Breakthrough for divestment in the European Parliament
Published
Billions from pensions are invested more sustainably and no longer used for fossil energies
Today, Thursday, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU officially announced their agreement on new EU rules for occupational pensions. Thanks to the persistence of Green shadow rapporteur Bas Eickhout, we were able to push through important demands in the final "Directive on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision". Currently, occupational pension funds across Europe manage [...]
nano: Report from 18.2.2011 on SWR "Barracks become eco-town".
5:03 min.
Settlement generates more energy than it consumes. The zero-energy town of Mietraching is being built on the site of a former US military base in Bad Aibling. The settlement is to be powered only by renewable energy.
For the fifth time and in keeping with its 120th birthday, Spar- und Bauverein Solingen eG awarded the nationwide Klaus Novy Prize for innovations in cooperative building and living in July. This prize was established by SBV eG as a stimulus for cooperative ideas on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. This year, the prize was awarded to projects that "socially and innovatively" strengthen membership in a cooperative and coexistence in neighborhoods.
Impressed by the award's namesake: SPD State Chairman NRW Michael Groschek in front of the picture of the cooperative theorist Professor Klaus Novy. Photo: SBV/Kastner
"From children's cooperatives to housing projects for refugees: housing cooperatives today are more colourful, dynamic, open-minded and sustainable - innovative and social." SBV Board Chairman Ulrich Bimberg was enthusiastic about the "exciting exchange of knowledge" that took place in the cooperative's own historic washhouse Weegerhof.
Michael Groschek, Chairman of the NRW SPD and former Minister of State, was impressed by the award's namesake: Professor Klaus Novy had imagined the ideal society as a cooperative. The housing market in Germany is a long way from that, he said. "Unless you are lucky enough to live in Solingen, where every tenth apartment is cooperative." During his visit, Michael Groschek paid tribute to the innovative cooperative projects - as former NRW Minister for Construction, he has a special connection to the subject.
Eight cooperatives from all over Germany presented their ideas to the expert audience after a pre-selection from 31 submitted entries. In the end, the new Zurich housing cooperative "Mehr als Wohnen eG" prevailed in the democratic selection process. Their forward-looking and sustainable project was convincing from a social, technical and ecological point of view and received 4000 euros. Second place and 2000 euros went to "Inklusiv Wohnen Köln e.V.", the house project of an association of parents with disabled children. "Bellevue di Monaco eG" from Munich, a housing and social cooperative for refugees, was pleased with third place and 1000 euros. There were no losers in the innovative performances, but a win for all. SBV Chairman Ulrich Bimberg: "Every participating cooperative has something very special." For co-organiser Arno Mersmann, what is typical of a cooperative is: "What one person can't achieve alone, one can achieve together.
The winners of the Klaus Novy Award 2017 with SBV Supervisory Board Chairman Hans-Werner Bertl and SBV Board Chairman Ulrich Bimberg (r.). From left to right: Antje Günther (3rd prize Munich), Claudia Thiesen (1st prize Zurich), Christiane Strohecker, Michaela Mucke, Pascal Schumacher (2nd prize Cologne), Beatrix Novy, Photo: SBV/Kastner
Laureate 2017
Prize "Mehr als Wohnen eG", Zurich
new cooperative, supported by 55 Zurich housing cooperatives, is testing the future of living with 380 residential units. Their project was convincing in social, technical and ecological terms. www.mehralswohnen.ch
Prize "Inklusiv Wohnen Köln e.V." (Inclusive Living Cologne)
House project of an association of parents with disabled children. The building owner is the Cologne municipal housing company GAG, and the association has the right of use and occupancy. www.inklusiv-wohnen-koeln.de
Prize "Bellevue di Monaco eG", Munich
Housing and social cooperative for refugees, who are prepared for an independent life through a concept of care and co-responsibility. www.bellevuedimonaco.de
Klaus Novy Prize
The prize is dedicated to Prof. Klaus Novy (Professor of Building Economics, born 1944 in Vienna; died 1991 in Seattle, USA), who championed the renewal of cooperative housing culture. To mark its centenary in 1997, Spar- und Bauverein Solingen eG launched the nationwide competition. Every five years, current innovations are honored - also as an inspiration for others. Competition theme 2017: "Innovative social cooperative". Contact: Arno Mersmann, telephone 0202/563 20 58, e-mail: amersmann@hotmail.com
Savings and building society Solingen eG
With over 13,600 members, SBV eG is the largest housing cooperative in the Rhineland and one of the largest in Germany; almost one in eight people in Solingen live in an SBV eG house. The claim for 120 years: to offer modern and safe living space at fair conditions to all classes of the population. Contact: SBV Board of Directors, Ulrich Bimberg, Tel. (0212) 20 66-201, e-mail: bimberg@sbv-solingen.de
Rents in Munich have risen by 70 per cent in the past 22 years - a development that is upsetting many Munich residents. What makes the state capital so expensive and how long-time residents and newcomers are suffering as a result.
Solarserver reports on the world's largest solar heating plant, which has been in operation in China since 2016. It consists of parabolic trough collectors.
On the roof of a XuChen factory hall next to the company headquarters, there are 22,000 m2 collector area, a further 71,000 m2 collector area are implemented as ground-mounted systems. Together they deliver an output of 65 MWth. With concentrating collectors, it would thus be the largest solar heating plant of its kind. An even larger one is the Danish Silkeborg plant (110 MWth)which, however, is equipped with a different collector technology.
We use cookies to optimize our website and services.
Functional
Always active
Technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a particular service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that have not been requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access, which is solely for statistical purposes.Technical storage or access used solely for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary consent from your Internet service provider, or additional records from third parties, information stored or accessed for this purpose cannot generally be used alone to identify you.
Marketing
Technical storage or access is necessary to create user profiles, to send advertising or to track the user on a website or across multiple websites for similar marketing purposes.
Today, Thursday, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU officially announced their agreement on new EU rules for occupational pensions. Thanks to the persistence of Green shadow rapporteur Bas Eickhout, we were able to push through important demands in the final "Directive on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision". Currently, occupational pension funds across Europe manage [...]
