TRANSFORMING 
LIVES
one clean cookstove at a time

George Basch

(1937 - 2024)

Friends:
For those who have not yet heard, it is with a heavy heart that I share some very sad news. George Basch, the Founder of Champions of the Planet and Himalayan Stove Project, passed away Friday, 23 February 2024, just two weeks shy of his 87th birthday. He was killed in a head-on collision driving home to his beloved Taos from his former home base in Phoenix where he was visiting for his annual physical and given a clean bill of health. The accident was not his fault. He reportedly died instantly and did not suffer. His final week was spent joyfully with friends. Below is the last photo taken of him during an early birthday celebration. His last text exchange was with his beloved son, Chris.
George and I enjoyed a standing weekly zoom chat during which he spoke of his adventures with and memories of you all. Thank you for making his life magical. I am so very sorry for your loss. Please feel free to reach out to me for anything you may need. 
Celebration of Life details will follow as soon as we have them
Heather Hendrix
Cel: (480) 221-0908
Tel:  (480) 507-0908
Fax: (480) 323-2708
mylawyer@hendrixlaw.com

Himalayan Stove Project (HSP)


HSP is a humanitarian & philanthropic non-profit, dedicated to preserving the Himalayan environment and improving the health of the people living in the trans-Himalayan region. We purchase clean-burning, fuel efficient cookstoves and distribute them to families currently cooking on traditional stoves or over open-fire pits that require excessive amounts of precious fuel and pollute the indoor air to dangerously unhealthy levels. Replacing these stoves with our donated, fuel efficient, stoves greatly reduces carbon emissions, fuel-need and indoor air pollution. 
Video By Wendy Shuey, Original Music by Ryan Beckwith 

The Himalayan Stove Project was founded in 2010. Our stoves were manufactured in China, and the Covid epidemic disrupted that, with no clear picture when, or even if, it could be restarted.
 
We reluctantly chose to wind down the project. 

During the decade of its existence, we delivered over 6,5OO stoves throughout Nepal, which had a multi-generational impact on over 5O, OOO people. “Multigenerational” in the sense that youngsters could start school earlier, rather than gathering firewood, and achieve better educations and even higher levels, thereby raising them, and their communities, up to higher achievement

Their mothers benefited also. Improved health because of less exposure to polluting smoke, and less time spent in food preparation, so that they could do more meaningful things like community development, interacting with their peers, and generally leading a fuller, more productive and enriching life.

We, together, MADE A DIFFERENCE and should all be very proud!
Rather than just resting on our laurels, we pivoted to addressing the existential
problem facing our planet, the Climate Crisis, in the hope that we, together as a global community, could make a difference.

Please follow the link to our new website, Champions of the Planet, and join the army of Climate Warriors who are making a difference at the personal and family level.
Let’s ALL live a more environmentally conscious life.
YOUR ACTIONS WILL SHAPE THE WORLD.

“Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”
-Howard Zinn

You probably know this already, but since the 1850’s our planet has been warming because increasing human activity has been putting a blanket of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. That insulating blanket must be drawn down to mitigate the destructive impact of global warming. Easier said than done, but there are solutions. Please become a Climate Warrior and use the Champions of the Planet website as a resource, a place to find information that will guide you towards actionable steps you can take to help fight climate change.

We’re not buying and delivering stoves, but we ARE making a difference, and that
takes time and staff. If you’re moved to help us financially you can make a US tax deductible donation using the button below. Thank you.


DONATE NOW

Before Envirofit 
Clean
CookStove

Same House, 
10 Minutes After 
Installation

We are a proud non-profit partner


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