The Kenyan Energy Efficient Stove Project builds energy saving cooking stoves for villages in Kenya. These brick stoves result in a 50% reduction in the need for firewood and thereby prevent carbon from being emitted. In addition to carbon prevention it also provides families with a cost and time effective method to cook with. The reduced need for firewood helps to prevent deforestation, creating knock on benefits to the wildlife in terms of habitat and flood prevention.
It is also a healthier method of cooking as it reduces in-door smoke by half. In-door smoke is a serious problem in Africa and the World Health Organisation dubbed it the “kitchen killer”, as it is responsible for nearly 2 million deaths in Africa every year.
The project is based around the rehabilitation of boreholes in Northern Uganda, supplying families with fresh clean water. As well as the natural health benefits it means that families no longer have to boil the water, saving firewood and thereby preventing carbon emissions from being released.
Access to safe drinking water is a serious issue in Africa effecting the health and well being of local communities. A survey by the International Institute for Environment and Development (2009) revealed that there are an estimated 50,000 defective water supply installations (IIED 2009). In addition it was estimated that 40-50% of hand pumps in sub-Saharan Africa were not working (Diwi Consult & BIDR, 1994).
In addition to funding the borehole rehabilitation, the carbon credits that this project produces creates a funding mechanism to deliver a long term maintenance programme for the boreholes.
The project is located within the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil and is based around the protection of the forest through avoided deforestation and sustainable forestry management. The protection of the rainforest avoids the release of carbon emissions, with the trees acting as a natural sponge, absorbing carbon dioxide emissions as they grow. As well as carbon savings it supports the Amazon’s rich biodiversity of plants and wildlife.
This region is part of the Brazilian Amazon and known as Deforestation Arch, due to the intense deforestation pressure. The deforestation pressure in the State of Mato Grosso became then mostly the result of illegal land-grabbing by invasion of private lands, using to such objective logging, slash-and-burning and cattle-ranching.
The Florestal Santa Maria Project aims to combat this through the sustainable forestry management of 71,714 ha. of native forest. The project has developed technical forestry schools targeting education of local youngsters as well as working with the neighbouring State Park to develop initiatives to create local forest fire brigades.