Category: News

The event brought together scientists, experts, politicians and environmentalists.

The way we produce and consume our energy today poses a number of risks. Air pollution takes more and more victims every year. The energy poverty in the region is growing, hence there is a risk of increasing the unsustainable use of forest wood for heating. However, additional pressure on forests would mean another severe blow to biodiversity. To prevent the risks associated with the increased use of forest biomass for energy purposes, WWF, Habitat for Humanity and partners are working to limit its additional demand and to supply alternatives.
Photo: © WWF Bulgaria

In this regard, the WWF offices in Central and Eastern Europe together with Habitat for Humanity in Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, the Regional Center for Energy Policy Research (REKK) and the Energy Agency – Plovdiv held a regional conference dedicated to “Biomass and a just transition”. The event took part in Sofia, Bulgaria and focused on forest biomass policies and their use for energy in the European Union and in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. It provided an opportunity for exchange of experience, discussions and awareness raising on a topic that is still a little known in our country.

The conference was attended by politicians, experts and scientists from Bulgaria and the region, as well as representatives of the non-governmental and public sectors. The event was personally opened by Bulgarian Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov.

“If we do not have a certification on the wood, it means that we are burning some bad quality wood with more humidity. Which means air pollution for the citizens. Today the statistic is dramatic, especially for Bulgaria, especially for Sofia. Thousands of people are dying on earlier phase of life, because of the air pollution. Even the governments are ambitious enough, if the non-governmental sector, the business and the citizens do not change their everyday activities and livelihood, we cannot achieve the targets”,said Bulgarian Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov.

The participants reviewed the criteria for the sustainability of biomass and gave their recommendations for its effective utilization in the member states. The conference also focused on the practical dimensions of the use of biomass for energy purposes. Special attention was paid to an important problem that is becoming increasingly worrying in the region – the energy poverty.

WWF experts shared the results of a survey conducted among households heating with wood. It aimed to establish living conditions, energy investments, the degree of dependence on firewood, as well as the possibility of heating their homes.

“Unfortunately, energy poverty is a reality here, and the most vulnerable households, especially those outside the heating cities, rely on solid fuel and biomass, burned with inefficient appliances in unrenovated homes. At WWF, we believe that in addition to energy aid, long-term measures are needed for a real and ecologically sustainable energy transition, which would allow households to receive affordable green energy and at the same time save the forests. We hope that in the near future there will be political will and institutional support for these decisions”, commented Diana Dimitrova, conservation director of WWF Bulgaria.

The survey also shows that 38% of Bulgarian households have at least one room in their home that they do not use due to inability to heat. About half of these households have invested in wall and window insulation, and see electricity as a possible alternative to firewood. On average, households in Bulgaria buy 12 m3 of wood per season, which costs them about 900 leva. 46% of the surveyed households understand that the pollution of the environment by burning wood is a serious problem, but they find it the cheapest way to heat.

On the second day of the conference, Mincho Benov, National Director of Habitat Bulgaria, presented ways to support municipalities to alleviate the dependence on the use of firewood among the low-income local communities.

See the in-person conference program here: “Biomass and a just transition”

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The conference is organized within the BioScreen CEE and LIFE Bio-Balance projects.

“Biomass and just energy transition” is the central theme of the regional conference, organised by the environmental organisation WWF CEE in partnership with Habitat for Humanity in Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary.

Join us online via Zoom here: https://bit.ly/3nmjlwy, password: 828072.

• 6 July 09:30 – 16:30
• 7 July 10:00 – 13:00

Experts from all across Europe will look at the climate and forest implications of this ineffective practice. Energy alternatives that do not have a negative impact on the environment will also be discussed.

In several panels specialists from different countries will consider the political context of the problem with biomass and the possibilities for its sustainable use. Meanwhile they will search for a solution in alternative energy sources.

Photo: WWF Bulgaria

For additional information, view the full conference program here: “Biomass and just energy transition”

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The conference is organized within the BioScreen CEE and LIFE Bio-Balance projects.

