A burning desire for change.

BURN Design Lab is one of those Washington companies that helps define who we are as a place to do business. Its small team – just seven researchers, designers, craftsmen and engineers – are working to solve one of the world’s biggest problems – cook stoves.

It’s not even something that many people are aware of, but in places where there is no electricity and families must forage for scarce fuel resources, BURN definitely has a better idea.

Each year, according to company founder Peter Scott, two million people die around the world from smoke-related diseases – the vast majority women and children who must cook on poorly ventilated, fuel inefficient stoves.

Wood in these areas is costly, costing upwards of half a month’s salary for a family. With the stoves designed by the company, families can cut their fuel bill in half as the stoves use 50% less energy to create the same heating output. Not only are millions of lives saved, but millions of trees as well.

BURN does all the design for these customized biomass stoves, working with local women who will be using them. The company then helps set up manufacturing in the host country, creating affordable stoves and new jobs in the process.

BURN Design Lab has very ambitious goals, and as an up and coming Washington State company we hope they meet every one of them.

Learn more about BURN Design Lab.

Here’s a video to help you see how their ideas are affecting the lives of Kenyans and East Africans.