Clean Cooking

By: Lindsay Peterkin 

Total population using solid fuels in percentage.

Cooking is required to sustain human life, it’s been developed into an art in first world countries. However, in developing countries, cooking is still a burden. About 3 billion people still cook with biomass solid fuels like wood, dung, and coal in inefficient cook stoves resulting in huge biomass consumption and indoor air pollution. The resources required to use the cooking stoves diminish quickly and need to be gathered frequently taking away time for activities like school work and developing the economy in general. Many of these people develop respiratory illness and pollution related diseases from the simple task of feeding their families.

Green Empowerment is combating this health issue in Nicaragua, Peru, and Ecuador. In Nicaragua, GE has been implementing improved and more efficient cooking stoves, which can reduce indoor pollution by 90%. The addition of outdoor gardens has also allowed for closer food resources. GE is also helping Peru improve their cooking situation, 31% of the national population is still cooking in unventilated areas, by educating about ventilation and implementing improved cooking stoves. Ecuador has had access to improved cooking stoves, however 20% of the population is still using biomass which is damaging rivers and streams from agriculture runoff. GE is working with rural communities and local partners to educate the population on clean cooking and how to update agriculture practices.

To support GE and save lives by helping families cook cleaner, click this link and make a difference.

Sources: 

Green Empowerment: https://www.greenempowerment.org/

European Respiratory Journal: http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/1/239

Nature: https://www.nature.com/news/global-health-deadly-dinners-1.15286