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (March 4, 2022) — Habitat for Humanity this week began distributing hotel vouchers to families fleeing the violence in Ukraine as the humanitarian housing organization ramps up its efforts to reduce the vulnerability of refugees and meet their shelter needs in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

The vouchers, secured through Habitat’s partnership with Ibis hotels, allow refugees arriving in Romania to stay five nights for free in one of five company hotels and also give them access to transportation to the hotels. The initial voucher distributions near the Ukrainian border came as the crises reached a somber milestone: more than 1 million refugees have now been forced from their homes and out of Ukraine, according to the UN refugee agency. Up to 4 million people could be displaced if the situation deteriorates further, the UN says, creating Europe’s largest refugee crisis of this century.

Photo credit: Umit Bektas / Reuters Pictures.

“Right now we are really trying to meet refugees where they are, in terms of determining what they need most and how we can help ensure they have access to safe, secure shelter,” Rick Hathaway, Habitat’s vice president for Europe and the Middle East, said from northern Romania’s border with Ukraine. “The shelter needs could be staggering, so Habitat is mapping out a response strategy in coordination with the many partners and communities where we’ve established relationships over the past 30 years in Central and Eastern Europe.”

Habitat for Humanity is supporting families who are on the move in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia while also helping refugees along a path to more permanent, durable shelter. Habitat prioritizes support for particularly vulnerable refugees, including children, the elderly and those who are neither citizens of Ukraine nor the country they have arrived in.

This is particularly important amid reports of discrimination against refugees of African and Asian origin at the Ukrainian border, Hathaway said. “Every refugee, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, race, physical ability, age, gender or religion, deserves equitable access to shelter and any other forms of support,” Hathaway said. “Discrimination in any form is against humanitarian principles and can’t be tolerated.”

Habitat’s work supporting refugees in transition from Ukraine has included the installation of space heaters in refugee reception centers of northern Romania, where displaced families have been staying temporarily amid snow and nighttime temperatures that dip below freezing. In Hungary, meanwhile, Habitat teams have been providing refugees with emergency supplies such as water, diapers and lighting.

Habitat plans to partner with refugees seeking longer-term shelter as well, including through subsidies that make rental housing more affordable. Habitat wants to lend housing and construction expertise to efforts to repurpose so-called empty spaces – from unused schools to factories – so they can serve as shelter for refugees. We are also identifying more permanent housing solutions, such as refurbished rental housing, in host countries.

Those who wish to support Habitat’s disaster response efforts in the countries bordering Ukraine and other communities around the world can donate to our Disaster Response Fund.

About Habitat for Humanity
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity found its earliest inspirations as a grassroots movement on an interracial community farm in south Georgia. Since its founding in 1976, the Christian housing organization has grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.

ATLANTA (Feb. 28, 2022) — Wienerberger Group, a supplier of building materials and infrastructure solutions, today announced it is extending a decade-long partnership with Habitat for Humanity International for an additional three years. Wienerberger will donate bricks, roof tiles and piping materials for use in Habitat homes while also contributing its expertise and volunteers to help advance Habitat’s mission.

Through the partnership, Habitat will be able to build or improve 300 housing units in Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the United States. Wienerberger and Habitat will also team up to advocate for better affordable housing and energy efficiency policies, including through national and regional housing forums.

Since launching their partnership in 2012, Wienerberger and Habitat have helped nearly 5,000 people access healthier, safer and more energy-efficient homes. Joint advocacy efforts have led to policy changes at the national and municipal level impacting more than 600,000 people.

“We continuously support a whole range of social projects and institutions in many countries Wienerberger operates in, by supplying not only building materials and infrastructure solutions but also our sustainable building know-how,” said Heimo Scheuch, chairman of the managing board of Wienerberger Group. “Our cooperation with Habitat for Humanity also contributes substantially toward raising the public’s awareness of the need for affordable housing, especially for marginalized people seeking to improve their living conditions.”

Along with providing affordable housing solutions, the partnership also will also support the construction or improvement of community centers, education centers and facilities for elderly residents and those living with a physical disability. This continues previous partnership work around social projects that, for example, supported construction of a hostel allowing family members to visit autistic relatives in Hungary.

