As a camping community, we understand the importance of leaving nothing but a footprint behind after every caravan park pull-up, roadside stop-over, or overnight hangout.
In this instance, ‘footprint’ refers to what’s left in the dust: a clean mould of our horseshoe-grooved soles, helpful in wayfinding, marking a meeting point, or leading a lost friend back home.
But not every footprint indicates a friendly presence. The carbon footprint may not take a physical shape itself, but it does shape the future of our planet.
BioLite offer a light at the end of the tunnel, with their revolutionary range of lighting, cooking, and charging appliances. The proudly Climate Neutral Certified organisation seeks to both offset and reduce the impact of carbon emissions, with the support of their fellow certified brands.
This is the BioLite Mission.
A Bright Vision
In 2021, BioLite provided clean energy access to two million people – not only doubling the number reached in 2020, but predicting success in hitting their target of twenty million by 2025.
While these numbers are impressive, it’s the quality of change that must pervade. BioLite strives to serve those without pre-existing understandings of cleaner energy, in the hope to enhance lifestyles as well as align with them.
So far they’ve seen success, with 94% of their cookstove customers admitting to an improved livelihood since choosing BioLite. By the same token, Malawi in Southeastern Africa had the lowest electrification rates in the sub-Sahara region before BioLite covered 85% of their home solar systems.
With these figures in mind, BioLite’s vision is clear: to generate clean energy solutions that change lives.
94% of BioLite cookstove customers admitted to an improved livelihood.
Savings
Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2e)
We all love the smoky smack of savoury in our squash, or that five-star smoky char on our chops – and both can be achieved without the harmful environmental impact of traditional open fires.
In comparison, BioLite’s efficient, clean-burning stoves for wood and charcoal significantly reduce the smoke produced. In that, using BioLite products generates less greenhouse gas than the volume produced from their manufacturing. From 2012 to 2021, the result of each tonne of CO2e released was a drop of almost 19.5 tonnes from the operation of BioLite cookstoves throughout 2021 alone.
According to data reflecting years 2017 to 2021, a single BioLite stove is capable of saving an average of three tonnes of CO2e per year. Last year, BioLite offset almost 719,000 tonnes of CO2e; that’s the equivalent of 155,000 less cars on the road for a full year!
The humble yet momentous result of all this? Beyond the back door of our healthier homes is also a cleaner planet.
Fuel
Given their more efficient burn, BioLite cookstoves require less fuel. With less fuel comes less greenhouse gas, and subsequently fewer trees hewed. This understanding saw over $176 million of fuel saved in 2021, which also reflected the decrease in wood, charcoal, and kerosene use. Kerosene, also known as paraffin or lamp oil, is a flammable liquid used both domestically and industrially to fuel light, heat, and power.
The light generated from BioLite’s SolarHome systems trumps the necessity for pricy, ‘dirty’ lamps fueled by kerosene. Time is money, and powering our home lives is no different – especially for the BioLite customers living below the poverty line. For a single person, the time saved collecting fuel supplies translates to a valuable $173 pocketed annually. This is like handing back 14% of their income.
Partners
Kindling their burning desire for a cleaner world are BioLite’s associated partners, including:
Camping to Connect:
Local to New York City, Camping to Connect is a BIPOC-lead (Black, Indigenous, and People Of Colour) program that seeks to both teach and mentor disadvantaged, 12-18 year-old men from downtown communities. As well as cultivating leadership and brotherhood, the program both introduces and translates these concepts to the outdoor environment.
For the first-timers especially, BioLite endeavour to bring home-like comfort beyond the backyard – be that a headlamp for the off-grid glow-getters at sunset, or the smokeless blaze of fire pit flames at the end of a demanding day outdoors.
Yellow Solar:
Another beacon of hope, Yellow Solar blends the revolutionary mobile technology with thorough trading systems, allowing agents to train, action sales, and monitor inventory. Better still, they can use the program to enable customers to make payments over time.
Functioning in lower-income regions is one of the main challenges in delivering safe and reliable energy to communities in need. In light of this, Yellow sparked a product partnership with BioLite to help meet their objective of considerably cutting distribution costs.
Products and Platforms
BioLite Academy:
Launching in 2021, the mobile-based learning platform was engineered to engage and educate BioLite’s partners on selling, dispensing, and installing their products.
This initiative stemmed from a desire to connect their representing agents from across East Africa with both an ergonomic and consistent training experience. The fundamental understanding of BioLite Academy must be of the end-user and their current environment.
BioLite SolarHome 620 and 5000:
From riding the radio waves to drenching the kitchen in daylight – the BioLite SolarHome 620 enables easy, preliminary use, while the 5000 model boasts more power again.
The SolarHome is designed for easy suspension so users can hang, remove, and carry the tunes beyond the kitchen bench to the crops! Coupled with its ability to charge phones, SolarHome owners can feel more connected to local news and affairs relevant to their communities and daily lives, as well as gradually pay their way to owning their system.
For impressive solar-powered illumination in inky blackness, the SolarHome provides light across three convenient brightness levels – blanketing those inefficient, costly, kerosene-fueled lamps in its shadow.
With the kick-butt power output of the SolarHome 5000 too, go from current affairs in the field to television entertainment after tea.
The SolarHome provides light across three convenient brightness levels.
BioLite HomeStove
Defying some elements and harnessing others – the BioLite HomeStove reduces the output of smoke by a substantial 90%. This boils down to its use of only half the amount of wood, instead generating electricity from the fire itself.
BioLite Firepit+ Wood and Charcoal Burning Fire Pit
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire – until BioLite pull up to the barbie.
The BioLite FirePit+ Wood and Charcoal Burning Fire Pit is compact, packable, and portable, offering a smokeless solution embellished with trailblazing technology. Retaining the famous features of the original model, the FirePit+ boasts patented airflow technology that fosters hyper-efficient flames and a clean combustion.
Presenting a true theatre experience from the depth of the amber coals to the dancing flames – the robust, enamel-coated, X-ray mesh body evokes a floating fire, integrated with larger slits for greater heat dispersion. The adjustable rack is suitable with both charcoal or wood, while the removable grill delivers that desired grid on your fillet from the moment your grub hits the grate.
From fast campsite feeds, to slow-burning conversation – the FirePit+ boasts 20% more runtime than the previous model, fueled by the USB-chargeable 12,800mAh battery that generates a generous 28 hours of power on the low setting. Monitor manually, or stay connected from your camp chair at no extra cost with the compatible Bluetooth app.
The BioLite FirePit+ encourages the camping community to crank the heat on the humble campfire, without the invasive, smoky haze.
From fast campsite feeds to slow-burning conversation, the FirePit+ boasts 20% more runtime than the previous model.
Fostering the Flame in 2022
Setting their own system of change in motion, BioLite’s extensive team will continue to design, operate, and analyse safe and reliable products in 2022, empowering the energy-poor and powering our outdoor dynamics – so we can turn it on, off the grid.
This noggin is for writing like scroggin is for hiking: just enough nut.