ECOLIFE Conservation

At ECOLIFE®, we focus on using conservation as a tool that is adaptable and integrative rather than confrontational. Our approach matches simple technologies with education to improve upon our use of precious natural resources such as water, land, and forest. We design and implement on simple, sustainable solutions.

Aquaponics:
Aquaponics is a sustainable method of food production combining aquaculture (raising aquatic animals) and hydroponics (cultivating plants in water with added nutrients). In this circulating system, nitrifying bacteria converts fish waste into a natural fertilizer for plants, plants take up those nutrients and return clean water to the fish. Perfect harmony! Aquaponics is a valuable farming technique in areas where land and water are not plentiful. Aquaponics is beneficial for everyone who wants to grow food, and it can be done just about anywhere that has access to clean water and energy.

Stoves:
3 billion people around the world cook and heat their homes using open fires and simple stoves. In fact, it's the biggest – and least known – killers of women and children, who spend the most time in the kitchen and at home. Over 4 million people die prematurely from an illness attributable to household air pollution caused by cooking indoors.

Can you imagine a campfire in your living room? Having to cook over an open fire is the health equivalent of smoking five packs of cigarettes a day. Carefree children often fall into open flames which result in horrific burns.

ECOLIFE installs fuel efficient stoves as an alternative to rudimentary stoves responsible for the deaths of millions. Patsari Stoves, significantly reduce the amount of smoke in the household – improving the health and quality of life for families.

What a simple stove can accomplish:

Up to 90% reduction in indoor air pollution
Over 50% reduction in fuelwood use
Saves families time and energy by reducing the time spent collecting firewood

Many organizations provide safe and/or fuel-efficient cookstoves to families in the developing world. However, what makes ECOLIFE Conservation unique in providing stoves is that ECOLIFE does not own, promote or sell any particular type of stove. Rather, the program established five important criteria each stove design must meet:

1. The stove must be culturally appropriate. This means it needs to be familiar and cook in a way that is comfortable for the user.
2. The stove must have cool sides and enclosed fire and fuel to protect children (and adults) from accidental burns.
3. The stove must have a chimney that takes poisonous smoke out of their home.
4. The stove must use at least 50 percent less fuel than their traditional cooking techniques
5. The stove must be indoors and permanent. The stove is a part of the home thereby allowing ECOLIFE to track the adoption of the stoves.

More distinctly, ECOLIFE stoves are designed for specific circumstances, specific indigenous groups, specific foods. What works in Mexico won't work in Uganda. Or China. ECOLIFE is flexible in our design criteria, and our team is equipped with an industrial designer so that if something is not functioning properly, or something can be improved upon, the issue can be addressed quickly. The stoves aren't just a source of heat--they are specifically designed with the cook in mind. All of the changes in design are made based on feedback from actual users.

Aquaponics:
An aquaponic farm is a self-contained ecosystem whereby water is cycled between fish tanks or ponds and a vegetable growing area. The fish waste provides rich nutrients for crops, which in turn remove the nitrogenous waste, making the water clean and habitable for the fish. Additionally, aquaponics provides near-zero environmental impacts, removing the need for fertilizers and harmful chemicals from the agricultural process. Furthermore, it provides fresh fish and vegetables for human consumption, thus reducing the need to import food. The widespread use of aquaponics could greatly reduce fuel consumption associated with food transportation, significantly decreasing a community's carbon footprint.

An Aquaponics class is different than most, and the one that you will remember, where you will use your inquisitive mind with a desire to “do" science rather than read about it in a textbook. Our education program is designed to break from the conventional classroom and spark interest in students where sustainability is a concern as it directly affects their future. Our strategy is using the ECO-Cycle as a project-based STEM teaching tool, while addressing community engagement, and serious issues of sustainable resource consumption in relation to agriculture.By providing the ECO-Cycle, Introduction to Aquaponics Workshop, curricula, and dedicated staff support, this program puts the student in a position to rethink our current food system and learn valuable science concepts.

Fuel-Efficient Stoves:
In 2017, ECOLIFE built 872 stoves, and in 2018, ECOLIFE will build 1,800 stoves. Eventually, construction of 8,200 stoves per year allows ECOLIFE to reach its goal of 26,500 stoves, sufficient to surround the Monarch Biosphere Reserve in this area of Mexico. However, the conservation and health problems associated with open fires is a problem throughout Mexico and much of the developing world. When the above goal is met, ECOLIFE will expand the project area radius around the reserves. Given that 3 billion people in the world--and millions in Mexico alone--still rely on traditional three-stone indoor cooking, the expansion opportunities are virtually limitless.

Aquaponics:
As of June 2018, we have placed aquaponics kits in over 600 classrooms, reaching over 115,000 students. We have constructed nine backyard system greenhouse gardens in Title 1 schools, and successfully grown hundreds of pounds of produce at our own aquaponics greenhouse. Yet we know that localized food systems go beyond the farm to enhance the knowledge and well-being of an entire community. Access to healthy and culturally appropriate food through environmentally compatible and sustainable methods are vital to the future well-being and economic growth of urban communities. ECOLIFE is planning to enhance food systems at community centers through the use of aquaponics, job training, and environmental education.