Tiny Voznesensk a Beacon for Energy Efficient Cities
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East Europe Foundation Executive Director Victor Liakh (left) andVoznesensk Agency for Economic Development Project Director Sergei Averkov examine wood chips, part of the city’s energy efficiency initiative.
Photo Credit: Simone Kozhukharov |
When it comes to energy efficiency, tiny Voznesensk, Mykolayiv Oblast, burns brighter than most cities and uses less power while doing it—thanks to East Europe Foundation, USAID, and the Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor.
East Europe Foundation, which receives funding from USAID through Eurasia Foundation, awarded the city’s Agency for Economic Development a $25,000 grant to introduce a sy stem of organic waste management. The agency helped the local community initiate the separate collection of organic waste, which is now being utilized by communal enterprises for composting and the production of fuel pellets.
The agency is also conducting an informational campaign to mobilize resources and work with the government on the local level to calculate tariffs and draft the necessary legislation to implement them. Through the project, Voznesensk is enjoying alternative energy sources and helping protect the environment from harmful waste.
Energy efficiency is a vital part of Ukraine’s push toward modernization as it joins the global search for cost-efficient, energy-saving resources that protect the planet and the pocketbook. Thanks in part to USAID’s support, Voznesensk has become a beacon in Ukraine’s effort to save energy, and government officials from neighboring towns have descended upon the little city to draw upon their best practices.
“Each inhabitant of the city must think about energy efficiency, both at home and at work, or else we will have problems. I did not expect such support from residents, such citizen awareness,” admitted Mayor Yuriy Gerzhov. “But, the fact that this project was so successful serves as an inspiration for new initiatives.”
Boris Karpus, the chairman of the Novovolynsk city council’s Economic Policy and Investment Department, traveled nine hours to Voznesensk to study one of the country’s newest advances in energy efficiency. “Our city, just as every city, is thinking about introducing energy efficiency approaches. I came here to see the results of the project. I am impressed by the synergetic effect. The program was very well thought-out, introducing a multifaceted solution to deal with everything from waste collection to the production of pellets and the heating of municipal buildings. We began cooperation with Voznesensk earlier within the framework of a UNDP municipal program. At the same time, our cooperation has expanded, and we are trying to share best practices in all spheres,” he said.
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