Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Alternative Energy for Rural Schools

By - - and IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

BUENOS AIRES, Jul 21 2007 (IPS) - A project by ecologist and civil society groups in Argentina launched this month will bring wind and solar energy to 125 rural schools across the country that lack access to the electrical grid. The program came from the Argentine affiliate of the environmental watchdog Greenpeace and from the rural school parents' association APAER.

“The idea is to channel APAER donations to help promote alternative energy goals in the schools and to strengthen the network that is active in this industry,” Greenpeace spokeswoman Rosario Espina told Tierramérica.

There are some 700 rural schools without electricity in Argentina. The APAER donations are usually aimed at purchasing electric and gas generators, which are expensive and which the schools generally cannot afford.