Keeling Curve

Primary Project Category:

Name of Project:

Year Project Originated:

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

a.	Many know shea butter as “women’s gold” because of the few extra dollars its yield affords. Shea is an important source of income in African countries, and there are approximately 16 million women working in shea throughout Africa. Shea trees are a vital social and economic crop and are a primary source of nutrition and income for hundreds of thousands of families. 
Climate change and growing demand for lumber and fuel have affected the shea tree’s life cycle and productivity, threatening the women who depend upon their fruits for survival. Roasting shea nuts is a dangerous and time-consuming job that costs people’s health and the environment dearly. It is an overlooked cause of global carbon emissions, forest degradation, and preventable illness among women and children along the shea belt. By making improved cookstoves available to indigenous communities of color, we are helping to preserve traditional food systems, cultures, and their local habitat, which are often threatened by colonization and environmental degradation. BDL’s approach reduces health risks and economic burdens and empowers indigenous people to reclaim their food sovereignty and self-determination by helping the local population develop and innovate their own clean cooking solutions that suit local contexts and needs.

Website:

http://www.burndesignlab.org

Mission Statement:

Our mission is to improve lives and protect the environment through the research, design, and development of outstanding cookstoves and cookstove manufacturing systems.  BDL brings together indigenous communities, engineers, manufacturers to design and develop affordable and culturally specific product that enable people to cook without harming themselves, or the environment.

Link: Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/burndesignlab/

Link: Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/burndesignlab/

Link: LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/1832715/admin/