Proyecto Mirador Fuel-Efficient Cook Stoves – Honduras

Through this project, Proyecto Mirador is implementing a unique business model to distribute efficient cook stoves to rural communities in Honduras. Voluntary carbon offsets are sold for financial support, and social entrepreneurs hired to manage each construction team and organize technicians to build the stoves. Costs of stove construction and installation are shared with stove recipients. In addition to helping corporations reach emission targets, the development and environmental benefits of the project provide proof of corporate social responsibility and can thus act as a valuable marketing tool.

Fast facts:

90,000 stoves built so far; 365,000 people benefitted;
14.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent saved per stove over five years;
65% compound growth rate in stove construction over five years;
More than 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent offsets sold to respected multinational corporations.

The problem

The food and cooking culture of Honduras is energy intensive, involving tortillas, beans, and corn. Surveys show that four of out five of rural households depend on firewood, and use wood-fired stoves up to eight hours per day. These stoves are inefficient and dirty, which causes respiratory illness and contributes to deforestation. Rural areas of Honduras are largely poor, while many households are extremely poor. Under- and unemployment are high, and countless families live without paved streets, running water, or floors in their homes.

The solution

Proyecto Mirador is implementing a business model for distribution of the more efficient Dos por Tres cook stove, which has a ceramic firebox for its mouth, a steel plancha, a chimney, and a system of insulated interior walls that channel heat under the plancha and smoke out the chimney. The project donates to each beneficiary the steel cooktop (plancha), the chimney and chimney top, six custom ceramic pieces for the stove mouth or firebox, and installation and training. Recipients contribute the remaining components, including cement, rebar, bricks, adobe blocks, and wood ash, all of which are common and inexpensive items available in all villages of Honduras.

This no-cash model increases participation, prevents corruption, and helps prevent risks of violence that occur when employees would carry money. The Dos por Tres plancha stove is based on culturally accepted cooking methods and uses word-of-mouth and social networks for marketing. Each stove is built only after a written request, while tracking and maintenance is rigorously followed up. The project employs a sophisticated electronic monitoring system to maintain GPS locations and qualitative user data for all of its stoves, so that there is clear transparency on stove locations and readily accessible metrics on stove use. Also as part of the project, voluntary carbon offsets are sold for financial support.

Helping the planet

Reducing the amount of wood being gathered and burned for fuel helps prevent deforestation, as well as decrease air pollution – including emissions of greenhouse gases.

Helping people

This model creates a wide range of social benefits, including improved respiratory health, greater family wealth, and economic development to beneficiaries. Training efforts build long-term local capacity in team management, project design and execution, business finance, and other important skills. Being able to cook faster and eliminate soot and smoke in the home makes families happier and more productive, and increases quality of life.

Scaling up

The project has a two-year backlog of solicitations from communities waiting to receive a Dos por Tres stove, indicating its popularity and potential. The project has seen steady, logarithmic growth since its inception. For long-term financial security, Proyecto Mirador would like to increase the number of partnerships, with a specific look to international organizations and private foundations. The purchase of offsets can be promoted for everything from executive travel to supply chain and production.