Red Cross Looking for Green Energy Donors
Electricity and energy can also be donated. The Austrian Red Cross announced on Tuesday an electricity donation initiative aimed at supporting households affected by energy poverty with surplus energy and reducing electricity costs. According to the latest data from the European Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) by Statistics Austria on Tuesday, 1.53 million people in Austria are at risk of poverty, which is about 17 percent of the population.
Hundreds of Thousands in Absolute Poverty
According to the data, 336,000 people are even living in absolute poverty. High energy costs are a significant reason for this. Those affected by energy poverty often have to choose between a warm home or a meal.
"For these people, it's about human dignity, it's about enabling them to participate in society," emphasized Federal Rescue Commander Gerry Foitik at a press conference on Tuesday morning. The Red Cross is currently advising about 5,000 people in acute financial distress through individual spontaneous assistance - this number has grown in recent years.
Those whose income falls within the poverty risk threshold can contact the Red Cross's spontaneous assistance and thus be eligible for electricity donations in the future. However, this support is intended to end after a maximum of twelve months.
Registration for Donation Campaign
Companies and individuals who produce surpluses from alternative energy sources like photovoltaics can register for the donation campaign at wir.roteskreuz.at/stromspenden. The energy community "Robin Powerhood" will be responsible for the technical implementation, coordinating the donated green electricity between the Red Cross and the companies. For donors, this method is advantageous because they "produce this electricity anyway, but feel like they are doing something good," according to Foitik.
"Win-Win-Win Solution"
For companies, this is cheaper than a traditional monetary donation. Simon Lindenthaler from Lidl Austria spoke of a "win-win-win solution," "because the impact of this donation becomes significantly greater than if we were to collect the money and then donate it." The food retailer wants to set a good example and aims for an annual contribution of around 200,000 kilowatt-hours at the start of the campaign. This could reduce electricity costs in up to 250 households by about 30 percent.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.