“We are incredibly thankful for the donated materials from Wienerberger that will help lower the cost of housing for hundreds of families,” said Rick Hathaway, Habitat’s vice president for Europe and the Middle East. “But this partnership goes far beyond that, as Wienerberger will continue to help Habitat shine a light on large gaps in affordable housing while also applying its technical expertise to help low-income families and those facing special challenges related to housing.”

About Habitat for Humanity
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity found its earliest inspirations as a grassroots movement on an interracial community farm in south Georgia. Since its founding in 1976, the Christian housing organization has grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.

About Wienerberger
The Wienerberger Group is an international provider of smart solutions for the entire building envelope and for infrastructure. Wienerberger, the world’s largest producer of bricks (Porotherm, Terca), also is a major producer of roof tiles (Koramic, Tondach), concrete pavers (Semmelrock), and pipe systems (Steinzeug-Keramo ceramic pipes and Pipelife plastic pipes). With its total of 215 production sites, the Wienerberger Group generated revenues of EUR 4.0 billion and sales growth of EUR 671 million in 2021.

The transition to a low-carbon economy can be achieved in a sustainable way.

Habitat Bulgaria joins the experts of WWF Bulgaria, starting joint work on a new project, guaranteeing the sustainable utilization of biomass without additional risks of deforestation. Through this project WWF is taking a step forward in its work on combating climate change. For years, the conservation organization has been promoting a gradual transition to a low-carbon economy, with biomass burning playing a major role. In it, WWF will work together with specialists from Romania and Hungary, as well as with partners from the Energy Agency of Plovdiv. Photo: WWF

Why is it important to find an alternative?
Existing energy production models present us with a number of risks, leading to compromises on air quality, destruction of natural habitats and growing energy poverty.

The problem of air pollution is becoming an increasingly sensitive topic in Bulgaria. Premature deaths in Bulgaria due to exposure to fine dust particles, nitrogen dioxide and ozone per 1 million inhabitants are among the highest in Central and Eastern Europe.

In addition to further deteriorating air quality, potentially increasing pressure on forests would mean a severe blow to biodiversity. According to the 2020 WWF Living Planet report „Jiva Planeta“ the world’s vertebrate population has shrunk by 68% in less than half a century. That is why the maintenance of living forests, which are an important part of terrestrial animal habitats, is particularly important.

At the same time, in rural areas and small towns in Bulgaria, the consumption of firewood is often combined with energy poverty. Surveys show that over 1/3 of Bulgarians cannot keep their homes warm enough.

“Forests have a positive effect on the climate by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While the combustion of forest biomass can have a negative impact due to the release of significant amounts of carbon dioxide. Science is unanimous that in terms of emissions, the use of residual biomass is a better option than fossil fuels. But we cannot afford to cut down forests indiscriminately, because achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, which is the EU’s great goal, goes through increasing forest areas, and hence the carbon sequestration capacity. Stricter national criteria for biomass utilization are needed in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, where a significant increase in the use of biomass for energy needs is expected in the next 10 years.”, said Georgi Stefanov, Head of Climate and Energy Practice at WWF.

What will WWF do?

Following consultations with energy and forestry stakeholders and building on the good practices from the region, WWF will develop recommendations for the introduction of stricter national criteria for the sustainable use of biomass. EU countries are obliged to review their climate plans for 2030 in 2023 and their long-term climate strategies for 2050 in 2025. Since part of the problems leading to air pollution and energy poverty cannot be addressed through legislative criteria, WWF also offers the following solutions:

1) creation of knowledge sharing centers

Online platforms will be developed where municipalities, local citizens and businesses can share their practical experience on how they have reduced biomass use or energy consumption. In this way, the best practices with the potential to be implemented on a large scale can be gathered.

2) demonstration of solutions feasible at the local level

There are no solutions in Central and Eastern Europe aimed at the dependence of energy-poor households on firewood. Therefore, such households from Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary will be able to apply for a program with a total budget of 100,000 euros to demonstrate feasible solutions at the local level.

