An energy efficient transition necessitates effortful behavioural changes by cooks and all those involved at school when preparing the daily meals. This not only refers to the cooking appliance itself, but also other items that indirectly affect many of the kitchen activities.

One of the examples we are discussing today is the firewood used. Burning dry firewood with efficient combustion results in clean burning with few particles. When firewood burns, three things happen:

1. Water content is removed by evaporation.

2. Chemically, the firewood breaks down into charcoal, gas and volatile liquids, with carbon dioxide and water being the chief end products.

3. The charcoal burns, forming carbon dioxide either directly or with an intermediate conversion to carbon monoxide.

Institutional Improved Cook Stoves (IICS) minimize the problem of dirty smoke generated from burning firewood and alarming deforestation rates. There are many species of trees all with different forms based on their varying fiber structures and densities. This means they differ in the ways they can be used and also the amounts of energy they store. Firewood does not always contain the same amount of energy. The main reason for this is the water that is stored inside it:

• Fresh wood contains up to 50% of water, and water does not burn.

• When firewood is dried for one year, its calorific value doubles, having the water content decrease from 50% up to 15%

This is why we continuously incentivise schools to build a firewood storage. But as you can see from the pictures here below, sometimes having the storage place built doesn’t mean the firewood won’t still be sitting outside in the rain!!!! Continuous training is key, that is why we visit the schools every month to ensure savings are achieved to the maximum. And that everyone at school changes that behaviour, which can only be achieved with time and patience.