A Haitian inventor, entrepreneur, and humanitarian has become a symbol of resolve and resilience worldwide. For the past four years, Duquesne Fednard has continued to produce the EcoRecho—an efficient and safe charcoal cooking stove—even after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake leveled his factory in 2010 and after Hurricane Sandy washed away his donated, makeshift work tents in 2012.  Now, he is raising money on the global crowdfunding platform, Indiegogo, to rebuild once again.

To date, Fednard’s company, D&E Green Enterprises, has produced 33,000 cook stoves–all of them, by hand. Unlike conventional stoves used in emerging nations—which produce smoke that can cause a variety of respiratory diseases—the EcoRecho “uses 50 percent less charcoal and eases the strain on Haiti’s overexploited wood supply,” he says, which “saves money on fuel, leaving more to spend on food and education.”

Fednard explains that he works relentlessly because, “We believe the EcoRecho can make a real difference to lives and the environment in Haiti.”

Duquesne Fednard in Haiti, producing an EcoRecho cook stove.

Among the problems that the EcoRecho is addressing and helping to mitigate are:

·         A ravaging deforestation problem: Less than 2 percent of Haiti’s original forest remains. The EcoRecho stove uses 50 percent less charcoal than other stoves. If the efficient EcoRecho stoves were to fully replace traditional stoves, they would help to reduce the demand for charcoal and decrease the deforestation rate.

·         Extreme poverty and unemployment:  Today, fully 80 percent of Haitians live below the poverty line and unemployment is at 66 percent. The majority of Haitian families spend around 23 percent of their income on charcoal for cooking. A family that switches from using a traditional stove to using the EcoRecho saves, on average, US$150 per year. What’s more, rebuilding the factory will create at least 400 jobs through direct employment, distribution chain development and construction work.

·         Health threats posed by indoor smoke: The use of charcoal can lead to high rates of indoor air pollution, which can cause severe, chronic (and even fatal) respiratory diseases—shortening the local populations’ expected lifespan by 6.6 years and representing the number-one killer of children under five. The EcoRecho stove reduces indoor smoke and CO2 emissions, creating a safer environment for users.

·         Global Warming: Charcoal production damages Haiti’s landscape, farms, and economy. It also is a contributor to global warming. By reducing charcoal consumption, the EcoRecho is helping to restore the environment, reduce CO2 emissions and provide a chance at better and healthier future for Haitians.

D&E is a proud member of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All initiative and the Clean Stove Alliance.

Over the past three years, Fednard’s company has received multiple forms of recognition for its accomplishments—winning the National Entrepreneurship Award in the Environmental category from Digicel (News - Alert) (the largest mobile telecommunications operator in the Caribbean); the Haiti Green Entrepreneurship Competition sponsored by AIDG Haiti (a nonprofit focused on environmental entrepreneurship); and the Ashden Awards–Small Islands Category (which promote practical, local energy solutions).

Fednard comments, “A simple device such as a cook stove has the power to truly transform Haiti through empowering households, end users and small businesses. The fact that D&E can achieve this cheaply and safely for the environment is really a win-win situation. D&E’s vision is to break the cycle of energy poverty by specializing in the manufacturing and distribution of low-cost, high-efficiency energy technologies for people living in the developing world.”

He implores, “With a pledge of $25.00 or more on Indiegogo, your name will be inscribed on the factory donor wall and you will have helped a country better the living conditions for both present and future generations. “