Competition of creative projects “Children for the Clean Planet: Secrets of the Wind”
We are committed to powering a transition to a carbon-free society with affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy and ensuring that our environmental, societal, economic and governance decisions benefit future generations. Fulfilling our commitments helps to address climate change and achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 7 Clean Energy and SDG 13 Climate Action.
The SDGs we have set involve being active with the communities where our projects are located. So, in December 2021 in partnership with the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association and “Ridna Mova” Publishing House we organized the creative competition "Children for the Clean Planet: Secrets of the Wind" for the students at secondary schools located in the Mayakivska and Starokozatskaya territorial communities of Odesa region.
The aim of the competition is to educate students about the importance of preserving the environment and using renewable energy sources.
"We believe that it is important to educate students, tell them more about the effects of climate change and the role of renewable energy in saving our planet. Through projects such as Secrets of Wind, we are investing not only in clean energy but also in the next generation and its responsible attitude to the world around us”, said Alexander Podprugin, Chief Operating Officer of Elementum Energy.
Under the terms of the competition, students had to read the book "Secrets of the Wind", where authors introduce young readers to wind energy and teach how to care for the environment. Based on the book, young readers developed creative video projects.
234 children from 38 teams took part in the competition. Due to the incredible amount of creative works and interesting ideas, finding a winner was a challenging task! But finally, team "Kimbur'' of Nadlymanskaya school of Mayakivska village council won the main prize.
The team members received individual prizes - tablets, as well as a grant for the purchase of STEM equipment for the school. The school will be able to use the grant to purchase innovative educational devices that could allow children to study robotics, electronics, graphics, and engineering.
In addition to the main prize, all contestants from the teams received incentive gifts. We also decided to congratulate the team that offered the best idea among the Starokosatska community with individual prizes.
Halyna Schmidt, initiator, and co-author of the book "Secrets of the Wind": "I am very pleased that Elementum Energy initiated this competition for the kids. This will not only stimulate students to read the book "Secrets of the Wind", but is a logical continuation of the educational activities initiated by the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association. Thanks to this competition, children will not only get acquainted with the theoretical aspects of wind energy and its development in Ukraine but will also be able to demonstrate the acquired knowledge and skills in practice.”
Andriy Konechenkov, Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association: “Wind energy is gaining momentum in Ukraine today. More and more companies are interested in developing wind energy projects, and more and more investors are ready to finance them, cooperate with local communities and promote their development. It is this book that forms students' understanding of the importance of wind energy development and renewable sources in general. It should be noted that thanks to this initiative we are further deepening the cooperation between the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association and Elementum Energy, a reliable partner of the Association. “
About the company:
VR Capital is an international asset management firm serving an institutional investor client base with approximately $5 billion of assets under management. The firm operates via its principal offices in New York and London. VR Capital is one of the largest and most experienced Western investors in Ukraine, operating in the Ukrainian market since 1999.
Elementum Energy Ltd., a subsidiary of VR Capital, is an independent electricity producer operating via its principal offices in London and Kyiv, focused on the development and operation of renewable energy sources in Central and Eastern Europe. The capacity of the company's operating assets is currently 576 MW: 28 solar power plants with a total capacity of 536 MW and Dnistrovska WPP, Phase I, 40 MW.