HEATING FOR KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN WILL COME FROM
THE SUN

Press release

KARLOVICE (CZECH REPUBLIC), FEBRUARY 12, 1998 - Greenpeace activists today unveiled the solar panels in a local kindergarten in Karlovice near Bruntal with a large banner. The kindergarten was damaged by last year's flooding.

The refurbished kindergarten is the first concrete result of the Phoenix project, which represents Greenpeace's contribution to the restoration of Moravia after the floods. "From today water for the kids will be heated by the sun," said the coordinator of Grenpeace's climate campaigner ing. Tomas Nenicka. "All of us should realize that the era of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas is definitely al the end. We are entering the millennium in which all humanity will go alternative sources of energy."

Karlovice is a small town of 1210 inhabitants today and it's located near river Opava. "The floods reached in on the morning of July 7. We were cut off from civilization for a whole week." reflects Milan Glombicek Karlovice magistrate. "Only a helicopter was capable of getting here. The kindergarten was actually one of the first buildings we had to evacuate." In total, 17 buildings in the town were completely destroyed, and several tens were seriously damaged. The waters rose to the level of the kindergarten' windows. That's why the town authorities decided to completely renovate the school, and include a new roof and a comprehensive heating system.

The Slovak company Thermo-Solar Ziar made a noble gesture. It decided to respond to Greenpeace's appeal by supporting the Phoenix project with modern solar technology.

"In fact we have already been producing solar panels for the whole of Central Europe. We decided to donate our panels free to Karlovice kindergarten because we wanted to support people suffering as a result of the floods," said Ing. Novak, Thermo - Solar Ziar company director explained at today's handing-over ceremony. "We are convinced that the third millennium will be the millennium of solar energy."

"We feel really enthusiastic about the solar equipment here," magistrate Glombicek says "The temperature outside several days ago was minus 19 degrees while we were doing working tests. Nevertheless, water in a container was heated to fifty degrees shortly after midday. Therefore we are now thinking about further installations."

"It is the very first building to be renovated after last year's floods so as to be able to use the sun's energy. It was the first offspring of the Phoenix project," Tomas Nenicka commented, and he added that Greenpeace will continue with its plan to rebuild Moravia while respecting the environment."

The Phoenix project was begun immediately after last year's floods. Its aim is to help with the rebuilding of damaged towns and to reconstruct the in a way which will be more in accordance with the style of the third millennium. This refers mainly to energy conservation and moving from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. The Phoenix project was officially supported by the Office of the President of the Czech Republic.

It was exactly two months ago, in Kyoto, Japan, that the developed industrial countries committed themselves to decreasing their emissions of greenhouse gases. "This is a contribution to save the climate on the most basic level," Nenicka stressed. "It is not only by chance that "the first offspring" is the kindergarten. Climatic protection through energy conservation is precisely the thing we should be doing for our kids right now. Because the current generation may already experience the drastic effects of changes to the climate."

Climate changes also mean a greater frequency of extreme swings in weather conditions. This means particularly dry weather, hurricanes, and floods. The first portent might be just the one which damaged Karlovice kindergarten last year. "The vicious circle ends right here," Ing. Nenicka reminded us. "We are saving energy and protecting the climate in order to prevent floods like last year's happening in the future."