“CLEEN energy changed our lives!” This is the motto of an event held on Wednesday, June 21st, as part of EU Sustainable Energy Week in Brussels. The event was organised by the EU-funded CLEEN project, which works to improve energy efficiency in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

With with the aid of our partners from the CLEEN project, we organised an event presenting the work of grassroots organisations, who are working jointly on energy efficiency and climate change awareness:“CLEEN energy has changed our lives” (PDF)

EU Sustainable Energy Week

From June 19 till June 23 the 12th EU Sustainable Energy Week, #EUSEW17, took place in Brussels & around Europe! The theme this year is “clean energy for all Europeans”. “Energy efficiency measures and working on sustainable energy is of utmost importance in many countries in the Eastern Partnership region who mainly depend on Russian gas” states Olga Plekhanova, energy coordinator at WECF.

Clean Energy for All Europeans

Our Katharina Habersbrunner and Johanna Eichermueller showed best practices and success stories of grass roots CSOs in Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova. The meeting also emphasised the importance of gender-sensitive energy cooperatives for rural communities in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Energy cooperatives not only create local jobs but can lead to increasing incomes for both women and men in the villages, while at the same time diminishing carbon emissions and environmental pollution.

“We see that grassroots organisations have grown stronger, have become more self-confident and more professional during the CLEEN programme, working with the local governance and making a real difference in their communities. “

The event was attended by a.o. representatives of the European Commission, Europaid, EU Neighbours East, Health Care Without Harm and Energy Charter.

CLEEN: Making local grassroots organisations stronger by working on energy efficiency

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CLEEN (Civil society Local Energy Efficient Network) is a 3-year EU-funded project aiming to build a partnership of civil society organizations (CSOs), as well as to strengthen CSO’s capacities in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The project focuses on energy efficiency and cost savings, and increased accountability of local and national authorities on this issue. WECF coordinates this project and provides technical expertise. The project is funded by the European Union, Auswärtiges Amt, GLS Bank and the RAJA foundation.

This project is funded by the European Union