wisions 06092005 final · (energy, waste, water, etc.). the world summit on sustainable development...

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WISIONSSustainable development is possible

WISIONS is an initiative of the Wuppertal Institutefor Climate, Environment and Energy, carried out withthe support of the Swiss-based foundation Pro-Evolution, to foster practical and sustainableenergy projects.

Sustainable development is possible. Numerousinnovative and valuable contributions from differentcountries, fields and institutions have shown that anappropriate reconciliation of economic, ecologicaland social factors is not unrealistic utopia. We havemade a promising start, but the greatest challengestill facing us in the 21st century is to learn how touse the world's resources more efficiently and in anecologically sound and socially balanced way.

Progress is being made; however, a dozen yearsafter the UN Conference on Environment andDevelopment in Rio de Janeiro, many people, especially in developing countries, still lack access toresources, clean technologies, and education. At thesame time, people's level of resource consumptionand means of production remains unsustainable.

To meet global challenges like climate change,water scarcity and poverty, it is necessary to fosterprojects of potential strategic global importance bysupporting them so that they can be implementedlocally. Examples of good practice need to be activelypromoted to a wider audience.

WISIONS promotes good practice in resource efficiency through its publication of relevant successfulprojects in its Promotion of Resource EfficiencyProjects: PREP

WISIONS also provides consulting and support toensure the potential seen in visions of renewableenergy and energy efficiency can become matureprojects through its Sustainable Energy ProjectSupport: SEPS

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Sustainable TourismCombining holidays with local needs

Sunny beaches, far away places,foreign culture… who doesn't dreamabout taking off and leaving everydaylife behind? Despite the current eco-nomic climate, the tourism industryis growing and has become one of the largest business sectors in the worldeconomy, and taking a holiday at leastonce a year is common practice in manycountries. The crucial factor is usuallythe price-performance ratio - the cheaperthe destination and further the distance,the better. On the other hand, co-existingalongside this low-cost tourism is a different type of tourism, which buildsupon exceptional and sustainable travelideas and benefits from the growth ratesin the tourism industry. This PREP-topicconcentrates on sustainable tourism, asdetailed in the following:

Sustainable tourism is a form ofindustry which attempts to preservelocal resources and local culture, whileimproving living conditions and helpingto generate income and employment. Itlends itself to all forms of tourism, activities and companies. One of themajor sustainability issues in tourism onwhich this PREP-topic focuses is themanagement of natural resources (energy, waste, water, etc.).

The World Summit on SustainableDevelopment in Johannesburg 2002acknowledged tourism as one of themajor energy-consuming sectors. Mostof the energy in lodging is spent onrefrigerating and/or heating rooms,water for consumption and pools, foodand lighting. Energy efficiency presentsa significant opportunity to reduce operating costs and, as a result, toimprove economic and environmentalperformance.

Using renewable energy sources cansignificantly decrease the environmentalfootprint of tourism. There are manydifferent renewable energy technologies,but the most appropriate technologydepends on both the available renewableenergy resource and the particularapplication, such as providing electricityfor lighting or heat for cooking.

The growing number of peoplemoving from place to place increases airpollution, in particular through green-house gas emissions. Of all energyexpenditure related to tourism in Europeand the US, 90 per cent is spent in travelto and from holiday destinations (EEA,EPA) and 60 per cent of international airtraffic is for tourism. Climate changeactually threatens some of the most prized tourism destinations such as beaches, island paradises and coral reefs.

Many travel agencies already considerthese facts and include the protection oflocal culture, environment and resourcesor the compensation of emissionscaused by flights, into their offers.

In this brochure, WISIONS focuses onthe significance of innovative strategiesin the field of sustainable tourism.WISIONS presents projects fromTanzania, Germany, Ecuador, Switzer-land and Ghana that have been success-fully implemented, with the intention offurther promoting the particular approaches used by these projects.Using a key number of internationallyaccepted criteria, the main consider-ation for the selection of the projectswas energy and resource efficiency, butsocial aspects such as the inclusion oflocal population were also of relevance.The assessment of the projects also

included the consideration of regionalfactors acknowledging different needsand potentials.

All projects that fulfilled WISIONSapplication criteria were independentlyreviewed, and five of them, with thepotential to make a significant impacton global energy and resource efficiency,are published in the following pages.WISIONS is pleased to present goodpractice examples from ambitious projects which have been successfullyimplemented on different continents. Allof these projects are appropriate withintheir local context and have been developed to a level which meetsWISIONS selection criteria. Althoughuniquely designed for a particular setting and problem, the projects presented can be adapted to differentsituations or can provide valuable information from their implementationphase. Links to the illustrated good practice examples shown in the brochure,as well as a couple of other issue-relatedprojects, are available on:www.wisions.net.

