News: 1 September 2022

At the beginning of August the Hungarian government issued a decree which aims at easing logging rules. This could lead to the destruction of forests. If we want to protect what is still left from nature, this destructive decree has to be withdrawn. However, this should not mean that the needs of those living in energy poverty are not met. On the contrary, in the frame of the H2020 EnergyProspects project – which aims at raising awareness about the different forms of energycitizenship –, GreenDependent collected Hungarian cases that connect environmental and social objectives, and could inspire decision makers, communities, so that we have healthy forests, sufficient energy.

GreenDependent – as part of the Ne vágj ki minden fát (Don’t cut down all our trees) community, which includes civil and expert organizations as well as artists – is publishing these cases in a series of posts. These presentations show how the needs of those living in energy and/or housing poverty can be met in a more sustainable, greener way. Let’s make sure that we all have healthy forests, sufficient energy!

„Lower needs, less firewood”

The goal of the EnergyNeighbourhoods project has been to help families, households and small communities lead a more energy-conscious lifestyle, and to promote low-carbon, green lifestyles since 2011. In the year of 2016/2017, for the first time in the project’s history, one of the participating groups was a community from a Roma settlement suffering from (energy) poverty. The six families from the Roma settlement of Bag – with the help of BAGázs Association – decided to test themselves and engage in this learning process in order to reduce their energy consumption and to live in a more environmentally conscious way. That season their neighbourhood won the competition: they managed to reduce their energy consumption by 27% (e.g. by reducing indoor temperature, descaling the boilier). This example shows that even with a disadvantageous background one can save energy without investments by changing their habits. And the resources – including money – can be used to satisfy other needs.

Photo: The members of the "Kerasz Khetane" (Let's do it together) community at the training

For more information visit: https://intezet.greendependent.org/en/node/333