3) aiding municipalities

The collected good practices and experience will be selected in a special set of tools to help municipalities. It will be available in Bulgarian, Romanian, Hungarian and English language.

The LIFE Bio-Balance project is funded by the LIFE Climate Management and Information Program. It will build on the results achieved by the Bio Screen project, implemented with the support of the German Federal Ministry of the Environment and the EUKI programme.

Contact:
Georgi Stefanov, Head of Climate and Energy Practice, WWF, tel: 0889 517 976, email: gstefanov@wwf.bg

Interview by Gergana Mancheva with Mincho Benov, national director of Habitat Bulgaria, Radio Bulgaria – BNR. Photo: BGNES

Even during a crisis, when Bulgarians have limited their spending to basic things like food, fuel and heating, interest in new housing has not dropped. However, most of the newly built homes remain uninhabited for a long time. The reason is that many homeowners simply invest their savings in property as an alternative to no-interest bank deposits. This leads to the paradox that despite the great growth of construction, many Bulgarians continue to live in overcrowded homes and usually do not invest in energy efficiency improvements.

Most households do not have a steady income and cannot afford a loan to buy a new home. According to Eurostat, over 41% of Bulgarians live in overcrowded homes. In comparison, the EU average is 17 percent.

The problem with overcrowded housing is even more noticeable in our cities, where 50 percent live in a limited space, according to a study by Habitat Bulgaria NGO. Recently, representatives of the Bulgarian representation of the organization Habitat for Humanity, which helps millions of people to improve their living conditions, joined the European Housing Forum, dedicated to the problems caused by the Covid crisis and global climate change.

“The pandemic has shown how important housing is in order to live a fulfilling life and in order for children to be able to study at home,” Mincho Benov, national director of Habitat Bulgaria said.

“Housing in Bulgaria usually offers twice as less living space in comparison to Western European countries and overcrowding makes things even worse. Imagine how a child could study in an overcrowded home. On the other hand, this situation shows another problem – the energy poverty of thousands of Bulgarian households. According to estimates of the institutions that calculate such indices, this country falls into the category of extreme energy poverty. I mention the connection with the pandemic because children are at home all day and the households have to be heated all the time. Elderly people, who used to go to public places to stay warm and reduce their heating costs, could not continue to do so because of the lock-downs.”

On the other hand, unoccupied housing stock in this country is an old and serious problem. More than 30% of the habitable homes in Bulgaria are deserted. “This is due to the lack of maintenance of the buildings and this way a huge resource is lost. With good management it could help solve a number of issues,” Mincho Benov says.

“The need for renovation of the housing stock is urgent. When it comes to total energy consumption, homes have a share of well over 40% and this is a major factor when it comes to clean air, carbon emissions, etc. In addition, improving the energy efficiency of homes is a way for households experiencing energy poverty to reduce their heating costs. The problem is not related just to segregated neighborhoods that burn tires, textiles, shoes and whatever they find, but it is a problem for everyone who use wood for heating. We wonder why heating subsidies go for the purchase of coal and wood. Is there nothing else that can be applied more rationally? Why do we keep investing in air pollution every year through social assistance?”

English text: Alexander Markov

Read more: Bulgarian homes – often overcrowded, energy inefficient and too expensive

Listen the interview here: Жилището на българина – често пренаселено, енергийно неефективно и непосилно скъпо

Bratislava, Slovakia (Nov. 8, 2021) – On the heels of the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow and amid worsening economic and health conditions related to a COVID-19 spike in Europe, almost 1000 participants are expected to attend the virtual Europe Housing Forum to discuss how housing intersects with climate change, health and the economy.

“Habitat for Humanity believes that addressing the housing shortage sits at the heart of solutions to the greatest challenges facing Europe and the entire world today,” said Jonathan Reckford, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “The residential construction sector creates many jobs and can help rebuild economies hit hard by the pandemic. Working together, civil society and nongovernmental actors can make sure that vulnerable groups and the informal sector are included in both economic recovery plans and efforts to ensure housing is more resilient to climate change.”

