From immigrant to immigrant Involving immigrants in climate protection by intercultural counselling on energy saving Silvia Hesse Head of section for integration and Agenda 21, City of Hanover, Germany

Overview: Introduction: Hanover Local Agenda 21 Project: Involving immigrants in climate protection by intercultural counselling on energy saving – Concept – Partner and participants – Methods – Results and perspectives

Hanover at the heart of Europe Hanover 520,000 inhabitants Hanover 520,000 inhabitants Under eighteeens 15,08% Foreign residents 14.87% Nationalities: 167 Unemployed 11.03%

City of Hanover

Political Impulses for sustainability 1994 local program for climate protection 1995 Hanover City Council resolved to create a Local Agenda 21 in dialogue with all socially relevant groups 1996 Charta of Aalborg 2004 Aalborg Commitments Agenda 21 Bureau since 1995

Agenda 21- office Agenda- Plenary open for everyone Sustainable lifestyle Media 21 WandelWerte Forest for children immigrants for immigrants Ecoprofit Dialogue Implementation and Projects Process management Communication- education and public relation work Network for campaigns and actions Elements of public participation in LA 21

Immigrants for immigrants Aims of the project: Environmental and climate protection Health protection (avoiding mould) Financial relief for consumers/tenants Integration of migrants Quality of the surroundings and of everyday life

Project Partners : Multistakeholdergroup City of Hanover, Agenda 21 Bureau Migrants for Agenda 21 (NGO for integration and sustainability) ‘Wissenschaftsladen Hannover’ (NGO for environmental education ) ‘Kommunikation für Mensch & Umwelt’ (a private company for environmental communication and evaluation) Sponsored by ‘proKlima’ climate protection fund Hanover energy utility

Steps of the project: Asking contact with immigrants as counsellor Developing counselling and information material Training immigrants as disseminators/ counsellor Looking for counselling households And group counselling Evaluation

Training of counsellors Scientific information – background information on environmental issues – practicable solutions Counselling skills – aktive listening, explaining, encouragement Intercultural competences – Using their competences – Bilangual material Methods and instruments

Counselling methods and instruments Door to door advice Interview on energy use habits, attitudes, efficiency of household appliances, problems and needs for information Personal counselling (group or individual) on heating, ventilation, energy saving, specific problems (mould, heating costs calculation) Written information (small brochure with useful addresses and telephone numbers) Stickers/instruction notes to encourage specific energy-saving behaviour (lights off, turn heating down while airing rooms etc.) All material was provided in two languages

Target group: ethnic minority households, especially: Russian Turkish also: Kurdish Persian/Afghani Arab participants

Interkulturelle Energieberatung

Number of sessions approximately 400 counselling sessions: – 150 for Turkish households – 150 for Russian households – 53 for Persian households – 50 for Arab or Kurdish households 15 group counselling sessions for Russian- and Persian-speaking people

Finding from interviews: Little awareness or use of energy-saving light bulbs Little awareness of the wastage from by stand-by mode Strong demand for information about electricity issues Little knowledge about information centres /reluctance to visit German information centres (where to get information) People are interested and open-minded

And results: Save electricity by changing behaviour : cooking in energy- saving ways avoiding wastage from stand-by mode (e.g. using switched multiple power sockets ) areapercentage ventilation94% saving electrcity 80% heating69% Pre-sorting waste 47%

Reasons for success Various ways of communication and practical approach Combining topics of environment, health and social issues Visualisation and demonstration at home Bilangual material Personal approach Intense work of counsellors Financial benefits for each household

New aspects to reach a wider public creating local networks by linking with new partners: district management and social/community planning immigrant associations and media housing companies integration and health.associations local campaigns events that reach all local people and thereby contribute to local integration Changing experiences by networking with other cities…

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