InStove at the Spark! Initiative

Stella Strother-Blood Reporting

Last Friday, the InStove team joined five other local cookstove research and design partners at the first annual Spark! Initiative hosted by Global Oregon at the University of Oregon. At this half-day event, we interacted with students, faculty, and the community to teach them more about the clean cookstove initiative.

Nick Moses discusses stove technology at the Spark! Initiative.

The morning started off with a keynote address from Peter Scott, the Founder and CEO of BURN Design Lab. This was followed by a plenary panel focusing on stoves and development alternatives. Attendees were able to hear from a variety of different organizations, ranging from a small NGO working in villages to a large manufacturer focused on developing cities.

Panel discussions included the environment, health, social impacts, and stove science. Stella Strother-Blood, from InStove, discussed public health and the importance of clean cookstoves in preventing negative health impacts. Matt O’Hern, a University of Oregon Professor who has worked with InStove, addressed the benefits of alternative technology, such as the 60 Liter and 100 Liter stove, in the field. Nick Moses, research and development engineer with InStove, discussed how fire does not actually have to be smoky – and how InStove technology is proving this concept.

Fred Colgan shows the 60 Liter Stove to attendees.

Following the panels were the stove demonstrations. InStove made corn on the cob in one of our 60 Liter Stoves. Passersby joined in on the fun and enjoyed the snack while learning about clean cookstoves.  It was a wonderful sight to see all of these different stove-focused groups come together and discuss technology, distribution, and impacts.

Intern Adam Durkee helped with set up and attended many of the panels: “The clean cookstove initiative is relatively unheard of. This event is going to help spread the word for years to come!”

100 Liter Stoves are in Full Production

Stella Strother-Blood Reporting

In January of 2012, our factory continued to be filled with the sound of hammers banging, metal bending, and chop saws cutting – but, this was different. We were starting the development of our 100 Liter Stoves and now, as of May 13^th, 2013, they are in full production after 17 months of development!

When our Executive Director, Fred Colgan, went to Sudan and Ethiopia as a consultant to the UN, the only criticism the 60 Liter Stoves received from cooks was that the stoves could be even bigger. “Schools or organizations feeding thousands of people a day need bigger stoves,” said Colgan, “We began working on that immediately after my return.”

The first seven prototype stoves were made of parts cut by jigsaw and built by hand. We had no jigs or laser cut parts to assist in the construction of these new-sized stoves. “They were literally hand built,” said Production Manager JD Laurich, “So each one was a little bit different. We affectionately refer to them as snowflakes.”

Stella Strother-Blood assists with a burn test.

To go to full production, we had to first “freeze” the design, and then build custom jigs and other tools. “This is a very complex process,” said Colgan, “there are hundreds of design decisions that affect performance, safety, cost, and ease of use.”

Through extensive lab testing and field testing in Senegal, we have determined that the 100L stove brings water to a boil twice as fast as the 60L stove. With this improvement, it can 750 people per day, and we believe that demand will be very high. Our first order for nearly one hundred 100L stoves is already being processed and is bound for UN refugee operations.

Colgan said, “It’s very satisfying to see 100 Liter Stoves coming off the production line. It’s a true team accomplishment.” 

Research and Development

Stella Strother-Blood Reporting

The 100 Liter Stove and water pasteurizer. 

We’ve been keeping busy at InStove headquarters – especially with research and development. It is important to ensure that all of our technologies are thoroughly tested in the lab and field before mass-production; we wanted to share a bit of this journey with you!

Close-up of part of the briquette press.

The water pasteurizing system sits on the edge of campus in a beautiful shaded spot near the river. We have been using the local, dirty river water to test our pasteurizer’s strength and durability. Ten hour tests are now being conducted with this system to gain an accurate idea of how the pasteurizer could be used in the field. The system is yielding, conservatively, 3,000 liters in a day! Field trials are planned for July 2013 with a collaborative partner in Zambia.

The briquette press has undergone a complete remodel with a more effective lever system. This is essential in the field, where children and women can make an income by using the press to sell briquettes! The magazine (piece of metal that shapes the briquette) has been made longer and thinner, so that the briquettes burn more like wood. There are now four chambers in the magazine meaning the process to fill and mold briquettes is much more streamlined.

The new briquette press prototype. 

Here at InStove, our innovative technology is only one way that we commit ourselves to helping the global community. Stay tuned to hear more about upcoming events, international ventures, and ways you can help. “I never thought I would have the opportunity to work on technology this important right after graduation,” said InStove Research and Development Engineer, Nick Moses, “it is a dream come true”.  

"The stoves are in, the cooks are ecstatic!"

Dennis Hartley Reporting

Children line up in the schoolyard. 

In February 2013, we sent three 60 liter stoves to St. Paul's school in Torbeck, Haiti for their school meal program. Doug McCord of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Mission, Kansas City (the school's sponsor), reports that "the stoves are in, the cooks are ecstatic." Doug says that the school is saving 90% on fuel costs!

When I visited the school in November, 2012, the school was utilizing several three stone fires in an open yard. The principal showed me the new kitchen - then under construction - where the stoves were to be located.

Afterward, the principal showed me to a simple classroom where boys and girls in clean, brightly colored uniforms listened intently to the teacher writing on the blackboard in front of the class. In a small, resource-starved school like this, in a deforested country like Haiti, 90% fuel savings translates directly into more money spent on children.

