Indonesian Digital News Archive

A few months back I wrote a piece about the Himalayan Stove Project, a fantastic non-proft organization that is dedicated to providing clean cookstoves to the people living in the Himalaya. At that time the organization was still ramping up their efforts for the first round of distribution, but this past spring they made their first visit to Nepal, where they gave out over 1500 stoves, dramatically changing lives in the process.

Traditional Himalayan cook stoves are incredibly inefficient and require a lot of fuel just to prepare a simple meal. That fuel, which typically consists of wood and yak dung, can be quite scarce in many areas of the Trans-Himalayan region where the gathering of kindling has led to deforestation. Additionally, the new stoves are far healthier for the people using them as they vent noxious smoke and fumes outside of the living space. In the past it wasn't even possible for families to eat their meals together indoors as their homes were too filled with smoke to make the experience an enjoyable one. Thanks to these new stoves however, that is already changing.

The team behind the project has set an ambitious goal of distributing 10,000 stoves in five years. Their efforts this past spring served as a pilot for the program and by all accounts it was a smashing success. They now believe that it is possible to distribute as many as 3000-4000 stoves each year and with the proper support and backing, the realization of their goal is more than within reach. I'm told that the organization has secured some high profile backers that will assist moving forward, but this is a great project that can still use more help.

The video below, which was shot in Nepal this past spring, clearly shows how the project is having an immediate impact on the lives of those that it touches. It is evident that this grass-roots effort is both good for the environment and the health of those living in the Himalaya, and it's not often that you see an organization make such a profound change on people's lives in such a short amount of time.

For more information on the Himalayan Stove Project, be sure to visit their website.

A few days ago the National Geographic Adventure Blog posted a story that shared some good tips for recognizing, preventing and treating some of the adverse effects of altitude. Those tips come courtesy of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), whose members know a thing or two about dealing with altitude.

The article first discusses the six factors that have a direct affect on whether or not you'll suffer altitude sickness. Those include things like rate of ascent, amount of altitude gained, hydration and so on. It also does a good job of breaking down the various types of altitude sickness including AMS (acute mountain sickness), HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema) and HACE (high altitude cerebral edema). Symptoms of each are listed as are ways of treating them, although we all know that the best way to address the problem is by going to lower altitude.

Hiking and climbing in the mountains is one of the most rewarding outdoor activities I know, but if you go high enough, anyone can have issues with the altitude. Even if you've safely been there before without any issues you can still experience any of the three types of sickness listed above. Knowing how to recognize those symptoms and address them is an important part of safety in the mountains.