Social Entrepreneurs Create Opportunities That Change The World

THE ISSUE
People in America shop at their local grocery stores, purchase food, return home, turn on their stoves with no fuss and cook dinner. Not everyone shares this same luxury. Traditional cookstoves and open fires are the primary means of cooking and heating for approximately three billion people in developing countries and The World Health Organization says harmful cookstove smoke is one of the top five threats to public health in poor, developing countries. Exposure to smoke created from these stoves causes 1.9 million premature deaths annually, and contributes to a range of chronic illnesses and acute health impacts such as early childhood pneumonia, emphysema, cataracts, lung cancer, bronchitis, cardiovascular disease, and low birth weight. The extended reliance on biomass for cooking and heating inevitably increases pressures on local natural resources such as forest and natural habitats, and ultimately on the climate.

THE SOLUTION
By providing fuel-efficient cookstoves exposure to harmful smoke can be drastically minimized, combating respiratory illness, deforestation, and climate change in the process. Today there are 82 entities fighting to reduce the number of inefficient stoves used in developing countries but there is one we’d like to take our hats off to; The Paradigm Project. Paradigm has adopted the increasingly popular triple bottom line philosophy, which extends the focus of profit, to people and the planet.

THE IMPACT
Currently, The Paradigm Project has delivered 25,341 stoves impacting approximately 126,705 people, saving 1,445,974 hours looking for wood, 11,137 tons of C02 emissions thus reducing the overall carbon footprint and increasing local income from $3,804 in 2010 to $367,770 in 2011.

STOVEMAN
Stoveman is an inside look into a passionate humanitarian effort, a load of wisdom, intellectual enlightenment, and a bit of entertainment. Through the lenses of Austin Mann and Greg Spencer, people are invited to be a part of their mission, their purpose, and a sneak peek into their life-changing experiences.

Episode 1: Woodwalk from The Paradigm Project on Vimeo.

The video portrays the power of social entrepreneurship and pushes the boundaries of social norms to create an opportunity by presenting solutions to the problem of inefficient stoves. Watch, learn, and become a part of the oversized efforts of The Paradigm Project.

“You can’t underestimate the value of building relationships with people.” –Greg Spencer