Successful Initiative:
'Warmetruiendag' Wormerland & Eerste Energiecafé
# SUSTAINABILITY #ENVIRONMENT #SOCIAL CONNECTION #ENERGY USE AWARENESS #EDUCATIONAL #CIRCULAR ECONOMY #LOW THRESHOLD
Working as an ambassador to Wormerland Duurzaam (WD) (= Sustainable Wormerland) , a citizen initiative group, Lumi was the initiator, the concept maker and manager of the event 'Warmetruiendag' Wormerland & Eerste Energiecafé.
What:
A well known, effective and low threshold national evenement, 'Warmetruiendag' (= warm pullover/ sweater day), was used as starting point. 'Warmetruiendag' (WTD) aims people to be more conscious towards the environment due simply lowing down the central heating few degrees on that day, by using instead a warm pullover, saving therefore energie, costs and helping the environment. Each lowered degree corresponds to a 6% energy saving or 6% CO2 emission reduction. Also the participants (citizens / organisations/ instances) can be mapped so other participants can see each other actions/events. Normally this action is used individually (by an organisation, an instance or an individual).
Cold Energy cafe was hold outdoor under ice-cold circunstance, using two outdoor stoves (from Albert van Iperen (WD team) combusted by the environmental friendly Enviro-log (by GreenHeat), to heat homemade vegetarian soup, hot chocolate and bake scones. Those to be freely distributed to passersby and Wormerland citizens, inviting them to talk about the use of energy and sustainable matters, or just to connect and enjoy the moment. Also due the cold weather free warming up sessions were offered by professionals.
Concept/ How
Use WTD to set the whole Wormerland municipality in card, as a whole, to bring also social unity towards the City and the other institutions, organisations and citizens, next to its environmental character, or in other words, to raise social and environmental awareness.
Through WD, the following were invited to participate with WTD:
- All the local schools (5) from the area (more than 1.200 children),
- The City council of Wormerland itself,
- Scwo (community center), Wonen Plus (institution for elderly and their related matters), SeniorPlezier (organisation which provides activities for the elderly)
- ZEK (Zaanse energy corporative)
Biologisch Verbonden (organic food corporative),
- Local supermarkets DekaMarket and Vomar
- Shops (on which GreenHeat (Enviro-log fire blocks), Heerlijk (organic shop), Wol-lokaal (knitting shop), Fauna Fashion, Chinese restaurant King Wah, Vietnamese take away My & U)
- Physiotherapy practice Nova Fysio & GezondPlus and Personal/ group bootkamp trainer Tineke Biersteker
They all have contributed participating and also organising themselves their own internal actions, posting internal newsletters spreading the news over their action and WTD, helping publicity and consciousness awareness.
Most of them also helped sponsoring the first Cold Energy Cafe!
Sponsoring of:
- Chocolate milk (DekaMarket)
- Organic fresh homemade veggie soup (Biologisch Verbonden)
- Baguette, nuts, cheese spread (Vomar)
- Self baked butter cookies from children (by Scwo activity)
- Self baked haver cookies and scones during the cafe, bij Margo Kerssens from the WD team
- Warming up exercises, prevention advise, walking session (by NovaFysio, GezondPlus and Tineke Biersteker).
The schools adjusted their lessons to be related to issues as energy saving and environmental sustainability. Also they did very nice games related to the subject on which the kids got very excited. The parents got newsletter about the event therefore also asked to co-work with the action and to set their central heating also lower at home.
The posters printed to promote the event, were cradle to cradle. It was a conscious choice to promote the circular economy, on which the City council of Wormerland agreed to sponsor it. They also helped promoting the event on their newspaper column, their social media, through internal mailing, and co-worked not just at the City Hall level, but also at their home.
During the Cold Energy Cafe, no plastic was used, nor any kind of disposable tableware. Everything (mugs) was consciously asked to be brought from different parties (also to promote connection), from home. Also no cutlery (spoons) were used, as when Biologisch Verbonden was invited with the request of doing a liquid enough soup, on which spoon would not be necessary and could be just enjoyed w/ a baguette.
Great results and goals are achieved!:
The result... A very successful event on which the media (newspapers, life radio interview, social media) was attracted, where its success was only possible with the great co-working, not just from everyone inside (WD) the team, but with also the close co-working with everybody from all the other parties, resulting into also a great social connection and chemistry among the parties and the people, next to raising environmental awareness and promote the circular economy.
There is already a full enthusiastic happy connected parties, on which are already ready for a replay next year!
