10 of Dymphna’s highlights from 2018
2018 was my first year at the Clean Cooking Alliance, and what an exciting year it's been! Here are some of my highlights:
Joining the Clean Cooking Alliance
I was privileged to succeed Radha Muthiah as CEO of the Clean Cooking Alliance, an organization established in 2010 to support the development, sale, distribution, and consistent use of clean cooking solutions that transform lives by improving health, protecting the climate and environment, empowering women, and helping families save time and money.
Announcing the 2018 Woman Entrepreneur of the Year
During my second week on the job, I was honored to announce Chebet Lesan, the founder of Kenyan enterprise BrightGreen, as the winner of the Alliance’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Alliance Leadership Council member Honorable Minister Alima Mahama of Ghana and I presented the award to Chebet at the SEforAll Forum in Portugal.
Hosting an all-staff retreat
In June, the Alliance hosted its 2018 all-staff retreat and brought team members from around the world together for a week of strategy meetings and team building.
Speaking at the UN High-Level Political Forum
This year’s United Nations High-Level Political Forum, which focused on Sustainable Development Goal 7, prominently featured clean cooking, thanks in large part to the work of the Alliance and partners. I had the pleasure of speaking at the UN about the importance of enhancing women's leadership and involvement throughout the energy sector.
Clean Cooking at the Global Climate Action Summit
During the Global Climate Action Summit in September, I spoke on a panel with Alliance Leadership Council members Gina McCarthy and Kathy Calvin about the climate impacts of traditional cooking. Did you know that up to 25% of black carbon emissions, the second largest contributor to climate change, come from burning solid fuels for cooking and heating in homes?
Visiting partners in China
In October, I visited Alliance partners in China and heard first-hand from women in Zhejiang province how the Alliance’s pilot project is impacting them. Members of the community shared how the improved biomass pellet stoves are making them feel healthier, reducing the amount of fuel they need, and saving them time.
Rolling out the Alliance's new brand
The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves rebranded as the Clean Cooking Alliance this fall, updating its messaging and logo to continue to elevate the issue of clean cooking. Alliance champion Julia Roberts released a new PSA, premiered at the WHO’s First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, to underline that no one’s life should be limited by how they cook.
Co-hosting the first-ever Clean Cooking Investment Forum
The Alliance co-hosted with partners its inaugural Clean Cooking Investment Forum in November, which convened over 250 business leaders, investors, donors, and government representatives from over 40 countries to collaborate on the development of a global and sustainable clean cooking industry at scale. The Alliance is looking forward to ramping up our private sector engagement in the coming months, using our convening power to support models which can ultimately attract the billions of dollars in investments required to make clean cooking accessible to all.
Meeting with clean cooking businesses from around the world
Since joining the Alliance, I have spent a lot of time talking to and visiting with clean cooking enterprises. Recognizing that no single stove, no single fuel, no single business model will address this issue at scale, the Alliance is committed to supporting enterprises across value chains in building an industry that makes clean cooking accessible to the three billion people who live each day without it.
Volunteering at the Capital Area Food Bank
To close out the year, we’ve come full circle, with the Alliance team volunteering at the Capital Area Foodbank with Radha, where she is now the CEO. At the Alliance, we believe no one’s life should be limited by how they cook, and it was a privilege to join the Foodbank in making healthy food accessible to those who need it closer to home.