Ruralnet Futures, a partner in the consortium which is building the RURENER network, is using the latest collaborative Web 2.0 technologies to bringing the network to life.

Ruralnet Futures’ project manager, David Ellis, returned from Italy inspired by some of the initiatives already in use: “The meeting took place in Tirano, a small town in the heart of the Alps, where a biomass plant, fuelled by prunings from thousands of hectares of terraced vineyards that line the valley, provides heating and electricity for all public buildings.   Previously the waste wood would simply have been burned – now it’s being turned into heat and power, saving on fossil fuels.”

“Across the 14 pilot communities there’s so much experience to share.  However, with the communities spread across Hungary, Romania, Germany, France, Italy, Greece and Spain, the key challenge”, Ellis continues, “is to overcome the language barriers and bring geographically scattered communities together.  We’re encouraging communities to record their progress though their own weblogs, and are providing language tools to translate case studies on the RURENER website.  We’re also developing an online mentoring service to enable renewable energy specialists to advise communities, and offering a knowledge bank of tools and templates to help those beginning their carbon-neutral journey.”

See the RURENER promotional video

Visit the RURENER website