Cooks now use our 60 Liter Stoves instead of open-stone fires. 

This school is typical of what I saw when visiting schools in other regions; there are literally thousands of schools like St. Paul's in Haiti. Think how much better the country - and education - would be, if they were all using InStove technology!

InStove Interns Celebrate Earth Day

Nicole at the top of a waterfall.

Stella Strother-Blood Reporting

InStove relies on the tech-savy, youthful wisdom of interns. Historically, these wonderful individuals have been either current students or recent graduates from Oregon universities  In honor of Earth Day, our current intern team was asked to submit a picture of themselves in the great outdoors. I introduce to you the spring 2013 intern team!

Nicole Shearer, our winter Social Media Intern, has returned as Head Intern! She is responsible for working on more intricate projects with development and media as needed, while providing guidance for the newer interns. Her work has been essential in developing our Twitter, Pinterest, and blog presence as well as planning events. We are happy to have her back!

Adam and his mom visited Smith Rock.

Joining her will be Adam Durkee, our new Administrative Assistant Intern. Adam will graduate this spring with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from UO. Adam enjoys playing the guitar, snowboarding, and skateboarding! Adam is working on proposals as well as grant writing. He has already helped update our newsletter mailing list.

Emily White, our Social Media Intern, is also graduating from the UO this spring with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Spanish. Emily spent the summer of 2011 working with Mercy Corps in Portland, OR, and wants to work in international development after graduation. She will be creating a social media campaign and helping to create a stove manual for non-English speakers. Emily is essential to researching and developing a plan for crowdfunding.

Emily at the bottom of Iguazu, in Brazil.

Finally, Katy Ahlvin, a recent Western Oregon University anthropology graduate, will be assisting our Development Coordinator as Grant Researcher. Katy studied in Ghana during the spring of 2011 and completed a service learning project with a local NGO. She has been working at the office as well as the public library with database research.

Katy in Ghana!

Each intern will be donating about 10 hours per week. In exchange for their time and talent, InStove provides them with a chance for real-world application.

Thank you, once again, to all interns, volunteers, and supporters for helping InStove make a difference worldwide!

If you wish to see what past inters have been up to, follow us on Twitter! We highlight their recent accomplishments during #throwbackthursday. 

Welcome to the team, Nick Moses!

Nicole Shearer Reporting

InStove is growing quickly, and we are happy to announce that one of our volunteer engineers, Nick Moses, is now officially part of the InStove staff. Nick has been essential in our development: performing water boiling tests, finishing research on our 100L stove and water pasteurizer, and air quality analyses. Nick started with us this February during our Winter Workshop. 

Nick and Damon Ogle run a water cycle.

Nick graduated from Oregon State University this last June with a degree in mechanical engineering. Last year, he traveled to India to volunteer with Wash United International to work on sanitation education. In 2008 he participated in the Engineers Without Borders organization and went to El Salvador to work on a water project. It was these experiences that influenced Nick to realize that he wanted to use his degree to help others in the world less fortunate than himself.  

After graduating last year, Nick first heard about Instove when learning about the clean cookstove initiative. He emailed Fred Colgan, our executive director, about a potential opportunity to work with InStove and came to visit the Winter Workshop. It was this week that impressed Nick; he found the organization resourceful and our team sincere. This influenced him to stay on with InStove as a volunteer engineer and make the commute from Corvallis on a weekly basis.

Although he continues to live in Corvallis, Nick plans to make the move to Cottage Grove soon. When he's not performing tests on InStove equipment as the Research and Development Engineer, he enjoys traveling, playing guitar, photography, and hiking. 

Northwest Youth Corps Visits InStove in Cottage Grove

Stella Strother-Blood Reporting

This past week, InStove hosted Northwest Youth Corps’OutDoorHighSchool at our main campus. Established in 1997, this nonprofit, innovative accredited high school includes overnight camping, hands-on learning, and small class sizes led by AmeriCorps leaders.

Fred Colgan welcomes the students.

Fred Colgan introduced the students to the severity of traditional cooking: “about four million will die this year from inhaling the smoke” as well as how time-consuming and risky it is to gather wood in many countries. This led directly to students creating their own biomass briquettes on our briquette press. They learned from Adam Creighton, Development Coordinator, how mixtures of materials, such as grass, dung, hay, and paper, can be used to make fuel that burns just as well as wood gram for gram.  One junior student said, “Can I take mine home?” At the end of the day, he happily boarded the school bus with briquette in tow.

Adam Creighton shows students how to create briquettes.

Students alternated between making briquettes and using two 60-liter stoves to make fries and rice. This activity, led by Nick Moses and Stella Strother-Blood, Apprentice Engineer and Executive Assistant/Intern Coordinator respectively,  allowed the youth to monitor and feed the fuel into the stoves while learning about how the rocketstove model works.  Of course, they enjoyed the fruits of their labor at the end of the day!

Andrea Dorr, a teacher at Northwest Youth Corps OutDoorHighSchool said, “I think it helped them to think outside the box; it tapped into how they do actually feel about the larger world.”

InStove is a community-centered Oregon nonprofit. We are open to, and value collaboration with, other like-minded organizations. For tours and presentations, please email info@instove.org. Our next tour date for individuals and small groups is 10:00 am on April 16th. Please call to reserve your spot!