It looks like a lunchbox but Steam Cooker Stove is doing more than carrying a tiffin. Using charcoal or renewable char briquettes as fuel, it can cook three items at a time, such as rice, dal, potatoes, or other vegetables.
“The food tastes good as it has been slow-cooked,” says Pournima Agarkar of Samuchit Enviro Tech, a social enterprise working to make people, households, institutions, and small businesses adopt sustainability in their daily activities. Steam Cooker Stove is a success with fitness buffs as it retains nutrition while cooking.
Another product is Trashflasher Kiln, a compact and lightweight device that can convert garden and agricultural waste into renewable char or biochar. “When we conduct workshops with urban people, we talk about climate-friendly lifestyles. Every so often, we hear even environmentally-conscious people saying, ‘Kitna compost karey?’ This is true. How much of a family’s or society’s waste can you compost? The kiln is easy to install and helps people manage their waste more conveniently,” says Agarkar.
Carbon footprint of houses
The carbon footprint of houses is rarely discussed. Yet, according to a May 2023 study by the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru, the average household carbon footprint (HCF) in Indian households is estimated at around 6,505 kgCO2e (kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent).
In comparison, flying from London to New York and back generates about 986 kg of CO2 per passenger, as calculated by the German nonprofit Atmosfair. An increase in a household’s expenditure in India also influences its carbon footprint, with a Rs 1,000 annual increase causing an 8.83 kgCO2e increase in total HCF.
“Renewable energy is one of the biggest solutions to the climate crisis. The bigger problem that Samuchit is targeting is the climate challenge. Usually, when there is talk about solutions at an individual level, we think of solar. However, there are other opportunities as well, such as biogas. Samuchit is largely focusing on how biomass can be leveraged as energy,” says Agarkar.
Based out of Law College Road, Samuchit Enviro Tech was founded in 2005 and focuses on rural and urban areas of western India. However, it also has a pan-India presence and conducted projects in Asia and Africa.
Samuchit has launched a carbon footprint calculator specifically for urban Indians. This tool highlights areas of energy usage that individuals need to improve. Additionally, Samuchit offers consulting services, workshops, and training programmes. The company also provides various products, including char briquettes made from coconut waste, organic deodoriser for eliminating odours in closets, toilets, or any enclosed spaces, and a smokeless stove fueled by coconut shells and bamboo waste, among others.
“Our rural work is primarily focused on technology consultancy and training in decentralised renewable energy for household energy services and climate-aligned agriculture. Our urban work is primarily focused on organic waste management technologies and capacity building, policy advocacy on climate aligned and sustainable urbanisation,” says an official statement of the company.
Challenges ahead for Samuchit
Change is slow in the majority of households. Many waste management companies say that housing complexes are unwilling to invest extra in managing their waste, while the latter complain that their staff is unwilling to adopt new systems and technologies.
Agarkar says that when members of Samuchit go to slums, they find that people aspire to use better and fancier consumerist products with higher carbon footprints. “But, people aligned to this cause are willing to pay an additional amount. For instance, the cookers and kilns are in demand, giving us hope,” says Agarkar.
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