Eco Inclusion [Germany]

In a Nutshell:

Eco Inclusion is a promising practice directed at refugees who are having trouble with living and housing conditions. The City of Pforzheim in Germany has around 2,000 recognized refugees and offers training to vulnerable groups of the city population on how to save energy on the basis of a concept developed by a city-owned not-for-profit company. The Eco Inclusion project includes a specific, adapted training for refugees, that will help them to save energy in their homes and by extension reduce costs for heating, water use, and electricity. The inter-sectoral cooperation of the Eco Inclusion project helped decrease waste and lower energy use in the living and housing environment for refugees.

Health-Equity-Environment:

Eco Inclusion improves health by improving indoor air quality for refugees, thus addressing health equity by integrating low Socio-Economic Status (SES) groups; and the project aims to reduce energy use thereby lowering the impact of human activities on the environment.

Key Features:                     

• Identification and integration of vulnerable migrant refugee groups.
• Stakeholder engagement: trainers recruited among refugees, integrating managers, landlord associations, and experts from the area of environment, health equity and health.
• Sectors: urban and social development and planning, public sector.

Learn more about the Triple-Win case study by reading the Eco Inclusion Site Visit