一個部分，非洲一些國家開始給駱駝“穿上”靠太陽能發電的迷你冰箱。該計劃的組織者希望這種環保運輸的方式能夠價廉、可靠地爲肯亞以及埃塞俄比亞的鄉村地區運送當地急需的藥品和疫苗。

For the past decade, Nomadic Communities Trust has been using camels as mobile health clinics in Kenya’s Laikipia and Samburu districts, isolated areas with few roadways. While the camel convoys provide a cost-effective method of traversing the harsh terrain, the group had no way of delivering medicines and vaccines that required refrigeration — until now. In 2005, Nomadic Communities Trust partnered with California’s Art Center College of Design’s Designmatters and Princeton’s Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM). Together, the groups created a lightweight and durable solar-powered refrigerator that can be strapped to camels’ backs in order to transport chilled medicines and vaccines.
在過去的十年裏，除了一些交通不便的地區，遊牧社區信託基金組織已經在肯尼亞的萊基皮亞和桑布魯等地使用駱駝作爲移動診所了。雖然這些駱駝護送隊，經濟有效，能夠穿越路況惡劣的沙漠地區，但是直到現在他們還沒有辦法運送需要冰箱冷藏的藥品和疫苗。2005年，遊牧社區信託基金組織與加利福尼亞藝術中心設計學院和普林斯頓材料科學與技術研究所合作，共同設計出一種質量輕、靠太陽能發電的冰箱，這種冰箱可以綁在駱駝的背上，用來運送那些需要冷藏的藥品和疫苗。

The mini fridge is housed in a bamboo saddle that is lightweight and durable enough for camels to easily carry it across miles of rough terrain. The device itself is covered with crystalline solar panels that provide power for the compartmented fridge’s generator. The solar panels themselves can also be used by the mobile clinics for lighting and refrigeration in the field.
迷你冰箱被裝在一個輕便堅韌的竹製駱駝鞍裏，駱駝們可以載着它輕鬆穿越環境惡劣的沙漠。冰箱上覆蓋有水晶太陽能面板可以爲冰箱的發電機提供能量，同時還可以爲夜間照明提供電力來源。

Mariana Amatullo, Designmatters‘ executive director, said the project was designed with a budget of only a few thousand dollars. To save money, designers tested the device on the Bronx Zoo’s camels so people wouldn’t have to fly back and forth to Kenya.
加利福尼亞藝術中心設計學院的行政主任瑪麗安娜說，這個計劃的預算只有幾千美元，所以爲了省錢，設計者們起初用紐約布朗克斯動物園裏的駱駝檢驗裝置，省去了往返肯尼亞所需的費用。

The solar-powered fridges are currently being tested on camels in Kenya and Ethiopia, but Amatullo says the system could be used by any rural communities with access to camels. If the project secures enough funding, it will be implemented in earnest in 2010. Let’s hope the eco-friendly venture receives the money it needs — in the Laikipia and Samburu districts alone, 300,000 people do not have access to the mobile health clinics.
最近這種太陽能冰箱正在肯尼亞和埃塞俄比亞的駱駝身上接受檢驗，但是瑪麗安娜說這個裝置可以在允許駱駝同行的任何鄉村社區使用。如果該計劃能募集到更多資金，就會在2010年全面實施並普及。目前僅在萊基皮亞和桑布魯地區就有30萬人無法享受到移動診所的救助，所以讓我們共同祈禱這種環保冰箱能夠得到足夠的資金支持吧。