The Paradigm Project’s Stove Project Creates Triple Bottom Line Results for Africa
data-via=”" >
3 billion people cook every meal over an open fire. As a result, families are spending vast amounts of time, money, and energy to gather and purchase fuel, women and children are dying from smoke inhalation, forests are disappearing and greenhouse gas emissions are being released in the atmosphere.
The Paradigm Project is a social venture company working to create sustainable social, economic, and environmental value within developing world communities. To do this, they collaborate with local businesses and global non-profits to build and manage scalable energy-related businesses that meet immediate development needs. Equally, a foundation for long-term community and investor returns is created through the realization of project-related carbon revenues.
The unique model brings together investors, grant-makers, donors, businesses, and non-profits to fund and create the greatest impact for the most people in the most sustainable way. They work on the ground with leading non-profits to identify and develop carbon offset projects that deliver social, economic, and environmental benefits to impoverished developing world communities.
They work with donors, grant-makers and investors to secure capital to fund projects and assure that they attain self-sufficiency. They work with industry-leading carbon marketers to sell offsets created by those projects, generating long-term revenue to fund ongoing costs and provide a return to our investors, partners and the communities they serve. By continuing to collaborate with passionate and smart partners, they will make the biggest impact and deliver the greatest return for each individual and community involved.
The initial vehicle for this model is clean-burning and efficient cook stoves connected to the carbon markets. The use of efficient cook stoves reduces emissions, which in turn generates carbon credits that are sold through carbon markets. Proceeds from sales create a self sustaining mechanism that eventually eliminates the need for outside funding. Surplus proceeds support other community projects such as clean water, health clinics and schools.
On average, a $40 efficient stove can save:
- $280 in income
- 1300 fewer hours spent collecting fuel wood which can be used in more productive activities.
- 33 trees saved from destruction for use as fuel wood or charcoal.
- 70% reduction in toxic emissions resulting in 7.5 metric tons of carbon offsets sold in carbon markets around the world to create a sustainable business model.
- Possibly the life of a mother or child saved from smoke inhalation or severe burns from open fires.
On 10/4/11, Greg Spencer, one of the co-founder of Paradigm lead a group of supporters on an 10-day ‘Woodwalk’ from San Diego to Los Angeles in honor of three billion people that need to cook over an open fire in order to survive. The group will carried 40-60 pound bundles of wood on their backs for eight hours per day for 10 days straight to raise awareness about the issue and what The Paradigm Project is doing to change it.
Since its launch in 2011, The Paradigm Project has implemented more than 50,000 stoves to women and families in Africa. The Paradigm Project’s goal is to distribute 5 million stoves by the year 2020, impacting 25 million lives.
More About This Charity
Region
West
Category
Philanthropic Business of the Year
Name
The Paradigm Project
Mission
The Paradigm Project is a social enterprise working to create sustainable social, economic and environmental value within developing world communities. We combine the heart and mission of a non-profit with the discipline and market-based principles of a for-profit.
Impact
- This Achievement raised $50,000
- This charity raised $20,000 in the past year
- This Achievement helped 200,000 people
- This charity helped 80,000 people in the past year
- More than 50,000 fuel-efficient stoves have been implemented in Africa since this project launched in 2011.
Works In
Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Guatemala
Learn More
