Cook stoves reduce emissions in Ugandan households
The BioLite Improved Stove Programme distributes approximately 2,500 domestic fuel-efficient cook stoves to Ugandan households. A BioLite HomeStove is an ultra-clean burning fan-assisted wood stove that cuts toxic pollutant emissions by 90% for a cleaner planet and a healthier household, and reduces fuel use by 50%. In addition, utilizing BioLite’s patented Direct Conduction Thermoelectric System (DCTS), the HomeStove also generates its own electricity, providing users with enough reliable, on-demand electricity in a day’s cooking to fully charge a mobile phone and provide an evening’s worth of bright, LED light.
Reduced Deforestation
According to the United Nations, Uganda lost 26 percent of its forest cover between 1990 – 2005, and is still seeing a deforestation rate of over 2 percent each year. A typical Ugandan family uses wood or charcoal as their primary fuels for cooking. Because these new stoves rely on biomass and not wood, surrounding forests are being significantly less affected, protecting ecosystems and local wildlife habitats.
Higher Quality of Life
Safety in the home is improved, with fewer injuries, burns and respiratory diseases. While cooking, the HomeStove also generates its own electricity, providing users with the ability to charge a phone, or provide light. The presence of the HomeStove also increases the standard of living for each household, as families can spend less time cooking and searching for firewood, and more time pursuing opportunities for economic development.
PROJECT TYPE: Energy efficiency
ONLINE Date: 2013
LOCATION: Uganda, East African plateau
VERIFICATION: Gold Standard
RELATED SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS):
This project contributes directly to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations:
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call for action by countries in global partnership to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
Co-benefits
The introduction and widespread adoptions of these HomeStoves will further reduce deforestation for fuel consumption, therefore decreasing erosion and nutrient loss. The protection of standing forests will ensure the maintenance of watersheds that regulate water table levels and prevent flash flooding.
The importation, sale, distribution, maintenance and monitoring of the HomeStoves also create employment opportunities throughout Uganda. The increased thermal efficiency of the cookstoves provide an economic benefit to rural Uganda, allowing households to spend more money on essentials, such as food, healthcare, and education.
Traditional wood and charcoal burning stoves emit an extensive amount of harmful toxins. By introducing biomass stoves, there are less indoor air pollutants, such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
