“Le fattorie del sole di Ugento e Racale” is the name of the new project by ForGreen and LifeGate for people who want to become sustainable and independent by choosing to produce the (renewable) energy they consume.
It all began with a single plant and a project called La masseria del sole. A challenge that was won, with the participation of nearly 200 families who chose to produce and consume renewable energy independently, joining together in a cooperative. Now, LifeGate and ForGreen are continuing their collaboration by launching Le fattorie del sole di Ugento e Racale. This time, two solar plants are up and running in Salento, in the province of Lecce.
Once again LifeGate is at the forefront with Solar Share, promoting the initiative and working to raise awareness among a growing number of people who are not only interested in sustainability, but also eager to do something concrete. The new cooperative is called WeForGreen Sharing and was presented on 9 September at Cascina Triulza, fittingly the only pavilion dedicated to civil society at Expo Milano 2015.
The two plants in Ugento and Racale began generating power between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011, and will be purchased by those who choose to believe in this idea of shared energy and become members.
"The ambition of this cooperative is to reach, over the next two years, more than 600 members involved in its projects and at least four active generation plants harnessing sun, wind and water," said Gabriele Nicolis, marketing director of ForGreen and president of WeForGreen Sharing.
"As LifeGate, we have always developed projects with a focus on sustainability and a way of life in which people, the planet and profit could exist and grow in harmony," explains Enea Roveda, chief executive officer of LifeGate. "We decided to promote and support the development of shared energy projects nearly two years ago, and we believe they represent a virtuous solution for both the environment and household finances: choosing clean energy means making a concrete contribution to reducing pollution while, at the same time, saving money on domestic energy bills."
The cooperative model appears to be the best way to facilitate the transition to a more sustainable and equitable economy and society. For this reason, continuing to believe in and invest in projects of this kind is, above all, a demonstration of the will to change things — by taking an active role.