Description
In Romania 45.7% from the homes are in rural area and 90% from these are not connected to a central heating system, in principal using biomass burning, or coal. This aspect is conducting to illegal logging, destruction of local ecosystems and health problems. Greenitiative aims to transform its office building to become a zero-energy demonstration building and to organize training, education and community support activities centered on energy sustainability. The training will start during the building transformation period. The Center will offer a large array of outdoor education opportunities to students from Bucharest and around. Counseling and community support will be offered to vulnerable families from Mogosoaia, to help them improve the energy efficiency of their homes through specific interventions, or to middle and high income families interested in building green. Through video documenting the workshops, the project results will be disseminated and multiplied nationwide.
Summary of project results
Within this project, Greenitiative implemented a sustainable solution to some of the problems that represent the climate crises and created environment-friendly building technics and educational programs aimed at reducing human impact on the environment through reducing the energy consumption. In 13 months the promoter modernized a building, establishing a training center for promoting building solutions with low environmental impact, focusing on energy sustainability and adaptation to climate change. The “building as a training-tool” concept was successfully implemented throughout the project activities, as many as 30+ green techniques and solutions being experimented during the design and construction phases. Based on a participatory method, the center was designed and modernized by involving different categories of target groups (i.e. school students, university students, professionals in the building trade, people planning to build their own houses, energy vulnerable families). Different educational programs were developed, using the building as a training tool: 3 programs for children, one for university students, a set of educational materials (5 videos) that are available online for experts. More than 276 school students participated in these projects. 9 of the architecture students and one professional that received training became long term volunteers. Once the building phase was over, a constantly upward trend started to emerge in terms of number of visitors and types of activities occurring in this new facility: students and teachers, international visitors (i.e. students in architecture and design from Turkey, Kosovo, India, Italy, Albania and Germany; representatives of donor organizations and NGOs from Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine and USA, a group of representatives from the US Diplomatic Mission in Bucharest), companies representatives, students and experts. The social component of the Center was enlarged beyond the initial plan: beside vulnerable children and energy poor families, Greenitiative added a third target group, namely youth with Autism (partnering with Autism Romania organisation). The Green Mogo Center gained recognition from the local authorities and Greenitiative was invited to become a founding member of the Local Action Group, thus recognizing the relevance of the promoter in one of the most important communities in Ilfov County.
Summary of bilateral results