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Thanks for the feedback Andrew,<br>
<br>
This is the type of information that I would like to know (or at
least consider) before I attempt to rush into anything.<br>
<br>
Just like with any attempt to market a "stove" (or biomass "BBQ"
or other "heating device" that makes Biochar) in North America,
there are many more complications (regulations) to overcome here
than in many/most of the "developing nations" -- which I think one
could even argue is one of the determinants that defines the
difference between "developing" and "developed" (i.e. the
sophistication of the governmental system and its regulations, rules
and, especially, the enforcement mechanisms -- which includes the
ability of regional government offices to <i><b>monitor and enforce</b></i>
environmental standards and/or the amount of <i><b>corruption</b></i>
within those same offices).<br>
<br>
You are correct, of course, that there may be certain <i><b>chemicals</b></i>
that need to be taken into consideration, especially where the water
supply is contaminated by mining operations, whether they be trace
metals that result from Acid Mine Drainage (AMD), Heavy Metal
Contamination & Leaching, cyanide, sulphuric acid or simply
excessive sediment.<br>
<br>
The point is that chronic illness from gastrointestinal (and
respiratory) diseases is <i><b>much higher</b></i> within
Aboriginal populations in Canada, indicating both chronic <i>nutritional</i>
and <b><i>water-quality problems</i></b>.<br>
<br>
A Health and Welfare study in Manitoba, for instance, found that
Aboriginals were <i><b>four times</b></i> more likely to be
hospitalized for infectious or parasitic disease and <i><b>twice
as likely</b></i> to be hospitalized for gastrointestinal
infections (even though the rate for cancer was lower).<br>
<br>
A <a
href="http://dspace.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10214/2023/Harper%20Complete%20Thesis_final.pdf?sequence=1">study
by S.L. Harper</a> at the University of Guelph in 2009 found that
"<i><b>Climate change is expected to cause changes in precipitation
and runoff patterns, likely increasing the risk of waterborne
infectious disease in some areas.</b></i>"<br>
<br>
The problem is that there are gaps in Aboriginal health statistics
and research, so it is difficult to study Aboriginal-specific health
trends. In Canada, ~30-50% of Aboriginal communities are <i><b>only
accessible by air</b></i>, and so the remote location of these
communities often limits access to health care in the first place,
and this also compromises the ability to collect adequate data on
community health, so some of the health information captured by
national databases and registries is thought to substantially <u>under-estimate</u>
true rates of Aboriginal disease.<br>
<br>
In Canada, public concerns about drinking water quality were
elevated by a major waterborne outbreak of two pathogens (E. coli
O157:H7 and Campylobacter) that occurred in Walkerton, Ontario in
2000. There are few published studies that focus on safe drinking
water in Aboriginal communities even though there are anecdotal
reports that they have experienced many more water problems than
others in Canada. Note that Aboriginals are <i><b>90 times</b></i>
less likely to have access to piped water than non-Aboriginal
Canadians and access to <i><b>safe</b></i> piped water is still
problematic in the few Aboriginal communities that have piped water.<br>
<br>
Of course, in Canada, "<i><b>Boil Water Advisories</b></i>" (BWA)
are actually <u>very common</u>, even outside of First Nations
communities and reserves. A study in May , 2008 by the <i><b>Canadian
Medical Association</b></i> found that there were more than 1760
provincial boil-water advisories in effect in communities and
neighbourhoods across Canada. (In the south, boil-water advisories
are normally issued for reasons ranging from adverse taste to high
coliform count to a breakdown in chlorination equipment, but are
generally taken care of rather quickly in comparison to the remote
communities. The issue also comes down to cost. If a system is not
part of a municipal infrastructure, many people are loath to pay to
improve treatment.)<br>
<br>
There is actually a nice service we have here in Canada that
shows the current number of BWAs in communities across Canada on an
online Map: <a href="http://www.water.ca/map-graphic.asp">http://www.water.ca/map-graphic.asp</a>
(The "<i><b>National Water Advisory Map</b></i>")<br>
Click on any province (the yellow circle) and you will get a
Google Map that shows the current BWAs in effect.<br>
It is a nice graphic that highlights just how prevalent the
problem is in Canada -- you will notice the number of Northern and
remote communities with BWAs is rather substantial, and although the
number in the south is just as high (or higher), these problems [in
southern communities] are generally taken care of (by
municipalities) in short order, while the ones in the North may be
under the advisory for <i><b>years</b></i>.<br>
<br>
One recent review reported that over 25% of available drinking
water in Inuit communities was not considered suitable for drinking.
