Innovation

The innovation of the Paradigm Project centers on the business model. Not only are they able to provide fuel efficient stoves and products, but they are able to create a financially efficient model to continue to support developing countries. By selling carbon offsets, the Paradigm Project is able to establish a financial base to provide stoves to people on credit. This means that the stoves meant to improve the lives of many people are not placing an unnecessary financial burden upfront. Families are not forced to take financial risks to improve the lives of family members, essentially taking the burden of risk off of struggling populations.

Inspiration

After years following other career paths, Neil Bellefeuille and Greg Spencer, founders of The Paradigm Project, took a mission trip to Africa. It was on this trip that their eyes were open to the different levels of poverty. There were people who were on the fringe of life, which is how most people see the level of poverty in third world countries in Africa. There were also people who were fairing a little better but still struggling. Neil and Greg came back to the states and started The Paradigm project to help those people who were surviving and help them to "build wealth". The Paradigm Project electric stoves would reduce the amount of time women and children needed to collect wood to burn and allow them to allocate that time towards school and other job opportunities. The stoves would allow them to have their own business in a sense, enabling people to sell stoves to their neighbors and allowing them to earn a bit of a profit. Neil and Greg wanted to "create jobs, opportunities for those who work to lift themselves out of poverty".

Overall impact

The focus of the Paradigm Project bridges the gap between social and ecological issues facing the world through a clever business model. Taking on seven Sustainable Development Goals is a difficult task, but Neil and Greg have already shown incredible progress in building their business to do just that. The benefits from the Project include:

• 15% saved income from fuel and water provision expenses
• 70% reduction in cookstove toxic emissions
• Focus on empowering and advancing women through hiring and training as well as daily time-saving
• 90%+ increased access to clean water
• Verifiable greenhouse gas emissions reduction
• 40-60% reduction in wood and charcoal consumption per stove

Business benefit

The Paradigm Project recognizes that business has the power to create sustainable avenues to build wealth and opportunity in developing communities.

The Paradigm Project Business Model:

• Empowers the customer and earns their trust through a selection of innovative and life-changing products at price points that meet their needs.
• Offers financing with monthly payment terms modeled to match the savings realized through use of the product, allowing families access to vital clean energy and water treatment technologies they otherwise could not afford.
• Creates efficient, sustainable, and highly scaled distribution networks by leveraging innovative funding mechanisms, including corporate SDG investments and Verified Emission Reductions sales.
• Quantifies social, environmental, and economic outcomes through rigorous monitoring and evaluation to learn, refine and repeat.

Social and environmental benefit

Societal Benefits:

• Increased opportunity for education. By reducing the need for constant fuel collection, the stoves can free up the time of children and women who are able to attend school or improve their lives
• Improved health of millions of people, especially infants and children
• Increased disposable income to increase quality of life

Environmental Benefits:

• Decreased carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas output

Interview

Neil Bellefeuille, Co- Founder