| 1. European Citizen's Prize for EKOenergy ecolabel |
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EKOenergy is one of the recipients of the European Citizen’s Prize 2020!
The European Citizen's Prize, awarded by the European Parliament since 2008, honours exceptional achievements in promoting mutual understanding and interaction between citizens or in facilitating transnational cooperation in the EU.
As reasons for the selection of EKOenergy, the jury lists EKOenergy’s contribution to mitigating climate change, to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and to promoting renewable energy sources.
Receiving the European Citizen’s Prize is not only a recognition of the great work done by our team in Helsinki over the past eight years, it is also a recognition for all the companies, households and public authorities that use EKOenergy-labelled energy in many countries. |
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"The EKOenergy ecolabel encourages consumers to choose environmentally-friendly electricity and at the same time helps to raise funding for solar power in developing countries. EKOenergy is an excellent candidate for the European Citizen’s Prize and meets the evaluation criteria very well."
- the European Citizen’s Prize jury of MEPs and NGO representatives |
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| 2. Our logo on products #MadeWithEKOenergy |
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"Companies are not only playing a critical role in the clean energy transition through their commitments, investments and sourcing strategies to go 100% renewable, but also through the influence they can exert in other parts of the system to catalyze action", the RE100 Leadership Report mentions.
One of the ways users of renewable energy can influence, is by proudly communicating about their own commitment to renewable energy. Open and transparent communication contributes to inspiring and encouraging others, including peers, clients and companies of the supply chain, to follow the example and switch to renewable energy too.
With our EKOenergy logo, we help consumers inform others about their choice for sustainable and renewable energy. We are proud to see our logo now on the Harmonie packages of Pampers too. If you want to follow the example of Pampers and many others, check out our brand book for the guidelines to communicate about your EKOenergy use. |
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"The proposed 1,445-kilometer crude oil pipeline from Hoima in Uganda to the port of Tanga in Tanzania would, if completed, be the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world. The risks of this project to people and nature in the affected countries, and to the world’s climate have been extensively documented, including in a recent Risk Briefing for Financiers."
- EKOenergy and more than 250 other signatories of the open letter regarding the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. |
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| 3. EKOenergy at CES and REM conferences |
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We are happy to be a partner association of the Corporate Energy Series (CES) conference this year too.
On 8th of March, Merve Güngör from the EKOenergy Secretariat moderated the "Achieving 100% renewable energy beyond borders" session. Today, 9th of March, Steven Vanholme from our Secretariat will moderate a session on "Reaching 100% renewable and beyond".
The recordings are available on the event platform. For more information, see the Corporate Energy Series website. Follow us on Twitter for impressions and insights regarding the sessions.
We also attended the Renewable Energy Markets (REM) Asia, taking place on 8 and 9 March too, in a different time zone. Thanks for the in-depth conversations and panel discussions about the energy transition in Asia!
If you couldn't get hold of us during any of these virtual events, feel free to contact us any time and we will be happy to set up a meeting with you too. |
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| 4. New call for Climate Projects |
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As the demand for EKOenergy-labelled energy grows, we are able to finance more clean energy projects through our Climate Fund.
In the past month, we launched a general call for impactful renewable energy projects. We got almost 200 applications and the selection process is now ongoing.
Meanwhile, our new call for projects with the Siemenpuu Foundation is now open for proposals in Mali, Myanmar and Nepal. We are looking for community level renewable electricity projects, aiming at alleviating energy poverty and social inequality. For this call, only registered local civil society organisations can apply. Deadline for submitting the concept paper is 21 March 2021. More information about the requirements and the application forms can be found on the website of the Siemenpuu Foundation. |
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"More and more companies are into this for more than just renewable energy, they also talk about sustainability."
- Hans Petter Kildal from Becour, in conversation with Steven Vanholme from EKOenergy - In REflections by Becour |
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| 5. EKOenergy's 8-year anniversary |
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Last week, we celebrated EKOenergy's 8-year anniversary. A good moment to look back at some of the achievements of the past years:
In 2013, we welcomed our first licensees and first consumers, mainly in the Nordic countries. In 2014, we were heavily involved in the development of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 2 Guidance. In 2015, we launched the EKOenergy ecolabel in Italy, Germany, France and other countries. In 2016, we organized a renewable energy campaign in cooperation with Protect Our Winters and we became active outside of Europe. In 2017, we launched our renewable gas criteria and developed our expertise regarding the environmental impact of hydropower through the LIFE Freshabit project. In 2018, our "Renewable energy for breweries" campaign was one of the nominees for the European Sustainable Energy Week Award. In 2019, we spoke at conferences in three continents and were nominated for the Nordic Council Environment Prize, along with Greta Thunberg. In 2020, the total cumulative contributions of our Climate Fund exceeded 1 million euros and we welcomed our first licensees in New Zealand and Russia.
None of these would have been possible without the active support of many of you! Thanks to all our partners, licensees and consumers. Together we are making a difference and the positive impact is growing year after year.
For our most recent results and developments, see also our Annual Report 2020 - Together we are unstoppable.
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| 6. Help us select Climate Fund projects |
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With our Climate Fund, we finance renewable energy projects that fight energy poverty and address several of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
All projects are selected through an open and transparent process.
We are now looking for consumers, licensees and experts who want to be involved in the selection of this year's projects.
Are you interested in participating in the jury in the second half of April and May? Members of the jury will have to read, score and rank 15-20 pre-selected project proposals, 4 pages each.
If you'd like to be involved, contact Steven.Vanholme@sll.fi for more information. |
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| 7. Tipping point - Gulf Stream slowing down |
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Never before in over 1000 years has the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), also known as Gulf Stream System, been as weak as in the last decades. These results became known through a new study by scientists from Ireland, Britain and Germany.
The researchers also say that if we continue to drive global warming, the Gulf Stream System will weaken further, by 34 to 45% by 2100 according to the latest generation of climate models. This could bring us dangerously close to the tipping point at which the flow becomes unstable.
The consequences of the AMOC slowdown could be manifold for people living on both sides of the Atlantic. Currently the northward surface flow of the AMOC leads to a deflection of water masses to the right, away from the US east coast. As the current slows down, this effect weakens and more water can pile up at the US east coast, leading to an enhanced sea level rise. In Europe, a further slowdown of the AMOC could imply more extreme weather events like a change of the winter storm track coming off the Atlantic, possibly intensifying them. Other studies found extreme heat waves or a decrease in summer rainfall to be possible consequences.
See also "Gulf Stream System at its weakest in over a millennium", Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
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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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