[Stoves] The other side of airpollution

[Tom Miles]

>What do you think would happen if the various stove development agencies
were not paid for work >done, but rathewr, for work accepted by the intended
end user?
>Kevin

Kevin,

You must think that organizations are receiving vast amounts of funds for
dreaming up useless stove designs. While some of that is bound to happen in
an aid environment nothing could be further from reality. Those days are
passed. Stoves today must be accepted and purchased by the user or they
don't get built. There are many efforts to develop stoves by enterprises
that are funded only by stove sales. Companies like Philips are making
stoves as commercial household appliances that must be accepted by the
consumer or they won't sell.  

Stove development and dissemination is done by under-paid staff,
understaffed agencies and thousands of generous volunteers who are making
increasingly impressive improvements to stove designs and installations that
are being accepted (bought), and improved, by users in all parts of the
world. Development is proceeding on a scientific basis in spite of limited
funding. Funding by philanthropic organizations like Shell Foundation,
Rotary International and agencies like GTZ, DGIS (Holland), DFID (UK), CIDA
(Canada), USAID, USEPA, GERES (France/Cambodia), many national organizations
and the many non profit organizations, has been well spent with the health
and needs of the end user in mind. We have seen an impressive improvement
and growth of improved stoves in the last five years thanks to these
organizations.            

If you spend some time as a volunteer on a stove project, or at the very
least take the time to study and appreciate the nature of the stove
development work that is reported on the Biomass Cooking Stoves site at
www.bioenergylists.org , you will be making different comments about stove
applications and the needs for stove development. 

Regards,

Tom Miles
Volunteer