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Sometimes, after 2am, when we have finished our design, we think about how life could be better in the appropriate technology world, we spend times with friends to understand what they are doing, we heard news about ourself... This blog is there to bring you the latest news about us, and some things of our team !
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Thursday, 17 December 2009 08:24
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L'Afrique et Prakti, une histoire qui dure. Depuis 2008, la Prakti Team parcoure l'Afrique: Bénin, Burkina fasso, Mauritanie, Sénégal, etc... Objectif? Aider les artisans locaux à créer eux mêmes leurs foyers améliorés en utilisant les matériaux disponibles localement et ce, dans le respect des coutumes et traditions locales. Privilégier le développement local et l'accès à une énergie durable et propre, c'est ça qui motive les troupes de Prakti! Chaque expérience est nouvelle, pleine d'échanges et de rencontres avec les locaux... on parle de "stoves, of course" mais aussi de tout ce qui fait le voyage: culture, nourriture, population, coutumes, etc... et le tout dans une ambiance grandiose! Et ce n'est pas fini! Julien et Mouhsine arrivent fraichement de leur mission de 2 mois en Afrique... Au programme: Sénégal, Bénin, Mauritanie. Rassurez vous! Leurs rapports et récits seront très viite sur notre blog. D'autres missions sont également prévu pour 2010... l'aventure africaine continue! En attendant, nous voulions partager avec ceux qui ont suivi l'aventure de près ou de loin, les rapports techniques des différentes missions réalisées fin 2008 début 2009 au Bénin et en Mauritanie pour la GTZ. Et pour ceux qui souhaitaient reproduire nos foyers améliorés dans leur cuisine (!) ou simplement comprendre comment un foyer amélioré fonctionne, revisiter la gamme de foyers Prakti et mieux connaître notre équipe, voici également un petit "slide show" présenté par Mouhsine au Burkina. Téléchargez: Rapport de la mission au Bénin pour la GTZ Rapport de la mission en Mauritanie pour la GTZ Présentation Mouhsine Burkina fasso
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Wednesday, 16 December 2009 17:18
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As you probably know, the Prakti Team use to work in Africa with the GTZ... Amazing countries for amazing (stove!) experiences.! Different missions happened during 2008-2009 in Benin, Mauritania, Burkina Fasso and many more are planned for 2010... As an open source lab, we want to share with you the different technical informations related to stoves included in these reports that have been made by our team. Download them in this page to read more about stoves of course but also about the fabulous experiences Mouhsine, Thomas and Julien lived their! Download here english version of these reports: Benin Report for the GTZ Burkinafasso Report for the GTZ
Wednesday, 16 December 2009 16:27
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SUMMARY This report presents the activities and the main findings of the consultancy conducted during nearly a month in Khorog area of Tajikistan, in order to help the local GTZ team in the development of efficient cooking and heating technologies. The consultancy aimed at finding locally manufacturable ceramic solution for energy saving cooking and heating stoves. After surveying the local knowledge and skills available in the area about ceramics, three solutions have been explored and tested. The first solution focused on the possibility of manufacturing insulating bricks, either locally or in Kuljab factory. The second aimed at firing bricks directly inside the stoves. The third one is using the strawbale technique as an insulating option. A surviving local ceramic craftsmanship centred on the making of kitsores and tannoors, traditional stoves used for cooking the local bread, is an ideal base to design, test and spread the proposed solutions. These local skills were a very important source of inspiration and primordial resources for developing and testing viable options for stoves improvement. Hamida, the stove program manager, was trained in clay testing and preparation, insulating bricks making, brick firing, stove testing and basic principles of heat exchange applied to heating stoves. Hence the evaluation of the existing local knowledge about clay enlightens the very interesting and useful resources of her existing network. This report also includes recommendations on the way to go forward with the finalisation and dissemination of the options presented. Download the full report
Thursday, 10 September 2009 04:28
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Last week the Prakti team, including two product design students from India and Germany started a focus group test. Both students are working about improved stoves at Prakti Design Lab for their final thesis. The goal was to get a brief but intense input for their design research about general user perception of single pot stoves used for daily cooking. For this they met eight women from a social group in Kilinayur, Tamil Nadu. The women, aged between 28 and 35, are all housewives besides going to work every day.
Wednesday, 09 September 2009 06:53
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Today morning, while cooking my Indian Chai on one of Prakti’s amazing Leo stoves, I was just letting my mind wander in the smokeless air when not one, not two, not three, but four ideas struck me:
1. Prakti Design, as the name suggests, is an engineering design lab, and engineers just love Research and Development. 2. Prakti Design is an engineering lab, but it is not only an engineering lab : it is a team dedicated to design for change – social, environmental and economical change. 3. I’m late for writing an article for Prakti’s blog and newsletter about our recent and exciting research work for the GTZ. 4. Michael Jackson is dead. Four random facts without any link to each other? Maybe not – wait and see what my keyboard has to say about it.
