| 1. We will fund three new river restoration projects |
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Apart from contributing to EKOenergy's Climate Fund, consumers of EKOenergy-labelled hydropower also contribute €0.10/MWh to our Environmental Fund. These additional contributions enable us to fund carefully selected and impactful river restoration projects in the countries where EKOenergy-labelled hydropower has been produced or consumed.
We have just finalised the selection of three new river projects. Each of the three selected projects receives €30,000.
- The German organisation Verband für Angeln und Naturschutz Thüringen will make a part of the river Saale in Thüringen more suitable for various river species.
- The German organisation BUND für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland e.V. (Friends of the Earth Germany) will use the grant for a restoration project in the Ohre River, in Sachsen-Anhalt.
- The Swedish organisation Rewilding Sweden will use the grant to add sand and gravel to the river Abramså, in Norrbotten County in Northern Sweden, to restore the habitats of many aquatic species.
We are looking forward to seeing the concrete results! Follow us on social media for updates and photos. |
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| 2. The REC Market Meeting was promising. What is next? |
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Once again, EKOenergy proudly supported the annual REC Market Meeting conference. The 12th edition of the REC Market Meeting took place on April 16th and 17th in Amsterdam. The theme was “Valuing Consumer Action”.
It was inspiring to meet with almost 700 renewable energy enthusiasts from many parts of the world, including representatives of 47 authorised EKOenergy sellers. Thanks a lot to the RECS Energy Certificate Association for organising the successful event!
Here are three of our takeaways from the conference:
- The interest in reporting renewable energy consumption grows each year and worldwide. This time, there were tens of East-Asian energy companies and sustainability consultants among the participants, all looking for information about sustainability reporting requirements.
- One could sense positive energy, dedication, and expertise at the conference. Renewable energy departments and sustainability teams are growing, and those working in these departments and teams are determined to get things done in the coming 12 months.
- Many speakers and panellists mentioned EKOenergy, and several of our authorised sellers predict continued growth for our label. However, most also admit that amidst all the economic challenges and legal requirements, additional quality criteria are seldom a priority and too easily forgotten. Our constant outreach continues to make a difference. |
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"Very happy to be an EKOenergy user and highly recommend it. Find out more about their Climate Fund and how you can contribute by simply switching to EKOenergy ecolabel."
- Verdonce⎪Sustainable living, on LinkedIn |
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| 3. Filling up with EKOenergy at the charging stations of Lumme, Virta, and Mercedes-Benz |
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The electrification of the transport sector is speeding up and we are happy to see that a growing number of charging station operators and their clients consider the origin of the electricity they use.
The charging points of the Finnish energy supplier Lumme Energia have been powered with EKOenergy since 2018 and also Virta's clients have been charging their batteries with EKOenergy for several years.
Recently, Mercedes-Benz announced on its website that users who are choosing the Green Charging option, which is available in Europe and North America, are getting EKOenergy-labelled electricity.
We are proud to see companies of all sizes and active across many countries choose EKOenergy. There are many reasons why they are doing so, and we are confident that many more will follow. Our label is internationally recognised and has won various awards. Designed as a tool to speed up the energy transition and contribute to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, it's a pragmatic and easily available solution for companies that want to make additional positive impact. It's a way to consider climate and nature with a single purchase decision. And much more. |
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| "Green electricity is identified by the EKOenergy ecolabel and comes from EKOenergy-approved installations. In addition, initiatives are being set up to fund new renewable energy installations. " - Autoholix, 5 April 2024 |
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| 4. News from previously funded solar projects in Pakistan and Madagascar |
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The renewable energy projects we fund with our Climate Fund change lives in many positive ways.
We recently received the project evaluation report, "Harnessing Solar Energy to Tackle Climate Change, Empower Communities, and Contribute to Achieving the SDGs", written by Rabta Kar Development Consultants from Islamabad, Pakistan. It describes and evaluates the results of a solar project we funded in 2023. We granted €34,500 to the Pakistani nonprofit organisation Health And Rural Development Balochistan, to bring solar power to five hard-to-reach villages in the Khuzdar district, Balochistan, Pakistan. One hundred families received solar systems, each comprising 150W solar panels, batteries, lights, an electric fan, and charging points for small electric devices. Five local schools and five health units also got solar power for lighting and fans.
The report describes the various positive impacts on income, health, education, community development and sustainability. Reading through all these findings is both interesting and encouraging!
Last week, we also received news from a project we funded in Madagascar. EKOenergy granted 30,000 € to Electriciens Sans Frontières, for a solar project in the village of Ampagorina in Northwest Madagascar. The local school now has a solar installation, which is used for lighting and powering small electric devices. Stay tuned for more information!
Thanks a lot to all users and sellers of EKOenergy-labelled energy. You help us build experience in selecting solid projects and enable us to fund more impactful projects each year. |
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"I am almost 64 years old. This was my dream to see my village illuminated by electricity. We waited for the government to heed to our demands and requests for years. We met our elected representatives but to no avail. But then, one day the representatives of HARD/EKOenergy came and our lives changed forever."
- Abdul Haleem Sufi, in the report "Harnessing Solar Energy to Tackle Climate Change, Empower Communities, and Contribute to Achieving the SDGs" |
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| 5. Thanks for informing your audience about EKOenergy |
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We are thankful to all those helping consumers switch to renewable energy and even more so if they mention our label as a good and impactful way to do so. Together, we can and will speed up the energy transition.
