In 2006, Brooklyn based designers Alec Drummond and Jonathan Cedar bonded over the philosophy of using smart design to solve real world problems. Frustrated by the fact that all camping stoves required fossil fuels, they hatched the idea for a wood-burning stove that could utilize its own thermal energy. After countless designs and prototypes, the first BioLite CampStove was born.

Every BioLite stove is equipped with a thermoelectric generator that converts heat from the fire into electricity. This powers a fan that blows air on the fire, improving combustion and reducing smoke by more than 90%. Excess electricity travels to a USB port, allowing you to charge devices like your phone, camera, and headlamp off the grid. And don’t forget, you can use it to cook dinner too.

Over half the world’s population still cooks over smoky, indoor fires, and many don’t have access to electricity. Breathing the smoke from these cooking fires leads to more deaths annually than aids and malaria combined. BioLite is on a mission to change this reality with a sustainable, market based approach. With the capital generated from recreational markets, BioLite is taking a home-use version of its stove to developing nations. The HomeStove is currently being piloted in India and Sub-Saharan Africa, giving its users access to clean cooking and electricity. Want to support the cause? The best way is to buy BioLite. By turning fire into electricity, the BaseCamp Stove supplies 5W electricity to a USB port and stores the power for later use. A feedback dashboard lets you know the strength of the fire and the amount of power being generated.

With the help of BioLite technology, you can use twigs picked up on the trail to charge devices, boil water, and grill burgers. Today, BioLite has grown to a team of over 30 engineers and designers, all committed to developing technologies that make the world a better, cleaner place. They believe that clean energy is all around us; we just need the tools to harness it. In addition to cook stoves, BioLite has developed a line of products for power storage, lighting, and even a kettle that turns hot water into a charge for your phone.