Blog
Rocket fired ramblings from around the world
What makes a Bottom Line worth having?
By what criteria can one articulate the value of a bottom line in a multi-bottom line corporate venture? When articulating the value of a bottom line in a multi bottom line corporate venture, there are several criteria that can be considered. These include: Financial...
Biomass vs Gas and Electricity for Space Heating
What are the merits of burning biomass efficiently for space heating, as compared to using gas or electricity for heating? Burning biomass efficiently for space heating can have several merits over using gas or electricity for heating, depending on the specific...
Creating a Better World Through Social Enterprise
At its core, social enterprise is about recognising that businesses have a responsibility to contribute to the greater good. Any business that does not make the world a better place is a wasted opportunity. The future of business is towards ethical projects that improve the world in at least one or more ways.
Designing for Context
Designing for Context – a personal perspective I first started pondering (and building) some form of ‘eco stove’ back in 2014. The first one was a rocket stove inside a box meant to serve as a combustion heater. It didn’t work, but it gave me a taste for the process...
Update JAN 2021 – HRS & RMD
“May you live in interesting times” is said to be an old Chinese curse. As interesting as 2020 was, I suspect the coming years will also continue to be so. Many of the ecosystems that support life on earth are dangerously stressed and in decline. The Himalayan...
RMD Update June 2020
Wow, what a year so far! What with the virus, lockdowns and so forth, I've been fortunate that even though I could not travel to India, I have been keeping busy regardless. I've split my time with managing the HRS team while it navigates various stages of lockdown in...
Feb 2020 Update
Feb 2020 Update on Rocket Man Designs Lots to report, so I’ll try to be brief…ish! RMD & HRS Let me start with the following clarification: Rocket Man Designs (RMD) is where I turn ideas into functional prototypes, and Himalayan Rocket Stove (HRS) is...
What is the Himalayan Rocket Stove?
Clean efficient biomass combustion for Himalayan households (and beyond) What’s in a name? At Himalayan Rocket Stove, we use design that is known around the world as a “rocket stove”. There are both metallic and non-metallic versions of rocket stoves, in each case the...
Australian Social Entrepreneur makes an impact on Women, Forests and Air in India
MEDIA RELEASE Himalayan Rocket Stove Positive Impacts 20 Feb 2019 Australian Social Entrepreneur makes an impact on Women, Forests and Air in India. Social enterprise start-up introduces high efficiency combustion heaters to the Himalayas using new technology Reduces...
From Flying Bullets to Himalayan Rockets
From Flying ‘Bullets’ to Himalayan Rockets A story of how two landslides lead to an ecological heater for the Himalayas and beyond It seems like the journey of a lifetime, this rocket stove thing. Various threads from over 25 years of travel in India and the Himalayas...
Numbers and Energy
For those who like numbers… The Eco1 Rocket Stove we make has approx 1630 MJ of energy embedded (embodied) in the steel. Add a bit for the manufacturing and transportation we can round that up to about 1800MJ. The expected lifespan is around 10 years, so we can...
Bhutan Visit June 2017
The Bhutan Update Back in May a new good friend of ours, Kezang (from Bhutan) sent me a message asking if I was interested to come to Bhutan with a view to exploring the options for taking the Himalayan Rocket Stove there. I asked Chetana if she was keen… she was! So...