Back to school!

Sustainable Energy Europe News

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Agenda of upcoming Campaign Events and Energy Days

Back to school!

“Back to school” means different things to everyone. For some students in Europe, school doors will swing open to reveal an entirely new zero-emissions building, an environmentally conscious infrastructure, improvements such as new heating and cooling systems, or solar panels on the roof.

Other upgrades might be invisible to building users, such as an architect’s choice to use solvent-free materials. One thing is certain: trends in energy-efficient building design and construction are making a difference in schools and universities across Europe. And it’s not only the students and teachers who benefit using the buildings. Our environment reaps the benefits as well.

The Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign counts among its nearly 1,000 projects a number of energy-efficient schools built or retrofitted based on energy efficient principles or operating with renewable energy. A few recent joiners to the Camapign are excellent examples of innovative approaches in green building and construction.

Escola Bressol Municipal La Font del Rieral

Situated about 30 minutes from Barcelona, the city of Santa Eulalia de Ronçana commissioned a team of architects to design and build a nursery school for children aged 0-3. The architects determined that their core aim would be to design an inspirational building that would improve growth and foster children’s health. To minimise the environmental impact of the building, the team gave priority to locally-sourced and natural materials. In addition, they chose to avoid materials containing chemicals and solvents to further protect the health of the children.

Mr Gabriel Barbeta Solà is the lead architect for Ecoarquitectura Xarxa Gabi Barbeta, the network of architects who designed the school. As he explained, “The school has been designed with children in mind. Their future is in our hands, so to change the future, we must not only educate them, but set a good example. Doing so will inspire positive environmental change.”

 A variety of building technologies were used in the school, which is called the Escola Bressol Municipal La Font del Rieral. Exterior and interior walls are made of compressed earth blocks (a manufactured material formed in mechanical presses). The structural frame is built with laminated wood. For thermal and noise insulation, compressed earth blocks and cork are used. Considering the prevalence of sunshine in this part of Spain, trombe walls (dense, heat-holding walls) and vegetable pergolas were thoughtfully engineered for sun protection and to  maximise heat retention in colder months. A pellet/boiler heating system combined with solar panels and radiant floor heating also keeps the children and staff comfortable when temperatures drop. Finally, rainwater and used water are recycled for use in the building for various tasks including hydrating the gardens and vegetable plants.

University of the Balearic Islands

At the university level, Spain’s University of the Balearic Islands has committed to a three-year renovation and upgrade project. Enhancements include the construction of a large photovoltaic system that will cover nearly all the roofs of the campus.

Also in development is the installation of a network of recharging stations for electric vehicles. Connecting existing campus buildings to the island’s district heating and cooling system is another part of the University’s effort to promote sustainable energy on campus. University officials estimate that the results of the overall activities will decrease CO2 emissions by as much as 350,000kg annually. To put those savings in perspective, consider this: roughly 1kg of CO2 is emitted for every one hour of electric cooking. Therefore, the University improvements are equivalent to the amount of CO2 used if an electric cooker were used 24 hours a day for 40 years! That’s a lot of energy – and a lot of CO2 emissions saved.

For more information and additional project examples about green construction in school settings across Europe, please contact Sustainable Energy Europe’s Media Desk, media.relations@sustenergy.org.

Sustainable Energy Europe News

EU Sustainable Energy Week 2011 - get ready

It's time to get into the starting block for next year's EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), Europe's key event for a more sustainable energy future. Between 11 and 15 April 2011 hundreds of events organised in all parts of Europe will showcase, promote, discuss and celebrate energy efficiency and renewable energy. EUSEW 2011 will put the spotlight on energy efficiency. For further press enquires please contact Kostas Mastakas at kma@mostra.com or call +32 2 333 59 55. For general questions contact the EUSEW Secretariat at eusew@sustenergy.org.

Towards a carbon-neutral electricity supply

EURELECTRIC, an associate of the Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign, has recently launched its new edition of the Energy Wisdom Programme (EWP) -a voluntary initiative launched approximately ten years ago. Since 1998, the EWP has been the key platform for electricity companies to voluntarily report on their innovative projects aiming at reducing carbon emissions and at improving energy efficiency. The programme establishes a reporting & monitoring system to evaluate and document the environmental performance of the reported projects. For more info contact Masha Tarle, mt@sustenergy.org.

Energy in rural communities

Glass for Europe, an associate of the Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign, is openly supporting a recent partner to the SEE Campaign: the FREE initiative. The initiative draws attention to the fact that many people living in rural areas across Europe rarely have access to the natural gas grid, while the electricity supply can be both unreliable and inefficient. As a consequence, they often have to rely on relatively high carbon solid and liquid fuels which are being used with aging technologies. The FREE initiative targets aims to ensure that the needs of rural communities are fully considered in the development of EU energy policy. For more info please visit www.rural-energy.eu or contact Masha Tarle, mt@sustenergy.org.

Adopt a windmill!

Campaign associate, EWEA - European Wind Energy Association, has recently launched a communication campaign titled 'A breath of fresh air'. The campaign targets citizens, private businesses and policy makers by bringing forward interesting facts on the increase of wind energy in Europe and the enormous potential ahead. One of the main actions of the campaign is that citizens can show their support of wind energy by choosing and adopting their own windmill anywhere in Europe. Individuals can then collect popularity votes for their specific windmill and the campaign provides a fun contest for the contestant who adopted the most voted windmill. To adopt a windmill today go to: http://freshair.ewea.org/. For more info contact Masha Tarle, mt@sustenergy.org.

