What's happening in household energy?

Adoption Barriers for Efficient Domestic Energy in Refugee Sites

From the UK Department for International Development (DFID) Knowledge and Research programme:

Demonstration of a rapid assessment method which identifies the cultural barriers to the adoption of efficient domestic energy practices within communities of displaced persons. This will enable aid organisations to introduce strategies more successfully that reduce fuelwood demand. The behaviour categories being studied are: Use of alternative fuels, firewood collection, woodlot planting, cooking methods, fire management, use of improved stoves, and use of fuel-efficient cooking utensils.

Contact: Dr Simon Batchelor, Gamos Ltd, 152 Cumberland Road, Reading RG1 3JY, U.K. Tel: +44 118 926 7039, Fax: +44 118935 1374, E-mail: simon@gamos.demon.co.uk

Poverty Alleviation Aspects of Household Stoves Programmes

From the UK DFID Knowledge and Research programme:

The aim of this new project is to study in detail the poverty alleviation, employment, and SME informal sector development effects of household improved stove programmes. It will determine systematically how successful these stoves are in saving households energy, thereby reducing their expenditures. It will also determine whether the commercial success of such stoves is matched by business success in terms of financial returns for producers and suppliers. In both instances, the objective will be to determine the poverty impact of commercially successful stove programmes in the long-term. The work will also examine the knock-on effects of improved stove programmes by looking at how other stove producers have coped in the wake of these stoves' successes (e.g. whether they have shifted to producing similar new stoves, etc.) and how charcoal suppliers, particularly urban market vendors, have fared in light of the commercial success of these stoves.

Information on ITDG programmes can be found on the inside back cover, and GTZ programmes are described on the centre pages

Contact: Alastair Gill, Energy for Sustainable Development Ltd. Over-moor Farm, Neston, Corsham, Wiltshire SN13 9TZ, U.K. Tel: +44 1225 816806, Fax: +44 1225812103, E-mail: alastair@esd.co.uk

Methods for measuring exposure of women and children to indoor smoke pollution in less developed countries; request for information

The exposure of very large numbers of women and children to smoke from cooking and other uses of stoves in the home is now recognised as a major cause of ill-health in many of the world's poorest countries. The World Health Organisation's Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development, with whom I am working, is looking at ways to reduce the health problems caused by this exposure. This was the subject of an article that I wrote in Boiling Point No 40 (1998) entitled 'Smoke from biomass and its effects on infants'. As part of this work, we wish to support the development of simple, low-cost, yet reasonably accurate methods of measuring exposure.

As a first step, we would like to find out more about the experience and needs of people working in the household energy field, and who are interested in this issue. This will help us determine the need for both technical assistance, and for further development of methods for assessing smoke exposure in the home. If you are carrying out this type of exposure assessment, or are thinking of doing so. I would very much like to hear from you. We are interested in your ideas and experience. whatever stage your work is at. This project is about developing methods that can be used routinely in development work, and not about laboratory-type research.

If this is at all relevant to your work, I would be grateful if you could get in contact, giving a contact name, address, and if possible, phone, fax, e-mail. Thank you.

Contact: Dr Nigel Bruce, Department of Public Health, University of Liverpool, Whelan Building, Quadrangle, Liverpool, L69 3GB, UK. Tel: +44-(0) 151-794-5576, Fax: +44-(0)151-794-5588 E-mail:ngb@liv.ac.uk

Invitation to join the HEDON network

Do you have email and wish you had more contact with others working in household energy?...then join the email list of the Household Energy Development Organisation's Network (HEDON)!

HEDON is an informal consultative forum dedicated to improving social, economic, and environmental conditions in the south, through promotion of local, national, regional and international initiatives in the household energy sector. It does this in two ways: By encouraging appreciation of, and support for, household energy programmes among decision-makers and the general public in developing and developed countries, and by enhancing the professional knowledge of individuals and organisational workers in the household energy sector.

In order to join you should be:

· working in the field of household energy (with interest in environment, health, technical development, dissemination, etc.)

· involved with less developed countries, urban and rural; and,

· involved in research, policy, or development work.