Aboriginal communities report a very high frequency (relative to
their population) and <b>long durations</b> of BWA.<br>
<br>
BWAs are meant to be "temporary" measures to protect the public’s
health against waterborne illnesses, but BWAs in Aboriginal
communities are not always temporary and indicate some underlying
problems that are not being resolved.<br>
<br>
One study found a total of <b>127 boil water advisories</b> were
issued, and the median duration of <i>un-revoked</i> BWAs was <i><b>three
years </b></i>on Northwest Ontario Aboriginal reserves, between
2002 and 2007 -- and as of Feb. 29, 2008, there were boil-water
advisories in place in 93 First Nations communities. (Right now
there are a total of 94 BWAs across the entire province.) Three of
these communities had un-revoked BWAs that were over<i><b> six years
old</b></i>, which led to some residents consuming un-boiled
water despite the advisory.<br>
<br>
As a result, Inuit infant mortality rates are more than twice as
high as average Canadians, Aboriginal post-neonatal mortality rates
are up to 5 times higher, and life expectancies are the shortest of
all Canadians.<br>
Another study in Manitoba found that the incidence of <i>shigellosis</i>
(an acute bacterial infection of the lining of the intestines) was
29 times higher on First Nations reserves than other areas in the
province.<br>
<br>
The issue about "privatization of water treatment and
distribution" comes mostly from the <i><b>Council of Canadians</b></i>,
but also from the <i><b>Federation of Canadian Municipalities</b></i>
and <i><b>Sierra Club</b></i> and others. It has a lot more to do
with the rules under NAFTA than it has to do with any kind of
ideological stance against privately run water systems (although
there are definitely some arguments that can be made against
it***). Some locally-owned private water systems will likely work
well for some communities.<br>
(The problem can come when the <i><b>international water
corporations</b></i> (like Suez, Veolia or RWE) come in and take
control of the local water systems, thus possibly removing local
control over the water resources themselves -- which could affect
these "water rights"...)<br>
<br>
***P.S. you say that privately run water systems "are not uncommon
in the developing world".<br>
This may be true, but they don't always work well to provide for
people.<br>
A report from Columbia university, for instance, says that (for a
number of reasons),<br>
<blockquote> "<i>it is not entirely clear that the provision of
water services is a suitable market for private companies. Nor
is it apparent that privatization is the correct prescription to
cure developing countries water woes.</i>"<br>
<a
href="http://www.columbia.edu/%7Ets2392/files/Foshee_et_al_Hydrology_Paper.pdf">http://www.columbia.edu/~ts2392/files/Foshee_et_al_Hydrology_Paper.pdf</a><br>
</blockquote>
Thus, I think that it is debatable whether privately run water
systems are the answer in either the developing or the developed
world. (With private companies, there is definitely a strong issue
that <i><b>profits</b></i> are valued over <i><b>public good</b></i>...)<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72"> Lloyd Helferty, Engineering Technologist
Principal, Biochar Consulting (Canada)
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.biochar-consulting.ca">www.biochar-consulting.ca</a>
603-48 Suncrest Blvd, Thornhill, ON, Canada
905-707-8754; 647-886-8754 (cell)
Skype: lloyd.helferty
Steering Committee member, Canadian Biochar Initiative
President, Co-founder & CBI Liaison, Biochar-Ontario
Advisory Committee Member, IBI
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1404717">http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1404717</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42237506675">http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42237506675</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://groups.google.com/group/biochar-ontario">http://groups.google.com/group/biochar-ontario</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.meetup.com/biocharontario/">http://www.meetup.com/biocharontario/</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://grassrootsintelligence.blogspot.com">http://grassrootsintelligence.blogspot.com</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.biochar.ca">www.biochar.ca</a>
Biochar Offsets Group: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2446475">http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2446475</a>
"Necessity may be the mother of invention, but innovators need to address problems before they become absolute necessities..."</pre>
<br>
On 2011-04-08 5:45 PM, Andrew C. Parker wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:op.vtm2p40muoov7l@user-8ezctxe031" type="cite">Lloyd,
<br>
<br>
Depending on Canada's regulatory burden, the Jompy may or may not
meet requirements. Making water safe to drink often requires far
more than simply sterilizing it. EPA regulations in the US
require that culinary water not exceed maximum allowed
concentrations for a multitude of chemicals and minerals. To
comply, water companies (public or private, profit or non-profit)
must use filtration/reverse osmosis (a Canadian company markets an
excellent municipal water treatment system), distillation, and/or
mixing.
