Introduction

Everlasting Technology is a social enterprise with the mission of providing access to sustainable, healthy, and affordable cooking solutions to the hundreds of millions of people around the world who lack it. We are introducing EcoStove, a compact and portable solar electric off-grid cooking solution that solves the problem of inefficient, unhealthy, labor-intensive and environmentally unsustainable cooking methods such as firewood, charcoal, or propane. EcoStove is a win-win, improving people’s lives and the environment as well.

While we believe there are big opportunities for EcoStoves all over the world, we intend to focus initially on sub-Saharan Africa, where it is estimated that over 500M people lack access to electricity and are therefore challenged by suboptimal cooking solutions. Given our Founder & CEO’s personal experience and connections in Zimbabwe, we have decided to start there.

Our near-term goal is to raise US$25,000 through the campaign below so that we can launch a pilot project. Once we have validated all aspects of our technology, and operations, we will scale up to serve other regions throughout the country, the African continent, and, eventually, the world.

About Us

Everlasting Technology was founded by Macdonald Chirara, who experienced the energy challenges in Zimbabwe. Chirara and a team of Colgate University students are developing Everlasting Technology from an idea into a social enterprise capable of positively impacting a multitude of lives as well as meaningfully reducing carbon emissions. The social enterprise is currently recruiting additional team members to work on the ground in Zimbabwe. They will build and operate the first Agent Centre and which will be a site for assembling, marketing, and installing the EcoStoves. They will also work alongside community leaders to ensure the creditworthiness and integrity of our lease-to-own model. The Agent Centre will employ women and men who live in these local communities, helping us to reinvest in the local economy and community.

A Massive Problem… and Opportunity

It is hard to believe in a world of advanced technology that more than 2.4 billion people rely on firewood and charcoal as their main fuel for cooking. Cooking with these biomass fuels contributes to 3 million premature deaths yearly and accounts for 2% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Propane is being adopted by some as it certainly represents an improvement in terms of health and convenience. But it is expensive, supply is often unreliable, and it obviously contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving catastrophic climate change. Many millions of people and the world at large needs a better solution for cooking in so-called last mile communities

Enter the EcoStove

The EcoStove provides families with an affordable solution to cook three meals per day, light their homes, and power their phones and other consumer electronics. Following are some additional details about the EcoStove:

100% solar-powered; zero emissions

85% efficient (vs. 60% for a traditional electric stove and 55% for gas burners)

Cooks local dishes effectively, even challenging foods like beans, grains, and maize

Completely replaces the need for firewood, charcoal, or propane

Our Lease-to-Own Model is a Game Changer

One of the biggest challenges in shifting last mile communities from biomass or fossil fuel based cooking solutions to clean energy solutions such as solar electric cooking is the prohibitively expensive upfront cost of the equipment. A critical part of Everlasting Technology’s model is to bear the upfront cost and charge only a reasonable monthly fee of $20-25 per month (or less than $1 per day) until the equipment is paid off and Everlasting Technology makes a reasonable profit.

Once this has occurred, which we expect will take just three years based on the current economics of the EcoStove, customers will own their systems outright! Along with our cutting-edge technology, this lease-to-own model is a key part of our venture's innovation. Because we are a mission-driven social enterprise, it is in our DNA to empower our customers, not exploit them. In stark contrast, the fossil fuel business model involves never-ending payments as well as damaging greenhouse gas emissions.

Think Global, Act Local

Everlasting Technology has developed the EcoStove with the needs of our target users in mind. We have carefully considered the type of food they cook and even traditional cooking methods.

Our social enterprise is involving the communities we seek to serve in all aspects of the value chain: the Ecostove is locally assembled, marketed, sold, monitored, and maintained by people from these communities, creating employment opportunities and reinvesting locally.

Women Benefit the Most from EcoStove

As women are burdened with cooking, firewood collection, and/or charcoal production, they bear the brunt of the harmful effects of traditional cooking solutions. Women in households with an Ecostove gain the means to:

Cook three meals per day, replacing the need for firewood and charcoal
Save time that would have been spent collecting firewood; this means 6-24 hours per week (!) that can instead be used for activities like having a job, growing vegetables, taking care of the family, and meeting friends
Make extra income by allowing friends and neighbors without access to electricity to charge their electronics via the EcoStove’s built-in USB ports
Light their homes with the 2 included Ecostove lamps, which enables homework after dark, craftwork, improved mood, and enhanced personal safety (women and children can use the lamp when visiting latrines at night)
Improved physical health from reduced exposure to harmful air pollution and smoke, as well as enhanced mental health from reduced stress and worry

Our Call to Action

As a university-based social enterprise, we depend on funding from individuals like you as well as like-minded institutions to help us bring the EcoStove to the last mile communities that need them the most. We implore you to help us to achieve our mission and hope that you find our win-win approach to improving the lives of people struggling with traditional cooking methods while reducing greenhouse gas emissions (something we ALL benefit from) compelling. We at Everlasting Technology believe that addressing the challenges associated with cooking in much of sub-Saharan Africa and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in light of climate change for the benefit of the whole world are urgent and universal. We hope you do, too, and humbly thank you for contributing to our campaign.

Empowering Off-grid Communities with the Ecostove