4 ms·

I came across a charity that gets a “double” or triple in a similar way. They build stoves for people who are currently cooking on open hearth. Those people t

I came across a charity that gets a “double” or triple in a similar way. They build stoves for people who are currently cooking on open hearth. Those people then use less fuel, make less carbon dioxide, take less from the forest, and have vastly better respiratory health. https://guatemalastoveproject.org/ https://guatemalastoveproject.org/

SenHeng 6y ago
Don't those masonry stoves store a lot of heat in them? How does that work over the summer?
- jacoblambda 6y ago
  Not OP but have at least a bit of cursory experience. Masonry stoves get warm but when properly built they aren't insanely hot outside of the inside, the stove tops, and the chimney. Most of the excess heat after finishing cooking will dissipate through the chimney. Also insulation in most of the houses these are being built for isn't great. Because of this, the stove won't keep the house from cooling off at night. During the day people are out and about so it isn't too much of problem then either. Also it's probably cooler overall since less heat is lost to the environment compared to what they replaced. It's by no means a perfect solution but comparatively to what they were using before, it is leagues better.
  - saalweachter 6y ago
    My vague understanding is that the draft also helps -- the fire pulls the (hot) air out through the chimney, and fresh air gets pulled into the house to replace it. The house may not be any cooler than the outside, but it at least isn't (much) hotter.
- projektfu 6y ago
  This culture spends all day cooking so the alternative is an open hearth burning inside the house all day. I was told by the representative of the charity that a stove is so popular that other families come to the one who has the stove and cook with them.
Cthulhu_ 6y ago
Proves that there's a lot of low-hanging fruit still that can have a much bigger impact than e.g. buying an electric vehicle.
- gowld 6y ago
  How so? I don't see any comparative numbers.
  - alex_duf 6y ago
    If you're interested in comparing numbers, there's a great breakdown here: https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/table-of-solutions https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/table-of-solutions It doesn't compare exactly what you're asking but it feels relevant
- gbear605 6y ago
  The problem is that we need to do both. We can’t escape climate change if everyone on the planet is driving a large gas guzzling SUV. So we need to both change to electric cars and also do things like this oven. In addition, it’s bad to say to developing countries “well, you have to make this change for the good of the planet, but we don’t have to make any change, even though we produce much more CO2 than you do.”
  - Nasrudith 6y ago
    Both are the same thing essentially - improvements to the efficiency at the cost of upfront capital above and beyond "the norm" for such tasks. There are other variables in play too - stoves that boost fire efficiency are tech available centuries ago while electric cars are still progressing and have R&D baked in. Stoving everyone up would hit its limits for enviromental improvements before electrification of cars. It is a matter of proportion of use as a whole that they become comparable. A single wooden shack with a camp fire produces less air pollution than a coal power plant and a single concrete tenament but ironically if you have enough campfires concrete tenaments with coal fired electric burners and heat it becomes the cleaner and more efficient option compared to many wooden shacks and firea even before you start adding scrubbers.

SenHeng 6y ago

Don't those masonry stoves store a lot of heat in them? How does that work over the summer?

jacoblambda 6y ago
Not OP but have at least a bit of cursory experience. Masonry stoves get warm but when properly built they aren't insanely hot outside of the inside, the stove tops, and the chimney. Most of the excess heat after finishing cooking will dissipate through the chimney. Also insulation in most of the houses these are being built for isn't great. Because of this, the stove won't keep the house from cooling off at night. During the day people are out and about so it isn't too much of problem then either. Also it's probably cooler overall since less heat is lost to the environment compared to what they replaced. It's by no means a perfect solution but comparatively to what they were using before, it is leagues better.
- saalweachter 6y ago
  My vague understanding is that the draft also helps -- the fire pulls the (hot) air out through the chimney, and fresh air gets pulled into the house to replace it. The house may not be any cooler than the outside, but it at least isn't (much) hotter.
projektfu 6y ago
This culture spends all day cooking so the alternative is an open hearth burning inside the house all day. I was told by the representative of the charity that a stove is so popular that other families come to the one who has the stove and cook with them.

Cthulhu_ 6y ago

Proves that there's a lot of low-hanging fruit still that can have a much bigger impact than e.g. buying an electric vehicle.

gowld 6y ago
How so? I don't see any comparative numbers.
- alex_duf 6y ago
  If you're interested in comparing numbers, there's a great breakdown here: https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/table-of-solutions https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/table-of-solutions It doesn't compare exactly what you're asking but it feels relevant
gbear605 6y ago
The problem is that we need to do both. We can’t escape climate change if everyone on the planet is driving a large gas guzzling SUV. So we need to both change to electric cars and also do things like this oven. In addition, it’s bad to say to developing countries “well, you have to make this change for the good of the planet, but we don’t have to make any change, even though we produce much more CO2 than you do.”
- Nasrudith 6y ago
  Both are the same thing essentially - improvements to the efficiency at the cost of upfront capital above and beyond "the norm" for such tasks. There are other variables in play too - stoves that boost fire efficiency are tech available centuries ago while electric cars are still progressing and have R&D baked in. Stoving everyone up would hit its limits for enviromental improvements before electrification of cars. It is a matter of proportion of use as a whole that they become comparable. A single wooden shack with a camp fire produces less air pollution than a coal power plant and a single concrete tenament but ironically if you have enough campfires concrete tenaments with coal fired electric burners and heat it becomes the cleaner and more efficient option compared to many wooden shacks and firea even before you start adding scrubbers.