The selected projects are not intendedto represent the only possible directionsto take in the field of sustainable tourism but they do demonstrate promising approaches.

Photo: Jenny W.


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Chumbe Island Coral Park (Chicop) Ltd.

Location:Zanzibar, Tanzania

Project's Aim: Establish sustainable

conservation area management

Technical Answer: Fund support through

ecotourism

CHICOP was registered in 1992 in Zanzibar for thepurpose of the conservation of Chumbe Island. Theobjectives of CHICOP are non-commercial, while theoperations themselves follow commercial principles.The overall aim of CHICOP is to create a model of sustainable conservation area management, whereecotourism supports both conservation and an environmental education programme for local school-children.

Since 1994, CHICOP has been operating ChumbeIsland as a fully managed and internationally recognised nature reserve that:

includes a marine park, forest reserve,visitor centre and eco-lodgegives sanctuary to critically endangered speciesoffers educative tropical nature experiences to touristsis now entirely funded through ecotourism

Seven two-bed eco-bungalows offer accommoda-tion for up to 14 guests overnight and if a day trip isorganised up to 2 extra during the day. Larger groupsof schoolchildren are invited for day excursionsduring the low season. Overnight capacity does notexceed around 4000 bed-nights per year and no further construction of overnight facilities is planned:The route and programme of the daytrips to the parkare regulated by the tide.

BENEFITS

The most direct economic benefit for local peoplefrom any conservation project is the protection oftheir natural resource for long-term subsistence andlivelihood.

The Chumbe Reef Sanctuary helps restock depletedfisheries and assists in the recovery of coral reefs anddegraded fishing grounds in Zanzibar.

In addition, CHICOP runs an environmental educationprogramme for local schoolchildren and givesemployment to 40 people, provides a ready market forlocal produce (souvenirs, building materials, food-stuff) and pays considerable taxes to the Government.

TECHNOLOGY

The visitor centre and the seven eco-bungalowswere built with state-of-the-art eco-architecture andeco-technology. All buildings are designed to catchsea breezes for ventilation and do not require air conditioning. The openness of the bungalows, with nowalls and open to the forest and the sea, allows formaximum through draft.

No part of Chumbe Island is linked to the nationalpower grid; however the island runs no generators forits operations. All the energy for lighting, water heating and communications is provided by solarpanels, both photovoltaic and solar water heaters. Toprotect nocturnal wildlife, light pollution at night isavoided and guests are given solar-powered torchesfor walkways. As there is no freshwater source on theisland, rainwater is collected in the rainy season usingthe large roof areas. This water passes through, and iscleaned, by a natural gravel and sand filter located ateach side of the bungalows, and is then stored in alarge cistern underneath the living rooms. The water isthen hand-pumped into hot and cold water containersunder the roof, where it is heated by means of solarwater-heating panels.

The used water from the showers and sinks passesthrough plant beds located in front of each bungalow.

Photo: Manolo Yllera


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CONTACTChumbe Island Coral Park (CHICOP) Ltd.Sibylle Riedmillere-mail: [email protected]: www.chumbeisland.com

example. CHICOP offers typicalZanzibarian cuisine to its guests whichhas the benefit of generating employ-ment for local women as cooks and alsocreates a market for local fresh produceover imported processed foods, reducesthe environmental pollution associatedwith packaging materials and strengthenspride in the local culture.

FINANCIAL ISSUES

The overall investment since 1991 hasbeen around USD 1.2 million. About twothirds of this was financed by the projectinitiator (conservationist and former manager of donor-funded aid projects). Avariety of donors supported several non-commercial project components withsmall grants, i.e. for the construction of thevisitor centre, biological baseline surveys,nature trails, translocation of Aders' duikers (Cephalophus adersi, the rarest

antelope in the world) to the island sanc-tuary and the park rangers' patrol boats.

Park operations have been fully coveredby tourism income since the year 2000(year 3 of opening commercial operations);however capital payback has not yet started.

OBSTACLES

In the 1990's tourism started to boomin Zanzibar and many areas were developedwithout concern for the environment. Thiscaused an extra challenge for the ChumbeIsland project as there was little under-standing of the vision and objectives ofsuch an unusual venture. The opening upof the country for foreign investment alsocame with massive bureaucratic constraints and complicated demands andrequirements from many differentgovernment departments. These demandswere very time consuming and expensivemaking the project far more costly in timeand money than planned.

REPLICABILITY

Technically, the project is fully replicable.However, the project management feelsthat few investors would be prepared toundertake similar projects in Africancountries until governance is improvedconsiderably. The added costs of redtape, bureaucratic delays and corruptpractices could be a real threat to financial viability.

These beds are planted with species thatare efficient in extracting the phosphatesand nitrates in used water. The beds arecompletely encased in clay, ensuringthat no used water runs into the naturalenvironment.

