Efficient Energy Technologies (EET)

Since 2011, in order to reduce dependence on forest resources and provide alternative sources to firewood, Mazingira has introduced efficient energy technologies (EET)  that can limit deforestation,  reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, prevent  respiratory diseases related to excessive exposure to indoor air pollution.

Traditional cooking methods used in the villages of Udzungwa, such as fire on three stones, are often inefficient and harmful. In particular, fire on three stones can disperse up to 90% of the heat, producing large quantities of smoke. To spread new simple and effective energy technologies among the local community, Mazingira has been organizing training courses and awareness campaigns for several years, promoting:

Mud stoves

Mud stoves are an efficient alternative technology because they produce more lasting heat than the traditional three-stone method, reducing the amount of wood needed to cook food up to 50% and limiting exposure to indoor air pollution. Mazingira selected and trained groups of people in each village to spread this technology. One of the main activities of these groups, made up mainly of women, is the construction of stoves with bricks, mud and animal dung. The mud stoves contain the heat inside for longer while the hot air passes through two open combustion chambers at the top of which the pots are placed. A chimney assures the draft of the smoke outside.

Briquettes

Briquettes are a simple and effective alternative to firewood and charcoal. They burn very well, do not develop smoke and last a long time. Briquettes are made of rice husks, sawdust, peels and coal ashes, waste materials that are available free of charge in the villages. These materials are shredded, mixed with macerated paper, deprived of water with wooden presses, dried in the sun and finally burned in small braziers of cooked earth to cook the food. Mazingira mainly involves women in the production and sale of briquettes and entrusts the construction of the presses to local carpenters.

Mayon Turbo Stoves (MTS)

The MSTs are sheet metal stoves that use rice husk or sawdust as fuel. Once placed in the stove, the biomass slowly slides downwards, feeding the flame which develops lively and smoke-free. Mazingira has committed the construction and sale of these stoves to some local blacksmiths.

Heat-retention baskets

Heat-retention baskets are woven straw baskets, insulated internally with material which is free and easily found in villages, such as fabric straps, vegetable fibers, kapok. The heat-retention baskets save wood and coal: the food is partly cooked on an efficient stove and then placed – still hot – inside the basket, where it continues to cook thanks to the heat stored. Even this simple technology helps to save wood and coal and reduce harmful household fumes.