| 1. EKOenergy showcased in UN publication on SDG implementation |
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On December 2nd, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) launched the publication SDG Good Practices: A compilation of success stories and lessons learned in SDG implementation. We are very proud to see EKOenergy as one of the highlighted examples.
The four pages on our ecolabel (p.46 and 50-52) give a good overview of our work, concrete results and further objectives.
The publication presents 16 good examples of initiatives that make a useful contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As the world pursues a transformative recovery from COVID-19 and embarks on the "Decade of Delivery and Action", the UN hopes that "these examples provide inspiration to governments and stakeholders in their efforts to address crisis, reduce the risk of future potential emergencies and deliver on the ambitious and inclusive vision of the 2030 Agenda." |
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"We have all we need to switch to 100% renewable energy. Now is the time to help consumers make use of the opportunities. It's possible, good for their wallet and good for the planet. "
- Steven Vanholme, EKOenergy, during a panel discussion at the EU Commission's Citizens' Energy Forum, 20 November 2020 |
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| 2. Solar energy for Mozambique and Guinea |
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Thanks to the growing demand for EKOenergy-labelled energy, we are able to support two additional renewable energy projects this year, bringing the total number of projects we've supported to 50! (We launched the EKOenergy ecolabel in 2013 and started financing projects through our Climate Fund in 2015.) Project no. 49: We are granting 15,000 € to Naturvernforbundet and their Mozambican partner ADEL to assemble and install 20 solar powered mobile phone charging stations in off-grid villages. Each station will have a 600 Wp solar PV panel, batteries and charge control with the capacity of charging around 20 phones per day. These stations can also provide power for a barber shop or a similar small income generating activity.
Project No. 50: We are granting another 15,000 € to Solar Without Borders and Solergie to export their successful concept of solar-powered nanogrids (Solergieboxes) to Guinea. This sum will enable them and their Guinean partners to set up Solergieboxes in 6 villages. The aim is to show to local stakeholders that shared solar panels are a cost-efficient solution in Guinea too and it is expected that this will lead to the installation of many more of solar-powered nanogrids in the months and years thereafter For an overview of all 50 projects, see the Climate Fund page of our website. |
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"Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. It must be the top, top priority for everyone, everywhere. [...] A sustainable economy driven by renewable energies will create new jobs, cleaner infrastructure and a resilient future."
- UN Secretary-General Guterres in his "The State of the Planet" speech - Watch the complete speech on EKOenergy's YouTube channel |
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| 3. Sustainable homeware company Verdonce is using EKOenergy |
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We are happy to meet many inspiring and positive people through our work at the EKOenergy ecolabel!
Recently we had a chat with Mónica García and Oliver Green, the founders of Verdonce. They started Verdonce as a Spanish brand of zero-waste home essentials to help people to reduce plastic waste. Their products are made with natural materials from local suppliers and are hand-made in Madrid.
We talked about their efforts to promote a sustainable lifestyle in general and about their recent switch to EKOenergy-labelled electricity. "Adopting the EKOenergy label was a logical step and switching was faster, easier and more economical than we realised", they told.
Read more in our interview with Mónica García and Oliver Green. |
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| 4. New concrete results from EKOenergy-financed projects |
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In the past weeks, we have received photos and other updates from several of the recently supported Climate Fund projects. Many also send their thanks and greetings to all consumers of EKOenergy-labelled energy. The Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem (ARIJ) installed solar on 4 more houses in the area of Bethlehem with the financial support of EKOenergy's Climate Fund. By showcasing concrete examples and setting up a revolving fund, ARIJ aims to show that solar energy is a viable source of energy in Palestine.
The China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation finished the installations of solar panels and a heater in a school in Linxia Hui Autonomous prefecture of Gansu Province.
In Mali, local NGOs put solar PV panels on two maternity wards and installed PV street lamps in an off-grid village. Read more about it in our newest Climate Story leaflet. |
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"With the installation of the solar energy system, our health post is capable of more services. The people of this community rely more on the community health post now - we refer the patients to the hospital only in case of emergency and serious problems."
- Bhuwan Poudel from the health post in Bherichaal Chepang, Nepal, about the impact of the solar installation financed by EKOenergy's Climate Fund - Quote from a follow-up report - December 2020 |
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| 5. EKOenergy for the Arab world |
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As the costs for renewable energy continue to decline, the interest in renewables is growing fast in the Arab world too. The news regularly shows record-size solar farms producing energy at record-low prices. Despite these developments, the involvement of consumers is still very limited in Arab countries.
As part of our efforts to speed up consumer involvement and increase the impact of consumers' choice, we have translated our website to Arabic, where you can also find the translations of some of our communication materials. In the past weeks, we have uploaded two videos in Arabic to our YouTube channel too: The EKOenergy ecolabel and What is EKOenergy
EKOenergy is available in the Arab world for business consumers and we would like to make EKOenergy-labelled energy more accessible for households, from Rabat to Bagdad and beyond. We would love to see our logo on products made in the Arab world as well. If you are an interested consumer or supplier, contact us to join forces with EKOenergy. |
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| 6. Holiday season giveaway on EKOenergy's Instagram account |
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This month, the EKOenergy team wants to thank all our followers on Instagram!
Inspired by the European tradition of advent calendars, we are highlighting selected products from some of the companies who use EKOenergy-labelled energy as part of their sustainability practices. We warmly invite you to follow our EKO-calendar and discover the products we selected as we reveal them one by one.
To win a featured product as a present, visit our Instagram account and share one of our Christmas giveaway posts! The winners will be picked randomly on the 24 December. |
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| 7. IRENA Coalition for Action's renewed call for a green recovery |
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In a renewed call to action, the members of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Coalition for Action, of which EKOenergy is one, urge governments to correct course.
On December 7th, we published a joint declaration, asking governments to place a renewables-based energy transition at the heart of an economic recovery from COVID-19. By doing so, governments can bring economic resilience and secure a climate-safe future.
We ask to raise policy ambitions and clarify long-term plans for renewable generation and consumption, to prioritise renewable energy as a key component of industrial policies and to align labour and education policies with a just energy transition.
The video Green recovery based on renewable energy gives a short overview of the needs and the opportunities. |
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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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