Composting toilets completely avoidsewage by decomposing human wasteinto natural fertiliser through aerobicdecomposition. These toilets also econo-mise water, as they use no flush water at all.

SUSTAINABILITY

Environmental sustainability: onChumbe Island both the technologyemployed and all operations follow thestrictest standards of 'zero-impact onthe environment'.

Economic sustainability: while themanagement of nature reserves aroundthe world, and particularly in Africa,depends on government and/or donorsubsidies, Chumbe is now entirely funded from the proceeds from the eco-lodge.

Socio-political sustainability: theEnvironmental Education programmesthat are run in the park for local school-children, fishermen and others help toraise public awareness of the value ofnatural resources such as coral reefs andcoastal forests and the need for their sustainable management. One of theachievements of these education programmes has been to secure supportfrom local communities for the project -support which has been further streng-thened due to the fact that CHICOPfavours the employment of local, evenuntrained, staff, in spite of the high training needs. This was the case withemploying local fishermen as rangers, for

Photo: Hal Thompson


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REISELUST - New Ways to Go on Holiday

Location:Germany

Project's Aim: Raise awareness

within the German tourist industry of

sustainable transportoptions for domestic

travellers

Technical Answer:Offer car-free

holiday packages

The German Association for Transport andEnvironment (Verkehrsclub Deutschland e.V. - VCD)aims to enable and encourage travellers in Germanyto take car-free holidays. One step towards this visionis the project "Reiselust - Neue Wege in den Urlaub -New ways to go on Holiday", which started in July2003. This project has been sponsored for two yearsby the Federal Ministry for the Environment, NatureConservation and Nuclear Safety as well as theFederal Environmental Agency and is being developedby the VCD.

The overall goal in setting up the "Reiselust" projectwas to raise awareness within the German touristindustry of sustainable transport options for domestictravellers and, in particular, to promote holidayswithout cars in Germany. In order to achieve this aim,the following six development goals were identified:

the public should be informed about car-free holiday possibilities in Germany through press releases, magazines, television, radio and exhibitionsthe destinations should sign a co-operation agreement and commit to improving and pro-moting their accessibility to car-free travellers

the partner regions should emphasise their sus-tainable holiday offers through their websites and through advertising and promotionsa website for the project "Reiselust" should be developedbest practice materials should be developedthe topics of "Sustainable mobility in tourism" and "Car-free holidays in Germany" should be established in universities and colleges to raise awareness of these issues amongst the youngergeneration

BENEFITS

The project gives recommendations for increasingpublic transport means and use and minimising car-usage during holidays. Car-free holiday packageslead to less congestion, less pollution and less noise atthe holiday destination.

In the past, environmental protection as an argument encountered resistance from the tourismindustry. All holiday packages related to ecology orenvironmental protection were once considered asunattractive and unmarketable. That had to change

Photo: DB Regio AG, VB Thüringen


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CONTACT

Verkehrsclub Deutschland e.V. (VCD)Petra Bollich, Susann Görnerte-mail: [email protected]: www.reiselust-deutschland.de

due to the fact that 25 per cent of allGerman travellers go on holiday withoutcars and 20 per cent do not have a car at all.

The VCD website www.reiselust-deutschland.de and the brochure"Reiselust" publicise a whole range ofholiday packages which are feasiblewithout a car and give informationabout the destinations and the means ofarrival and departure, as well as information about mobility on site.

METHODOLOGY

The "Reiselust" project promotes car-free holidays through a variety of meansincluding:

the development of a communica-tion network

the development of car-free holiday packagesthe use of SWOT-analysis (Strengths-Weaknesses -Opportunities - Threats) in the interaction of tourist and transportinfrastructure to develop and enhance tourism structures for car-free travellersthe co-operation between differentdestinations within Germanythe implementation of marketing strategies which promote car-free holidays to the consumerthe development of websites for the regions which offer car-free holidaypackages, providing the consumer with facts, data and information

SUSTAINABILITY

A co-operative communication network has been developed betweendifferent stakeholders in tourism, trans-

portation and politics, enhancing co-ordination between tour operatorsand public transport providers. Forexample: the co-operation betweenDeutsche Bahn AG and VCD activitieshelped to revitalise an important railroadline in the "Thüringer Schiefergebirge/Obere Saale" region. Such collaborationssave time and cost through the use ofgroup analysis and decision-making.Every stakeholder in the region can profitfrom special offers such as co-operativetravel cards, which include public transport, tourist attractions and more;an example is the KONUS guest card inthe ZweiTälerLand region in the south-west of Germany.

