BioLite LLC, an innovator in energy solutions, was named as a laureate of The Tech Awards 2012, one of 12 global innovators recognized each year for using technology to benefit humanity and promote global change. The Tech Awards, a signature program of the Tech Museum and presented by Applied Materials, Inc., selected BioLite from among hundreds of nominations worldwide.
“The laureates’ remarkable innovations are a powerful incentive for us to consider our individual responsibility to contribute to positive change around the world,” said Tim Ritchie, president of The Tech Museum of Innovation. “The laureates personify what happens when we harness the very best of ourselves with the express purpose of developing innovative ideas for a more promising future.”
This year two cash prizes will be awarded in each of the six Tech Awards categories: Intel Environment Award, Microsoft Education Award, The Swanson Foundation Young Innovator Award, Nokia Health Award, Flextronics Economic Development Award, and The Sustainable Energy Award.
BioLite is a recipient of the Nokia Health Award for the introduction of its BioLite HomeStove in developing countries. Half the planet cooks on smoky open fires, causing nearly two million premature deaths each year. Additionally, these inefficient cooking fires release one billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. The HomeStove is a low-cost biomass cook stove that, by converting waste heat into electricity, reduces smoke emissions by up to 95 percent while simultaneously providing users with the capability to charge small electronic devices.
“We are thrilled to be recognized by The Tech Museum alongside this phenomenal group of laureates for our work addressing the global health and environmental crisis caused by smoky, open-fire cooking in developing countries,” said Ethan Kay, BioLite's managing director of emerging markets. “We are confident that the BioLite HomeStove, which provides ultra-clean wood fuel cooking and delivers on-demand electricity to charge mobile phones and lighting, will have a meaningful impact on the lives of people living in poverty.”
Since the inception of the program in 2001, 257 laureates have been recognized. Tech Awards laureates 2012 represent regions as diverse as Africa, India, South America and the United States.
BioLite develops and manufactures advanced energy products that make cooking with wood as clean, safe, and easy as modern fuels while also providing electricity to charge small devices like cell phones and LED lights off-grid. Headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, the company was founded in 2009 by Jonathan Cedar and Alec Drummond. BioLite is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2011 St. Andrews Prize for the Environment and the 2010 Sustainable Brands Innovation Open. Discover more at biolitestove.com.
About The Tech Museum
The Tech Museum is a hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds. The museum-located in the Capital of Silicon Valley -is a non-profit learning resource established to engage people in exploring and experiencing technologies affecting their lives. Through programs such as The Tech Challenge presented by Cisco, our annual team-design competition for youth, and internationally renowned programs such as The Tech Awards presented by Applied Materials, The Tech Museum endeavors to inspire the innovator in everyone.
