$10 Glatt Stove Lowers Wood Smoke Risk in Mexico Mexico News Daily
go to original November 27, 2015

Carlos Glatt, Co-Founder of clean cook stove Glatt Stove, talks about the numerous benefits of the stove that has been designed specifically for Base of the Pyramid consumers. (Practitioner Hub for Inclusive Business)

The smell of wood smoke is common in much of Mexico as wood continues to be the fuel of choice — and necessity, for many — of a large number of households. But it is not the most healthy or environmentally friendly of choices.

The widespread use of wood for cooking has made chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, the fifth highest cause of death in Mexico, according to the National Institute of Respiratory Illnesses. Many people become intoxicated by the smoke as their cooking is done in small, poorly ventilated spaces.

Constantly breathing wood smoke has also been associated with a higher risk for lung cancer, cataracts and other ailments.

It was in 2013 that Carlos Glatt became a first-hand witness to the harmful effects of cooking with firewood. He was part of a group of volunteers distributing food to the victims and survivors of Hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel in the state of Guerrero. Touched by the case of a 14-year-old teen with “lung pain,” Glatt decided to design a greener alternative to the wood stove.

“It lasted a year, the development process, testing the prototype in several communities, trying different manufacturing techniques . . . after that time I finally managed to have a clear business plan to offer our investors,” says Glatt of the process that followed. His product, called La Estufita Glatt Stove, or the Little Glatt Stove, looks like a large can and is fueled by a liquid, natural gas-based fuel that, Glatt claims, pollutes less than wood and even propane.

Read the rest at Mexico News Daily

Related: Mixtec Students’ Fuel is Ecologically Friendly (Mexico News Daily)

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