FINANCIAL ISSUES

There is no need for the regions tomake extra financial investment in orderto provide car-free holiday packages. TheVCD completed SWOT-analyses for theregions Uckermark, Vogelsberg andMüritz and carried out meetings andnegotiations with stakeholders in theregion. All results and recommendationshave been handed over to the tourismindustry and the public transport companies.

OBSTACLES

Most travel companies advertise theirdestinations by emphasising their mostattractive features, giving advice on car access to tourist attractions, but neglecting to offer advice on how toreach the destination or attraction bypublic transport. They miss the environ-mentally friendly target group. Due tobudget constraints, tourism companieshave not tried to change their advertising

strategies to include environmentalawareness or environmentally friendlyopportunities for the traveller. Car-freeholidays were not previously importantto the tourism industry in Germany, butnowadays 25 per cent of people go onholiday without a car.

REPLICABILITY

Regions wishing to undertake a similarproject should assemble all the stake-holders from the region's tourist andtransport industries and political arenaat one table. It is important to build acommunication network between thedifferent stakeholders. The SWOT-analysisis a good instrument to collect facts anddata (about tourist attractions andpublic transport infrastructure as well asenvironmental problems, traffic, travelstatistics such as length of stay, demo-graphics, and so on). After the analysis ofstrengths and weaknesses, it is possibleto develop recommendations for thebest course of action. The analysis andproposals for change should be discussedand overall goals established, especiallydevelopment goals, which should be setup. Such analysis can be made in connection with bachelor or masterdegrees. It is advisable to involve universities and colleges as experts fortourism planning strategies.


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Black Sheep Inn – An Ecologically Friendly Hotel

Location:Chugchilan, Cotopaxi,

Ecuador

Project's Aim:Develop an eco-lodge,

self-sufficient in energy, water and

food production

Technical Answer:Use of alternative

energy installations,garden expansion and

water collection improvements

The Black Sheep Inn is a small, popular, rural eco-lodgehigh in the Ecuadorian Andes. Perched on a hillside, thelodge is a perfect place to discover centuries-old cultureand diverse ecosystems. It is a great base for day hiking,horseback riding, mountain biking, acclimatising to higher altitudes and exploring the indigenious markets.The Black Sheep Inn features gourmet vegetarian foodusing produce from organic gardens.

The Black Sheep Inn aims to provide a comfortable andeducational experience for guests, introducing them tothe area, local customs and permaculture, while alsomaking a contribution and an improvement to the localcommunity and the natural environment.

The Black Sheep Inn's goal is to become self-sufficientin energy, water and food production. Significant stepshave been made in this direction, such as the researchand design of alternative energy installations, the expansion of the gardens, and the improvement of thewater collection. The Black Sheep Inn will never be a'finished project'. Change, efficiency and improvementsare part of an ongoing process. Using permaculture ideas,there are plans for connecting existing features and buildings on the property for a more efficient use and re-use of resources.

BENEFITS

Since opening the Black Sheep Inn, positive economicside effects from tourist dollars include:

the establishment of two locally owned hotelsthe development of restaurants and horseback riding businessesthe training of native-guidesthe planting of 1000 native treesthe creation of a transportation co-operative made up of village vehicle ownersthe production and sale of handmade local craftsthe provision of aid and education to women's groupthe creation of employmentthe purchasing of supplies locallythe provision of infrastructure aid to school, health-clinic and police (computers, printers, phone-lines, microscopes, copy machines, etc) success in soliciting donations for a community fund

TECHNOLOGY

Power:A recently purchased submersible pump is powered

directly by two 85-watt solar panels. With full sun itpumps 6 litres a minute and pushes water from thepond 60 meters up to a 4000-litre storage tank.

The Black Sheep Inn has been hesitant to purchaseexpensive renewable energy systems; it is difficult tojustify spending USD 20,000 on a solar energy systemwhen people in the area are very poor. Nevertheless,the Black Sheep Inn is interested in becoming a leaderin alternative/appropriate technology. The villagewater supply could also benefit from efficient pumping using renewable energy.

Four-way lights on a 120-meter path with 12lamps can be turned on or off from three separatelocations. Lamps have 3-watt compact fluorescentlight bulbs; this totals 36-watts for the entire pathway.

Photo: Andres Hammerman



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Water:Water for irrigation will be stored in

tanks on the property's higher ground;these tanks fill from two sources, thesolar pump and roof water from theguest cabin. The roofs of the compostingtoilets also funnel rainwater to smalltanks which are used for hand washing.As biodegradable hand soap is used,waste water from the sink can be utilised to irrigate interior gardens.

The guest cabin has three sources ofwater: the village system, a neighbour'sspring and roof water from a bathroom.The Black Sheep Inn recently opened anew laundry washing area that collectsrainwater and recycles grey water. Alllaundry is hand washed and line dried.

Cisterns collecting rainwater serve thebuildings they are connected to; thiswater is used primarily for hand washing, gardens and urinals.

