Fuel-Efficient Stoves: Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico

Thanks to everyone for supporting our fuel-efficient stove project in Guatemala! So far, we have raised $4,190 through Global Giving.

Currently, EcoLogic is working with the Northern Border Municipalities Alliance, a group of five municipalities in northwestern Guatemala. In the community of Santa Maria Dolores in Ixcán, EcoLogic worked with the community to identify 48 families each of which has received the tools to build fuel-efficient stoves. The families were chosen because of their strong commitment to protecting forests and water. By using fuel-efficient stoves that reduce firewood use, these families are collectively saving over 575 trees and protecting over 2.75 acres of forest every year.

Trees are not only saved by the use of the stoves, but in addition, each family agreed to establish an agroforestry plot nearly half an acre in size. Agroforestry is an agricultural method which integrates trees and shrubs alongside crops. This in turn reduces soil erosion, provides a source of organic fertilizer from fallen leaves, maintains a healthy climate for crops, and creates a habitat for local pollinators. By creating these plots, these families provide themselves with firewood from trimming the branches of the trees and shrubs. In addition, agroforestry increases the yield of crops such as basic grains. Moreover, the natural benefits of trees reduce the time and labor required of farmers, freeing them to spend more time with their families and communities.

Alba Urizar, a recipient of a stove explained that at first, the community was able to get firewood from trees that grew right outside of their homes. Now, because they have cleared so much land, they walk for more than a half hour to get firewood. She also said that the traditional stoves “used a lot of firewood, the smoke is hurtful for the children and adults, and the women burned their hands when cooking.” Thanks to her new stove, Alba feels a renewed sense of energy in her life because she no longer breathes in harmful smoke or burns her hands.

It is rewarding to see the effects that fuel-efficient stoves are having not only on individual families but the community as a whole. We are excited to continue expanding the stove program in Santa Maria Dolores and in other areas as well. Thank you for making this work possible!

Once again, thanks to everyone who has supported EcoLogic’s fuel-efficient stove project in Guatemala! However, we still need your help in meeting our goal of $20,000. To date, we have been able to raise $3,855 through Global Giving but still have a ways to go.

Within the forest of Totonicapán, EcoLogic has started the process of selecting the communities that will receive a stove package, roughly 50 stoves per community. Our approach has been to look for key villages where neighboring areas can observe and understand the necessity of cleaner burning stoves for improving health and aiding environmental conservation. The work that has been accomplished thus far, has been in identifying those communities and the families that are willing to directly participate in stove construction, do not already possess a formal stove, and have arranged for impartial distribution of the materials to participating women.

At our home office, we have been able to secure a one-time $25,000 match to build an additional 200 stoves in Guatemala, bringing much needed relief to the families who suffer needlessly from smoke inhalation while having a greater impact on the region.

We look forward to the next phase in this process which involves securing the materials needed to build the stoves and transporting them to the selected areas. We will also be conducting workshops to train communities on stove construction and educating the women on the health and environmental benefits of fuel efficient stoves.

Did you know that, for every 10 families that receive a stove, 120 trees are preserved, saving more than .6 acres of forest per year?