WorldStove is pleased to announce the completion of a two month mission to Haiti. During this first two months we were able to:

  • Conduct formal and informal camp surveys;
  • Complete a formal study of available biomasses;
  • Studied local cooking traditions and pots;
  • Developed a Haitian specific pot stand with heat-shield and windscreen to accommodate the wide variety of pots used in Haiti; protect the children who, since the quake, have taken over cooking responsibilities; protect younger children from burns; and, given that the tents in the camps are often placed less than one meter apart, the windscreen helps protect the camps and the people living there from the risk of fire (a critical feature missing in many of the traditional stoves being used);
  • Modify the LuciaStove design to be able to accommodate the turndown ratio needed in traditional Haitian cooking. By respecting the traditions here, as we do in the all the countries we work in, we increase the acceptance rate of the stoves by allowing the stoves to adapt to the people rather than forcing the people to adapt to the stoves or give up cooking traditions which, in the case of the survivors of the January 12th earthquake, may be all they have left;
  • Bring together and train a community of artisans on how to build Emergency LuciaStoves and institutional stoves for schools, orphanages, hospitals and camps;
  • Not having tools we took apart old cars, built a forge and made the tools we needed;
  • Built several prototype Institutional Stoves from scratch;
  • Developed prototype odor free, aerobic, biochar based, composting latrines; and
  • Worked with UNDP, WFP and formed ties with local NGOs.

We could not have done it alone and wish to thank GreenCircle BioEnergy, Wofgang Portratz, Torben Brill and the students of the Bad Essen Grammar School in Germany, ARC, World Food Program, UNDP, UNEP, OCHA, the artisans of Croix de Bouquet, the Haitian minister of the Environment, the Haitian minister of Energy, Lola Poisson–wife of the Haitian Ambassador to the U.S., DIA, DEED, Louis Industries, the WorldStove staff and volunteers who kept things moving while I was in the field, Tom Miles of the Bioenergy lists who posted our updates from the field, Victoria Kamsler of Biochar Haiti and Biochar Offsets, Lloyd Helferty—Prinicipal, Biochar Consulting (Canada) and Biochar Haiti, Haiti Rewired, Twitter and GoodSpeed Kopolo. A special “thank you” to Mr. Hank Green who on a moment’s notice created for us the Creole version of our stove instruction manual which has proved so helpful to our trainers in the field. Nothing like using a person’s own language to show them their well deserved respect.

We are currently getting ready for the next stages of the project building upon our initial successes and working with aid groups and the Haitian Government to create new jobs for the recently relocated. While this next stage is getting organized we will turn our efforts towards our other work which we had placed on hold in order to maximize our effectiveness in Haiti immediately following the earthquake. If you are interested in learning more about next steps in Haiti or contributing to the next phase of activity, please let us know through the website. For updates, check out our Twitter feed and YouTube channel.

WorldStove is committed to creating useful and innovative carbon negative products  that increase quality of life for individuals and households around the globe.

Although the world’s environmental, economic, and health problems may seem overwhelming, we stand with those who think that real solutions can be achieved in a series of incremental changes. Projects such as “One Hundred Months” have influenced the holistic approach we take to our work.

We recognize that in order to make a difference we must think beyond building efficient stoves. It is necessary to have a strategy promoting:

•    Adaptation of fuel efficient ways of cooking, heating and power generation;
•    Creation of economic opportunities for participating households; and
•    Development of individual and community capacity to continue to innovate on an environmentally friendly trajectory.

Currently all of our products are manufactured in Italy and in local communities in developing nations where the LuciaStove technology is being used. We do this to ensure that our method of production remains in keeping with our values. Often, a lower price indicates substandard working conditions, an unhealthy working environment and inferior craftsmanship. By working with local manufacturers in Italy and in the communities we directly serve, we are more certain that the means of production are not contributing to the growth of the complex system of poverty, but working in tandem with the technology of our stoves to change it.

We have successfully used our stoves with the following list of fuels to create inert biochar. Please note that correct use of the stove is required to produce biochar with any material. We will be adding to the list as we test new fuels.

1.    Peanut shells
2.    Rice husks
3.    Corn stalks
4.    Corn cobs (without seeds)
5.    Straw
6.    Karite’ shells
7.    Almond husks
8.    Almond shells
9.    Various nutshellls including: coconut, walnut, pistachio, pecan
10.    Small branches
11.    Pigeon pea stalks
12.    Non’edible agricultural plant mass
13.    Spoiled grain products no longer suitable for human or animal consumption
14.    Wheat chaff
15.    Post brewery products
16.    Animal waste
17.    Bamboo
18.    Pelletized grasses
19.    Kenaf
20.    Sawdust
21.    Wood shavings
22.    Lumber yard scrap
23.    Used vegetable oil