Do not miss RURENER 2019 General Assembly, hosted by the pilot territory natural Park of Gaume, also recognized as a Land of Study by RURENER. Take a look at the programme and register to the General Assembly and field study tour in Gaume!

See you soon in Belgium!

The COLEOPTER project (COncertation LocalE pour l’Optimisation des Politiques Territoriales pour l’Energie Rurale) was submitted on March 29th to the 3rd Call for project of the Interreg Sudoe Programme. Here is a short description of the project.

COLEOPTER addresses two challenges of energy efficiency in buildings: (1) difficulties for rural municipalities to take action and conduct work despite the positive local impact (savings, local employment); 2/lack of awareness in building challenges translating into an irrational use of energy and low renovation rates.

The pilot project “Smart Eco-Social Villages” initiated by the EU Parliament and supported by the EU Commission is about to end, a final event took place on February 21st and 22nd at the EU Parliament to share the lessons learned and talk about what it means for EU policies and budget.

On February 14th-16th the second edition of the Sustainable Tourism for Rural Development (STRD) event took place in Bergamo, Italy. RURENER was invited to talk about the Lands of Study initiative, promoting rural territories for their exemplarity in terms of energy. It was a good opportunity to evaluate the relevant of the offer within the world of tourism… And it was well received! The pilot territories currently involved in the project were presented with a focus on the Natural Park of Gaume (Belgium) and the Communauté d’agglomération de l’Ouest Rhodanien (France). There’s work ahead to develop the offer further, but Lands of Study has potential to make its place in the tourism market.

The 20th edition of the European Conference for the Energy Transition took place in Dunkirk from the 22nd to the 24th of January. The event gathered around 2,500 people, ten times more than for its first edition in 1999: local authories, energy experts, associations and networks, governments, businesses, students, etc. Three stimulating days to learn about what’s happening in other places and how we can reach our common goals… And there’s work ahead of us!