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How Eco-Friendly Cookstoves Are Saving Lives And Solving A Gender Rights Problem

How Eco-Friendly Cookstoves Are Saving Lives And Solving A Gender Rights Problem
By 

Associate Editor of Impact, The Huffington Post

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Household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels caused about 4.3 million deaths, most of them women and children, in 2012. And to Phil Ferranto, that's unacceptable.

He's the co-founder of EcoZoom -- a social enterprise that connects eco-friendly products to consumers in developing countries, like Kenya, Haiti and Nigeria, Mashable reported.

The certified B Corp has sold more than 210,000 clean cookstoves, many of those to people who otherwise may rely on open fires to cook their food -- a practice that, due to the inhalation of carbon monoxide and other pollutants, is the largest environmental contributor to poor health, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

But the Portland, Oregon-based company isn't just bettering global health -- it's making women and girls safer and setting them up for brighter futures, too.

Our charcoal stove, the Zoom Jet, won Gold in the prestigious International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA). Big...

Posted by EcoZoom on Thursday, July 3, 2014

As the company points out on its website, women and girls in some regions of the world can spend up to four hours each day gathering fuel to burn for open fire cooking, leaving them more vulnerable to gender-based violence while they're away from their villages looking for resources. They also may miss out on receiving an education, as feeding their families takes priority.

EcoZoom's clean cookstoves burn more efficiently than unimproved methods -- needing between 50 to 60 percent less fuel -- so women aren't forced to spend as much time scavenging for resources, Mashable reported. What's more, the stoves let off significantly less harmful emissions than traditional methods, improving the health of families who use them.

Creating products for women was crucial in EcoZoom's success, according to Amanda West, the enterprise's co-founder and chief communications officer.

“It was common sense for us,” she said, Ecosystem Marketplace reported in January. “The cornerstone of our business is our product, and if we don't have a product women want to use, the whole business was going to crumble anyway.”

Reducing Burn Risk - The WHO says that, "Three billion people in the world rely on open fire or unimproved cookstove...

Posted by EcoZoom on Tuesday, March 13, 2012

EcoZoom -- which has worked with third-party organizations to help reduce costs of the $20 to $50 stoves for those in need -- is aiming to integrate women into all facets of their supply chain.

On April 14, EcoZoom was honored as creating the most positive overall social and environmental impact by B Lab -- a nonprofit that serves social entrepreneurs aiming to better underserved communities around the globe. The group's fourth annual "B Corp Best for the World" list honored businesses that scored in the top 10 percent of Certified B Corps, considering factors like positive impact on workers, community and environment.

"We hope to be joined by even more companies that strive to use the power of business for positive social and environmental change,” Ben West, co-founder and CEO of EcoZoom, said in a press release.

To take action on pressing poverty issues, check out the Global Citizen's widget below.

