We care about our environment: We take on responsibility for protecting the climate

Rwanda is a densely populated landlocked country located in eastern Africa. Due to its topography, it is also known as the "land of a thousand hills".

The lack of safe water is a widespread problem for the population of Rwanda. This typically leads to poor sanitation, hygiene and health, meaning that this is a large but often overlooked driver of poverty.

In order to obtain clean water, families sometimes have to walk long distances and boil it to purify it. Boiling water over wood fires is a major problem. This leads to high emissions of CO₂. In an effort to avoid the direct release of CO₂, this project was initiated. For this purpose, existing boreholes were restored and repaired.

Boreholes offer a sustainable solution to obtain clean water. By eliminating the need to boil water, the project significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions as well as deforestation pressures on surrounding forests where firewood is sourced. As a side effect, the local population benefits from this project, as women and children in particular often suffer from respiratory diseases due to the constant inhalation of smoke. These can be prevented by drawing water from boreholes.

Through the borehole project, Rwandan communities can now directly obtain clean drinking water. Each borehole is up to 100 meters deep and can be operated with a simple hand pump. All boreholes will be maintained over the project lifetime.

The landfill gas project is located in a partly industrialized region in Jiangsu province near the city of Suzhou, which is known as “Venice of the East”.

China’s burgeoning towns and cities and emerging economy pose a major logistical challenge not only in relation to energy and goods supply, but also when it comes to waste management and the resulting environmental impacts.

One major problem is the decomposition of organic materials in landfillls. This leads to high emissions of methane gas, a greenhouse gas 21 times stronger than CO2. This project was launched in order to mitigate the damage caused to the environment by methane emissions and at the same time to exploit its potential as a sustainable energy source. To this end, modern technologies were deployed and the workforce received special training.

As a result of the landfill gas project, the region now benefits from environmentally friendly waste disposal and sustainable local energy supply. There are also positive side effects for the local population, for example through support of educational programs and institutions in the region.

A mobile health station offers the local population free examinations and treatment once a month.

A scholarship scheme for the local vocational college was sponsored in order to promote higher education in the region.

Operation of the facility has created 20 permanent jobs; during the construction phase up to 54 people were employed.

The project sponsor provides job opportunities for disabled people. For example a deaf person is in charge of the maintenance and repair of the gas pipelines.

Qualified local workers had the opportunity to exchange experiences with representatives from Australia and New Zealand, allowing them to learn from one another and promote international technology transfer.

More than 80% of China’s electricity is generated in coal-fired power plants. In this country with its strong dependency on coal, the project contributes to improving air and soil quality and conserving water resources.

Thanks to the deployment of state-of-the-art landfill gas utilization technology, the project helps to promote progressive green technologies in urban infrastructure.

Safety at the landfill was improved thanks to efficient capture and use of combustible methane gas.

The project has made a significant contribution to improving the region’s air quality, not only by eliminating the unpleasant odor from the previously open landfill, but also the emission of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), ammonia (NH3) and other harmful gases.

The project owners created a park area for leisure activities adjacent to the formerly open landfill. As soon as the landfill is fully covered, the park will be extended, impressively demonstrating the transformation “from landfill to a source of green energy”.