Envirofit, a US nonprofit has created an innovative cooking stove for use in developing countries. Traditional cooking stoves burn all kinds of biomass including wood, crop waste and animal dung. The problem being that they spew out lots and lots of nasty smoke. Added to the fact that these things are used indoors and it turns into a huge problem. 1.5 million people a year (mainly women and children) die in indoor pollution related deaths.
Envirofit’s new stove eliminates up to 80% of harmful emissions, and speeds up cooking time by as much as 40%. They also come in 3 different models, from basic to “family and festival” style.
[via Ecogeek]
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Hate to say this, but this is re-inventing the wheel. The traditional mbaula, or charcoal brazier, used in Zambia, has been upgraded with the inclusion of an insulating lining made of clay. A factory just outside Lusaka manufactures them, and they retail at a small premium over the regular mbaula. I first saw one of them in 2003. Because of the insulation, all the heat from the burning charcoal is directed at the pot of food, making them far more efficient for cooking; however, as the mbaula is also, for many Zambians, a source of heat in the winter, they aree not very popular.
July 12th, 2008 at 5:21 am