Toilet training: what can the cookstove sector learn from improved sanitation promotion?

Within the domain of public health, commonalities exist between the sanitation and cookstove sectors. Despite these commonalities and the grounds established for cross-learning between both sectors, however, there has not been much evidence of knowledge exchange across them to date. Our paper frames this as a missed opportunity for the cookstove sector, given the capacity for user-centred innovation and multi-scale approaches demonstrated in the sanitation sector. The paper highlights points of convergence and divergence in the approaches used in both sectors, with particular focus on behaviour change approaches that go beyond the level of the individual. The analysis highlights the importance of the enabling environment, community-focused approaches and locally-specific contextual factors in promoting behavioural change in the sanitation sector. Our paper makes a case for the application of such approaches to cookstove interventions, especially in light of their ability to drive sustained change by matching demand-side motivations with supply-side opportunities

Assessing the environmental and economic potential of Limestone Calcined Clay Cement in Cuba

Cement is the most produced material around the world. Developing countries face a growth of population involving an increasing need of infrastructures. Due to this situation, the cement industry needs to find the best comprise between increasing the cement production and without increasing the negative environmental impact. A promising solution has been found in the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), these materials are used to replace clinker in cement because of their pozzolanic reactivity. In this paper, a method was developed to assess the details of the economic and environmental potential of the specific Limestone Calcined Clays Cement LC3 technology in the Cuban context. A comparison with traditional Portland cement and the current commercial blended cement with zeolite (PPC) sold in Cuba was made. The results provide evidenced based data for the development of a strategy to adopt the LC3 technology by the Cuban market This assessment method can then be easily extended to markets in other developing countries. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved