LILY TANUI REPORTS ON HER PARTICIPATION IN THE YES-EUROPE ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2023 AND FUTURE PROJECTS.
YES-Europe (Young Leaders in Energy and Sustainability), an organization that connects, empowers, and provides a forum for action for young leaders from all around Europe who are enthusiastic about energy and sustainability, just conducted its annual Conference 2023 in Athens, Greece. As the new Country Representative for the Hungary – YES-Europe local team, I was determined to attend the conference and am grateful that when I informed my school, Obuda University, about the opportunity, they enthusiastically offered their full support. As a final semester environmental engineering student, I have received so much knowledge throughout my course, and being a part of such educational conferences adds value to my career.
The conference, organized by YES-Europe Greece and Resilient Planet, took place from the 21st to the 23rd of April and aimed to inform, engage, and empower youth in the fields of #Energy and #Sustainability. Speakers and attendees came from a variety of backgrounds, including the private sector, civil societies, youth organizations, research centers, universities, and WWF. Every session offered something fresh to learn and consider!!
One of my favorite sessions was the opening lecture by Stephen Lezak, a writer, researcher, and advocate working at the interface of climate politics and environmental justice, with a focus on Indigenous rights in the High North. Stephen emphasized the impact of climate change on people and the importance of dialogues and networking. He asked us to continue moving forward in unison with our varied impactful projects while reminding ourselves why we do so.
On the second day, we had the opportunity to tour David Davis’s Helios EcoLab Solar Electric Club David is a seasoned engineer and solar power pioneer who built his first wind turbine when he was 15 years old. The Lab’s primary beliefs revolve around affordable, transparent, and circular energy systems, and it offers solutions for Solar Energy, Batteries, Electric Vehicle Charging, and E-Bikes.
WWF Greece, WWF Finland, and WWF Austria hosted a workshop on the final day as part of their #EAT4CHANGE project. The program stressed the relevance of food choices in effecting the health of our world and the importance of making a difference on multiple levels. It also gave hands-on experience with project management for environmental initiatives.Indeed all of the sessions during the conference were educational, with some of the highlights being:
- Climate change solutions are available; all that is required is financial support, sound methods, and effective communication.
- Our economies must be reoriented toward human well-being, and collaboration and synergy are critical to eradicating #energypoverty.
- Each of us can help to achieve a just #energytransition.
I left the conference with more understanding on sustainability, which will help shape my projects in future.Moving forward, I am very happy to be working on forming a team of energetic youth in Hungary that are passionate about energy and sustainability to join YES- Europe Hungary local team.I would be delighted to have the majority of the members will come from my school,thus, if any of the students are interested, please contact me on lily.tanui@nextstepeu.org . Visit YES-Europe to discover more about our community.
Special thanks to my university, Obuda University for funding my attendance at such an exciting conference. It means a lot to me.
