02.18.2010
U.S. Ambassador visits Envirofit India
Press Release For Immediate Publication
• Purpose of visit to plan strategic initiatives with Envirofit to adopt Clean Cookstove Standards & to help the creation and deployment of a "Government-Accredited Clean Cookstove" seal of approval
• Visit to help drive awareness about Indoor Air Pollution and Envirofit's market based solutions
18th February 2010, Bangalore, India: U.S. Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer today visited the premises of Envirofit India - a Bangalore-based enterprise which has developed and is selling a range of fuel efficient cookstoves throughout India. During the visit, Ambassador Roemer viewed the demonstration of fuel efficient cookstoves and interacted with end users.
Envirofit India, in an endeavour to address the harmful impact of Indoor Air Pollution (IAP), launched a range of clean burning biomass cookstoves across India in early 2008. Designed by an internationally-recognized team of scientists and engineers, Envirofit cookstoves reduce toxic emissions as much as 80%, while using up to 50% less fuel and reducing cooking cycle time up to 40%. The global clean cookstoves program was launched in 2007 by Envirofit International (U.S.) and the Shell Foundation (U.K.) with the goal of engineering and delivering clean, high-quality biomass stoves that are affordable and attractive to people around the world impacted by IAP.
"I am deeply concerned about the harmful effects of indoor air pollution on the health and well-being of men, women, and children, as well as on our environment," said U.S. Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer. "It breaks my heart to know that the simple and universal act of preparing a meal and nourishing a family can expose household members to dangerous levels of pollution. Cookstove technology has improved greatly over the years but there are many obstacles to getting the right stoves into the homes of those who need them most. Companies from India and the U.S. have strategized and partnered to effectively produce, distribute, and commercialize state-of-the-art, efficient, low-polluting improved cookstove technologies. They understand that solutions must be sustainable in the long term, use available sources of energy, and be both affordable and convenient for the intended users."
"Collaboration between public and private sectors in the US and India, such as at the Envirofit facility in Bangalore, will be critical to success. Together, we will find a sustainable solution that will benefit not only Indian citizens but also the billions of vulnerable people around the world who are currently at risk from using non-improved cookstoves." added Ambassador Roemer.
Envirofit has sold over 100,000 clean burning cookstoves in South India, helping improve the lives of Indian families and the environment - but the efforts have not been easy. The company continually encounters issues in the market around awareness of IAP and Envirofit solutions, and questions of cookstove quality and performance. The U.S. Ambassador's office has offered its support toward strategic initiatives to address these issues.
The primary initiative is around clean cookstove standards & accreditation. In order to directly compare the impacts of various cookstove products, a standardized (scientifically-valid and repeatable) testing protocol for emissions and performance must be adopted. This will allow the claimed benefits from any cookstove to be validated. Envirofit has been driving the development (thorough ANSI) and adoption of a set of scientifically rigorous test protocols (based on extensive testing at Colorado State University) that may help. Once all stoves' impacts can be fairly compared, the Indian Government can set standards that define what qualifies as a "clean cookstove". Once a standard has been set, the Indian Government can further its impact by creating a "Government-Accredited Clean Cookstove" seal of approval" denoting cookstoves that have verified positive impacts.
The U.S. Ambassador's office has promised to help Envirofit, adding weight and legitimacy to this work, by supporting this initiative to Indian Ministries' that may be looking to adopt a standard for their national cookstove programs. The Ambassador's office will support a second initiative to help drive awareness about IAP and Envirofit's market based solutions.
"We are looking for continued US government support to connect us with global networks that can help drive adoption of clean-cookstove technology," said Mr. Harish Anchan, Managing Director- India Operations, Envirofit India. "Government supported IAP awareness campaigns add legitimacy and urgency to the IAP problem. However creating awareness only adds value if a solution is provided in parallel. Envirofit has requested assistance in raising the awareness within the Indian government and ministries on the existence and applicability of the Envirofit solution. We welcome the opportunity to work with the US Ambassador's office and put forth an action plan that can help achieve the critical objectives outlined above."
About Envirofit India
Founded in 2003, Envirofit International, Ltd. is a 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation that develops engineered solutions to improve the human condition on a global scale, with a primary emphasis on applications in the developing world. Envirofit India Private Ltd was formed in 2007 to research, market and deliver clean burning cookstoves to the Indian market. Envirofit utilizes the same rigorous product-development methodology and protocols used in modern industry to develop and commercialize energy-efficient, pollution-reducing technologies that have the greatest potential positive impact on global environmental, economic, and public health issues. For more information, visit Envirofit International's website at http://www.envirofit.org or for channel opportunities in India contact Envirofit India at 9379772274 (Mr. Ravi Kumar).
About Shell Foundation
Shell Foundation was established by Shell Group in 2000 as an independent, UK registered charity operating with a global mandate. It focuses on enterprise-based solutions to poverty and environmental challenges linked to the impact of energy and globalization. It acts like an investor, identifying financially sustainable solutions to these challenges that can be taken to scale and replicated to achieve global impact. By 2010 the Foundation will have used $75 million to leverage $350 million from other organizations. Visit www.shellfoundation.org for further information.
The Shell Foundation - Envirofit Association
In 2007 Envirofit partnered with Shell Foundation (UK) to engineer and deliver clean burning biomass cookstoves that are affordable and attractive to people who are affected by Indoor Air Pollution. The objective of the Shell Foundation- Envirofit partnership is to see 10 million clean-burning stoves sold in five countries over the next five years. The first market for this program is India where a large scale and replicable business model will be created to be used in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia.
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