With the new innovation we have managed to cut down the food waste to zero. It has reduced the amount of rice being cooked from 500kg to 400kg. Other benefits with this system is that the health of the staff and the environment is more cleaner and more healthier. Time taken to prepare the meal has reduced drastically by over 50%
Wycliffe Ng’ong’a-Director Faith Engineering Works
Smoking chimneys signal food preparation at learning institutions in Kenya. However at Nairobi Primary school now, only the sweet aroma remains the only lead to the kitchen.
The innovative steam cooking has now replaced the traditional wood and charcoal fires that consumed between 2- 3 tonnes of wood daily.
A partnership between the ministry of education and National Council for Nomadic Education in Kenya NACONEK has seen a pilot steam cooking project launched at the school in a decarbonization strategy that began in 2018.
NACONEK is working with Verst Carbon to implement this transformative shift from traditional biomass.
The 500kg steam cooking is saving the school 80% in fuel, and hospital bills. Respiratory illness from the fuel fumes is reduced and there is increased productivity.
Brian Nyangena – Co Founder/CEO VERST CARBON
Verst carbon is helping organisations measure, manage and mitigate their carbon impact.It aims to support the transition to a low carbon economy by providing solutions for carbon management and sustainability.
The Nairobi Primary Project is part of the Kenya Govt Energy Transition Investment Plan 2023-2050 which provides pathways to net zero by 2050. The plan elaborates actions Kenya needs to take to achieve sustainability in the energy ecosystem. It contains strategies of going green for each sector which include transport, domestic, commercial and industry.
The zero carbon schools targets a transition to alternative low carbon energy for more than 6000 schools. The steam cooking technology implemented at Nairobi Primary is able to prepare food for the 2500 learners and staff.
Verst says with the new technology, the food served is clean, not sticking on the cooking pot, eliminating food waste that previously ended in land fills.
Stakeholders in the climate ecosystem have expressed fears over Kenyas delay in the transition journey.
Elizabeth Chege of Sustainable Energy For All (SEforALL) says for Kenya to be on track, consistency in fiscal incentives is key. She says the prevailing policies which are subject to change every financial year present an environment of uncertainty which impede investment in decarbonisation projects.
She also proposes the need to prioritise schools in the decarbonisation strategies to ensure all public schools embrace energy transition, calling for enhanced financing from public and private sector towards net zero projects.
We need to get the infrastructure right to implement the decarbonisation strategies, an inter-ministerial Taskforce is urgent to ensure synergies and collaboration with all players in the climate change ecosystem.
Elizabeth Chege – Sustainable Energy For All (SEforALL)
Verst and SeForAll were speaking at a recent carbon market event in Nairobi where key players explored how carbon credits can be used to generate financial resources for climate action.
The meeting also discussed ways to facilitate international partnerships and investments that will boost Africas participation in carbon markets. Other convenors were Rockefeller foundation, African Carbon markets initiative, and the Global Energy Alliance.