- The Freiburg Charter
- PlusEnergy in every community
- Energy in citizen’s hands
- 100 Percent GmbH
The Freiburg Charter
The German Climate Calculation Center’s high-performance computer in Hamburg has spit out alarming results. By the end of the century it indicates that the global temperature could climb up four degrees and at the North Pole even up to ten degrees higher. Massive sheets of ice continue to melt rapidly – with dramatic implications for mother earth.
The melting of Greenland’s mainland ice masses will raise sea level by about 7 meters at the very least. Several of the world’s largest metropolitan areas, like Tokyo, New York City, Shanghai, Sydney and Calcutta for example, but also entire countries, like Holland and Bangladesh will sink into the ocean.
Climate change, created by man, can no longer be dismissed. The consequences are floods, drought, and armed conflicts just to name a few.
A reversal, a counteract is still possible. Thus we should not just rely on environmental protection conferences. Otherwise, we could end up just like the people in the meeting in the comic above by Milan Rader. But we must undertake efforts and develop environmentally healthy habits in our immediate surrounding environments.
Rolf Disch Solar Architecture currently develops the “Freiburg Charter” – an ambitious catalogue of objectives and principles, aimed to locally contribute towards the fight against the impact of climate change.
The charter text will soon be available here online.
The green movement began in Freiburg - Interview with Thomas Dresel (10.40 Min.)
The melting of Greenland’s mainland ice masses will raise sea level by about 7 meters at the very least. Several of the world’s largest metropolitan areas, like Tokyo, New York City, Shanghai, Sydney and Calcutta for example, but also entire countries, like Holland and Bangladesh will sink into the ocean.
Climate change, created by man, can no longer be dismissed. The consequences are floods, drought, and armed conflicts just to name a few.
Rolf Disch Solar Architecture currently develops the “Freiburg Charter” – an ambitious catalogue of objectives and principles, aimed to locally contribute towards the fight against the impact of climate change.
The charter text will soon be available here online.
The green movement began in Freiburg - Interview with Thomas Dresel (10.40 Min.)
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► www.plusenergiehaus.de
PlusEnergy in every community
In 2008 all 11,000 mayors of every German city and town received mail from the Rolf Disch office: wherever planning a new residential development is requested, one could erect a sustainable PlusEnergy housing community. A modular and variable house concept was designed especially for that.
Over 300 of German municipalities have manifested an interest and several PlusEnergy housing estates are already in planning: Königsfeld, Schopfheim, Weissach, Nuremberg, Cologne. The concept has also gained interest in Norway and Denmark.
„Is it not an electrifying idea to add an example of such living quality to every German community, and thus own something that anyone interested could really see and feel? That is how a Plusenergiehaus® embodies modernity, savoir-vivre, indeed luxury at its finest, in short everything a location would like to show off to promote itself. And new building standards demonstrate: We are thinking of future generations,” said Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, environmental activist, emeritus dean of the Environmental College of Santa Barabara, California and former president of the German Federal Environment Committee.
And Klaus Töpfer, the former executive director of environmental programs for the United Nations (UNEP), seconded, “for our municipalities, right now whether small towns or large cities, this action can be an important opportunity to set their global political responsibility, to profile themselves at the top of a global movement - and to use the amazing opportunities of this development to attract attention to themselves.”
PlusEnergy in every community
Prof. Ernst Ulrich von Weizäcker
Over 300 of German municipalities have manifested an interest and several PlusEnergy housing estates are already in planning: Königsfeld, Schopfheim, Weissach, Nuremberg, Cologne. The concept has also gained interest in Norway and Denmark.
„Is it not an electrifying idea to add an example of such living quality to every German community, and thus own something that anyone interested could really see and feel? That is how a Plusenergiehaus® embodies modernity, savoir-vivre, indeed luxury at its finest, in short everything a location would like to show off to promote itself. And new building standards demonstrate: We are thinking of future generations,” said Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, environmental activist, emeritus dean of the Environmental College of Santa Barabara, California and former president of the German Federal Environment Committee.
Prof. Klaus Töpfer
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► www.plusenergiehaus.de
Energy in citizen’s hands
As it was known that the energy company E.ON had to sell their daughter company Thüga as mandated by antitrust legislation, there sat a group of Freiburgers together with wine in hand – there too was Rolf Disch – who on that day debated over communal energy generation. In fact, one had to take over Thüga with the citizen’s money, someone added to the circle.
Not even 2 months later the Energy in Citizen’s Hands association was ready to be founded, who had already collected millions of Euros. This multi-billion dollar takeover will now be debated together with two groups from public services and public utilities.
The more the citizen investment, the greater their influence will be – for the development of regenerative energies, against nuclear power, against the expansion of burning fossil fuels. And with that Energy in Citizen’s Hands also offers a safe and lucrative financial investment.
You can find more information at:
www.energie-in-buergerhand.de
Energy in citizen’s hands
Not even 2 months later the Energy in Citizen’s Hands association was ready to be founded, who had already collected millions of Euros. This multi-billion dollar takeover will now be debated together with two groups from public services and public utilities.
The more the citizen investment, the greater their influence will be – for the development of regenerative energies, against nuclear power, against the expansion of burning fossil fuels. And with that Energy in Citizen’s Hands also offers a safe and lucrative financial investment.
You can find more information at:
www.energie-in-buergerhand.de
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► www.plusenergiehaus.de
100 Percent GmbH
The 2009 climate conference in Copenhagen unfortunately demonstrated once again – politics need much more initiation and support from the economy and society than previously, before it can be in the position to reach an understanding and make drastic solutions.
‘Don’t cry, rather roll up your sleeves,’ concluded Joschka Fischer in this situation: ‘Use the chance that politics are blockaded to show what private enterprise is capable of.’
This is exactly the impetus that stood behind the foundation of the 100 Percent GmbH, that Rolf Disch and eight other combatants exclaimed in the middle of 2009. Contractors in the renewable energy field from the Freiburg region united not only to form a common lobby group, not only in order to dispel political hindrance to investments, not only to to gain publicity to help manage climate protection.
But rather because it initiates very concrete projects that will be managed by signatory partners. Most of all such projects will bring the competence of the region together, between consultants, designers, financing specialists, distributors and executive corporations.
It is about hundreds of millions of Euros in possible investments in the region. It is about switching our flow of funds. It is about developing a growth industry with job opportunities, as well as profit and investment opportunities for our citizens. And above all, it is about the region’s full supply of renewable energy within a generation’s time.
You can find more information at:
www.100prozentgmbh.de - The Economic Organization for Renewable Energy in the Freiburg Region
100 Percent GmbH
‘Don’t cry, rather roll up your sleeves,’ concluded Joschka Fischer in this situation: ‘Use the chance that politics are blockaded to show what private enterprise is capable of.’
This is exactly the impetus that stood behind the foundation of the 100 Percent GmbH, that Rolf Disch and eight other combatants exclaimed in the middle of 2009. Contractors in the renewable energy field from the Freiburg region united not only to form a common lobby group, not only in order to dispel political hindrance to investments, not only to to gain publicity to help manage climate protection.
But rather because it initiates very concrete projects that will be managed by signatory partners. Most of all such projects will bring the competence of the region together, between consultants, designers, financing specialists, distributors and executive corporations.
It is about hundreds of millions of Euros in possible investments in the region. It is about switching our flow of funds. It is about developing a growth industry with job opportunities, as well as profit and investment opportunities for our citizens. And above all, it is about the region’s full supply of renewable energy within a generation’s time.
You can find more information at:
www.100prozentgmbh.de - The Economic Organization for Renewable Energy in the Freiburg Region
