Unless you live under a rock on Mars, with your fingers in your ears and your eyes shut, you know that oil is at a record high. Reaching $140 a barrel recently, it seems like the days of cheap oil are over. As a result, everything from natural gas to plastic is being affected and that is getting people to change how they do things. Even propane is going up in price, and that means the summer barbecue season is in trouble.

Barbecuing is a past time in America and Canada, but the truth is that it is not a good past time for the environment. Burning propane, while cleaner than most fuels, is not completely environmentally-friendly, and burning charcoal is just plain bad. So what options does this leave us. Thankfully, it leaves one great option called a solar cooker.

My wife and I built one for our house as part of Our Green Year initiative about one month ago, and we have not looked back. Having a solar cooker means you are able to use the power of the sun to barbecue what you want. It costs you nothing to use and it is surprisingly effective for how cheaply it can be made.

Here is a quick tutorial of how we made ours for under $40.

First, you need two boxes (cardboard is fine). One box needs to be slightly bigger than the other because the smaller box is going to be a pull-out tray of the solar cooker. Cover the inside of the smaller box with a reflective material. Tinfoil can be used, as well as mirrors, or you can use reflective cookie sheets as we did. Then you need to use the flaps of the larger box and secure them at a 45 degree angle to the interior of the box.

Once you do this, you cover the flaps with cookie sheets, and the spaces in between the flaps with cookie sheets, or whatever reflective material you are using for the job. Then, attach two cardboard handles to the inside of the interior box so you can pull it out of the larger box. Finally, put the smaller box in the larger box. If done right, you should have a very shiny object when it is pointed at the sun.

If you can, put a temperature gauge in it so you can see how hot it gets, along with a black pan that will absorb the heat. After this is done, align it to the sun and watch the temperature soar.

One item you can use to get the temperature high is a clear cover to trap the heat in. If it is windy, this is an item that is vitally needed. You can use a piece of glass, or something simple like plastic wrap if that is all you have. So far, my wife and I have been able to get ours to 250 degrees F.  For a picture of the one my wife and I made, visit our site.The best part of the solar cooker is that it is free, portable and as long as the sun is shining, you can cook a great meal outside without having to worry about hurting the environment, or the cost of fuel.