Grey water is recycled in settling tankswith enzymes, charcoal filters and reedbeds for further nutrient absorption. Noblack water exists because human faecalmaterial is dry composted.

Composting Toilets:The Black Sheep Inn built composting

toilets that are attractive, educationaland productive. All toilets take advantageof a spectacular view across the canyon.Inside the rooms there are flower/vege-table gardens fertilised by means offinished compost from the toilet withthe addition of beneficial plants. Roofsare made of a transparent material providing natural light for bathroom andgardens.

Recycling:The Black Sheep Inn reduces the

environmental impact by buying in bulkand avoiding non-recyclable packagingand by re-using paper, cardboard, glass,

CONTACT

Black Sheep InnAndres Hammermane-mail: [email protected]: www.blacksheepinn.com

plastic, kitchen scraps, water and humanwaste on site. Rubbish is separated in allrooms. The Black Sheep Inn produces lessthan an ounce of non-recyclable rubbishdaily per person. Waste not re-used orrecycled on site is brought to Quito forfurther recycling.

SUSTAINABILITY

Environmental education in the area isanother of the Black Sheep Inn's aims.Initiatives include a community recyclingprogramme, enhanced protection for theIliniza Ecological Reserve and also greaterparticipation in ecotourism conferences toshare best practices and successes.

The Black Sheep Inn is sustainable economically; it has no outstanding loansand it is profitable.

FINANCIAL ISSUES

The Black Sheep Inn started out small,but has always been both affordable andprofitable. Prices range from USD 20-40per person per night, and include dinnerand breakfast, unlimited tea, coffee andpurified water. Profits have been reinvested over the years.

The Black Sheep Inn community fundgenerates and distributes approximatelyUSD 2,000 per year. This does not includethe time the owners volunteer to thevarious projects, which remains unpaid.

OBSTACLES

Obstacles include language barriers,cultural and work ethic differences,Ecuadorian bureaucracy, slow ruraldevelopment and lack of infrastructure;

for instance phone technology did notexist for the first 4 years of building theBlack Sheep Inn.

REPLICABILITY

The Black Sheep Inn is unique. Locationis everything in terms of attracting tourism. Yet many aspects of the infrastructure could be copied and implemented in other locations.Permaculture can design for sustainabilityin any climate, on any property including:composting toilets, organic gardens, foodforests, water retention, wind blocks, filtration swales, natural building materials, animals, and native trees.

The Black Sheep Inn is a grassroots effort, involving low initial financialinvestment but a very high amount ofphysical work, both in hours and hardlabour. Every new building, project or feature must comply with a commitmentto high environmental standards.



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Myclimate – a Greener Way to Travel by Airplane

Location:Switzerland

Project's Aim: Promote climate

protection

Technical Answer:Provide voluntary carbon

offsets for air travellers

myclimate is a Swiss non-profit initiative aiming topromote climate protection and a sustainable use ofenergy. It is devoted to awareness-raising and is aleading provider of voluntary carbon offsets. mycli-mate is represented in Germany by 500 PPM, a professional service provider in the field of climatechange and in the USA by Sustainable TravelInternational (STI), a non-profit organisation.

Greenhouse gas emissions of aircraft are the number one environmental challenge faced by inter-national tourism. For example, a return flight fromZurich to New York emits the same amount of carbondioxide per person as does driving a car for an entireyear. In view of this, myclimate offers air travellers thepossibility to offset their greenhouse gas emissionswith the myclimate ticket, funds from which areinvested in environmentally friendly projects thatneutralise the emissions caused by their travel. Forexample myclimate recently contributed to theinstallation of 200 solar collectors for water heatingpurposes in schools, hospitals and households inEritrea.

BENEFITS

myclimate contributes to climate protection on aglobal scale by offsetting the CO2 emissions of leisureand business flights. At least 80 per cent of the fundsgenerated by the myclimate tickets are invested in thecarbon offset projects.

As carbon offsetting is a very new concept, mycli-mate was always eager to adopt accepted standardsfor the selection of projects. Therefore all myclimateprojects are implemented according to the rules setup by the Kyoto-Protocol in the Clean DevelopmentMechanism (CDM). In addition, myclimate applies thecriteria set up by the CDM Gold Standard, which onlyallows technologies in the field of renewable energyand energy efficiency, as they will be of crucial importance in building up a sustainable energy future.

Photo: my climate


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CONTACT

myclimateCorinne Mosere-mail: corinne.moser@

myclimate.orgURL: www.myclimate.org

TECHNOLOGY

Reliable local partners are of crucialimportance for the implementation ofmyclimate's carbon offset projects.Regarding technological implications,myclimate selects only project partnersthat have proven their experience inoperating and maintaining the imple-mented technology. Much attention ispaid to the requirement that projectsmust not lead to a dependency of theproject partners in the developing countryon a supplier in an industrialised country.In Eritrea, for example, all the solar collectors and boilers have been producedlocally.