Wednesday, 09 September 2009 05:52
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Khorog is located in the pamirs, a beautiful mountaneous region of Tajikistan separated from the Afghan Pamiri region by the river Panj and the 19th century anglo-russian imperialist rivalry. On both side of the border the majority of the population is Shia Muslim Ismaili, followers of the Aga Khan.
Friday, 28 August 2009 09:01
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Once in a year, our partner CCD gather all it members in it amazing training center close to Madurai. Usually, 6 to 7 000 members are there. This year, only 2 000 were invited!
Monday, 03 August 2009 11:39
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At Prakti Design, testing is continuously performed as a way to gain knowledge on how to improve the design and the performance of our stoves. As we are working in many regions of the world (Africa and Asia), where environmental conditions are very different, we needed to find a way to replicate the local usage conditions of the stoves as closely as possible in order to perform reliable tests. These tests are essential to adapt the design of the stoves to the local needs of each country while also trying to find the most efficient solutions. For the past year we have been working with the GTZ (an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development) on different handicraft stoves projects in Africa (Benin, Mauritania, Uganda, Burkina Faso, etc…) and Asia (Tajikistan).
Monday, 29 June 2009 07:59
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Prakti Design sent a freshly recruited intern, Claire, to develop a relationship with Madurai based NGO, the Covenant Centre for Development (CCD). Along with a CCD intern, Hendrik, they are working to forge a close understanding between the two organisations.
Thursday, 23 April 2009 14:48
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We have been selected as one of the 50 social enterprises for the 2009 Sankalp Awards. That's a great opportunity to introduce our young company to investors, partners and media. Hope that will bring lot of energy, ideas, and some financial support also to support our growth! More information if you click on "read more"!
Friday, 10 April 2009 11:56
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Read about Prakti in the news: Article in the 'Asia Financial Planning Journal Volume 09 Issue 04' - 3 pages article about Prakti DNA Money 11.2.2009 - SELCO in partnership with Prakti The Hindu 28.6.2007 - Mouhsine gives an interview
Tuesday, 31 March 2009 16:17
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Nadukuppam Governmental School has completely changed during the last 5 years to become a precursor place in education which is concerned in sustainable development. We can meet many activities besides the school: a women education center, a solar energy project, a process to recycle water etc. I was really impressed by the energy and the will of people to be always open-minded to new projects. Nadukuppam’s Governmental School was very interested at the LEO stove and wants also to try the MOBY. A partnership with Prakti would be a great opportunity and a real pleasure for us to work with this partner, which shares our values and vision of social and health issues. The idea is to convince rural population about the benefit of Prakti stoves with a pilot in Nadukuppam Governmental School and after to provide to each family a LEO. Eloïse
Friday, 27 March 2009 09:25
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FAIR IN PUDUCHERRY
Renewable Energy Agency of Puducherry Conducted a Fair at the Puducherry Beach Road from 11th to 15th of March 2009 (22 stalls participated).
In the fair all are related to several such renewable energy devices like solar ovens, pumping water to an over head tank using a pedaling pump, charcoal stoves, traditional stoves, LED’s, battery vehicles and many more.
From Prakti, all of our latest models participated:
· Leo single stove
· Leo double stove
· Moby stove with chimney
· Moby stove without chimney
· Vivek stove
-Everybody liked our stove!
-Their first impression was: “It looks like a LPG stove!”
-Cooking on our Leo double pot really attracted the ladies!
-We prepared tea for fifty people!
-For the last three days we even prepared food for fifty people on our Moby stove.
 We used only 2kg of wood for 8kg of rice! This makes 70% less wood compared to the traditional stove. It took just 45 minutes to prepare. The cook was really impressed by our Moby stove.
Everybody liked the Leo single and the Vivek stove for its low price and compact appearance, which makes is easy to carry around.
Next day, in the newspaper, we appeared with a picture of our stoves, which is a good sign!
1. Article 12.03.09
2. Article The Times of India 12.03.09
3. Article The Hindu 13.3.09
Nithya
Sunday, 22 March 2009 17:00
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Along with Mouhsine, we just spent 3 weeks in Mauritania to assist the GTZ in its Improved Cooking Stoves Program in Sélibaby. Quite a trip! Flying from Chennai to Nouakchott over Paris, and then driving twelve hours in a jeep through the Sahara - but Prakti's team will stop at nothing when it comes to save some biomass and improve cooks lifestyle all over the world.
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