One of the greatest pressures on Zambia’s natural ecosystems is the widespread use of wood and charcoal for cooking. In response, the Green Safaris Conservation Foundation has partnered with By Life Connected (BLC).
At the end of 2023, a pilot project was launched introducing innovative brick cooking stoves to local community members, designed to reduce reliance on traditional wood-burning methods. The stoves are constructed entirely from locally sourced materials, ensuring that communities are able to maintain them independently. At just $3-4 per stove, they offer an affordable and accessible alternative to conventional cooking methods.
The stoves are engineered to optimize heat efficiency, particularly when multiple units are built together to maximize warmth distribution. Rather than requiring freshly cut firewood, these stoves operate using small sticks and branches that naturally fall from trees, significantly reducing deforestation pressure. This approach not only preserves Zambia’s forests but also substantially reduces CO2 emissions. Thus, an additional benefit of this project is its ability to offset the carbon footprint of Green Safaris’ internal “Wings and Wheels” travel proposition—covering nearly all domestic guest flights between lodges in Zambia.
The community response has been overwhelmingly positive, with feedback highlighting the need for larger models to accommodate the substantial cooking pots typically used by extended families. We responded by developing industrial-sized stoves specifically tailored for larger households, which have demonstrated even greater acceptance and effectiveness.
