Bonn/Berlin, July 28, 2022: Today is Earth Overshoot Day: On this date, the global demand for raw materials exceeds the Earth's supply. In purely arithmetical terms, there are no more ecological resources available for the rest of the year. One of the most important ways of postponing Earth Overshoot Day is through energy supply. Not only the organization Global Footprint Network, which calculates the Earth Overshoot Day every year, knows this, but also the Workers' Welfare Association, cooperation partner of the Green Electricity Label association: In spring, the AWO published the comprehensive action plan "Climate protection is solidarity! Our path to climate neutrality." published. 

The path to climate neutrality includes the aspects of building energy, mobility, catering, procurement, management, transparency and controlling. Finally, the AWO wants to achieve true climate neutrality and provide credible evidence of this. For climate-neutral building energy, the social association will only use electricity from 100 percent renewable energies from 2025. In doing so, AWO shares the vision of Grüner Strom Label e.V. Together, the organizations are pursuing the goal of advancing climate protection and energy transition in social work. AWO Bundesverband has been doing this since 2020 with the campaign #WirArbeitenDran and has developed an action plan for climate neutrality before 2040.¹

"The current high electricity and gas prices are a burden on our facilities and services," says AWO board member Brigitte Döcker. "Renewable energies not only ensure more climate protection, but also reduce the dependence on imports of natural gas and crude oil and already lower the costs. The massive expansion of renewables is ecologically and economically necessary. Only in this way can the expensive fossil power plants be pushed back and the exchange electricity price be lowered again."

The AWO facilities are guided by the requirements of the Grüner Strom-Label when choosing their electricity tariff, because: Not all green electricity is the same. Every energy supplier can also call such electricity green electricity, which does not cause any additional benefit for the environment. The Grüner Strom-Label certifies green power tariffs with real added value through guaranteed investments in the renewable energy future. As part of the package of measures, all usable roof surfaces of AWO buildings will be equipped with solar panels. The Grüner Strom-Label supports the financing of these and other energy transition projects with its subsidy program.

"If we want to see Earth Overshoot Day pushed back, we need to switch our energy supply completely to renewables and reduce the carbon footprint to zero well before 2050. This can only be done if everyone joins in and we drive the energy transition forward together. AWO is leading the way with its action plan. We are pleased to be a part of it and to be able to support AWO with our experience in sourcing credible green electricity," says Daniel Craffonara, managing director of the Green Electricity Label association.

The core criterion of the Grüner Strom-Label is that energy suppliers promote the expansion of renewable energies with a fixed amount per kilowatt hour sold. This has already been used to co-finance more than 1,600 energy transition projects such as photovoltaic systems, wind farms or energy efficiency measures. AWO facilities that want to actively help shape the energy transition can apply to the AWO Bundesverband for green electricity subsidies.

¹ More about the AWO action plan at: https://wirarbeitendran.awo.org/projekt/awo-massnahmenplan-klimaschutz

Keywords

Green power, green electricity, solar power, AWO, social work, earth overload day, climate neutrality, energy transition, renewable energies

About Grüner Strom Label e.V.

The Grüner Strom Label e.V. certifies green energy products. The association awards two seals of approval for this purpose: the Grüner Strom-Label for green electricity with added value and the Grünes Gas-Label for environmentally compatible biogas. The association is backed by non-profit environmental and consumer associations and peace organizations, including NABU, BUND, EUROSOLAR and the Verbraucher Initiative. Grüner Storm-Label or Grünes Gas-Label are the only seals of approval for green electricity and biogas in Germany that are supported and recommended by leading environmental associations. www.gruenerstromlabel.de

Contact AWO Bundesverband e.V.

Jennifer Rotter
Spokesperson
press(at)awo.org

Steffen Lembke
Head of Quality Management / Sustainability Department
steffen.lembke(at)awo.org

AWO Bundesverband e.V.
Heinrich Albertz House
Blücherstraße 62/63 | 10961 Berlin

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