Shaanxi Mothers, China, Domestic biogas for cooking & light - Ashden Award winner

This video can be downloaded here: http://www.ashdenawards.org/winners/shaanxi Shaanxi Mothers won an Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy in 2006.

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The Shaanxi Mothers' Environmental Protection Volunteer Association (Shaanxi Mothers) is led by its founder Mrs Wang Mingying. It has installed 1,294 biogas plants in rural farming households in the Shaanxi Province of China since 1999. The plants produce biogas from pig and human waste.

The extensive use of wood and coal that has helped to fuel China's rapid economic growth has led to serious environmental damage. In Shaanxi Province (west China), soil erosion on the hillsides is widespread and springtime flow in the rivers has diminished to a fraction of the 'normal' flow. Erosion leads to dust storms and poor outdoor air quality. The use of coal and wood on open fires produces significant pollution. Faced with these problems, the Chinese Government has restricted tree-felling and ordered the re-forestation of the terraced hillsides. Farmers are paid to plant trees and ensure that they survive, and are encouraged to keep pigs. Subsidies are provided to encourage the use of biogas.

Shaanxi Mothers promotes the use of biogas plants connected to the pigsties. These plants provide clean fuel for cooking and lighting, improve sanitation and hygiene and help prevent further environmental degradation. The solid residue from the plants is a valuable fertiliser. Users pay about one third of the cost of the plant which can be covered by the savings they make on fuel and fertiliser within one to two years. Subsidies from the government and Shaanxi Mothers provide the remainder of the cost.

The Ashden Award to the Shaanxi Mothers' Environmental Protection Volunteer Association recognises the tremendous commitment of a small volunteer organisation in bringing the health and environmental benefits of biogas to rural communities in China.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Shaanxi
• Mothers
• China
• Domestic
• biogas
• cooking
• light
• ashden
• awards
• sustainable
• energy

[jonesdiwata]

Bravo!

[cantecleer]

-- This stuff gives me goosebumps. Glad to see people passionately embracing this technology! =D

[soffpro]

wonderful wonderful wonderfuel - please show the world the way. best of health to you all.

[ojeny]

great job!

[margot980]

China is doing a great job with this, millions and millions of household biogas systems. More sophisticated ones are becoming more and more used in places like Sweden.

The methane is eventually emitted from sewage, 20 x the global warming potential of CO2, so burning it is a big advantage. Very renewable.

[ChuckManiac]

That would be great if more will follow this way. China's population explosion is becoming a threat to the whole nation. The need for resources and energy are ever faster increasing. Not the mention the pollution are becoming severe all over the country. China and other leading nation should address this issue with aggressive plans, otherwise it will be too late.

[DoctrinasBiblicas]

Muy bueno! Gracia y paz.

[eduardopplalo]

good video exelent!!!!!!!!!!