Current projects

Aware & Fair

Funding Programme: EuropeAid

Duration: Mar 2011 – Feb 2013

Partners: City of Hanover (Germany), City of Blantyre (Malawi), City of Poznan (Poland), City of Litomerice (Czech Republic), Transfair e. V. (Germany), Polish Fairtrade Association (Poland)

The UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG) resulted from the Agenda 21 and are aiming for sustainable lifestyles as well as for responsible consumer behaviour worldwide. However, because of the goals' complexity, their contents continue to be hard to mediate to the public. The main goal of Aware & Fair project is to create exemplary markets within participant cities for fair-trade products from Malawi (e.g. nuts, tea, rice).

Documentation, reports, pictures etc. are intended to “give a face” to products, producers and methods of production in order to create transparency and to promote fair trade. The cooperation itself is supposed to strengthen and help improve awareness as well as increase motivation. It is expected that intensified relationships between and within the participating cities will be the result of this project.

aiforia conceived the project together with the city of Hanover and has the role of supporting the management of the projects, as well as coordinating the projects' workshops.

RENREN

Funding Programme: INTERREG IVC

Duration: Mar 2010 – Sep 2012

Partners: Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Science, Economic Affairs and Transport (Germany), Welsh Assembly Government (United Kingdom), County Council of Jämtland (Sweden), The Association of Municipalities in the Westfjords (Iceland), Pays de la Loire Region (France), Ustí Region (Czech Republic), Cyprus Institute of Energy (Cyprus), Department of Innovation, Enterprise and Employment of the Government of Navarre (Spain), Regional Energy Agency of Castilla y León (Spain), Agency for Social and Economic Development of Timís County (Romania), Lodz Region (Poland), Region of Central Macedonia (Greece), Andalusia Energy Agency (Spain), Bay Zoltán Foundation for Applied Research, Institute for Logistics and Production Systems (Hungary).

RENREN aims to identify policy choices that will improve regional frameworks for the promotion of renewable energy. A total of 14 partners from across Europe are involved, since regions have a big part to play in helping the EU and its member states achieve their 2020 renewable energy targets and related greenhouse gas reduction targets. The ambitious EU energy agenda is based on the three pillars of energy security, competitiveness and sustainability. A minimum increase of 20% by 2020 in renewable energy generation compared to energy consumption is one key element of this. Independence from energy imports has also become a crucial and declared goal of EU energy policy. Last but not least, renewable energy is one of the fastest growing sectors, and has significant job creation potential.

aiforia, in cooperation with Network:GREEN Alexandra Waldmann s.p. (Ljubljana, Slovenia), has been commissioned by the project leader to deliver an evaluation of the renewable energy policy in partner regions, as well as drafting recommendations for further stimulation of RES growth.

A.R.E.E. Mobili

Funding Programme: European Social Fund

Duration: May 2011 – Apr 2012

Partners: Agenzia per lo Sviluppo Empolese Valdelsa (Italy), Tuscany Region (Italy), ITKAM (German-Italian Chamber of Commerce)

The project aims to give 48 young people from Italy the opportunity to have a short work experience in the sector of renewable energy and sustainable building in the area of Freiburg.

aiforia contacts the local firms ready to welcome the trainees and take care of them as a tutor.

SUNYA - Towards Zero-Waste in South Asia

Funding Programme: EuropeAid

Duration: Oct 2011 – Sep 2014

Partners: Municipal Association of Nepal, Hetauda Municipality and Tansen Municipality (Nepal), ICLEI South Asia Secretariat, Shimla Municipal Corporation, Coimbatore Municipal Corporation (India), Dhaka City Corporation (Bangladesh), City of Phuentsholing (Bhutan), City of Matale (Sri Lanka), ARGE Abfallvermeidung GmbH (Austria), Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities (Belgium)

The word sunya means zero in Sanskrit and other Indian languages. For this reason this partnership - which intends to run the project towards zero-waste - decided to name the action SUNYA. The consortium of pilot cities involved are of very different size, economic, cultural and geographical conditions; despite these differences, the zero-waste approach should be followed independently of the size and specific situation of the city. Thus, the consortium aims to develop and adopt an approach which can be replicated under very different conditions and that can be afterwards adapted to these different conditions. The project has the specific aim of demonstrating how through a better management of natural resources and a more sustainable approach to land planning and nature protection, not only is environmental protection enhanced, but all aspects of life quality can also be positively influenced. In fact, this project touches upon every single one of the eight Millennium Development Goals directly or indirectly.

aiforia conceived this project together with MuAN and ICLEI and has taken on the role of supporting the management of the project, as well as coordinating the projects' workshops.