| 1. EKOenergy: One tool to cover five dimensions of leadership in the transition to 100% renewable energy |
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Our newest publication, EKOenergy ecolabel: 1 tool to cover 5 dimensions of leadership in the transition to 100% renewable energy demonstrates how our non-profit ecolabel helps consumers go the extra mile.
The document explores how choosing EKOenergy-labelled energy contributes to ambition, impactful procurement, sustainability, influence and transparency. These are the five dimensions of leadership as identified in the RE100’s paper Business Leadership in the Transition to Renewable Electricity.
In this publication, we explain how EKOenergy helps businesses, regardless of their size, sector, consumption or geographical location to take extra steps in all these five dimensions, and we illustrate this with concrete examples.
We are looking forward to your reactions, comments and questions. |
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| "Through the EKOenergy ecolabel, newGO amplifies the positive impacts of your renewable energy purchase." - RWE, one of EKOenergy's licensees, on the newly launched website of their newGO PPA solution |
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| 2. We finance 6 more solar projects for additional impact |
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EKOenergy promotes the use of sustainable, renewable energy in many ways. Via our Climate Fund, we collect funds to finance clean energy projects that fight energy poverty and contribute to multiple Sustainable Development Goals.
EKOenergy’s Climate Fund is an internationally recognised tool to create additional impact. It's explicitly mentioned in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 2 Guidance as a tool for companies to do more. Last year, our fundraising model was also highlighted in a publication of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
We are happy to announce that we have selected 6 more projects to finance this year. These are solar energy projects in Colombia, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria and two projects in Cameroon. This brings the total number of supported projects this year to nine.
In the coming weeks three or four more projects will be selected. Stay tuned for more information about the different stages of implementation and final results!
Photo: The Nigerian organisation Centre for Renewable Energy and Action on Climate Change, one of the beneficiaries, has had a meeting with the traditional rulers prior to the beginning of the project. |
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| 3. Nordic Swan Ecolabel refers to the EKOenergy label for electricity |
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The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is a prestigious ecolabel in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. It was established in 1989 by the Nordic Council of Ministers as a voluntary ecolabel and currently covers 59 different product groups and more than 200 product types.
We are proud that several of the Nordic Ecolabel's newly approved criteria give extra points for the use of EKOenergy-labelled electricity; such as the criteria for printing companies and printed matter, as well as the criteria for food services and conference facilities.
We thank those involved in the decision process for their trust in our work! |
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| "This is the decade of delivery. We need climate action now. Our non-profit ecolabel is a tool for consumers to make concrete change and to speed up the energy transition." - Merve Güngör from EKOenergy, at the Deep-dive Stakeholders Workshop of the UN's High-Level Dialogue on Energy |
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| 4. News from clean energy projects we previously financed |
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In 2019, EKOenergy’s Climate Fund contributed 25,000€ to the Egales project (Égalité des Genres et Accès à l'Électricité au Sénégal) of Fondem. The project focuses on equality and food security in the Casamance area in the south of Senegal. We financed a part of the installations for solar-powered irrigation.
Last week, we got a nice video about the ambition of this ongoing project. You can watch it on our Youtube channel.
There is news from other projects we financed too: we've published new Climate Stories leaflets about two of the recently finalised projects. Solafrica installed solar panels in four schools and a health centre in rural, off-grid areas of Ethiopia (We granted 40,000€) and China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) brought solar energy to a rural primary school in Dongxiang County of the Chinese Gansu Province, where poverty is rampant (We granted 24,000€). |
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| 5. Nine years of international volunteering at EKOenergy |
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Exactly nine years ago EKOenergy became a partner organisation of the European Solidarity Corps (previously European Voluntary Service) programme. Since then, this EU-funded programme has enabled us to host more than 60 long-term volunteers from 15 countries.
Last summer, the Finnish National Agency for Education approved our new long-term European Solidarity Corps project proposal "Promoting the use of renewable energy" for the period 2021-2027, and in the past week we have welcomed new volunteers from Germany, Italy, Lithuania and Russia.
Most of the volunteers stay 10-12 months at our office in Helsinki. They help us keep close contact with hundreds of partners in many countries and carry out multilingual campaigns to promote renewable energy in numerous industry sectors. |
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| "There are so many things each of us can do to make this planet a better place for all of us. I want to do what I can. I enjoy being involved in a project at the crossroads of renewable energy, climate action, nature protection and international solidarity." - Interview with Steven Vanholme from EKOenergy, in the Small World magazine of Practical Action |
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| 6. Highlights from our social media |
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By following EKOenergy on social media, you get relevant updates with regard to the climate crisis, renewable energy and EKOenergy's activities worldwide. Here are some recent posts:
- Why do consumers choose EKOenergy-labelled renewable energy worldwide? We have compiled 10 main reasons, among others. See our one pager in Arabic, or stay tuned for your language! (LinkedIn)
- The Finnish government discussed the budget. We were there, along with Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto, Greenpeace Finland, WWF Finland and others to remind them that it's time to focus on a green recovery! (Facebook).
- We need more Climate Action! Join us in our efforts to make #renewables the norm (Twitter).
- Nature Day in Finland! Some of our team are participating in a river restoration activity in Helsinki. By adding stones and gravel to the river bed, we are creating suitable spawning habitats for trouts (Instagram).
- The number of weather-related disasters to hit the world has increased five-fold over the past 50 years, says the WMO (on Twitter).
- Merve Güngör from EKOenergy gave a presentation at the UN Stakeholders Workshop on Energy Compacts, held as part of the High-Level Dialogue on Energy (Youtube). |
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| "We, the undersigned, call on governments around the world to adopt and implement a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, as a matter of urgency, to protect the lives and livelihoods of present and future generations through a global, equitable phase out of fossil fuels in line with the scientific consensus to not exceed 1.5ºC of warming. " - Open letter from over 2,100 scientists, academics and researchers, 13 September |
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| 7. The IEA should put the 1.5°C scenario at the heart of this year's WEO |
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The International Energy Agency (IEA) is due to release the World Energy Outlook 2021 (WEO) in one month, on 13 October 2021. Today, over 140 civil society organizations and groups, including EKOenergy, wrote a letter to Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA.
In the letter, we urge the IEA to:
- Position the Net Zero by 2050 scenario as the central scenario in the upcoming 2021 World Energy Outlook as well as the future WEOs and all other IEA analysis; and
- Strengthen the Net Zero by 2050 scenario by cutting over-reliance on carbon capture and storage (CCS), fossil gas, nuclear energy, and bioenergy.
After several years of pressure from civil society, last year's WEO included a 1.5ºC-aligned "mini-scenario". In May this year, the IEA published its first 1.5ºC-aligned scenario, in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 special report – including the crucial conclusion that there's no room for new fossil fuel production or finance.
IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol pledged that this new scenario would be "integral" to the WEO, but it's still not clear what this means. Our message is clear: it should be the central scenario, as the 1.5ºC goal is too important to relegate to the margins or leave to a single one-off special report. |
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We at EKOenergy are always enthusiastic to collaborate with new partners.
For further information, please do not hesitate to get in touch. |
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