A forward thinking politician, a resolve against debt, a commitment to environment and a hard working society bring about a revolutionary change in a society. This is quite evident in the success story of Wildpoldsried, a small village in Bavaria in Germany. This village is the most energy-efficient village of the world. For the record, it produces 321 percent more energy than its uses. And the best part is that the energy is produced through renewable and natural resources.
Fourteen years ago, Mayor Arno Zengerle came to office with massive gaps to fill and goals to achieve, without creating any kind of debt. The goals included building schools, sports halls, theaters and retirement houses. At first, it looked as if this would take decades to achieve. Also, the commitment to remaining debt-free only aggravated the challenge. But effective leadership, investments in renewable and green sources of energy and an overall thrust towards environment-friendly policies led to remarkable success in just half the time.
The astounding success of this previously small farming community can be attributed to many things but the one that stands out is the revolutionary mission statement released by the village council in 1999 by the name of ‘WIR 2020’ (Wildpoldsried Innovative Leadership). It became the benchmark of how the village should consider its citizens’ demands, community projects and future developments for growth. The statement focused on three main points:
1) Continued efforts towards finding new sources of renewable energy
2) Insistence on using ecological material for construction of buildings
3) Working towards eco-friendly ways of water disposal while simultaneously protecting water resources.
Another landmark step was the creation of civic society by Wendelin Einsiedler. Till date, Einsiedler and the civic society have come up with three companies that has constructed several windmills producing intotal 3.5 MWH of power. The number of investors too have grown up to 94.
Several future projects are lined up including project IRENE (Integration of Renewable Energy and Electric Vehicles). Systematic expansion of district heating system and increase in the usage of LED street lights is also in the pipeline. This amalgamation of political will and civic society participation has made this village a role model for the entire world.
Via: Treehugger
