EmpowerLIFE – simply do it

Image caption:

Community Garden

The climate crisis and the energy crisis that emerged in 2022 are motivating many people to take action: they simultaneously want to live more sustainably, help shape the future and reduce costs. The project, led by the Energy Institute Vorarlberg in cooperation with CIPRA Lab GmbH, is pursuing a bottom-up approach to promote sustainable development in the Lake Constance region. It accompanies people and civil society initiatives on the path from the development to the realisation of their climate protection ideas. The experience of existing initiatives meets new, sometimes unconventional ideas and results in a productive mix of knowledge. The organisations involved in the project complement this mix with their expertise. This ranges from project development and implementation to the preparation of an overview of climate protection-relevant DIY projects according to areas of interest and the organisation of cooking courses and workshops. They also provide financial resources and workspaces – such as workshops for building bicycle trailers or creating vegetable patches.

Full project name

EmpowerLIFE – Empowering local communities to co-create and implement DIY climate solutions
Project 101114194 – LIFE22-GIC-AT-EmpowerLIFE; Programme for Environment and Climate Action (LIFE)

Project goals

- Joint development and implementation of creative climate protection measures

- Strengthening existing initiatives

- Making it simple: supporting all motivated participants

Activities

- Drawing up an overview of DIY projects relevant to climate protection by area of interest

- Organisation of workshops that can be used free of charge

- Roof and façade greening

- Desealing of private areas

- Climate-friendly cookery courses

- DIY construction of bicycle trailers or similar in workshops made available

- Creation/expansion of community gardens

Duration

September 2023 - August 2028

Project partner

• Energy Institute Vorarlberg
• Kairos
• Haus am Katzenturm
• CIPRA International Lab GmbH

Project languages

German, English

Contact

Jakob Dietachmair, [email protected]

Funding

The five-year project is funded by the European Union and the Austrian state of Vorarlberg.