Here are some examples from the past few weeks.
- Authorised EKOenergy sellers Moendi and Green and Blue Planet Solutions added EKOenergy to their website.
- Many authorised EKOenergy sellers, including GoNetZero, CnerG, Powersol, and Elegant, posted about EKOenergy on their social media.
- Authorised EKOenergy seller South Pole mentioned EKOenergy in their webinar "How to reduce emissions easily and impactfully with renewable energy?".
- Many speakers mentioned EKOenergy in their presentations at the REC Market Meeting, in the keynote sessions, and in the parallel sessions of the A, B, and C streams. Thanks so much to all of you. See also item 2 of this newsletter.
- Climate Action Network highlighted some of our concrete results in their Sunshine Stories series. A recent story focuses on the concrete results of a project we funded in Balochistan, Pakistan. |
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| "Green and Blue Planet Solutions procured EKOenergy-labelled green electricity to power a business networking event in Thailand." - Green and Blue Planet Solutions, on their website |
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| 6. Encouraging news from the ongoing audits |
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We are currently auditing the EKOenergy-labelled volumes of 2023. We are hardly halfway through it, but here is some good news already.
- We are sure that 2023 was another record year for EKOenergy. Despite the many challenges in the renewable energy markets, the EKOenergy-labelled volumes were higher than ever, and EKOenergy was used in more countries than ever before.
- We are delighted to welcome new consumers, both large and small. We hope many of them will communicate about their choice of EKOenergy in the coming months, as this can inspire others also to choose EKOenergy.
- The audit is an excellent moment to be in touch with our authorised sellers and repeat to their new employees how EKOenergy works and why we do what we do. The many meetings of the past weeks were both interesting and fruitful.
Work in progress! Looking forward to more good news in the coming days and weeks.
If you have yet to submit information or have any questions about EKOenergy's audit process, please get in touch with Steven Vanholme of EKOenergy's Secretariat. |
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| "We want to amplify the work EKOenergy ecolabel has done, through money generated from their label they have financed projects that combat energy poverty." - Climate Action Network International, on LinkedIn |
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| 7. All electricity from Aalto Energia was EKOenergy in 2023! |
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In several parts of the world, the price of renewable energy (including the cost of the Energy Attribute Certificate) has dropped compared to the same period last year. We are happy to see that some electricity suppliers and consumers think of EKOenergy when considering how to re-distribute their energy budget.
One of the companies doing so is Aalto Energia. The company's founders decided to add our label to all the electricity sold in 2023. Thanks a lot for this!
"We know that acting responsibly is not easy. There are endless alternatives, and the significance of our actions may seem minimal, but all major changes start from individual deeds. We believe that everyone can promote the message of responsibility through their example. As an environmentally friendly electricity company, we want to participate in this challenge. Our ambitious goal is to make all electricity consumption in Finnish households fossil-free and environmentally friendly. As our customer, you are part of this development!" wrote Jukka Järvinen, co-founder and chairman of Aalto Energia.
Every decision from sellers or buyers to intensify cooperation with EKOenergy helps us do more and, therefore, really makes a difference! More EKOenergy means more climate action and more new solar projects. |
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| 8. EKOenergy on social media |
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Stay connected with EKOenergy on social media to receive relevant updates on the global climate crisis, renewable energy, and climate action. By reacting to our posts occasionally, you help us spread our message and ensure that our future posts will also show up in your feed.
Here are some of our recent posts:
- We love wind energy! And yes, while it's still cold in Finland (after all, this is Finland), we aren't forgetting that heat waves and droughts ravage many parts of the world. (From our LinkedIn)
- 🎉 A new European Solidarity Corps volunteer has joined the team! Celia is from Spain and will help us until April next year. Welcome! (From our Instagram)
- We want climate action! Not dirty wars. Thanks a lot to everyone who helped us achieve so much over the past week. Together, we are speeding up the energy transition. (From our X)
- Thanks to EKOenergy users worldwide, we have the means to promote renewable energy more actively each year. (From our LinkedIn)
- 🌍 Join the change, join our EKOappetite campaign. (From our Instagram)
- Today is #WorldAquaticAnimalDay. There are many fascinating interactions between renewable energy and Aquatic ecosystems. (From our Facebook)
- Does EKOenergy lower your carbon emissions? (From our YouTube) |
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| 9. Global warming will soon cost $38 trillion a year |
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A study published in Nature last week shows that the damages caused by global warming won't happen in the far future, but in the coming years, and they will be massive: they are well on track to cost the global economy $38 trillion a year within the next 25 years.
The world economy is committed to an income reduction of 19% over the coming decades. As the researchers only factored in data from previous emissions, these costs can be considered a minimum, and any additional carbon emissions will further increase the damages.
Even more concerning is that the largest losses will take place at lower latitudes in regions with lower cumulative historical emissions and lower present-day income.
The conclusion is clear. Long-term targets are nice, but what we really need is immediate and fast climate action. The costs of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius are much less than the damages we can expect from additional emissions. Every ton of carbon counts, every fraction of a degree counts.
If you find the calculations published in Nature too complex, check out one of the many summaries available online, for example the summary by Forbes. |
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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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