[Stoves] What poor means?

[Paul Olivier]

I suggest:

   1. that we collaborate in coming up with some of the best designs of
   cook stoves for particular forms of biomass;
   2. that we look for countries uniquely positioned to fabricate at the
   most competitive prices;
   3. that we use the highest quality materials in our fabrication;
   4. that we employ some of the most advanced mass production techniques;
   5. that we buy in large quantities to further reduce price;
   6. that we sell at cost, or perhaps below cost, to the poor;
   7. that we operate with total transparency in making known our
   fabrication costs;
   8. that we ask the rich to voluntarily pay more to subsidize the sale to
   the poor.

The effort to provide good cook stoves does not have to be a money-making
endeavor.
It could easily become a world-wide collaborative effort involving many
people on this stove list.

Thanks.
Paul Olivier

On Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 3:13 AM, Dean Still <deankstill at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Phil,
>
> I think that if we factor in the ill health and climate change caused by
> incomplete combustion of biomass, society as a whole saves money by
> subsidizing the 50% fuel reduction and 90% emission reduction cooking
> stove. However, as Bryan Wilson points out in his presentations, the bottom
> of the pyramid consumer is not motivated to pay for these improvements.
>
> My hope is that someone will be smart enough and stubborn enough to
> manufacture a market driven stove that meets the 50% and 90% level of
> performance. And, the necessary push to accomplish this difficult task
> would be very much assisted by a firm order for 1 million stoves from some
> motivated funder who also locates and secures the distribution network.
>
> Making the 50% and 90% stove is the relatively easy part. I would guess
> that the commercial distribution side is 10 times harder. I can imagine
> distributing 100 million stoves by selling at the market price to cooks who
> then use the stoves and the funder makes the money back on the carbon
> credits.
>
>  I hear that Envirofit is doing something along these lines?
>
> All Best,
>
> Dean
>
> On Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 9:58 AM, Phil Hughes <nicafyl at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> The $2/day number can clearly mean very different things in different
>> places. I live in rural Nicaragua and can offer some data that at least
>> fits here. And here is a place where fuel-efficient stoves really are
>> needed.
>>
>> For those with work, $2/day is the going wage. There are lots of people
>> who seldom work so $2/day/family in this area as far as cash income is
>> pretty high. That said, most people have enough land to grow much of what
>> they eat and few have any debts.
>>
>> The cash gets spent on batteries for radios, cooking oil, salt, sugar,
>> rice and minimally on clothing. That's really about it. But, having no
>> savings and living day-to-day on what they have is typical. That is, if
>> they had a good week they might buy batteries for the radio but, if not,
>> just not listen to it.
>>
>> Health care and education are free so they are non-issues (for pretty low
>> quality for each). That pretty well defines rural life here.
>>
>> Telling someone they can reduce fuel consumption by 50%, get rid of smoke
>> in the house and such is not going to compute if an investment is needed.
>> They will walk farther to cut wood for cooking and pretend the smoke is a
>> non-issue. Thus, these people are unlikely to get excited about "something
>> better" if an investment is needed.
>>
>> What will work is if they can go to a workshop showing them how to make a
>> stove using mud and something that is available as scrap or given to them.
>> Beyond that, good luck.
>>
>> --
>> Phil Hughes
>> nicafyl at gmail.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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-- 
Paul A. Olivier PhD
27C Pham Hong Thai Street
Dalat
Vietnam

Louisiana telephone: 1-337-447-4124 (rings Vietnam)
Mobile: 090-694-1573 (in Vietnam)
Skype address: Xpolivier
http://www.esrla.com/
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