<br>
<br>
I have trouble seeing the demon in privatization of water
treatment and distribution. Water may be "free" but collection,
treatment and distribution of free water, and the subsequent
collection, treatment and release of sewage, costs somebody money
and it must be reimbursed.
<br>
<br>
I recognize that water rights may present complications. If First
Nations already hold water rights, they certainly ought to
maintain them, however, there should be a structure that would be
acceptable to a company willing to simply treat and distribute
water. Such structures are not uncommon in the developing world.
<br>
<br>
<br>
Andrew Parker
<br>
<br>
<br>
On Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:20:14 -0600, Lloyd Helferty
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:lhelferty@sympatico.ca"><lhelferty@sympatico.ca></a> wrote:
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Crispin,
<br>
<br>
It's easy enough to create a*"short and hot" flame* from a
biomass gasifier.
<br>
It was recently demonstrated for us in Illinois by Hugh
McLaughlin
<br>
using one of his TinCan TLUD's (see photo).
<br>
(Note: With very simple device made out of tin cans, which
<br>
was/fan-powered/, the flame was very hot, but no more than an
inch or so
<br>
tall...)
<br>
<br>
P.S. I am hoping to help get devices like the Jompy into Canada
--
<br>
especially for our many isolated Northern communities (First
Nations**),
<br>
who continue to deal with many water issues.
<br>
(We might wish to discuss this further sometime.)
<br>
<br>
** As highlighted by the /*Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs*/,
<br>
<br>
“The lack of safe drinking water to First Nation
communities is
<br>
not caused by a lack of regulations. The lack of safe
drinking water
<br>
is cause by a*lack of infrastructure, financial resources
and
<br>
technical expertise* to ensure the safety of the water
supply.”
<br>
<br>
<br>
P.S. There is even a Proposed /*Safe Drinking Water for First
Nations
<br>
Act*/ (Bill S-11) before parliament right now.
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/enr/wtr/esp/bll-eng.asp">http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/enr/wtr/esp/bll-eng.asp</a>
<br>
<br>
The proposed legislation also addresses recommendations made
by the
<br>
/*Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development*/
(Office of
<br>
the Auditor General), the /*Expert Panel on Safe Drinking Water
for
<br>
First Nations*/, and the /*Senate Standing Committee on
Aboriginal
<br>
Peoples*/.
<br>
<br>
The/*Expert Panel on Safe Drinking Water for First Nations*/,
<br>
established in June 2006, was one of the principal components of
the
<br>
federal government’s March 2006 /*Plan of Action for Drinking
Water in
<br>
First Nations Communities*/. The Panel held a series of public
hearings
<br>
across Canada throughout the summer of 2006 and tabled its
report in
<br>
November 2006.
<br>
<br>
Following the introduction of Bill S-11, the /*Assembly of First
<br>
Nations*/ issued a press release stating that the proposed
legislation
<br>
"/will *not* meet the objective of ensuring First Nations have
access to
<br>
safe drinking water/".
<br>
The /*Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development*/
already
<br>
defines "priority communities" as those communities that have
both
<br>
/*high-risk drinking water systems*/ and a /drinking water
advisory/.
<br>
(Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) is just concluding a
<br>
_national assessment of First Nation water and sanitation
systems_,
<br>
which will be released soon...)
<br>
<br>
The Bill has gone through 2nd Reading in the House of Commons
and
<br>
their last meeting was March 9, 2011, but now that there is an
election
<br>
everything is on hold. They still have to come up with a
Committee
<br>
Report and the Report has to go through Presentation and
Debate(s)
<br>
before going through a 3rd Reading before the Act comes into
force,
<br>
which will likely be well /after the election/.
