This is a CTP of initiative: INFORSE ‐VE (Denmark)
1987: making VE a professional local actor 1987: The local Environment and Energy Office in Copenhagen – KMEK - is established. AV: It was the first step in a professionalization. KMEK is one of several local environment and energy offices established in Denmark in this period of time. It is a part of professionalizing VE’s work with the ordinary citizens, engaging with different kinds of public enlightenment campaigns concerning solar heating. In 1987 it is about the possibilities of using thermal solar heating. The campaigns are much about showing the efficiency of the renewable energy technology and making it tangible. AV: The first solar heating campaigns paved the way for public enlightenment concerning energy, and these public enlightenment processes gave access to national funding. Different kinds of subsidies made people in general interested in the energy question. Energy savings are also in the scope, but not in an as developed way as they should become later. KMEK is also dealing with other kinds of environmental technologies, for instance local composting and water savings.
The establishment of local environment and energy offices is a result of the work of local VE groups, university researchers within the field of sustainable energy and a number of politicians in the Danish Parliament, engaged in the development in alternatives to fossil fuels and nuclear energy. AV: There has always been a close collaboration between VE as a central organisation and the local offices. Both researchers and politicians had worked for establishing the local offices. There had been activities and working groups before, but the establishment of the local offices marked the beginning of more systematic work. The existence of devoted local VE groups was quite decisive. These groups often worked in parallel with the local anti-nuclear groups and Noah-groups (which later became the Danish branch of the Friends of the Earth). The local VE groups arranged study trips and carried out small scale projects.
In 1982, a number of political parties form a so-called ‘green majority’ outside the government that supported a number of initiatives related to renewable energy; amongst other ‘Styregruppen for Vedvarende Energi’ (Committee for Renewable Energy) is formed with Niels I. Meyer as chair and support for the ‘Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy’. ‘Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy’ played an important role in the development of VE, and is being led by the first chairman of VE. The second Danish Energy Plan is published, paving the way for the first alternative energy plan, published by researchers and grassroots in 1983. The 1980ies was a period with a lot of unemployed young people. Compared to now, it was relatively easy to get public support for engaging these different types of local projects. Many started their professional carrier working on local projects; some became more or less professional grassroots.
The major conflicts concerning Danish Nuclear Energy took place before the local environment and energy offices were established. In 1985, the Danish Government decided not to engage in nuclear power – making it decisive to find alternatives (in the energy plans, coal played a major role, even the alternative energy plan). AV: What started it all was the battle against nuclear power – the battle against nuclear power and the oil-crisis. Nuclear power had not really been discussed in Denmark before the oil crisis. Energy politics emerged in the 1970ies. The Danish Nature Conservation Society focused very much on nature as nature. Noah focused on disclosing pollution scandals – being ‘scrub sneakers’. VE focused on finding alternatives to fossil fuels and nuclear power; here the local solutions were important. The entire crisis made me interested, and I started to study energy instead of theoretical physics
Local VE groups, university researchers within the field of sustainable energy and a number of politicians in the Danish Parliament had worked for creating local platforms for public enlightenment about sustainable energy and energy savings since the establishment of VE in 1975. People were excited because the battle against nuclear power had been won.
A number of enthusiastic people can make a difference. Public economic support of small local initiatives helps to develop them into something more professional and permanent. It was a new area in a positive development – sustainable energy had a lot of tail-wind Now, in 2016, times are different. A number of the ‘alternative’ technologies have been industrialized. It is not possible to support for having unemployed people work in small NGO’s any longer, people are pushed into ‘real’ jobs or entirely of the job market. Some of the simple jobs in NGO’s – like photocopying newsletters and sending them by snail-mail to members – have been replaced by homepages and e-mails.
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