The Himalayan Stove Project is dedicated to preserving the Himalayan environment and improving the health of the people living in the trans-Himalayan region.  We provide clean cookstoves to individuals and  families living in the Himalayas who now cook with traditional, rudimentary cookstoves or over open fire pits inside their homes, consuming excessive amounts of precious fuel and polluting the indoor air to dangerously unhealthy levels.  Our goal is to deliver 10,000 clean cookstoves within five years.

The Issue – Indoor Air Pollution
Nearly three billion people cook their meals on primitive indoor cookstoves or over open fire pits fueled by crop waste, wood, coal or dung.  Every year, according to the United Nations, smoke from these stoves, indoor air pollution (IAP), kills 1.9 million people who contract lung and heart disease or experience complications from low birth weight.  Women and children comprise 85% of these deaths due to their increased exposure in their homes.  The use of clean cookstoves can help alleviate this problem.

What We Believe

We believe in a streamlined organization.  We are all volunteers and our overhead is minimal.  We follow the model of Ed Hillary and pay all our own travel expenses and related costs.  All donations go directly to purchasing and delivering clean cookstoves.

The Story

The Himalayan Stove Project is dedicated to improving lives of impoverished families who live in the Himalayas forever and in the simplest of ways  - by providing free, clean-burning cook stoves. 

 Our project began with one man, George Basch, who wants to give back to the people of the Himalayas, an area he has grown to love during his mountain expeditions.  With the glimmer of an idea, George tested the concept of distributing free, clean-burning cook stoves with his community friends, including Nepalese and international explorers.  You see, George cultivates and sustains friendships like no other person on the planet.   

With strong encouragement, George reached out to find the very best stove manufacturer and the very best local partners.  You see, collaboration is in George’s genes.   

With his personal investment, George ordered the first wave of stoves in 2010.  They were made in India and are being distributed now by the finest local nonprofit organizations in Nepal and Bhutan. You see, George is an engineer, he needs to test drive every aspect of his vision before inviting others to join him.

Our first stoves were placed in homes in remote villages of the Khumbu region of Nepal, through the wonderful services of Community Action Nepal (CAN).  CAN is using its local health care nurses who will introduce the stoves through their health education programs to Mother’s Groups and Youth Groups.  Please revisit our web site as we document our progress. 

About

The Himalayan Stove Project is a philanthropic project dedicated to preserving the Himalayan environment and improving the health of the people living in the trans-Himalayan region.  We provide free, clean-burning, highly fuel-efficient cook stoves to individuals and families living in the Himalayas who now cook with traditional, rudimentary stoves or over open fire pits inside their homes, consuming excessive amounts of precious fuel and polluting the indoor air to dangerously unhealthy levels. 

Our goal is to deliver 10,000 free stoves within five years. Replacing open cooking fires and inefficient stoves in remote villages furthers our goals to improve health and quality of life and to reduce environmental damage in this fragile and sensitive ecosystem.

Health is improved by reducing indoor air pollution (the fourth largest global health problem according to the World Health Organization); the health of the environment is protected by reducing de-forestation and reducing carbon emissions, and quality of life is improved by reducing the amount of time families spend in the endless task of foraging for fuel. Our stoves burn wood or other natural, locally obtained fuel, but fuel use is reduced by as much as 80% from traditional stoves or open fires.

 ”For $100 change the life of a family” is our motto. We partner with local organizations in Nepal and Bhutan who hand carry the stoves to remote, road-less, villages, which also provides employment for local people. Our partners include The Himalayan Trust (Sir Edmund Hillary’s charitable foundation); Community Action Nepal (Doug Scott and Chris Bonington); the former Royal Family of Mustang, The Mountain Institute and T-Help in Nepal, and Bridge to Bhutan.  

The American Alpine Club and the Explorer’s Club are informal supporters of our efforts.O ur Advisory Board includes Chris Bonington, Tom Hornbein, Erik Weihenmayer and Jeff Evans; all renowned Himalayan climbers with vast experience in this fragile region. Anyone who has had a meal, let alone spent a night, in a home where food is cooked over a wood or yak-dung fire immediately relates to the life-changing benefits our stoves provide.  

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