– Affecting Change, Building Community – |
Energy Alternatives for Haiti
The Haitian ContextIn Haiti, as in many other developing countries, cooking is the single most energy-consuming activity. Most of the energy used for cooking is derived from traditional charcoal, rather than from alternative and more efficient sources. The use of charcoal creates a range of problems for human and environmental health:
"Household air pollution (HAP) resulting from incomplete combustion of solid fuels, such as firewood and coal traditionally used for cooking and heating, affects nearly 3 billion people primarily in low-and middle income countries. HAP remains the greatest single environmental cause of early mortality, contributing to an estimated 4.3 million deaths in 2012 according to the World Health Organization (World Health Organization 2014). HAP’s high level of pollutants, including both particulate and chemical constituents, are associated with a range of health risks, including respiratory infections, chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, lung cancer, and eye disorders in adults, stillbirth, low birthweight, and impaired cognitive development in infants. Other dangers associated with traditional fires for cooking include injuries, (burn and scalds) and acts of violence suffered during fuel collection in zones of conflict."
The project will be working on an action plan to implement community-driven evaluation of various models of clean-energy cook stoves in South-East Haiti and to promote and distribute the most culturally and economically appropriate models. The project includes grassroots partners in rural Haiti. A successful clean cook stove project would simultaneously address issues of energy, environmental protection, climate, health and gender.
Video of CDi and Konpay's Visit to the University of Kentucky, September 2013 |
Demonstration Project at
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Some Facts on Forests
- Forests, including the last remaining forested areas in Haiti, are home to 80% of our terrestrial biodiversity
- The livelihoods of over 1.6 billion people globally depends on forests and forest products
- The world's forests store more than 1 trillion tons of carbon
- Deforestation accounts for 12 to 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions which contribute heavily to global warming