Back when The Charcoal Project was a getting its web chops we covered what we thought was a fantastic idea from a startup company called BioLite. The idea was simple: produce a stove that can reduce emissions, cut down on fuel use while also charging a cell phones or power other small electronics. We’re thrilled to see the company finally get some respect. Congratulations BioLite!
“…Europe is seeking to generate 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources in 2020, and converting Brazilian wood into easily transportable pellets may help the region reach it’s goal,…
“Demand in Europe for biomass is very big. Many old coal-fired thermoelectric plants are making the decision to co-fire with biomass to extend their lives, principally in England.”
So, why can’t African nations do the same?
There’s no shortage of reality-inspired cooking shows in which participants struggle against long odds.
Now there’s a new offering, with a difference. It’s Stoveman, a four-part video series documenting the efforts of two young men who are part of a “low profit” business aimed at providing efficient rocket stoves to poor households in struggling places.
(taken from Andy Revkin, Dot Earth. The New York Times)
Clean cookstoves as covered by National Public Radio in the United States. NPR/February 9th, 2011 By Martin Kaste Almost half the world still cooks its food with solid fuels, such as wood and charcoal. The results are deforestation and black carbon, which contributes to global warming. And smoke-related disease kills an estimated 1.6 million people a year. In war zones, the daily hunt for firewood can present families with terrible dilemmas, says Veronique Barbelet of the World Food Programme. “You hear women in northern Uganda and places like that telling you, ‘My choice is between going out there and collecting … Continue reading
Postcard from Digital Frontier I knew things had gone well for The Charcoal Project after attending the amazing PCIA conference in Lima last week. But I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of traffic we began receiving early Monday morning. What was it? Was it my presentation on our visionary Biomass Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) in Rubaare, Uganda? Was it our plan to organize an International Conference on Charcoal in Africa in 2012? Or maybe it was something more subtle… like the bar games and tricks I performed to a rapt audience at the chicken restaurant “Donde Walter.” Or, maybe, just … Continue reading