SUSTAINABILITY

In addition to protecting the climateeach carbon offset project has to contri-bute to local sustainable development.The additional social, environmental andeconomic benefits may include employ-ment generation, capacity building,technology transfer, strengthening ofthe local economy and reduced air andwater pollution.

FINANCIAL ISSUES

myclimate has been set up carefully.Initial funds provided by governments,private institutions and a range of members have secured the organisationa sustainable financial standing. There-fore, myclimate was able to guarantee from the beginning that atleast 80 per cent of the funds would beused to finance project activities. Thehigh cost-efficiency is due to the factthat myclimate is a non-profit organisa-

The demand for CO2 offsets is highamongst individuals and corporationsand to date myclimate has only covereda small part of the potential inter-national market.

Regarding the carbon offset projects,the replicability potential has also provedto be high: in 2002, for example, myclimate started a solar water-heatingproject in Costa Rica. In Eritrea, a similarproject started operating in 2004.Currently, myclimate plans to implementthe same technology in Colombia andEthiopia.

tion and due also to the high rates ofvolunteering: in 2004 more than 650working days were done by volunteers,which represents a value of EUR 80,000.

Project activities supported by myclimatemust prove that they are financially viable.Generally, the contribution of myclimatedoes not exceed 20 per cent of the totalvolume. The remaining funds have to beacquired by the project developers.

OBSTACLES

The most significant obstacle was -and to an extent still is - the fact that theconcept of carbon offset through sustainable energy projects was totallyunknown when myclimate started it in2002. In the past three years, myclimatehas engaged in media work, which hasresulted in more than 200 separate pieces of coverage in print and electronicmedia. At the same time, the travelindustry proved to be an ideal partner indistributing the message to a wide population. In Switzerland, over 50 travelagencies offer myclimate's services.Today, nearly half a million of myclimatebrochures are distributed in Switzerlandand surrounding countries and millionsof travel catalogues promote climateneutral flying - sponsored 100 per centby our travel partners.

REPLICABILITY

The project shows a very high degreeof replicability. myclimate has foundinternational partners and the myclimateticket is now available to air travellers inUK (www.myclimate.co.uk) and in theUSA (www.my-climate.com).


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KASAPA Centre - Experiencing Africa

Location:Nyanyano, Ghana

Project's Aim: Develop eco-friendly

and socially integrative tourism

Technical Answer: Construct resort in

traditional African style,use modern eco-

technology and operatevarious integrative

tourist programmes

In one of the main Ghanaian languages "KASAPA"means "good talk" - conversation that promotesunderstanding and agreement in order to pursue acommon aim. The KASAPA project wants to facilitatecontact and understanding between Africa and thewestern world within a model for an alternative kind oftourism: one that is eco-friendly and socially integrative.

KASAPA Centre offers various tourist programmes:

travel holidays with excursions and contact-promoting projectsworkshops for African drumming/dancingKASAPA Centre runs a small holiday resort 40 km west of Ghana's capital Accra, in the vicinity of the fishing community Nyanyano, on a 2,5 ha area of "natural bush" which borders directly on the steep Atlantic coast.

BENEFITS

There are considerable effects which serve to alleviate poverty on both a communal and individuallevel: KASAPA Centre's special brand of tourismencourages personal involvement by tourists withlocal people and their surroundings. Quite often, thisleads to tourists voluntarily committing to supportindividuals (e.g. by paying school/training fees for

some years or funding medical treatment) or commit-ting to assist projects of communal infrastructure(contributions to building a communal clinic inNyanyano or a new school complex through a school-partnership between Nyanyano and a German primaryschool). To date, KASAPA tourists have raised aboutEUR 30,000 for such projects; the management ofKASAPA monitors the correct use of such donations.

TECHNOLOGY

The buildings are constructed in the traditionalenergy-saving African method: plastered clay buildings with walls from hand-made clay bricks, clayfloors and ceilings, thatched roofs. They are appropriatefor the African climate without need for air-conditio-ning. Due to their traditional materials the buildingsneed regular maintenance, more than moderncement-houses; however this is not expensive as localworkers can do it and, therefore, it creates jobs.

Hand in hand with this use of traditional resourcescomes the employment of appropriate eco-friendlytechnology: the resort draws its electricity entirelyfrom its own photovoltaic system and from July 2005it will also generate electricity by means of its ownwind turbine.

