Berkeley Air is carrying out a research project entitled, “Effectiveness of improved cookstoves (ICS) in regular cooking in reducing the exposure to indoor air pollution compared to traditional stoves” in Bangladesh. We aim to assess the effectiveness of improved cooking technologies in reducing personal levels of exposure to indoor air pollution, which impacts the respiratory health of families. The project…
The primary goal of this project was to evaluate the effects of four behavior change interventions in Kenya, Bangladesh, and Nigeria on the purchase of modern cookstoves and fuels as well as determinants of behaviors, such as knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and intentions. The interventions used behavior change communications (BCC) that aimed to accelerate clean cooking markets by increasing awareness and…
Berkeley Air is coordinating the air quality and stove usage monitoring effort for the study. The randomized controlled trial is assessing the health effects of LPG stove interventions in 3,200 households in Rwanda, Guatemala, India, and Peru. Overall, the study goal is to provide evidence regarding potential health benefits of reduced HAP exposure, and evidence, including costs and implementation strategies,…
In this project Berkeley Air applied technical field testing methods to explore questions about adoption and fuel efficiency for a group of improved cookstoves in Nepal that were being evaluated as part of the United States Agency for International Development-funded WASHplus project: Assessment of Nepal Consumer Needs, Preferences, and Willingness to Pay for Improved Cookstoves. Berkeley Air initially trained and…
Under the USAID-funded WASHplus project (primarily led by FHI-360 and Winrock International), Berkeley Air conducted two technical sub-studies to compare five improved wood-burning cookstoves to the traditional cookstove.
Berkeley Air Monitoring Group and the United States Environmental Protection Agency in association with Winrock International conducted Kitchen Performance Test (KPT) Workshops and field campaigns in Uganda (Kampala) in July/August 2012, Benin (Cotonou) in July 2013, and India (Gujarat) in August 2013.
Berkeley Air authored a peer-reviewed article on modeling indoor air pollution (IAP) from fuel/cookstove combinations using a Monte Carlo single-box model.
Under the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air, the USEPA sponsored Berkeley Air to conduct KPT trainings and studies for Partner programs in India (First Energy), Nepal (Centre for Rural Technology, Alternative Energy Promotion Center), and Peru (GIZ-EnDev, SENCICO). In-home emissions measurements of greenhouse gases and health-damaging pollutants were also made in Nepal and India.
Berkeley Air partnered with the Shell Foundation to assess the real-word impact of its Breathing Space Programme (BSP), which is promoting a range of improved biomass stoves through its implementing partner Envirofit International.
Berkeley Air partnered with the World Health Organization, the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air (under the auspices of the US Environmental Protection Agency), and the Pan American Health Organization to conduct three regional technical capacity building workshops on indoor air pollution and household energy monitoring for WHO national affiliates and other professionals in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.