Video: Julia Roberts On The Importance Of Clean Cookstoves

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that I have a strong respect and admiration for the work that is being done by my friends at the Himalayan Stove Project. For the past few years, they have been delivering and installing clean cookstoves to the people of Nepal, where they have already changed the lives of thousands of people. A clean cookstove translates into better, healthier living, and the HSP is having a direct and immediate effect where ever they install their new stoves. Don't believe me? Take a look at the video below, which features Academy Award winning actress Julia Roberts, who is part of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. In the two-minute clip, she outlines exactly why this is an important cause.

In this season of giving, if you're looking for a great cause to contribute to, consider the Himalayan Stove Project. Your money will go directly to saving lives in the Himalaya, a part of the world that is practically the epicenter for adventure.

Donate To The Himalayan Stove Project For #GivingTuesday

With the holidays now upon us, the season of giving has arrived as well. If you're looking for a great cause to donate to this year, then I'd recommend you consider one of my favorite organizations, the Himalayan Stove Project. The purpose behind the HSP is simple. Its goal is to improve the health, and change the lives, of people living in the Himalaya by replacing their inefficient and inadequate cook stoves, with cleaning burning models that use less fuel. These stoves are better for the environment and produce far less smoke and other noxious fumes, substantially reducing the health risks that use the stoves on a daily basis.

The HSP can use your contributions to the cause at all times of the year, but come next Tuesday they will especially appreciate those donations. That's because they are taking part in #GivingTuesday (which follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday of course) during which all of our contributions will be matched on a 1-to-1 basis by another generous donor. To take part, all you have to do is text "STOVE" to 50155.

You can also help the cause while picking up some new gear for yourself at the same time. When you visit the Himalayan Stove Project's Supporters and Sponsors page you can get new gear from the like of Clothing Arts and Eastern Mountain Sports and with every purchase that is made, a donation is made to the HSP. We all know that EMS has all kinds of items we'd like to add to our personal gear closets, and Clothing Arts makes innovative clothing that can help keep your valuables safe while traveling.

One of the things that I love so much about the Himalayan Stove Project is that is is doing great work that has a direct impact on the lives of the people that they are trying to help. More than 1400 stoves have already been installed in homes across the Himalaya, dramatically changing the lives of the families that have received them. The HSP isn't trying to pursue some nebulous plan that could pay off at some point in the future, they're actually affecting change now. Our donations will go directly to helping further that cause, while saving lives at the same time.

I know that the holidays are a time when we're often busy and stretched thin. I also know that budgets are often tight as we search for the perfect gift for loved ones. But if you should find a little spare cash that you want to give to a good cause, consider making that cause the Himalayan Stove Project. They're doing great work in a part of the world that we all love.

Celebrate 50 Years Of American History On Everest With The Himalayan Stove Project

Without a doubt, 1963 was an incredibly important year in terms of American history on Everest. On May 1 of that year, Jim Whittaker made the first successful summit of the mountain by an American and three weeks later he was joined by Willi Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein who completed the first ascent along the difficult West Ridge. It was a season for the ages at a time when the number summits in any given year could be counted on two hands. It was a very different era on the world's tallest peak, before anyone ever used the words "over crowding" to describe the scene there. 

In 2013 we'll celebrate the 50th anniversaries of those historic climbs and I'm sure that next spring there will be plenty of pomp and circumstance surrounding the anniversary. But my friends over at the Himalayan Stove Project are kicking off the celebration early with a special fund raising event that will run for a very limited time. The organization is offering a special USA on Mount Everest poster that has been commissioned specifically for the HSP. 

Only 250 of the limited edition and numbered posters have been printed and they'll only be available while supplies last or until the end of December. The posters are available with a $250 donation to the Himalayan Stove Project, with all proceeds going directly towards delivering clean and efficient cook stoves to people living in Nepal. The organization has set a goal for itself of delivering 10,000 such stoves over the next five years and our contributions will help achieve that goal while dramatically altering lives at the same time. 

To make a contribution to this great cause, and get your hands on one of these beautiful posters, head over to the HSP donations page. This one of a kind print would make a fantastic gift for the Everest fanatic on your holiday list this year, but you'll want to order soon. These posters are likely to get snatched up very quickly and once they're gone, they're gone.