from immigrant to immigrant involving immigrants in climate protection by intercultural counselling...
TRANSCRIPT
From immigrant to immigrant
Involving immigrants in climate protection by intercultural counselling on energy saving
Silvia HesseHead of section for integration and Agenda 21, City of Hanover, Germany
Overview:
Introduction: Hanover Local Agenda 21 Project: Involving immigrants in climate protection
by intercultural counselling on energy saving – Concept– Partner and participants– Methods– Results and perspectives
Hanover at the heart of Europe
Hanover520,000 inhabitantsHanover520,000 inhabitants
Under eighteeens 15,08%
Foreign residents 14.87%
Nationalities: 167
Unemployed 11.03%
City of Hanover
Political Impulses for sustainability
1994 local program for climate protection 1995 Hanover City Council resolved to create a
Local Agenda 21 in dialogue with all socially relevant groups
1996 Charta of Aalborg 2004 Aalborg Commitments
Agenda 21 Bureau since 1995
Agenda 21-office
Agenda-Plenary
open for everyone
Sustainable lifestyle
Media 21
WandelWerte
Forest for children immigrants for immigrants
Ecoprofit Dialogue Implementation and ProjectsProcess management
Communication- education and public relation work
Network for campaigns
and actions
Elements of public participation in LA 21
Immigrants for immigrants Aims of the project:
Environmental and climate protection Health protection (avoiding mould) Financial relief for consumers/tenants Integration of migrants Quality of the surroundings and
of everyday life
Project Partners: Multistakeholdergroup City of Hanover, Agenda 21 Bureau Migrants for Agenda 21 (NGO for integration and
sustainability) ‘Wissenschaftsladen Hannover’ (NGO for
environmental education ) ‘Kommunikation für Mensch & Umwelt’ (a private
company for environmental communication and evaluation)
Sponsored by ‘proKlima’ climate protection fund Hanover energy utility
Steps of the project:
Asking contact with immigrants as counsellor
Developing counselling and information material
Training immigrants as disseminators/ counsellor
Looking for counselling householdsAnd group counsellingEvaluation
Training of counsellors
Scientific information– background information on environmental issues– practicable solutions
Counselling skills– aktive listening, explaining, encouragement
Intercultural competences– Using their competences – Bilangual material
Methods and instruments
Counselling methods and instruments
Door to door advice Interview on energy use habits, attitudes, efficiency of household
appliances, problems and needs for information Personal counselling (group or individual) on heating, ventilation,
energy saving, specific problems (mould, heating costs calculation) Written information (small brochure with useful addresses and
telephone numbers) Stickers/instruction notes to encourage specific energy-saving
behaviour (lights off, turn heating down while airing rooms etc.)
All material was provided in two languages
Target group:
ethnic minority households, especially: Russian Turkishalso: Kurdish Persian/Afghani Arab
participants
Interkulturelle Energieberatung
Interkulturelle Energieberatung
Number of sessions
approximately 400 counselling sessions:– 150 for Turkish households– 150 for Russian households– 53 for Persian households– 50 for Arab or Kurdish households
15 group counselling sessions for Russian- and Persian-speaking people
Finding from interviews:
Little awareness or use of energy-saving light bulbs
Little awareness of the wastage from by stand-by mode
Strong demand for information about electricity issues
Little knowledge about information centres /reluctance to
visit German information centres (where to get
information)
People are interested and open-minded
And results:
Save electricity by changing behaviour :
• cooking in energy- saving ways
• avoiding wastage from stand-by mode
(e.g. using switched multiple power sockets )
area percentage
ventilation 94%
saving electrcity
80%
heating 69%
Pre-sorting waste
47%
Reasons for success Various ways of communication and practical approach
Combining topics of environment, health and social issues
Visualisation and demonstration at home
Bilangual material
Personal approach
Intense work of counsellors
Financial benefits for each household
New aspects to reach a wider public
creating local networks by linking with new partners: district management and social/community planning immigrant associations and media housing companies integration and health.associationslocal campaigns events that reach all local people and thereby contribute to local integrationChanging experiences by networking with other cities…
