BUSINESS: 477 PRACTICES
Founded in December 2008, Enel Green Power Hellas is the Enel Green Power Group company dedicated to the development and management of power generation from renewable sources in Greece, with 308 MW of installed capacity.
Read more: www.enelgreenpower.com
The aim of the initiative is the sustainable development of the local communities in which we operate in addition with the protection of the environment and the promotion of renewable energy sources. By supporting an activity that promotes the athletic spirit, the fair play and a sustainable way of moving, we try to bring our fellow citizens closer to green energy to become our allies in the fight against climate change and at the same time to promote the tourism development of the region.
The Creating Shared Value model is one of the main pillars of development of our company worldwide and it was applied for the first time in Greece with the construction of the emblematic project of Kafireas, a cluster of 7 wind farms in South Evia with a capacity of 154 ,1MW with independent electrical interconnection that connects South Evia with Attica.
This race was organized in collaboration with the Hellenic Cycling Federation and the Karystia Cycling Club. The race appointed the Greek champions in various categories and played a decisive role in the Federation's decision on the athletes who will represent Greece at the Tokyo Olympics.
Part of the race passed through the natural beauty monument of Kastanologos, a centuries-old chestnut forest located on Mount Ochi at an altitude of about 1,000 meters. This forest has shrunk by 40% and its shrinkage would continue until it disappears. The company reforests in Kastanologos about 640 acres with 30,000 native trees to regenerate the shrinking forest.
By including the forest of Kastanologos in the racing route, always adopting the necessary measures for the protection of the forest, it brought the competitors and the visitors in contact with a forest of unique beauty and value with the logic that many will return to the area to admire the natural beauty and do activities in nature.
The races took place in July 2020 and attracted athletes from all over Greece as well as hundreds of local and non-visitors who had the opportunity to experience an admittedly special experience, against the backdrop of Mount Ochi, Kastanologos, and the sea. This event was covered by national media, social media and, of course, local media.
Through targeted activities such as the above, the creation of mutual value and trust with the local communities is achieved, their familiarity with RES and the additional economic and social benefits that can be created by hosting renewable facilities are highlighted. This initiative contributes to the achievement of the Global Sustainable Development Goals to which Enel is committed, namely to the following:
Objective 3 - Good health and prosperity,
Objective 8 - Decent work and economic development,
Objective 11 - Sustainable cities and communities,
Objective 17 - Cooperation on objectives
To the cycling athletes and their teams in terms of participation and to all the citizens who visited and got to know a place of unique beauty and of course to the residents of the area who came closer to sustainable activities, landscapes of special beauty and ecological value, as well as in RES projects, while they benefited from tourism from the presence of the participants and the visitors.
The duration of the race was 3 days. However, the target of this initiative was to create longterm benefits to the local community.
It's the first time in Greece that a mountain bike race and especially the most important mountain bike race that is the greek championship that also qualified the athletes for the Tokyo Olympics, so it had international interest and attracted people from other countries, took place in a wind farm area. It is an action that combines the values promoted by the sport with the values of respect for the environment and a renewable and sustainable future. It supports a model of sustainable tourism for the local community, highlighting in a special way the beauties of the area. Highlights the value of cooperation between public bodies and private companies with the common goal of highlighting the values of sports, the environment and local culture and identity, creating the right conditions for the development of a sustainable tourism model for the region. Therefore, it is important to emphasize that this initiative does not support the local community only by bringing people only for 3 days but creates the conditions for the development of the area in the long run and in a sustainable way. It is important to mention that the company has planned similar initiatives for 2021 both in this area and in other areas where it operates in order to continue to support local communities.
400 athletes participated in this race who together with their companions and the agents of the Hellenic Cycling Federation and the International Federation who came to check the validity of the race exceeded 1000. The visitors who arrived in the area were many and the hotels of Karystos and of the wider area were 100% full, as were all the local businesses that served the people who arrived in the area either as participants or as spectators. The beauties of the area became well known through the promotion of the race in the national and social media and in combination with other actions carried out by the company in this area even more tourists were attracted..
This initiative took place in the area of Karystia, South Evia
This initiative could not be carried out successfully if there was no perfect cooperation between the company and the Hellenic Cycling Federation and the Cycling Association of Karystia to determine the race route and the entire organization of the race. However, the successful cooperation with all the local bodies that contributed to the smooth and succesful completion of the race and the successful support and reception not only of the athletes and the participants but also of all the visitors was very important. Also, the participation of the local community, entrepreneurs, organizations and ordinary citizens as well as volunteers contributed significantly to the success of this initiative.
The voluntary participation of both company employees and volunteers from the local community played an important role in carrying out this initiative.
The main benefit for the company was the improvement of the relationship with the local community, proving in practice the support to the local economy and the improvement of the quality of life of the inhabitants. It is also particularly important for the company that the local communities realise that a renewable energy project can be perfectly integrated into local life but can also significantly contribute to improving the quality of life of locals.