To receive details of how to join send an email to: hedon@energy. demon.nl or visit the HEDON web site at http://www.energy.demon.nl/hedon/

Indoor Air '99

Kirk Smith has let us know of this meeting, which will take place in Edinburgh, August 8-13, 1999. Further details can be found on web-site: http://www.ia99.org. Unfortunately, only a few percent of the 1000 or so papers and posters to be presented at the conference deal with developing-country household issues. Kirk will be giving a plenary speech on the study 'National Burden of Disease from Indoor Air Pollution in India'. Cost is expected to be around £500 UK

For registration details contact:

IA99, Suite 325, 36 Washington St, Glasgow G3 8AZ UK. Tel 44-141-221-5411; fax: 221-2411; ia99@concorde-uk.com

For scientific issues contact: Mrs. Claire Aizlewood, BRE, Garston, Watford, Herts, WD2 7JR, UK. Tel: 44-1923-664-123; Fax: 664-443; E-mail: IA99@bre.co.uk

Renewable Energy Development Activities at TaTEDO

The next three entries were taken from Renewable energy and environment news; the newsletter of TaTEDO (Traditional energy development and environment organization).

A new TaTEDO programme on Integrated Renewable Energy Development and Environment Conservation in Tanzania will be launched in July 1999. Contact: Mr E.N. Sawe, Executive Director, TaTEDO, PO Box 32794, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Fax: 255 (0)52-74400 E-mail<tatedo@raba.com>

ELCT-Solar Technologies Workshops

ELCT, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania has workshops in Lushoto, Lupembe and Mpwapwa for production of small solar lanterns and parabolic solar cookers of the type SKI 2 and SK14. ELCT is planning to open more of these workshops in the country in the near future. For more information contact:

ELCT, PO Box: 3033, Arusha, Tanzaniea. Tel: +255 (0)57 8855/7 Fax: +255- (0) 57-8858

World Environment Day

The Tanzanian national celebrations of this anual world-wide event will take place in Mwanza or Shinyanga on June 5th 1999. For more information contact: Director General, National Environment Management Council, PO Box 65154, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Tel: 0811 340049

Cree Industries

The amount of bio-waste available as a resource throughout the world is staggering. People continue to cut down trees, for fuel. My company Cree Industries compacts dry biomass (rice husks, shells, charcoal dust, sawdust, wood shavings, palm oil residues, peanut shells, coal dust, etc.) into small burnable logs (Sunlogs) which are burnt in an efficient inexpensive stove.

John Olsen. President. Cree Industries, 200- 100 Park Royal South, West Vancouver.B.C. V7T 1A2. CANADA. Telephone Fax (604) 533 4950 e mail; cree@dowco.com.ICQ #3209124.

Costich Company

Dale Costich builds the Goldstar compact fluorescent lights that can be seen at the website http://mem-bers.tripod.com/~costich. 'I build them with the highest quality components and they are used daily in my own off grid residence. They make great solar rechargeable lanterns, when powered by small nicad and nimh cells and are recharged from a 12vdc battery by my automatic buck charger.' For further details contact:

Costich Co. 15509 NE 129st Brush Prairie, Wa. 98606 USA

Field Research Program on Energy Technology, Health, and the Environment Integrated Risk and Decision Management The focus of our research is 'household ecology' that considers the links between human activity, human environment within and surrounding the home, cattle compounds, fuelwood resources, and public health. Our work emphasizes the role, of household energy technology (traditional and improved cook-stoves) in shaping the household environment, the impacts of the latter on human health, and the local knowledge of these issues.

Project Profile

Project Location

Mpala Ranch/Research Centre. Laikipia District, Kenya

Duration

1996-present

Households in the study group

80 (400 -500 persons)

Data collected

TSP*, CO**, health status, technology use, time-activity budget

Funding (available until the end of 1999)

Summit Foundation, Compton Foundation, ASAL Development Programme Laikipia District, SSRC, CIS, CRS. Funding needed for the coming year

* Total suspended particulates

** Carbon monoxide

Contacts: Majid Ezzati, Daniel M. Kammen, Bernard M. Mbinda, Mpala Research Centre, P.O. Box 555, Nanyuki, Laikipia, Kenya. E-mail: GMC@AfricaOnLine.co.ke.