Drumming Lessons

Guest Challets


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CONTACT

KASAPA Centre Ltd.Dr. Susanne Stemann-Acheamponge-mail: [email protected]: www.kasapa.de

FINANCIAL ISSUES

The whole project was financed by private means, which was only possiblebecause the traditional building materialsand methods are much cheaper thanmodern ones. Only the wind turbine wasfinanced by sponsorship from two privatecompanies and one school nearFreiburg/Germany. KASAPA has been inprofit since 2002 - six years after its inception in 1996 - despite unfavourableconditions in the general tourism marketduring part of the initial phase.

Planning and building the KASAPACentre took about two years. Time neededfor running it is moderate; a lot of time,however, still goes into marketing the project in Europe, as marketing structuresfor this kind of tourism are generally notdeveloped to a satisfactory level.

OBSTACLES

It took some time and effort to findcompetent local experts for traditionalbuilding methods: these craftsmen included a village mason for building withclay bricks and Togolese experts for constructing an improved version of thetraditional thatch roofs.

Marketing is still a relevant problem:official Ghanaian tourism bodies are notparticularly competent in marketing andnot really interested in sustainable tourismprojects. For an individual and alternativetourism project, it is also not easy to getcoverage through Western marketingbodies; marketing tools of the umbrellaorganisation "forum anders reisen" inwhich KASAPA Centre is a member of, arein the early stages.

REPLICABILITY

Two Ghanaian villages that are regulardestinations for KASAPA Centre’s excursions have replicated the main fea-tures of the project and successfullyenhanced their tourism potential. Thereis an ongoing consultation process withanother village; a fourth one has askedfor advice for an eco-tourism concept.

Factors facilitating replication of thisproject in Third World Countries are considered to be

a focus on what already exists as being a sufficiently interesting potential for tourism; there is no need to "enhance" the natural andsocio-cultural environment for thetourist tradetraditional building materials and methods, as well as local expertise and indigenous socio-cultural competence for building and running such a projectlower costs than for conventional tourism projectseco-friendly technology employablealso in rural areas, "island" designsfor electricity and sanitation throughphotovoltaic system and com-posting toiletssupport from experts in the initial stage

The kitchen staff, who have up untilnow been accustomed to using gas, aregradually learning to use solar cookers.Technology is also in place for the provision of:

a bio-dynamic sewage systemcomposting toiletscareful waste management

SUSTAINABILITY

The resort in its traditional Africanstyle does not look "alien" to the localpeople; they perceive it as "their ownthing", which facilitates cordial relation-ships with the community of Nyanyanoand fosters a very responsible workingattitude amongst the staff.

Apart from Dr. Stemann-Acheampongas conceptual adviser, only Ghanaiansrun KASAPA Centre. They fully provetheir competence and integrate the projectinto the socio-cultural and political envi-ronment.

The special style of the programmesgives tourists an authentic feel ofGhanaian every-day life and encouragesthem to form personal contacts withAfricans where both partners can communicate on an "eye-to-eye" level -which promotes better knowledge ofeach other and enhances the self-esteemof the Africans vis-à-vis the white tourist.

As tourists can only reach Ghana byair this inevitably increases air traffic andrelated emissions. Therefore KASAPACentre supports Atmosfair (a compen-sation scheme for air travellers,www.atmosfair.de) in which it encouragesits guests to partake.


14

Next PREP-Topic: Microfinance and Renewable Energy

The forthcoming PREP-brochure willfollow the same objectives, namely tocollect, evaluate and promote goodpractice examples, and will highlight theissue of 'Microfinance and RenewableEnergy'

BACKGROUND

Microfinance is a promising systemof providing people with access to basicfinancial services. According to theUnited Nations (UN), about 4 billionpeople earn less than 1,400 USD a yearand only a fraction have access to financial services. Microfinance can provide individuals or communities withthe means to help themselves. In addition, microfinance institutions arealso involved in granting credit. In support of the principle that access tomicro-finance is important, the UnitedNations designated the current year,2005, as 'International Year of Micro-credit'.

Originally, microfinance focused onthe provision of very small loans to poorfamilies to help them engage in productiveactivities or establish small businesses.More recently, in the realisation that thepoor and very poor who lack access tothe formal financial institutions requirea variety of financial products, micro-finance has come to include a broaderrange of services (credits, savings, insurance, etc.).

Energy is one basic need where micro-finance has not received sufficient support. The remoteness of rural locations usually makes energy supplyvia a centralised grid system difficult;therefore people often rely on expensive

fossil fuels such as diesel and kerosene.From the environmental and also econo-mic point of view, the use of renewableenergies would be the best solution.However, in remote areas people oftendo not have adequate financial means toafford renewable energy technologies,thus microfinance should be seen as away forward for the provision of improved energy services in remote settlements.

