EU awards most Energy Efficient School of Astana City

         Astana, Kazakhstan–The Award Ceremony to recognise the most energy efficient school of the city of Astana was held today. School Lyceum №59 was recognised as the most energy efficient among 100 public schools of the capital city.

         The Ceremony was organised byEuropean Union through itsproject “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia” (SECCA) together with the city of Astana as part of the EU–Kazakhstan Sustainable Energy Days and marked the International Children’s Day. The event was attended by the teachers, students, parents, city representatives as well as the Ambassadors of the European Union and the EU Member States.

       H.E. Mr KestutisJankauskas, the EU Ambassador to Kazakhstan, awarded the school with the prize together with Mr Bagdat Baisadikov, the Deputy Head of the Department of the Fuel and Energy Complex of the Astana City Mayor’s Office.

         Addressing the participants, AmbassadorJankauskas stated: «The most energy efficient school» award is a remarkable achievement of your school! Congratulations! Well done the school, teachers, children and their parents!I hope you will inspire other schools to follow you to make life greener and the environment healthier. It is a great contribution to Kazakhstan’s journey towards green economy. The European Union is your partner on this exciting journey!”.

           After the award ceremony, the students of the school took part in a flash mob on electric scooters under the slogan «Reduce Carbon Emissions, Save the Planet!». The purpose of the flashmob was to draw attention to the high greenhouse gas emissions produced by the transport, which leads to the deterioration of the environment, climate and consequently human health, and to inspire people to choose more environmentally friendly means of transportation.

        One representative of the school was also invited to the EU study tour to Europe, which is scheduled to take place preliminarily in autumn 2023, to learn the European experience and best practices on promotion of sustainable energy. Furthermore, the EU will present the school a mural (monumental wall painting), which will be selected as a result of the EU competition for the best mural design in Kazakhstan “Sustainable Energy for a Better Future”.

         The EU Sustainable Energy Days are being held in Kazakhstanand all countries of Central Asia to raise awareness among all national stakeholder groups and the general public about the importance, benefits and accessibility of sustainable energy.

        Background: The EU-funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)” (from March 2022 to March 2026) aims to promote a sustainable energy mix in the Central Asia region in line with EU best practices. To fulfil its mission, SECCA strives to provide for strengthened and more inclusive policy, regulatory and institutional framework for the transition to a sustainable energy system, within a regional context, and focuses on contributing to the fulfilment of international human rights commitments in CA countries, including equal access to energy, and supporting gender inclusive policies and legislation for energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE).The project activities include capacity development for EE and RE deployment, awareness raising on EE and RE, and improving investment climate for EE and RE projects.