If we are to change the energy paradigm on this Planet and truly become a carbon-free society, then our politicians have a lot of work to do these years…
How about ourselves? Are we really willing to invest our savings or a bank loan into an energy-efficient home, solar panels or an electric car? We believe that changing the political agenda is by all means very important. But changing people’s w
ay of living, working at the grass-roots to put environmental and energy sustainability on top of ordinary citizens’ personal agendas is just as critical and necessary. That is why we decided, back in 2007, to embark on a green adventure focused on education, green building and the sustainable development of communities in Romania. Because we consider that the young generation of today should be educated and inspired to become a vector of change, we have focused a large part of our efforts on educational and awareness projects addressed to students of all ages. Teacher training and awareness is equally important and for this reason we have created a network of teachers from 21 Romanian schools who have a strong interest in sustainability issues. Their support was critical in developing educational kits for students and in implementing our projects. „Terra, our only home" is one such project that managed to involve 5,500 students and 200 teachers and local government representatives, with significant results on behavior change and the introduction of energy efficiency measures in schools. Our organization has partnered with Romanian universities, being invited to participate in seminars and conferences for university students and to provide information for academic research projects, especially in relation to our green building project that has become a useful teaching tool for energy sustainability and academic research in our country. Greenitiative also promotes green building and renewables in Romania by (1) personal example (Greenitiative is among the first Romanian NGOs to have its office in an energy efficient building that also uses renewable sources of energy) (2) by organizing workshops, conferences and events targeted to influence local and central stakeholders, professional groups (architects, engineers, installers of RES equipment) and media representatives. The Greenoffs building in Mogosoaia is the small but environmentally-friendly building that hosts our office. Greenoffs (our office) and Greenome (our home) were built using a bank loan and the savings of Greenitiative founders, the Ienculescu-Popovici family. We consider this investment to be a very meaningful in our activity as climate change and energy sustainability campaigners, as thus we strive to put our money where our mouth is. These two buildings that incorporate both traditional building techniques (rammed earth, hazel fencing, green roof) and new energy-efficient technologies (heat pumps, solar panels, cellulose, h**p and woodchips insulation, automation and controls) attracted a lot of attention from national media and ordinary people alike. We hosted here several events such as a seminar about natural insulation materials, a workshop for young students and their parents on green building and green living, an European Union Sustainable Energy Week event and a presentation about designing and implementing a green building project. Our organization supports the sustainable development of Romanian rural communities helping them reconcile the rush for economic growth and the need to preserve the natural capital of each community (e.g. The Sustainable Rural Development Initiative - Eselnitza Project, in collaboration with the local LG, parish, school, and NGOs). Our green living experiment in Mogosoaia, particularly the recycling, composting and gardening experience, proved to be a good way to build community ties.
