Szerző: Lohász Cili

Ablakokat szigetelt egy nemzetközi csapat Ukrajnában. Energiahatékonyság a nyári táborban!

International work camp is over! Authority is the next to work!

August 2-15, 2010 was the time of International Work Camp in Mlyniv

secondary school No.3. The Camp was devoted to complex window heat

insulation. 60 windows were insulated. The work was done by 12

volunteers, 9 of them came from France, Germany, South Korea, the

Czech Republic, Belgium and Italy. 

International Work Camp is an unusual event for Ukraine, but it is

quite common in the world. People from different countries come to

these camps by their own cost to work, to see a new country, to make

new friends and to do a favor for those who need their help.

The Camp is a part of the international project "Local Energy

Sustainability for Schools and Our Neighbourhood - LESSON" which is

financed by the Government of Slovenia and coordinated by  the NGO

"Focus" (Lubliana, Slovenia). The project made it possible to buy all

necessary materials for the window insulation. Thanks to collaboration

with the Ukrainian Association for Youth Co-operation "Alternative-V"

it was possible to widely spread information on the Camp in over 40

countries and supply meals for the participants. As a result 9 foreign

volunteers take part in the work", - Olga Lyaschuk, a Coordinator of

the project in Ukraine, said.

"Mlyniv school won the right to host an international work camp

because the school was able to demonstrate readiness to effectively

organize the camp. And we did not mistake with the choice! All

dependent on school was carried out in very good way. "Thanks a lot to

all its employees and in particular the Director Yakovets Sergiy" -

continues to Olga.

The main task of the Work camp was window insulation with the help of

modern effective and cheap methods. But reducing heat losses through

the windows is not the only aim of the project. The insulated windows

will keep the classrooms warmer but the amount of necessary gas supply

will be less. Spreading simple energy effective methods in our country

will diminish the burden on the environment from producing and using

energy.

Most people consider energy saving to be very expensive. Warming

ordinary wooden windows denies this statement. The named window

insulation is a cheap and effective method to lessen gas consumption

for heating. It affords to save average 15% costs for heating, since

the indoor temperature goes 4 degrees up and the draughts disappear.

Moreover, no forced ventilation is needed as with hermetic

double-glazing units.

"Unfortunately, today Ukraine has no stimuli for introducing energy

saving in state funded institutions. But even having no assistance

from the state, schools are able to create comfortable conditions for

study and save heating costs. They need just to invite 5-6 persons to

provide insulation and buy cheap necessary materials (insulating tape,

silicone, glazing beads). Ecoclub can provide them with necessary

instruments and teach the steps of the work. You should just address

us" - Andriy Martynyuk, Chair of the Board of Ecoclub, said.

"It looks very odd that a foreign country government, being concerned

about energy saving, supports the related activity in Ukraine while

the position of our authorities, so to say, is difficult to

understand.  Increasing energy efficiency of the buildings is really

the gold-mine for Ukraine. What will happen after window insulation?

In the first place, it will upgrade working conditions of the

personnel. In the second place, it will considerably cut down

consumption of the precious Russian gas, and consequently decrease the

greenhouse gases emission which is the major reason of climate change.

In the third place, it will provide new work places. That is why local

authorities should do their best to stimulate and support every

activity in this field. The situation should not be like it is now

when the school has got only warmer classrooms and moral benefits for

their work. Alas, there are no other stimuli in our legislation. That

is to say, no mechanisms to return the saved costs exist in Ukraine.

All the savings will go to the general budget. To make the energy

efficiency activity popular the state funded institutions should get

at least a half of the saved costs", - Olga Lyaschuk claimed.

See the work stages and photos of other engaged works at

http://picasaweb.google.com/ecoclub.rivne/InternationalWorkCamp2010# 

www.ecoclub.ukrwest.net