Appropriate Technology Asia (ATA) is a secular charitable organisation who's mission is "is to find marginal and threatened populations in environmentally challenged situations in Asia and help them meet their basic needs for housing, household energy, safe water, food and good health." Andrew Webb worked with ATA over a three-year period from 2002 - 2004 on a wide range of health, hygiene, food security, and education projects in India, China, Tibet, and Nepal.
Projects included:
Clinics
Passive-solar designed clinics for 'bare-foot' doctor training in the Tibetan Autonomous Region
School renovations
Major improvements to improve healthiness of the spaces (air, light, warmth) and thus improve the learning environment (previously it was often warmer outside in winter and cooler outside in summer than using the State school buildings).
Improved greenhouse designs
For a variety communities in the region: This included large, community garden-sized greenhouses and smaller individual family greenhouses.
Composting toilets
Large and small for schools and individual families
Smokeless stove design
Previously a major cause of lung diseases in these communities, the stove Andrew designed is easily replicated with locally available materials for a locally reasonable cost, works efficiently and thus saves on fuel and has an effective combustion chamber and chimney to eliminate significant and damaging smoke build-up inside the houses
Passive-solar chicken coop
The cold climate means that chickens need heating too. The project vastly improved lifespan and productivity. These were designed both as free-standing units and in combination with family greenhouses
Mushroom cultivator
Solar heated for nutritious oyster mushrooms
Solar hot water heater
Easily replicated efficient parabolic dish water heater / cooker
Solar heated bath houses
For improved hygiene in winter months
Education workshops
Practical solar design, improved earth building techniques, basic structural principles
House renovations
Simple changes to improve passive solar attributes and air quality