School climate check in Mińsk Mazowiecki
Schools in Mińsk Mazowiecki have started their activities as part of the project Visions 2045 - Schools as drivers to Climate Neutrality in Cities. School Working Groups - consisting of teachers, students, administrative and technical employees from primary schools No. 1 and No. 5 - met on 7th of March 2023 with representatives of our Association and the City Hall to talk about plans and expectations. Implementation of the project by building awareness and implementing specific activities among the youngest, with the simultaneous involvement of adult stakeholders, will facilitate the pursuit of climate neutrality of the city, building an aware society and proper use of available resources.
National Workshop on Energy Literacy in Poland
Environmental education, including adult education, plays an increasingly important role in shaping a sustainable society. On March 3, 2023, workshops dedicated to this topic were held in Krakow, with particular emphasis on the needs of young adults, i.e. people aged 29-39. The participants included representatives of cities, eco-advisors and organizations related to climate protection interested in the development of energy competences. The diversity of the group enabled a wide exchange of experience in acquiring and transferring thematic knowledge.
Recording of the EPAH Technical Support Program informational webinar now available!
Anyone interested in submitting an application in the second call for the EPAH Technical Support Program is invited to watch the recording of the event and the presentations given on February 28, 2023 during the webinar. The deadline for submitting the application form is March 31, 2023.
The meeting began by introducing participants to the topic of energy poverty, introducing the definition and characteristics of the phenomenon, as well as the challenges at the local level and proposed solutions to this increasingly common problem. The participants were then provided with detailed information on the Energy Poverty Advisory Center. The main task of this institution is to provide local government units and cooperating entities with assistance in diagnosing and analyzing this phenomenon in their area and planning local measures to help reduce it. The center collaborates with subject matter experts and gathers valuable knowledge, experience and good practices that may prove useful to other local governments and entities interested in combating energy poverty. This was followed by a step-by-step discussion of how to apply for the second call under the Technical Assistance Program and the entire process of preparing an application.
Workshop on adopting cities and municipalities to climate change
Enhancing the capacity to adapt to the negative impacts of climate change and supporting resilience to these changes is one of the most important elements of global, European, and Polish climate policy, as reflected not only in the European Green Deal but also in the programming of the new European Union Financial Perspective 2021-2027. In the new climate change adaptation strategy Building a climate resilient Europe, published on 24 February 2021, the European Commission points out that national, regional and local authorities should develop plans for adapting to climate change.
New call for EPAH Technical Support Program - invitation to informational webinar
EPAH's Energy Poverty Advisory Hub has just announced its second call for applications for the Technical Support Program, aimed at local governments and cooperating organizations that want to counter the phenomenon. Between March 1 and 31, 2023, applicants will be able to apply for technical assistance (expert support) that will enable them to better plan activities for the energy poor or those at risk of energy poverty, and on February 28 at 11:00 a.m. they will have the opportunity to participate in an informational webinar aimed specifically at potential beneficiaries of the Program.
EnergyMeasures project partners meeting
On February 9-10, 2023, Krakow hosted members of the EnergyMeasures project consortium, who met during one of the cyclical partner meetings. The event was an opportunity to discuss the phenomenon of energy poverty in Poland, but also in Belgium, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Ireland or Scotland. Representatives of organizations involved in combating this phenomenon in the aforementioned countries also took part in a creative workshop on planning further actions and their replication, as well as a training on interactive communication methods. The meeting also allowed summarizing the project's results achieved so far and planning the schedule of work for next year.
Kick-off meeting within the CommitClimate project
On February 1-2, 2023, the first meeting of partners within the CommitClimate project, was held in Riga. The aim of the project is, among others, to improve the competence of local government representatives in the area of energy transition and to develop a new simulation model for calculating carbon footprints and modeling scenarios for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the future.
Municipalities and cities are important drivers of decarbonizing energy systems. They are responsible for setting a strategic direction to increase energy efficiency, produce renewable energy, and reduce local greenhouse gas emissions. They are essential in mobilizing stakeholders and citizens to introduce energy solutions for climate neutrality. However, this potential is not yet well exploited due to a lack of skills and supportive tools.
Second El-Practice Newsletter
We kindly invite you to familiarize yourself with the second EL-Practice newsletter, concerning at practical trainings for sustainable energy consumption via personal behavioural changes. The last few months have been an intensive time, which resulted in visible progress in the work on the project implementation.
Activities on the finalizing of the first result (PR1) aimed at analyzing the needs of young adults related to energy education have been completed. A brief summary of countries performance can be found in this issue. Information is also provided on the modules and topics contained in the prepared training, on which work is carried out as part of another package of tasks (PR3).
First meeting with OwnYourSECAP municipalities
OwnYourSECAP project officially started! On January 17, 2023, the first meeting was held with Polish municipalities involved in the international project: OwnYourSECAP: Bringing local and regional municipalities towards owning their SECAPs.
During the meeting, the main objectives of the project were presented, and the project's methodology and new design approach were discussed, allowing all participating municipalities to exchange experiences, learn from each other and provide support to each other.
Participants were also introduced to the details of the "design thinking" method, which will be applied to the development of SECAP plans. A short training on this method will also be held soon to help understand the mechanism and how it can be implemented in practice.
Cities from 4 European countries will be Ready4NetZero!
Poland, Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Germany joined forces to support local authorities in Central Eastern European (CEE) and South-Eastern European (SEE) to develop, monitor and implement climate neutrality strategies, thus contributing to the EU targets set for 2050.
Since reaching climate neutrality by 2050 is a constant challenge for cities, the recently launched EUKI funded project Ready4NetZero focuses on building capacity, knowledge and skills among city officials, municipal staff and local stakeholders, fostering exchange and networking between municipalities that are in the process of developing long-term Energy and Climate strategies.
