One Million Clean Cookstoves Cut CO2 Emissions, Fuel Costs
Wood-burning clean cookstoves are pretty low-tech compared to many of the devices, gadgets, and concepts usually featured at CleanTechnica. Their impact, however, ranks right up there with much more complex clean technology. Clean, efficient cookstoves not only reduce indoor air quality issues created by open fires, but also reduce deforestation and give women more time for education, and work that they find more fulfilling.
US-based Envirofit was one of the first social enterprises to move into the clean cookstove space, and it’s just recently sold its millionth unit. I shared some of its findings and reflections recently at sustainablog; we’ve republished that post for you here.
Got thoughts on the benefits and impact of appropriate technology for cooking in the developing world? Share them…
How Much Waste Can One Million Clean Cookstoves Prevent? [Video]
I’ve been writing about clean cookstoves for years: these simple pieces of technology are wonders of sustainability. They address dangers to human health posed by open-fire cooking; they also free up lots of time for women in the developing world. And, they contribute to waste prevention by allowing for much more efficient use of wood fuels.
While this might seem like a relatively small thing, keep in mind that billions of people in the developing world cook over open fires… often inside their homes. Affordable technology that reduces the health and environmental impacts of such cooking practices can make an immense difference. One of the first companies in this space, Envirofit, now has a sense of the global impact of clean cookstoves, as they’re just reached the milestone of one million stoves sold.
The video above gives you some insight into the impact created by those stoves in various parts of the world. The company also released some of the discoveries it’s made in its eight-year story, including an eventual prevention of 17 million tons of CO2 emissions over the lifetime of those stoves, and a $200 annual reduction in fuel costs per family using an Envirofit stove. No doubt this also results in a lot of trees left standing, and, by extension, forest ecosystems preserved or rejuvenated.
Want to know more about the company’s journey to selling one million clean cookstoves? Take a look at the report they’ve released in conjunction with this milestone (which included eliminating a lot of waste in their own processes and practices). Got your own stories or experiences to share concerning cookstoves as waste-reduction devices? Do so… in the comments.
Featured image credit: Envirofit International via Picasa cc
Sign up for CleanTechnica's Weekly Substack for Zach and Scott's in-depth analyses and high level summaries, sign up for our daily newsletter, and follow us on Google News!
Whether you have solar power or not, please complete our latest solar power survey.
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Sign up for our daily newsletter for 15 new cleantech stories a day. Or sign up for our weekly one on top stories of the week if daily is too frequent.
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
CleanTechnica's Comment Policy