Agenda of upcoming Campaign Events and Energy Days

Passive House Symposium 
Brussels, Belgium 3/09/2010 
Contact:  Peter Dellaert peter.dellaert@passiefhuisplatform.be 
Organised by:  Passiefhuis-Platform

Urban Green Fair
Brixton, United Kingdom 5/09/2010
Contact: Shane Collins shane@gn.apc.org
Organised by: Urban Green Fair Community Interest Company
 
Energy exhibition
Falköping, Sweden 7/09/2010 
Contact:  Martin Johansson martin.johansson@falkoping.se  
Organised by:  Falköpings kommun

Sustainable energy in agricultural sector: State of art and applications  Perugia, Italy 8/09/2010 
Contact:  Alessandra Antognelli edumbria@cesarweb.com 
Organised by:  Europe Direct Umbria - CeSar

Passive House Fair 
Brussels, Belgium 10/09/2010 12/09/2010 
Contact:  Peter Dellaert peter.dellaert@passiefhuisplatform.be 
Organised by:  Passiefhuis-Platform

Zero Carbon Road Show 2010
Paris, France 10/09/2010 
Contact:  Gunnar Olesen ove@inforse 
Organised by:  INFORSE Europe and RAC France

Think European, Act Regional! 
Brussels, Belgium 13/09/2010 14/09/2010 
Contact:  Dominique Bourges fedarene@fedarene.org 
Organised by Fedarene

Zero Carbon Road Show 2010
Barcelona, Spain 13/09/2010
Contact:  Gunnar Olesen ove@inforse
Organised by:  INFORSE Europe

Hard Rain
Brussels, Belgium 13/09/2010 25/09/2010
Contact: Elke Zander Elke.Zander@ewea.org
Organised by EWEA 

Energy Days in Pesaro 
Pesaro, Italy 16/09/2010 19/09/2010 
Contact:  Martina Mansueto ufficiostampaenergydays@gmail.com 
Organised by Attiva srl

Energie, Climat et territoires : politiques européennes et politiques locales  
Nevers, France 16/09/2010 16/09/2010 
Contact:  Emilie Scoccimarro emilie.scoccimarro@bfce.eu   
Organised by Bureau Bourgogne Franche-Comté Europe

Launch of U4energy 
Brussels, Belgium 16/09/2010 
Contact:  Sofia Aslanidou U4energy@eun.org 
Organised by:  U4energy team, European Schoolnet

Sustainable energy in agricultural sector: Encouraging biogas production in Umbria
Perugia, Italy 17/09/2010 
Contact:  Alessandra Antognelli edumbria@cesarweb.com 
Organised by:  Europe Direct Umbria - CeSar

Energy Days in Cosenza 
Cosenza, Italy 23/09/2010 26/09/2010 
Contact:  Martina Mansueto ufficiostampaenergydays@gmail.com 
Organised by Attiva srl

The Days of Renewable Energy in Calabria 
Calabria University Campus, Italy 27/09/2010 1/10/2010 
Contact:  Nicola De Nardi nicoladenardi@gmail.com 
Organised by Engineers Mediterranea Foundation

HYDRO 2010 - Meeting Demands for a Changing World  Lisboa, Portugal 27/09/2010 29/09/2010 
Contact:  Lukas Port lukas.port@hydropower-dams.com 
Organised by:  Aqua Meida International

INNOV'ECO Smart Grid & IT Green 
Paris, France 30/09/2010 
Contact:  Arthur Cornez arthur.cornez@innoveco-paris.com 
Organised by INNOV'ECO

Sustainable Pathways for a Renewable Europe: change habits to change habitat! 
Roma, Italy 3/10/2010 14/10/2010 
Contact:  Maria Chiara Esposito info@bestroma.org 
Organised by:  BEST Roma

Energofutura 2010 
Kosice, Slovakia 5/10/2010 6/10/2010 
Contact:  Norbert Bomba norbert.bomba@energofutura.com 
Organised by:  PAMIDA International, Ltd.

NGO Sustainable Energy Seminar & Guided Tour 
Machynlleth, Wales, United Kingdom 5/10/2010 8/10/2010 
Contact:  Gunnar Olesen ove@inforse 
Organised by:  INFORSE Europe

Energy Days in Rome 
Rome, Italy 7/10/2010 10/10/2010 
Contact:  Martina Mansueto ufficiostampaenergydays@gmail.com 
Organised by:  Attiva srl

Renexpo Augsburg 
Augsburg, Germany 7/10/2010 10/10/2010 
Contact:  Melanie Fritz fritz@energie-server.de 
Organised by:  REECO GmbH

Energy-from-Waste: the Big Picture 
Brussels, Belgium 11/10/2010 
Contact:  Patrick Clerens events@eswet.eu 
Organised by:  ESWET

3ème étape du tour de France de l'energie 
Rennes, France 11/10/2010 13/10/2010 
Contact:  Marie-Laure Falque-Masset ml.falquemasset@areneidf.org 
Organised by:  ARENE Ile-de-France

Sustainable Energy - Domestic Sector 
Lisboa, Portugal 16/10/2010 25/10/2010 
Contact:  José Simão geral@5elemento.org 
Organised by:  Associação 5 elemento

European Future Energy Forum 2010  
London, United Kingdom 19/10/2010 21/10/2010 
Contact:  Rebecca Oxley r.oxley@turretme.com 
Organised by:  Turret Middle East

4th International Congress of Architecture, City and Energy  
Pamplona, Spain 21/10/2010 22/10/2010 
Contact:  Florencio Manteca fmanteca@cener.com 
Organised by:  CENER

Energie2010 
Brussels, Belgium 22/10/2010 24/10/2010 
Contact:  Hervé-Jacques POSKIN hjp@nawbizz.be 
Organised by:  NewBizz Partners

Expobioenergía 2010
Valladolid, Spain 27/10/2010 29/10/2010 
Contact:  Jorge Herrero jorge.herrero@expobioenergia.com 
Organised by:  Expobioenergía