Sustainable energy produced by the partnership between Enel and ANSE, Associazione Nazionale Seniores Enel (National Association of Enel Alumni): the information seminars organised for volunteer associations operating in the local areas, particularly those working with the elderly and people with disabilities, have been attracting 50 people on average to each meeting.
These are significant numbers that are growing through word of mouth, bringing Enel closer to citizens through the company’s outreach “proximity programme.” The project was developed with ANSE two years ago, within the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, and aims to raise awareness amongst the population of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The outreach proximity meetings actually correspond to six of the SDGs: no poverty (SDG 1), quality education (SDG 4), affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12) and climate action (SDG 13).
Working for the most vulnerable
The partnership between the Sustainability and Institutional Affairs unit at Enel and ANSE, which welcomes retired or present employees of the Enel Group with their family members, aims to offer a service for the most vulnerable members of society. The outreach proximity meetings provide clarity and detail to some of the aspects of the energy sector that have an effect on daily life, helping to explain the rapid changes transforming the world of energy: for example, reading the electricity bill, understanding the innovation of the new electronic meter, saving energy at home and applying for the so-called “social bonus.” This is useful information for all citizens, especially those experiencing economic hardship or the elderly, often the targets of scams and fraud. These groups are the intended beneficiaries of the outreach “proximity programme” which has been taking place through 26 meetings, since 2016, organised with the support of Universities of the Third Age, senior citizen centres, law-enforcement agencies and local NGOs.
In total over 1,200 people have participated at the meetings to date which have been held in 7 regions across Italy: launched in 2016 as a pilot project in Civitavecchia and other municipalities in northern Lazio, the project has been successively extended to Tuscany, Sardinia, Umbria and Abruzzo, and, recently, also Molise and Apulia.
In Brindisi, where the format was presented to the main volunteer associations in the area on 5 June, a series of meetings have been scheduled as part of the Enel Sustainability Plan for the city: plan of actions programme aiming to develop the social fabric of the territory, offering best practices in terms of security, safeguarding disadvantaged groups, energy efficiency and innovation
The small municipalities are not left out
The concept responsible for the success of the initiative is articulation: thanks to the presence of ANSE members across the territory, the programme manages to reach the smaller localities. For example, meetings have been held in Lazio in Tolfa, Allumiere, Civita Castellana and Vetralla; in Sardinia in Capoterra and Quartu Sant’Elena, and in Molise in Venafro.
The information seminars are set to continue into the future, with dates already scheduled in Molise (Campobasso), Umbria (Città di Castello), Abruzzo (Pescara) and Lazio (Tivoli and Frascati).
Energy is a resource to which everyone should be entitled, while the commitment to sustainable development means that it must be used intelligently and in an increasingly efficient way. The real value of the Enel-ANSE proximity programme lies in the assistance it offers citizens in achieving this goal.
