Healthy Homes and Communities

Purpose of the Initiative: The Healthy Homes and Communities partnership, is one of three programs under the U.S. Government’s “Clean Energy Initiative (CEI): Powering Sustainable Development from Village to Metropolis”, launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa September 2002. The CEI aims to provide millions of people in the developing world with access to affordable, reliable, clean, healthy, and efficient energy services (see www.state.gov/g/oes/rls/fs/2002/16387.htm). The Healthy Homes and Communities Initiative, led by the Environmental Protection Agency, focuses on concrete steps to reduce the health impacts of energy use. Poor air quality is related to approximately 3 million deaths each year. The Healthy Homes and Communities initiative comprises two partnerships (Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles and the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air) and targets the leading sources of indoor and outdoor air pollution.

Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles: This global partnership will address urban air pollution from motor vehicles by seeking to eliminate lead in gasoline and to reduce sulfur in diesel and gasoline, while concurrently adopting cleaner vehicle technologies. The Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles will initially focus on:

Helping developing countries to develop action plans to complete the global elimination of leaded gasoline and start to phase down sulphur in diesel and gasoline fuels, concurrent with adopting cleaner vehicle requirements;

Supporting the development and adoption of cleaner fuel standards and cleaner vehicle requirements by providing a platform for exchange of experiences and successful practices in developed and developing countries as well as technical assistance;

Developing public outreach materials, educational programs, and awareness campaigns; adapt economic and planning tools for clean fuels and vehicles analyses in local settings; and support the development of enforcement and compliance programs, with an initial focus on fuel adulteration; and

Fostering key partnerships between government, industry, NGOs, and other interested parties within a country and between countries to facilitate the implementation of cleaner fuel and vehicle commitments.

Partnership for Clean Indoor Air: Seeks to reduce the serious health effects associated with elevated indoor levels of smoke by increasing access to affordable, reliable, clean, and efficient home cooking and heating techniques. The Partnership for Clean Indoor Air will initially focus on:

Social/Behavioral Barriers: develop locally targeted training modules for community and local public health leaders to identify strategies to understand and modify behavior patterns to overcome the cultural barriers regarding use of traditional fuels and stoves;

Market Development: support development of local business models and markets for improved cooking technology, including development of micro-finance and other financial assistance options to develop local business and spur investments;

Technology Design: identify and develop design guidelines or standards for efficient cooking and heating technologies and ventilation systems and;

Health Effects: refine knowledge of health effects of indoor cooking and heating practices in a variety of settings (e.g., fuel type, stove type, ventilation system).

Resources: The US government has committed $1.5 million for the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air and $1.4 million for the Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles for FY 2003.

Partners:

Clean Indoor Air: Governments: Canada, Commission for Central American Development (CCAD, for Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize), Italy, Mexico, Mozambique, South Africa, USA; Private Sector: LPG Association of Southern Africa,; Civil Society: Colorado State University Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory, Global Environment and Technology Foundation, HELPS International, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Shell Foundation, UC/Berkeley’s Renewable and Appropriate Energy Lab, Winrock International; International Organizations: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), World Bank, World Health Organization (WHO).

Clean Fuels and Vehicles: Countries: Australia, Botswana, Canada, Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD, for Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize), Chile, China, Ghana, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Mali, Mozambique, the Netherlands, Nigeria, South Africa, USA, Zambia, Zimbabwe; Private Sector: Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, American Honda, American Petroleum Institute, Association of European Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA), Association for Emission Control by Catalyst, Association of Intl. Automobile Manufacturers, BP Products North America Inc., Engine Manufacturers Association, Ethyl, International Fuel Quality Center (IFQC), International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Assn (IPIECA), International Truck and Engine, Japan Automobile Manufacturer's Association, Lubrizol Corporation, Manufacturers of Emission Control Association (MECA), Petrobras, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers; Civil Society: Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, Environmental and Energy Technology and Policy Institute, Global Environmental Technology Foundation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense; International Organizations: Pan American Health Organization, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Partnership Efforts to Date:

Clean Fuels and Vehicles: The Partners met for the first time at UN Headquarters in New York on 14 and 15 November to discuss and develop the implementation arrangements for the Partnership. With support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the partnership established a Clearing House in March 2003 at UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi to:

Collect, share and disseminate information on relevant issues;

Operate and maintain a website for the Partnership;

Provide logistic and administrative support for the Partnership;

Maintain contacts in developing countries; and

Liaise with related groups and develop new partners (especially developing countries)

Three working groups are addressing technical issues on octane requirements, sulphur and vehicle emissions, and valve seat recession and developing consensus information for partners and developing country governments. Several Regional workshops have been held on lead phase-out. A fourth workshop is planned for Southern Africa in Zambia in October, 2003.. A workshop for refiners is being developed and the partnership is exploring low-sulfur diesel retrofit programs for India and for Mexico.

Clean Indoor Air Partnership: EPA will convene the inaugural meeting of the Partnership on May 9, at the US Mission in New York following the CSD11 Partnership Fair. Objectives of the workshop are to formalize the partnership, develop a mission statement, discuss and develop the implementation arrangements for the Partnership, including discussing a strategy for selecting pilot projects for the fall. Additional objectives will be pursued, time permitting, including presenting case studies from existing projects to highlight lessons learned and successful locally based implementation strategies, establishing selection criteria for pilot projects, and presenting approaches to identifying and developing criteria for appropriate technology design. In addition, leading indoor air researchers and other interested partners will meet in conjunction with the Global Health Council Conference in Washington, DC in May 2003.

EPA will fund the preparation of an overview of past and current international cooking and heating initiatives in Africa, Asia and Latin America. This report will include: lessons learned from past and current efforts; successful locally based implementation strategies; and high-risk, sites. The partnership will select and fund approximately three to six pilot projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Pilot projects will begin by Fall 2003 and will demonstrate effective strategies for addressing the four core dimensions noted above. EPA, in collaboration with other partners, will develop and conduct workshops for community and public health leaders in each of the pilot countries to overcome the social/behavioral barriers and generate private and public sector commitment/ action to implementing improved cooking and heating practices. In collaboration with the WHO and other technical experts, regional workshops will be conducted to build capacity in exposure assessment, health outcome assessment, stove efficiency, market development, and other important aspects of project implementation.

USG Points of Contact:

Clean Fuels and Vehicles Partnership: Jane Metcalfe, Environmental Protection Agency (Phone: 202/564-6451, E-Mail: Metcalfe.jane@epa.gov);
Partnership for Clean Indoor Air: Brenda Doroski, Environmental Protection Agency, (Phone: 202/564-9764, E-Mail: doroksi.Brenda@epa.gov)

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