People quickly equate energy provisionwith lighting, television and other "quality of life" benefits. However, theprovision of energy does not lead only tosocial but also to economic improve-ments by the productive use of energy.Improved energy services support theprofitability and productivity for micro,small and medium enterprises, and cottage industries. Energy can, therefore,have a very positive impact on income,health and food security. Increased income and fulfilment of social needs inturn allow a greater use of modern energyand more widespread investments inrenewable energy, which bring furtherenvironmental and development benefits.

From this perspective, the newWISIONS topic focuses on microfinancefor renewable energy systems. WISIONSis searching for good practice examplesin the field of microfinance for renewableenergy systems and invites everyone tosend in their success stories.

FIELDS OF INTEREST INCLUDE:

Photo: PhotoDisc

Microfinance projects supporting renewable energy technologies such as:

solar / photovoltaic systems, wind energy,micro hydropower, biogas or biomass

used forcooking, lighting, power telecommunica-tions equipment, radio, television, household electrification, health clinics, waterpumping, milling and grinding, water disinfection, fencing, computer educa-tion, operating machinery, etc.Public Urban Transport

inhouseholds or businesses


15

SEPS - Sustainable Energy Project Support

Realistic concepts and visions ofeffective sustainable energy projectsexist, but the much needed implemen-tation sometimes fails. Therefore the keyobjective of SEPS - the project supportarm of WISIONS - is to identify thoseprojects with the real potential to be ofstrategic importance in the renewableand efficient use of energy.

By providing technical and otherforms of support, SEPS seeks to over-come existing barriers and will helpclean and efficient energy becomecommonplace.

The most promising renewable andenergy efficiency concepts are selectedusing transparent analysis based oninternationally recognised criteria. Theselection process is done via an annualcall for applications. Once a project isselected, SEPS can provide additionalguidance and support, for example:

practical expert advice and know-ledge transfer for effective imple-mentationpotential financial support to assist with project implementationguidance and support for obtaining additional fundingpromotion to relevant institutions, decision makers and scientistspublication on www.wisions.net

BACKGROUND

Energy is essential, be it for cooking,lighting, or industrial application.However, people have yet to learn howbest to use natural resources.Sustainable development depends onthe efficient use of resources, and specifically on a widespread use of cleanand renewable energy.

Widespread use of fossil fuels threatensclimate and health because of dangerous emissions, leading to highsocial and economic costs. Today thereare still more than 2 billion people whodo not have access to sufficient energy.

As the global population rises and theworld economy grows, challenges willalso increase. This will particularly be thecase if we simply continue with, or copy,conventional approaches.

Therefore intelligent, sustainableenergy projects of strategic globalimportance need to be implemented andpromoted.

CRITERIA FOR OBTAININGSEPS SUPPORT

SEPS has a set of criteria used inselecting appropriate sustainable projectsand relevant forms of support. The following 5 criteria are obligatory:

implementation strategy technical viability of the projecteconomic feasibilitylocal and global environmentalbenefitsmarketability and replication possibilities

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA

As the goal of sustainable developmentrequires an integrated approach, someadditional criteria are also applicable:

social aspects inclusion of local population/structuresemployment potentialco-operation with other stake-holders

SO FAR ...

In the first SEPS round we received asubstantial number of applications fromall around the world - 40 in total - whichmet the necessary criteria. The projectconcepts ranged from solar energy usein developing countries to energy efficient lighting in Europe. So far, fiveprojects have been selected for financialsupport and a further three for supportin other ways. In order that it can support the implementation of moreinnovative projects, WISIONS makes anannual call each Spring for applicationswithin its SEPS chosen field of interest.

Further information about SEPS can be found on:www.wisions.net/pages/SEPS.htm

Photo: PhotoDisc

Photo: PhotoDisc


More information about WISIONS,application criteria for PREP and SEPS, aswell as prior PREP-issues are available at:

www.wisions.net

© Wuppertal Institute 2005. All rights reserved.

Contact us:

Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and EnergyDoeppersberg 1942103 WuppertalGermany

e-mail: [email protected]: + 49 (0) 202 . 24 92 252

Imprint

Publisher: Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy

Editorial Staff: Wuppertal Institute: Dr. Holger Wallbaum, Carmen Dienst,

Dr. Manfred Fischedick, Willingtion Ortiz

triple innova: Maike Bunse

Photos: All images in this publication have been reproduced with

the knowledge and prior consent of the participants.

Lector: Katherine Penker, Perthshire, Scotland

Layout: www.bertz-marketingdesign.de, Wuppertal

Printing: Offsetdruckerei Figge, Wuppertal

Prior Issues

I. Issue 2004 Resource Efficient ConstructionII. Issue 2004 Water and Energy – Precious ResourcesI. Issue 2005 Sustainable Transport – Solutions for Growing Demand


wisions 06092005 final · (energy, waste, water, etc.). the world summit on sustainable development...

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