Many people in developing countries cook with biomass, using open fires or traditional stoves. The resulting emissions lead to serious health problems and additional deaths, mainly children and women, and contribute to climate change. The use of wood often ontributes to deforestation, and collecting it is a demanding chore, usually for women. There are many excellent stove projects around the world, but several billion people have still not benefited. To rapidly increase the availability of improved stoves, the Aprovecho Research Center (ARC) has collaborated with the Shengzhou Stove Manufacturer (SSM) in China, to design and mass-produce efficient stoves for burning fuelwood and charcoal.
Aprovecho Research Center and Shengzhou Stove Manufacturer are joint 2009 International Winners of the Ashden Awards for SUstainable Energy. The Ashden Awards organization produced a short film and overview about this award. You can view both here.