<br>
<br>
My hope is that with the introduction of devices like the
Jompy that
<br>
we can help to */prevent/ the privatization of water
infrastructure in
<br>
First Nation communities* by Governments that are intent on
finding
<br>
"solutions" but don't have the budgets to build major water
<br>
infrastructure in all of these remote communities of the North,
<br>
especially given the constrained budgets of /all/ Governments
(and
<br>
communities) right now.
<br>
(Note: The existing legislation essentially allows for "a
private,
<br>
for-profit entity to build, operate and/or manage its water and
<br>
wastewater services" in First Nation communities.)
<br>
see: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://canadians.org/water/documents/FN/Bill-S11.pdf">http://canadians.org/water/documents/FN/Bill-S11.pdf</a>
<br>
<br>
*Risk of Water Privatization in First Nation Communities*
<br>
Subsection 4. (1)(c)(iii) states that “regulations may
confer on any
<br>
person or body the power, exercisable in specified
circumstances and
<br>
subject to specified conditions, to require a first nation
to enter
<br>
into an agreement for the management of its drinking water
system or
<br>
waste water system in cooperation with a third party.”
<br>
<br>
We are extremely concerned that this clause could open the
door to
<br>
water privatization in First Nation communities. This
subsection
<br>
provides the Canadian government with the power to force a
First
<br>
Nation community to allow a private, for-profit entity to
build,
<br>
operate and/or manage its water and wastewater services. To
be clear
<br>
this clause alone does not guarantee the privatization of
water and
<br>
wastewater services in First Nation communities. However,
given
<br>
the/*lack of funding commitments in Bill S-11*/, this clause
<br>
facilitates water privatization on reserves.
<br>
Given federal financing trends and the negotiation of a
trade
<br>
agreement between Canada and the European Union, it is
possible that
<br>
the operationalization of this clause in the current
economic and
<br>
political context will lead privatization in some First
Nation
<br>
communities.
<br>
<br>
Canada is an enigma. We are considered a "first world" nation,
yet *the
<br>
social, economic, and demographic characteristics* of remote
/*Inuit,
<br>
Aboriginal and First Nations communities*/ in Canada often
*mirror those
<br>
in /developing nations/*.
<br>
<br>
These remote, Northern communities are often challenged by
limited
<br>
access to health services, low socio-economic status, high
unemployment,
<br>
crowded and poor-quality housing, low educational achievement,
and in
<br>
particular, concerns regarding basic services such as *drinking
water
<br>
quality and sanitation*.
<br>
<br>
Multiple Canadian Government agencies are tasked with looking
after
<br>
the people of the North. These include "*Indian and Northern
Affairs
<br>
Canada*", "*Health Canada*" and the "*Public Health Agency of
Canada*",
<br>
among others (yes, Canada does have /*two [2] _separate and
autonomous_
<br>
Health Agencies*/... see: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca">http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca</a>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/"><http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/></a> and <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca">http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca</a>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/"><http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/></a>).
<br>
<br>
It is now understood that conventional technologies for
drinking
<br>
water treatment are no longer considered adequate for ensuring
the
<br>
delivery of potable water to the communities of Northern Canada.
This is
<br>
particularly true in smaller, more remote communities, where the
<br>
infrastructure for *treatment of* both *drinking water* and
<br>
*wastewater*** is often limited and can be /*very expensive*/.
<br>
<br>
**Note: *Wastewater treatment solutions* for the North could
also
<br>
include technologies like /*Biochar Composting Toilets*/...
<br>
<br>
"Source water protection" is a relatively new concept for
these
<br>
communities, and is NOT helped by the fact that most of the
/*extractive
<br>
industries*/ [i.e. *mining*] is done in the North, and is very
loosely
<br>
regulated, if at all.
<br>
(Most mining laws and policies in Canada do not allow for
local
<br>
populations to consent (or not) to mining projects that will
affect
<br>
their communities and environment. see:
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.yorku.ca/cerlac/EI/papers/Lapointe.pdf">http://www.yorku.ca/cerlac/EI/papers/Lapointe.pdf</a>)
<br>
<br>
Thus, most of the Indigenous communities in Canada’s North
have some
<br>
kind of */problems with drinking water quality /*that will
continue to
<br>
be experienced in the communities of Northern Canada for years
(and
<br>
perhaps decades to come -- as a result of the legacy of /*toxic
waste
<br>
disposal*/), which highlights the need for*simple and
inexpensive clean
<br>
water technologies* as a "back up" to the local water treatment
systems
<br>
in these communities, since /centralized water treatment/ alone
cannot
<br>
be relied upon to protect human health.
