INTERCORUM Interactive coaching for the development of 3 resilient villages in Romania

By project PROMOTER

Published on 16 December 2024

Romania

Centru

About this good practice

The project developed by IfaS (public university) in cooperation with 2 NGO's and a private entity focuses on coaching for development of resilient villages in Viscri, Cincșor and Marpod from Romania.The aim is to develop climate protection measures considering local potentials.This includes the development of renewable energies and the increase of energy efficiency,the promotion of sustainability by using locally available resources in an energetic and ecological sense.The context that triggered the introduction of this practice is the need to create resilient and sustainable villages that manage their comunity, pastures and forests in a traditional and sustainable way while utilizing renewable energy. The challenge was to mitigate climate change and to adapt to these changes by the Romanian rural areas while taking into account the social, ecological and economical perspectives.
The villages were thoroughly analysed from 2021 – 2023 together with local stakeholders to increase their resilience. Based on this analysis, the current state in terms of energy use and GHG emissions of the villages was documented. This served as basis for a potential analysis, at the end of which a catalogue of measures was drawn up for each village. The measures are dealing with the fields of renewable energy, bioeconomy, building renovation, tourism, water efficiency, mobility and financial mechanisms. The resulting project measures and network form the basis for applying for further funding.

Resources needed

The project received €124,861 from Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU).IfaS Institute provided project management,expertise and the partners contributed in-kind support,primarily through expertise,voluntary participation,etc.The project's design,initial analysis leveraged IFaS existing resources

Evidence of success

The project successfully engaged local communities in assessing their energy needs and potentials with a thorough analysis,participatory workshops,a comprehensive catalogue of measures for each village;First extensive study on rural villages in this area of the country;Increasing the awareness related to renewable energies,potentials of the region,climate protection;Showing a way to diversify the energy supply and increase the energy independence.See detailed practice in the attached files.

Potential for learning or transfer

INTERCORUM offers a transferable model for promoting resilience and sustainability in rural communities.The participatory methodology combined with detailed catalogues of measures and factsheets,provides a valuable framework for implementing similar initiatives elsewhere.The project highlights the importance of engaging local communities
emphasizing the need for community ownership,empowerment to ensure successful long-term outcomes.Adapting solutions to unique local contexts while leveraging available knowledge and resources,makes the project’s approach suitable for various rural communities seeking to improve their energy security and sustainability. The findings,such as the potential for energy surplus from PV installations and innovative uses of nature-based insulation materials,offer further insights for broader application.The unique cartographic approach per each village,highlighs the existing potential for energy development,consumption reduction and resilience of communities.