Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 10.28.05
It’s endeavours like this, which continue to restore my faith in humankind. “The Ashden Awards reward outstanding, inspirational and innovative local sustainable energy schemes that both protect the environment, tackle climate change and make real improvements to people's quality of life. The Awards are designed to encourage wider take-up of local energy solutions worldwide - proving to the public and policy makers alike that such schemes offer viable, practical ways of tackling poverty, resource shortages and climate change.” A total funding pool of £350,000 ($620,000 USD) will be made available in 2006, and applications for overseas (non-UK) projects are now open. But act with decisiveness, as they close 21 November 2005. Reading through the list of past winners is lump-in-the-throat inspirational stuff. Take the following project supported by the ITDG, for example:
On the slopes of Mt Kenya, the ITDG, who we’ve mentioned before, were able to leverage their funding for a project to bring renewable energy to 57 village homes, providing a socket that could be used for running a couple of 10W fluorescent bulbs, a radio or a mobile phone charger. All achieved through a 'pico-hydro' scheme, that drew upon a stream small enough to jump, that only has a flow rate of about 5 litres per second. Amazing. So, if you know anyone that would benefit from the Ashen Awards, remind them to get an application happening. Pronto. ::Ashden Awards
