Edgar Avila, director of projects in Nicaragua for COMMIT, said that many residents turn to harvesting woodfuel because "firewood is just easy to get and it's not as expensive as gas. Because the economy here is really bad."
According to Stove Team International's website, the Justa stove significantly reduces smoke and saves at least 14 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere over its five year lifespan. Meanwhile, the UN Clean Cooking Alliance estimates that 0.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses per year could be mitigated by reducing the harvest of woodfuel.
"It takes me two days to build one stove and seeing their happiness, it makes me feel that my work is of worth. And it makes me feel very excited and motivated to continue helping them," Flores said.