Valladolid’s EnergÉtica Cooperative grew as a response to the 2008 financial crisis when, in protest against energy poverty and the failure of the central government to plan a clean energy transition, local residents demanded sustainable energy solutions. Today, EnergÉtica Cooperative has signed agreements with ten regional municipalities and supplies energy to each of them.
Energy scarcity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip impacts women in different ways than men, yet women are very rarely consulted on energy solutions. ‘Empowering Women as Sustainable Energy Leaders’, an initiative of PENGON, Friends of the Earth Palestine, brings local women together to transform the energy system in Palestine, putting solar energy in their hands. It also empowers women to be active in decision-making around energy and to lead change in their communities.
For 22 years Earthworker Cooperative has brought the climate movement together with the labour movement to build cooperative manufactories and other cooperatives to enable communities to find ways out of the climate emergency. Today it is supporting a growing network of cooperatives in manufacturing, energy, and service sectors, including the award-winning Redgum Cleaning Cooperative.
Fifteen years ago, the Bulgarian town of Burgas was extremely energy inefficient, leading to very high energy costs for local authorities and citizens, as well as poor living conditions and environmental inequality. Today it is a different story. Burgas is a smart, energy efficient city implementing the most up-to-date energy approaches and measures, thereby demonstrating the power of local authorities to drive sustainable change.
Komotini is a municipality in north-eastern Greece with just under 60,000 inhabitants. Still recovering from the effects of the financial crisis of 2008 and dealing with the resulting financial restrictions, the municipality is now planning to take its energy supply into its own hands. With an impressive track record of active citizenship and a fruitful cooperation between the administration and residents, there are high chances that these plans will soon be put into practice.