Successful national and international projects.

IBBA Integratives Buntes Bäuerliches Arbeitsprojekt GmbH

With the help of a biomass wood heating system supported by Climate Austria, the non-profit farm can save 228.60 tons of CO₂ emissions annually.

IBBA Integratives Buntes Bäuerliches Arbeitsprojekt GmbH is an organic farm in Buch (Tyrol) and focuses on training teenagers and young adults with special needs. Participants get the chance to find their way into working life by engaging in different fields of activity, such as horticulture and fruit growing, livestock farming, and floriculture, among others.

With the support of Climate Austria, the oil heating system used for farm operations was replaced with a biomass-based wood heating system. The biomass used in this process is pellets. The transition to pellets as an energy source reduces CO₂ emissions by approximately 228.60 tons over the facility's useful life.

Mandl’s Ziegenhof

Thanks to a wood-fired heating system using forest chips installed with the help of Climate Austria, this goat farm avoids about 894 tons of CO₂ annually.

Mandl's Ziegenhof is a family-run farm that specializes in the production of goat milk products. Around 100 goats supply the farm with fresh milk, which is processed into various delicacies in the farm's own cheese dairy.

For the operation of the goat farm, the oil heating system was replaced by a wood heating system with forest chips with the support of Climate Austria.
Only residual wood from sustainable domestic forests or from the sawmill industry is used to produce wood chips, which means that the production is also CO₂ neutral. Since residual wood is automatically turned into wood chips, the plant can be operated without much effort.

The transition to wood chips as a source of energy reduces CO₂ emissions by approximately 894 tons over the facility's useful life.

Kompetenz – Berufliches und soziales Kompetenzzentrum Südsteiermark GmbH

With the help of a district heating connection installed by Climate Austria, this social competence center avoids 375 tons of CO₂ per year.

"Kompetenz – Berufliches und soziales Kompetenzzentrum Südsteiermark GmbH" supports people in various age groups who have different physical, mental, cognitive, and social challenges. Support is available for work, employment as well as housing and leisure activities. In addition, specialized training and continuing professional education is available at the center's in-house training facility, with a focus on goals and results.

For the center in Leibnitz in southern Styria, the previously existing heating system was replaced by an ecological heating system. A ready-to-use district heating connection was installed. The necessary heat transfer station and conversion work were provided. Switching from a fossil-fueled room heating system to a sustainable heating system results in savings of up to 375 tons of CO₂ over the facility's useful life of 15 years.
 

Lebenshilfe Mürztal – Beleuchtungsoptimierung

Thanks to a new LED lighting system installed with the help of Climate Austria, 29 tons of CO₂ emissions can be avoided over the useful life of 10 years.

Lebenshilfe Mürztal is a non-profit association that accompanies people with disabilities on their very personal journey through life, providing social and professional services. As a life and social counseling provider, the association focuses on integrating people into different labor and professional environments and provides social and learning support.

With the support of Climate Austria, the original lighting for the workshop in Kindberg was replaced with new energy-saving LED systems in almost all rooms.

The new lighting system achieves higher energy efficiency compared to the old system. Since LED systems use less energy, lighting efficiency increases by 80 to 90% compared to traditional lighting. In addition, this measure reduces CO₂ by 29 tons over a useful life of 10 years.

Funding the energy transition through wind power in El Salvador

This project supports the construction of a wind farm in the municipality of Metapán in the north-west of El Salvador.

In 2019, over two-thirds of El Salvador's energy supply relied on imported fossil fuels. This dependency not only made the country vulnerable to international price fluctuations but also left many households without access to electricity. 

The Ventus Wind Farm Project in the municipality of Metapán in northwestern El Salvador marks a significant step towards a renewable energy transition. The wind farm consists of 15 turbines that generate clean energy, meeting the needs of approximately 80,000 households. This reduces reliance on fossil fuels while making a substantial contribution to cutting CO₂ emissions in the energy sector. 

The project not only supports climate protection (SDG 13) but also advances sustainable energy (SDG 7) and decent work and economic growth (SDG 8) by creating 300 jobs for the local population.

Clean cookstoves in Rwanda

The project in the Rwandan districts of Kayonza, Bugesera and Nyamasheke aims to significantly reduce firewood consumption and thus greenhouse gas emissions by distributing improved cookstoves to households.

In Rwanda, biomass, primarily firewood, is the main energy source for many households, especially in rural areas. Traditional and inefficient cooking methods, such as open three-stone fires, are commonly used, leading to high firewood consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. 

A project in the Rwandan districts of Kayonza, Bugesera, and Nyamasheke addresses this issue: by distributing modern, efficient cookstoves, the demand for firewood is significantly reduced. This not only contributes to climate protection but also improves indoor air quality, benefiting the health of residents. Women and girls, in particular, gain from reduced time spent collecting firewood and cooking, which also lowers household expenses for fuel. 

The project supports several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): it contributes to better health (SDG 3), gender equality (SDG 5), sustainable energy (SDG 7), and climate action (SDG 13). 

Safe drinking water in Zambia

The Safe Water project in the Central Province of Zambia, certified to the Gold Standard, aims to provide households with clean drinking water through the use of borehole technology.

In Zambia's rural regions, many communities rely on inefficient wood-burning stoves to treat water, a practice that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and accelerates deforestation. The Gold Standard-certified Safe Water Project in Central Province directly addresses this challenge, aiming to provide sustainable access to clean drinking water. Using modern borehole technologies and emission-free pump systems, including hand and solar pumps, the project significantly reduces the need for firewood, thereby lowering CO₂ emissions. 

A core focus of the initiative is the rehabilitation of damaged boreholes and the creation of new ones, with active involvement from local communities to ensure their long-term maintenance. Sustainability is a priority: boreholes are limited to a maximum depth of 100 meters to mitigate ecological and technical risks. By ensuring a reliable and clean water supply, this project not only supports environmental protection but also enhances the quality of life for communities in Zambia's rural areas.

Reforestation of mangrove forests in Pakistan

The Delta Blue Carbon project protects and restores mangrove forests in the Indus Delta in Pakistan.

The Delta Blue Carbon Project in Pakistan combines effective climate protection, biodiversity conservation, and the promotion of sustainable livelihoods. Covering 350,000 hectares in the Indus Delta, the project focuses on restoring degraded mangrove forests to counter decades of loss caused by firewood harvesting and overgrazing. These mangroves protect coastal areas from erosion, provide valuable ecological services such as supporting fisheries and habitats for endangered species, and play a crucial role in carbon storage. 

Over its planned 60-year lifespan, the project aims to remove more than 100 million tons of CO₂ from the atmosphere through mangrove restoration. Unlike many other projects in our portfolio, this is a nature-based carbon removal initiative that actively sequesters carbon from the atmosphere. 

The project also delivers significant socio-economic benefits, including job creation and improved livelihoods for local communities (SDG 1, 8). It promotes education (SDG 4), gender equality (SDG 5), and access to clean water and sanitation (SDG 6). Additionally, it contributes to responsible resource use (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), and the preservation of ecosystems on land (SDG 15). This comprehensive, nature-based initiative demonstrates how ecosystem protection and community well-being can go hand in hand.