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Before You Go

9 Ways Parents Can Combat Gender Stereotypes
Take Gender Out Of Your Language(01 of09)
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Try to focus less on gender differences in general, Brown said. One way is to remove gendered speech from your language as much as you can. Constantly referring to people by their sex or gender labels it to children as something that matters very much, she said, and therefore tells them that it's an important part of who they are -- perhaps more important than factors like their personality or strengths. “I try to just make it not something that really comes up much,” she advised. (credit:thebang via Getty Images)
Focus On Your Individual Child(02 of09)
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“There's a lot of individual differences among children that don't follow gender lines,” Brown said. It's far more productive to focus on the things about our children that have nothing to do with sex or gender: their likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, and personality traits.“The reality is that gender is pretty irrelevant for predicting what kids are like,” she said. Moving away from a focus on what boys are like and what girls are like allows us to instead discover what is actually unique about our child. (credit:Paul Bradbury via Getty Images)
Know The Research(03 of09)
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“It's important to know the facts,” Brown said. “[Parents] should know that there's no differences whether they have boys or girls in terms of academic differences, personality, etc.” In fact, when studying infants and young children, the research shows very few inherent differences based on sex, she said. Boys tend to have a bit less inhibitory control at birth and girls tend to talk earlier, though this does even out as male and female children age.In general, Brown said, research tends to match what we know about development in general -- as in, differences that show up between boys and girls as they get older are related to how we treat male and female children differently, not due to any inherent differences between the sexes. (credit:Chris Ryan via Getty Images)
Learn About The Harms For Girls(04 of09)
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While studies show only slight differences based on sex, they do illustrate that a strong focus on gender norms can be harmful, Brown said. For girls, the negative effects can include poor body image due to the universal value placed on appearance, specifically, a very narrow definition of acceptable appearance for females.For example, Brown said, “By the time they're 12 years old more than 70 percent of girls aren't happy with how they look.” In addition, we've seen that girls stay away from careers in science and math (STEM careers) because they perceive themselves as weaker in those subjects, even when research shows that their actual abilities are the same as for boys. (credit:AE Pictures Inc. via Getty Images)
And The Harms For Boys(05 of09)
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But gender stereotypes can hurt boys too. “One of the most disturbing outcomes of stereotypes for boys is that we really tell boys that you shouldn't cry, and parents worry if they're son is very sensitive,” Brown said. Parents can focus too much on trying to avoid introversion and push assertiveness on boys who just don't fit that personality type. But studies don't show any differences between boys and girls tending towards being natural introverts, she said.At the same time as we could be preventing boys from expressing their feelings, we give them aggressive outlets like violent toys. “We shouldn't be surprised that boys grow up and don't know how to handle sadness and feelings well and show a lot more aggression,” she said. (credit:Blend Images -- KidStock via Getty Images)
Start Paying Attention Young(06 of09)
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Many new parents are surprised by how quickly the focus on gender begins. For example, have you ever tried to find a shirt with a cat on it for a boy? Somewhere along the line it was decided that pink is for girls and blue is for boys, and cats are for girls and dogs are for boys, and clothing and toys for even the youngest children often falls strictly on these arbitrary divisions. This can extend to our behaviour towards boy and girl children as well. Brown mentioned research that shows that people tend to read and speak more to female babies, using more complicated vocabulary, and other studies show that the number and quality of words young children hear can affect their educational success later. (credit:Image taken by Mayte Torres via Getty Images)
Think Traits, Not Sex(07 of09)
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Toys are not just fun for kids; they're also a learning tool. When selecting playthings for your child, break away from thinking in terms of gender or a particular section of the toy store. Instead, choose toys that foster traits you want to encourage in your children, or help them learn particular skills you value.Do you want your child to be nurturing and empathetic? Then provide baby dolls, for boys and girls. Lego and blocks help all children develop spatial skills, and ball play improves hand-eye coordination whether your child is male or female. “We want to make sure we teach the traits that are important,” Brown said, “not the toys that fit ‘their’ half of the toy store.” (credit:Jade and Bertrand Maitre via Getty Images)
Get Family On Board(08 of09)
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Are you working on busting gender stereotypes in your own home only to feel undermined when grandma or grandpa says that dolls are only for little girls, or that all boys like to play rough? It can be tricky to get family members on board, but it's worth trying. This will ensure your children are hearing messages that matter to you and to make your family values clear.Brown said that a discussion can often avoid problems. Even if your parents or in-laws don't agree with your decision to keep your children from playing with guns or fashion dolls, they may still respect it. Barring that, she suggested, there's always the donation bin at your local thrift store. “I think it's alright to say ‘These are my kids, and I can decide what they have and how they dress,’” she said. (credit:Sam Edwards via Getty Images)
Correct The Stereotypes(09 of09)
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“Kids about three years old start to believe gender stereotypes,” Brown said. That's why it's important to consistently correct stereotypes about gender and sex when your child hears them or uses them, even if they seem harmless or silly.But it doesn't need to be a lecture or something that requires a deep discussion each time. For example, you can say things like, “Boys and girls both like to play with trucks. Your friend Jenny likes trucks a lot, doesn't she?” The key factor is making those corrections every time you hear a stereotype, Brown said, providing your children with the language they need to do it on their own when they're older and coming across stereotypes in the media or outside their homes. (credit:images by Tang Ming Tung via Getty Images)
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