Our EcoStove Project dates back to 2006 when we met Rotarians from Lawrenceburg, TN and learned about their electrical project in Choluteca.
So, in February 2007, we sent a 5-member team to join them. When our folks went into the houses to wire them, they immediately noticed the smoke, soot, and creosote that results from open-flame cooking. Peace Corps volunteers on site reported many problems associated with this cooking method: respiratory problems; deforestation and dwindling wood supply; lost time spent gathering wood and cooking.
So, with the help of the Peace Corps and a local Honduran woman named Carolina, we researched and found preliminary designs for an EcoStove. In 2008, we returned to Choluteca where we continued electrical work while identifying local contacts and suppliers to help with the EcoStoves. We launched the EcoStove Project that year with 76 stoves.
Pictured above is that first team: Steve Baum, Jerry Vickers, Dennis Sanders, Craig Brennan, and Janice Schuckman.