This online course will increase participants’ understanding of wood smoke’s health impacts, cultural perspectives of wood-burning, and safe wood-stove operation and maintenance. Participants will also obtain ideas, publications, and resources for conducting outreach for woodstoves operation and maintenance within their own tribal communities. Participants will also learn about the recently certified Navajo Hybrid stove approved for burning coal and wood. 

This online course is equivalent to 0.6 CEUs and requires approximately 6 hours of total learning time. CEUs are earned by completing the following course modules: 

• Module 1.0: Overview of Residential Wood Smoke, Interventions, and Cultural Perspectives of Fire
• Module 2.0: Woodstove Installation Basics
• Module 3.0: Education and Outreach Case Studies
• Module 4.0: Chimney and Maintenance Safety

After completing this online course, participants will be able to:

• assess the health impacts of wood smoke,
• identify potential methods to reduce the health impacts of wood smoke,
• consider cultural perspectives of wood burning,
• identify proper wood stove operation & maintenance protocol, and
• obtain resources for conducting outreach on operating woodstoves safely and effectively.

Presenters:

• Eugenia Quintana, Navajo Nation
• Glenna Lee, Navajo Nation
• Mansel Nelson, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP)
• Tony J. Ward, Chair and Professor, School of Public and Community Health Science, University of Montana
• Perry H. Charley, Director & Senior Scientist, Environmental Outreach & Research Institute, Diné College
• Rick Vlahos, Executive Director, Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Education Foundation, & National Fireplace Institute
• Roy Hosteen, Four Corners Program Coordinator, Red Feather Development Group
• Johna Boulafentis, Environmental Outreach Specialist, Nez Perce Tribe
• Russ Dimmitt, Director of Education, Chimney Safety Institute of American

Online technical support: itep-elearning@nau.edu 

Course Content