News: 15 September 2022

Our series about healthy forests, sufficient energy goes on by presenting further examples

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 showing 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!

The examples were collected in the frame of an H2020 project called EnergyPROSPECTS which aims at raising awareness about the different forms of energycitizenship.

Passive social housing in Budapest – efficient home, lower heating expenses

One of the district governments of Budapest (District 13) implemented an exemplary unique initiative. A multi-flat building with 100 flats was built by April 2014 where flats are now rented out on a social basis, while they remain the property of the municipality. People who move into the flats receive training on how to use the flats - as the building is a certified passive house -, and on energy saving. Following upon the success of the first social building, the municipality built a second passive house in 2018 with 23 flats, and several others followed.

Light bringers – solar panel for the energy-poor

For hundreds of thousands of poor households, accessing electricity is a big problem and they are often cut off from the grid as they are unable to pay their bills and fines. Roma students, with the mentorship of an NGO (Romaversitas), developed a cheap form of access to electricity that uses a solar-charged panel that is easy to install and covers the demand for lighting for 5-6 hours and the charging of one mobile phone. With crowdfunding they installed this for 40 families in one village and a few others have taken over the innovation.

More information can be found here: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hungary-roma-solar-idUSKBN1451OO