Envirofit International is an American non-profit organization. It develops technology which aims to reduce
air pollution
Air pollution is the presence of substances in the Atmosphere of Earth, air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be Gas, gases like Ground-level ozone, ozone or nitrogen oxides or small particles li ...
and enhance
energy efficiency Energy efficiency may refer to:
* Energy efficiency (physics), the ratio between the useful output and input of an energy conversion process
** Electrical efficiency, useful power output per electrical power consumed
** Mechanical efficiency, a rat ...
among
developing nations
A developing country is a sovereign state with a less-developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreemen ...
.
Among its products have been affordable clean burning
stove
A stove or range is a device that generates heat inside or on top of the device, for - local heating or cooking. Stoves can be powered with many fuels, such as natural gas, electricity, gasoline, wood, and coal.
Due to concerns about air pollu ...
s for poorer communities.
It is based in
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality in Larimer County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The population was 169,810 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an i ...
, Envirofit was founded in 2003 by Tim Bauer, Nathan Lorenz, Paul Hudnut, and Bryan Willson.
History
Envirofit International began in 2003 as an adjunct program to the
Colorado State University
Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University Syst ...
Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory. The program's goals were to bring sustainable clean energy solutions to help solve health and energy challenges on a global scale.
The first product was a retrofit
direct injection technology to reduce
pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...
from two-stroke cycle vehicle engines in the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. This project won the
Rolex
Rolex () is a Swiss watch brand and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by German businessman Hans Wilsdorf and his eventual brother-in-law Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex ...
Award for Enterprise in 2008.
In 2007, Envirofit partnered with the
Shell Foundation's Breathing Space Program to develop clean cooking stoves. They were designed to withstand high temperatures and frequent use at a low cost. Most of the target market is in the bands of people below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
.
Recognition
In 2009, Lorenz and Bauer were named Heroes of the Environment by ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine.
In 2013, ''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
'' named the Envirofit founder as innovators of the year.
See also
*
Engineers Without Borders
The term Engineers Without Borders (EWB; , ISF) is used by a number of non-governmental organizations in various countries to describe their activity based on engineering and oriented to international development work. All of these groups work wor ...
References
{{reflist
Appropriate technology organizations
Economy and the environment
Fuel injection systems
Non-profit organizations based in Colorado
Two-stroke gasoline engines