The importance of housing as a driver of economic growth and sustainability in human settlements will be one of the central discussions during the forum. The Europe Housing Forum brings together different stakeholders from the private and public sectors, practitioners and academia to discuss solutions to complex housing problems in the region and globally.

Featured speakers of the forum include: Gergely Karácsony, mayor of Budapest; deputy mayor of Paris for housing Ian Brossat; Estrella Durá-Ferrandis, member of the European Parliament from Spain; and Kadri Simson, the European Commissioner for Energy, among many others. Speaking to the forum video addresses will be: Her Royal Highness Princess Lamia Bint Majed Saud AlSaud, secretary general and board member at Alwaleed Philanthropies; Maimunah Mohd Sharif, executive director of the United Nations Human Settlement Programme, or UN-HABITAT; and Habitat for Humanity’s Reckford.

Finalists for the 2021 European Housing Innovation Awards, who are competing in the shelter technology, inspirational practices and public policy categories, will also present at the forum. Contest awards are sponsored by the Hilti Foundation, Whirlpool Corporation and Habitat for Humanity.

Sessions at the forum will range from roundtables to panels and workshops with housing experts, policymakers, business leaders, urban planners, donor agencies and youth organizations. The forum is organized by Habitat for Humanity International with input from more than a dozen partner organizations such as UN-HABITAT, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, or UNECE, European Investment Bank, Housing Europe, the city of Vienna, Cities Alliance, and the International Union of Tenants among others. Lead financial sponsorship was provided by the Hilti Foundation and Whirlpool Corporation as well as support from the Somfy Foundation and Wienerberger.

More information, including how to register, is available on the forum’s website. The event is part of a series of housing forums in 2021 that included the fourth Latin American and the Caribbean Housing Forum in May and the eighth Asia-Pacific Housing Forum to take place in December.

About Habitat for Humanity
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. The Christian housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org/emea.

GLASGOW (Nov. 1, 2021) — Habitat for Humanity International is calling on delegates at the world’s premiere climate change conference to ensure efforts to reduce carbon emissions don’t raise the cost of housing while also helping the most vulnerable families adapt their homes to withstand rising seas, extreme temperatures and increasingly intense weather events.

“Reducing carbon emissions associated with the residential sector is critical, and we must do so in a way that does not exacerbate another global crisis: the massive gap in adequate, affordable housing,” said Patrick Canagasingham, chief operating officer at Habitat for Humanity International. “The housing and climate crises are interconnected. They cannot be solved in isolation but rather through holistic efforts that prioritize the needs of families most vulnerable to climate change.”

The 26th Conference of the Parties meeting, or COP26, is the latest in a series of UN climate change conferences for countries that have signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. COP26, which opened Sunday and runs through Nov. 11 in Glasgow, Scotland, is the first such conference in which Habitat for Humanity International is an official participant.

Habitat released a list of COP26 commitments and recommendations, calling on the UN, multilateral development banks and donor governments to promote investment in housing renovation and upgrading while limiting carbon emissions created by new construction. They, along with all governments and housing actors, should place a special focus on the more than 1 billion residents of informal settlements by helping them adapt to climate change. This means, for example, prioritizing financing mechanisms for low-income households that frequently lack access to loans for improving their homes and making them more resilient to rising sea levels, droughts, floods, heat waves and weather events made more severe by climate change.

Earlier this year, Habitat for Humanity established an official organizational position on housing and climate change, recognizing that the building sector has a particular opportunity to reduce its carbon footprint, as it alone accounts directly and indirectly for 38% of global energy-related carbon emissions.

Habitat has dozens of projects around the world that involve climate change mitigation and/or adaptation, from building climate-adapted homes in Nepal and the Philippines to helping increase the energy efficiency of Soviet-era apartment buildings in Eastern Europe. Habitat helps neighborhoods in Paraguay assess climactic risks and, in the United States, we are developing a model for charting the embodied energy of several forms of residential construction to help identify cost-effective ways to reduce emissions quickly.

About Habitat for Humanity

Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. The Christian housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.