On June 25, Visions of Sustainability, together with the Elektrizitätswerke Schönau (EWS) and Freiburg’s Adult Education Center (VHS), invited participants to a workshop at the EWS store in Freiburg. As a follow-up event to the screening of Outgrow the System, EWS energy consultant Dr. Eva Stegen, together with two of her colleagues, offered participants insight into the extraordinary founding story of the EWS and the lessons that can be learned from the success of the electricity rebels.
EWS had humble beginnings – it started with a small group of dedicated parents in the town of Schönau, who wanted to become independent from nuclear energy following the Chernobyl disaster. Over time, this grassroots group evolved into something much bigger. In the mid-1990s, they took over Schönau’s electricity grid from the local energy monopoly. Today, EWS has grown into one of Germany’s largest green electricity providers. However, EWS stands out for more than just its commitment to renewable energy. As a cooperatively run company with over 14,000 members, it gives its electricity customers the opportunity to have an active say in the company decisions. Anyone interested in learning more about the EWS story can watch the short film “We the Power”, which tells the tale of their founding.
The second part of the workshop focused on the lessons that can be drawn from the EWS success story. Anna Magdalena Hoffmann from the EWS Store encouraged participants to be courageous in their civic engagement and to promote democratic approaches to doing business. By involving cooperative members in decision-making, EWS not only strengthens the sense of community but also fosters greater responsibility among its members. EWS shows that economics can mean co-determination. It also serves as a prime example that renewable energy is both feasible and economically viable. To wrap up, participants had the opportunity to share their own initiatives and personal commitments, building valuable connections to help make organizing sustainability-related events easier in the future.
This event was part of VISIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY, an inter- and transdisciplinary research project funded by the Innovation Sustainability Campus (ICN), located at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Non-university cooperation partners include Harmonie Kino, the Volkshochschule Freiburg and Greenmotions. The Freiburg environmental mayor Christine Buchheit has taken on the patronage of the project.