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Stove Team International Helping families; helping the environment
Smoke from indoor cooking fires is a leading cause of death of children under age five, and the world's largest environmental killer. It kills eight times as many people as malaria. Stove Team International’s program benefits the families and children impacted by smoke from indoor cooking fires.
StoveTeam is a nonprofit, 501c3 organization that assists with the production of safe, durable, efficient wood-burning Ecocina cookstoves to replace open fire cooking. They work with nonprofit organizations and Rotary Clubs and help them place an order for stoves with a local entrepreneur in Latin America to provide the necessary training and support to produce them. Ecocina factories have produced more than 71,000 stoves, improving the lives of more than half-a-million people.
StoveTeam's model has been awarded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Partnership for Clean Indoor Air Award for Developing Local Markets for our innovative approach creating local employment while improving health and reducing air pollution.
Daily cooking over open fires is the equivalent to mothers and children smoking three packs of cigarettes a day.
Fuel Efficient Stoves from Stove Team International
The Ecocina Design
1. Pot
The Ecocina supports pots of almost any size.
2. Pot Skirt
Adjustable metal skirt fits a variety of pots and pans and forces hot air around the pot for maximum cooking efficiency.
3. Removable “Plancha”
The plancha is used for cooking meat, tortillas or pupusas (filled tortillas).
4. Pot Supports
The pot supports elevate the cooking surface above the stove top and allow cooking with almost any size pot or griddle (“plancha”).
5. Insulated Ferro-cement Body
Internal chimney of low-fired tile surrounded by insulating pumice keeps the stove exterior cool to the touch.
6. Wood Support (Portaleña)
The portaleña raises the wood off the bottom of the combustion area to allow sufficient air to enter, increasing burner efficiency.
“Rocket Elbow” Design
With an air-intake opening the same size as the exit, oxygen entering through the bottom moves efficiently through the internal chimney, driving heat directly to the cooking pot while burning the gasses and particulate matter.
Ecocina stoves:
Reduce burns, respiratory, eye and skin problems
Reduce carbon monoxide emissions by 68% and particulate matter by 86%
Reduce wood use by over 50%
Are built from all local materials such as concrete, pumice and low-fired tile
Are low cost with an average sale price of $55.00-$70.00
Are built and distributed in Central America
Provide local jobs in sustainable factories
Are widely accepted and are adapted to local cooking methods
Are portable and quick-cooking, requiring no installation or chimney
Ecocina, Step by Step
Safe Cooking Stoves Impact Families and the Environment
Collecting 50 pounds of wood per day results in deforestation and the loss of employment opportunities.