Mission Statement
Bamboo Lota’s mission is to alleviate deforestation and poverty through bamboo-based energy alternatives.
Vision
We seek to empower those individuals reliant on the illegal charcoal production to find alternative means for income generation through the production of bamboo charcoal briquettes. Coupled with environmental education and business training, these entrepreneurs will spur a market for this cleaner energy alternative and hopefully grow a wider bamboo industry throughout the country.
Bamboo Lota’s market-based solution ensures that adoption of our product and operations are sustainable. The market for charcoal already exists and introduction of an innovative and new product, bamboo charcoal, does not guarantee success. By creating a competitive product that can stand-alone in the household energy market, only then can we create lasting change.
Need
With 88.5% of the population reliant on firewood and charcoal as household fuel, current charcoal production in the region is unsustainable and puts heavy strain on forest reserves. By utilizing a locally-available, fast-growing bamboo, we aim to produce and sell a more environmentally-friendly fuel alternative to current tree-originated charcoal while enabling reforestation efforts to take place in ecologically-strained areas. Introduction of bamboo charcoal briquettes will meet the demand for an affordable renewable energy source for both urban and rural households. By addressing the top of the charcoal supply chain with a sustainable and viable charcoal alternative, we transition local charcoal producers away from illegal deforestation practices, decrease firewood collection by women and children, increase household productivity and savings, and bolster local economies and entrepreneurship around a new bamboo-based industry.
Opportunity
Unlike bamboo, which matures and can be harvested in 3 to 5 years, it takes trees of hard and soft woods typically 10 to 50 years until they reach full maturity. This timeframe makes the act of reinvesting in the next cycle of tree harvest too slow. Bamboo has the potential to bring "hardwood" biomass fuel to scale a lot faster and provide future income-generating opportunities through other bamboo-based products.
Technology
The kiln technology being piloted to produce bamboo charcoal is a low-cost oil drum kiln. Tested for effectiveness in various regions across the globe, the kiln is affordable and can be made using locally available resources. Constructed and welded from a 50 liter oil drum, the kiln is being tested on its effectiveness against current charcoal production methods using an earth-mount kiln. Our methodology is adapted from MIT's "Fuel from the Field's" charcoal production process (LINK).
Bamboo Lota’s mission is to alleviate deforestation and poverty through bamboo-based energy alternatives.
Vision
We seek to empower those individuals reliant on the illegal charcoal production to find alternative means for income generation through the production of bamboo charcoal briquettes. Coupled with environmental education and business training, these entrepreneurs will spur a market for this cleaner energy alternative and hopefully grow a wider bamboo industry throughout the country.
Bamboo Lota’s market-based solution ensures that adoption of our product and operations are sustainable. The market for charcoal already exists and introduction of an innovative and new product, bamboo charcoal, does not guarantee success. By creating a competitive product that can stand-alone in the household energy market, only then can we create lasting change.
Need
With 88.5% of the population reliant on firewood and charcoal as household fuel, current charcoal production in the region is unsustainable and puts heavy strain on forest reserves. By utilizing a locally-available, fast-growing bamboo, we aim to produce and sell a more environmentally-friendly fuel alternative to current tree-originated charcoal while enabling reforestation efforts to take place in ecologically-strained areas. Introduction of bamboo charcoal briquettes will meet the demand for an affordable renewable energy source for both urban and rural households. By addressing the top of the charcoal supply chain with a sustainable and viable charcoal alternative, we transition local charcoal producers away from illegal deforestation practices, decrease firewood collection by women and children, increase household productivity and savings, and bolster local economies and entrepreneurship around a new bamboo-based industry.
Opportunity
Unlike bamboo, which matures and can be harvested in 3 to 5 years, it takes trees of hard and soft woods typically 10 to 50 years until they reach full maturity. This timeframe makes the act of reinvesting in the next cycle of tree harvest too slow. Bamboo has the potential to bring "hardwood" biomass fuel to scale a lot faster and provide future income-generating opportunities through other bamboo-based products.
Technology
The kiln technology being piloted to produce bamboo charcoal is a low-cost oil drum kiln. Tested for effectiveness in various regions across the globe, the kiln is affordable and can be made using locally available resources. Constructed and welded from a 50 liter oil drum, the kiln is being tested on its effectiveness against current charcoal production methods using an earth-mount kiln. Our methodology is adapted from MIT's "Fuel from the Field's" charcoal production process (LINK).