Scaling Climate Action Through Clean Cooking: The Role of Carbon Emissions Reduction in Rural Development

As the world faces the dual challenge of climate change and sustainable development, it’s crucial to recognize the role that everyday practices, such as cooking, play in shaping both environmental and social outcomes. In rural communities, where traditional open fires and inefficient stoves remain the primary cooking methods, the need for clean cooking solutions is both a climate necessity and a catalyst for improved health, time savings, and economic empowerment. Greenway Grameen is working to address this need by providing high-efficiency cookstoves to underserved households across India and Sub-Saharan Africa, significantly reducing carbon emissions while improving the quality of life.

Through partnerships with local community-led organizations, Greenway has distributed millions of cookstoves, making a tangible difference in households that rely on traditional fuels like firewood, coal, and dung. These fuels contribute not only to indoor air pollution but also to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. Greenway’s stoves provide a climate-conscious alternative, improving fuel efficiency, reducing emissions, and lowering the environmental footprint of each household.

Greenway stoves stakeholder meeting in Afghanistan

The Importance of Clean Cookstoves for Climate and Community Well-being

For low-income communities, access to clean cooking solutions isn’t just a matter of convenience—it’s a lifeline that enables them to overcome the limitations posed by traditional cooking methods. Traditional open-fire cooking generates high levels of particulate matter and carbon dioxide, both of which contribute significantly to climate change. The use of firewood and other biomass for cooking also depletes local forests, further exacerbating climate risks and increasing the vulnerability of these communities to environmental changes.

In rural areas, climate and resource scarcity directly impact food security, water availability, and energy access. As climatic changes increase the frequency of droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events, the need for resilient, low-impact cooking solutions becomes even more urgent. Greenway’s clean cookstoves reduce the amount of fuel needed by up to 65%, relieving the pressure on local forests and helping communities mitigate the effects of climate change while conserving their natural resources.

Moreover, for households already facing financial constraints, the savings on fuel costs achieved through cleaner, more efficient cookstoves can make a substantial difference. Families that previously spent hours collecting firewood or substantial portions of their income on cooking fuel now have the opportunity to allocate these resources elsewhere—be it for education, healthcare, or business ventures.

Scaling Impact Through Strategic Partnerships

Greenway has been honored to work with a network of community-led organizations and financial institutions across India and Sub-Saharan Africa to expand access to clean cooking solutions. In each location, we work closely with local partners who understand the needs, cultural practices, and environmental challenges of the communities we serve. For example, in India, Greenway has partnered with grassroots organizations to distribute stoves in remote areas of multiple states, reaching households in need of safe, efficient cooking solutions. Similarly, in Sub-Saharan Africa, partnerships with local NGOs have enabled Greenway to bring cookstoves to underserved regions..

One of the key enablers of these partnerships is Greenway’s digital app, designed to support stove distribution and monitoring even in areas with limited or no connectivity. This app ensures that each cookstove is tracked from distribution through to household use, allowing Greenway and its partners to maintain accurate records and analyze the impact of each deployment. This data-driven approach also ensures transparency and accountability for carbon asset funders, development finance institutions (DFIs), and local partners interested in tracking their effort and investments’ social and environmental returns.

The Role of Greenway’s Digital App in Scaling Climate Action

Greenway’s digital app is an essential tool in our commitment to transparent and measurable impact. Operating seamlessly in remote, low-connectivity areas, the app allows our team and partners to track cookstove distribution in real time, ensuring that stoves reach the intended households. The app further tracks stove usage, gathering data on user satisfaction, fuel savings, and emission reductions.

This tracking capability is particularly important for assessing climate impact. By monitoring cookstove usage, we can calculate the reduction in CO₂ emissions with precision, providing concrete evidence of our projects’ contributions to climate mitigation. For example, each Greenway stove prevents the release of approximately 1-2 tons of CO₂ per year. Over time, as we distribute more stoves, the cumulative reduction in emissions becomes a significant contribution to regional and even global climate targets.

Stove purchase being tracked via Greenway app scanning unique stove QR code in Zambia

Our app also serves as a tool for continuous improvement. By gathering feedback on stove performance, usage patterns, and user satisfaction, Greenway can make data-driven adjustments to our product designs and distribution strategies. This iterative approach allows us to respond effectively to the unique needs of different communities, ensuring that our clean cooking solutions have a long-lasting, positive impact.

Vision for a Climate-Resilient Future

The benefits of Greenway’s cookstoves go beyond reducing emissions; they represent a comprehensive approach to sustainable development. As we continue to scale our efforts, our focus remains on creating lasting change for communities that are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. By reducing reliance on traditional fuels, we not only decrease carbon emissions but also empower communities with the resources to build a resilient future.

Greenway Jumbo Stove user in her kitchen

Greenway’s work aligns with multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). Each cookstove distributed is a step toward these goals, and our partnerships with local organizations help ensure that our impact reaches those who need it most.

Join Us in Scaling Climate Impact

For individuals and institutions interested in creating measurable impact, Greenway offers a unique opportunity to invest in solutions that address both immediate community needs and long-term climate goals. With our years of commitment, learnings, and infrastructure ensuring accountability and transparent tracking, each partnership with Greenway is a step toward a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient planet.