In our residential energy saving programme called E.ON EnergyNeighbourhoods, small communities (of families, friends, colleagues, etc.) compete for saving the largest amount of energy only through changing their behaviour and everyday consumption patterns. Each group is supported by a volunteer adult coordinator called „energy master” and, if possible, by a young „energy hunter”. Energy masters and hunters support activities of their group, organise meetings and motivate their members.

For these key members of the participating groups, GreenDependent organizes trainings before and during the time of the competition to provide help, tools and information for their work. The second training for the energy masters was held on the 4th of March in Budapest, at the K11, Art and Culture Centre. This time not just the energy masters, but their young helpers, the energy hunters, were also invited to the event.

At the beginning of the training we discussed the actual status of the programme, the situation of the competing communities and the two creative tasks that participants had already faced during the first two months of the programme. After the presentations the energy masters and the hunters worked in small groups solving playful exercises like planning a three-course, low-carbon lunch for Lent and an electronic device-free weekend programme for the family or their communities. They also made a success-challenge map, in which they collected and discussed the positive and negative experiences they had so far in the competition in terms of organizing the group, managing to involve members in activities, collecting meter readings, etc.

The main purpose of the event was to boost the enthusiasm of the energy masters – and through them, the participants of their EnergyNeighbourhoods - because the competition is at its halftime. According to the feedbacks this purpose of the event went well. The training had a great atmosphere with lots of involving activities to support "learning by doing", contests and discussions, which all gave opportunity to the participants to learn from each other, from the tasks (e.g. measuring the energy consumption of different household appliances), and also exchange advice and experiences. At the end of the programme we celebrated the day’s work, and the achievement of the groups with two delicious cakes.