<br>
(The residents of at hundreds of aboriginal reserves must
boil their
<br>
water before it is safe to drink.
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2008/04/07/boil-advisory.html">http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2008/04/07/boil-advisory.html</a>)
<br>
<br>
"Ninety people in Canada die and another *90,000* get sick
from
<br>
drinking contaminated water each year."
<br>
<br>
Some reserves have been under */boil-water advisories/* for
_years_.
<br>
Amazingly, Canada does not have national drinking water
quality standards.
<br>
<br>
A recent paper released by the */Sierra Legal Defence Fund/*
reported
<br>
"/major drinking water concerns in First Nations communities and
all
<br>
northern regions where drinking water treatment technologies are
often
<br>
inadequate or poorly maintained/".
<br>
<br>
Compounding the difficulties in protecting sources of
drinking water
<br>
is the reality that wastewater treatment systems that work in
the south
<br>
are often /*not appropriate for use in the far north*/.
(Wastewater in
<br>
the North is presently discharged to lagoons or natural wetlands
that
<br>
are often _/frozen/_ for much of the year.)
<br>
<br>
The people of the North are in need of simple technological
solutions
<br>
for the treatment of drinking water, which could become an
important
<br>
tool for ensuring outbreaks of disease in these communities does
not
<br>
recur due to contaminated drinking water issues.
<br>
<br>
Any drinking water treatment technology that is used must
also be
<br>
easily adopted by northern (Indigenous) communities (in order to
ensure
<br>
long-term sustainability).
<br>
<br>
Regards,
<br>
<br>
Lloyd Helferty, Engineering Technologist
<br>
Principal, Biochar Consulting (Canada)
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.biochar-consulting.ca">www.biochar-consulting.ca</a>
<br>
603-48 Suncrest Blvd, Thornhill, ON, Canada
<br>
905-707-8754; 647-886-8754 (cell)
<br>
Skype: lloyd.helferty
<br>
Steering Committee member, Canadian Biochar Initiative
<br>
President, Co-founder& CBI Liaison, Biochar-Ontario
<br>
Advisory Committee Member, IBI
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1404717">http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1404717</a>
<br>
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<br>
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<br>
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<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://grassrootsintelligence.blogspot.com">http://grassrootsintelligence.blogspot.com</a>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.biochar.ca">www.biochar.ca</a>
<br>
<br>
Biochar Offsets Group:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2446475">http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2446475</a>
<br>
"Necessity may be the mother of invention, but innovators need
to address problems before they become absolute necessities..."
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 2011-04-08 3:55 AM, Crispin Pemberton-Pigott wrote:
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Dear Christa
<br>
<br>
Good to hear from you.
<br>
<br>
I wondered what Marlis was up to in the highlands.
<br>
<br>
Still looking forward to making my first trip to Madagascar.
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">the Swiss NGO ADES ran with the idea
and started making pot supports in 2009, but I only saw
the first stove in Switzerland last year (see photos). I
don't know the cost but it is affordable.
<br>
</blockquote>
This looks like a great way to create a tapered gas space
under the pot. If you remember the guy with the water heating
coil (Jompy, UK?)...there is a guy Werner Schultz in Namibia
making stoves for his staff that have a coiled pipe inside the
stove body. Such a pipe could be cast into a stove top like
the one in you photo, sort of a combination of the two ideas.
Werner uses copper pipe.
<br>
<br>
So let's give it shot in a few countries.
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">and I like Crispins idea to cast
different pots.
<br>
</blockquote>
I think Dale would be please to see his work verified in a
real product. If recasting a pot saves 15 or 25% of the fuel,
or just makes cooking faster, that would be a quick and
reliable improvement. Once the idea caught on all future pots
would have fins. I saw a finned wok somewhere - I think at an
ETHOS meeting (?). Clearly would help with a gas/biogas
cooker, probably gasifiers too if the flame is short and hot.
<br>
<br>
Paul, I know you're listening!
<br>
<br>
Regards
<br>
Crispin in Toronto
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Let us know how things go. It might be easier to getting the
pots adopted than some stoves...
<br>
regards Christa
<br>
_______________________________________________
<br>
Stoves mailing list
<br>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
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