The Amazing Ashden Awards

I recently went to the annual Ashden Awards which reward local sustainable energy projects in the UK and across the developing world. The winners really illustrate the positive impacts that good, clean energy can have to both the environment and to people’s lives.

A UK project that stood out for me is run by the Sustainable Energy Academy in Milton Keynes. Winner of the charity award, the project aims to show policy makers and individuals that high energy savings can be made, even in hard-to-treat houses. ‘Superhomes’ have been set up to showcase the measures that can be taken and these are open to visitors to come and have a look. Each ‘Superhome’ has made carbon savings of around 70% and is inspiring others to take similar actions.

This project encompasses several elements of achieving successful behaviour change. Because people can view energy efficient improvements for themselves, they are able to visualise making these improvements in their own homes with little hassle (as well as how much money they will save on their energy bills). Through the Energy Agency, the ‘Superhome’ owners are able to pass on their sustainable energy knowledge to others and this has a positive effect in encouraging people to make similar changes. Hopefully the award will help the project to expand so that many more people are within easy reach of a ‘Superhome’.

The international project that most caught my attention is a partnership between the Aprovecho Research Center in the USA and Shengzhou Stove Manufacturer in China. Around 2 billion people in the world cook on traditional stoves and open fires. The smoke from these causes huge health problems and contributes to climate change. This project has developed a cheap, robust and efficient stove for mass production. These stoves save up to 50% of fuelwood and up to 70% of emissions. The award will help to increase production of these stoves, leading to both environmental improvements and improvements in the health of millions of people.

All the winning Ashden Awards projects are inspirational. They emphasise the power of local projects and education in influencing a shift towards more sustainable energy usage across the world. They also serve as a reminder of the impact and importance of simple measures in combating global climate change.