On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, there was a cooking demo in the Berkeley High School library organized by senior Evan Obbard, BHS’ Commissioner of Environmental Sustainability. Obbard brought out the induction stoves, which are now available to students to check out at the BHS library, and made quesadillas for students. He and BHS senior Ziporah Wolf used large metal bowls on the stoves, greased them with oil, and put down small corn tortillas and shredded cheese to make them. There were about 15 attendees, and each person got ample quesadillas. Student Manel Grossi said, “I’m eating it right now, and it’s so good, the melty cheese in my mouth.” While cooking, Obbard explained the benefits of induction stoves.
Gas stoves release toxic chemicals that harm the environment including nitrous oxide, volatile organic compounds, benzene, and methane, some of the most potent and harmful greenhouse gases. One study from the International Journal of Epidemiology showed that children living in homes with gas stoves were 42 percent more likely to have asthma. According to Obbard, induction stoves directly have zero greenhouse gas emissions. Not only are they better for the environment, but they are also twice as fast and three times as efficient as gas stoves. The heat on induction stoves is also more evenly spread than a flame on a gas stove, which means the probability of burning food sinks.
Obbard got inspiration from a project at Oakland Technical High School. He grew up using induction stoves and testified that they are “so easy to use.” Obbard started by reaching out to a vice principal and discussing the idea of purchasing induction stoves for BHS student use with his environmental science teacher, Louise Harm. He faced “a lot of liability issues” and had to get his proposal approved at the district level. Eventually, it got approved, making the plug-in portable induction stovetops available for checkout in the library.
Obbard said, “I’m super passionate about this project and if any students want to reach out, I’d love some help.” Meredith Irby, the BHS librarian who helped coordinate with Obbard, said, “Evan has been really persistent about trying to make this happen.” Obbard said he plans to teach more students about induction stoves through classroom presentations and hopes to raise students’ awareness on the topic.