Ursula Sladek

Ursula Sladek (born 1946) is a German environmentalist, founder and former president of Schönau Electricity Works (EWS Elektrizitätswerke Schönau eG), a "registered cooperative society" under German Law in Schönau, Germany, that provides electricity from renewable sources.

Following the 1986 explosion of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Sladek attempted to find renewable alternatives to nuclear power within Germany, leading to the founding of EWS

Sladek founded the Schönau Power Supply company, intending to reactivate small hydropower plants within the Black Forest to provide energy to Schönau. She suggested to the mayor of Schönau that the Schönau Power Supply take over control of the local grid.

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Background
Sladek was trained as a school teacher. At the time of the Chernobyl disaster, she was a homemaker and mother to five school-age children in Schönau.

Following the disaster, she began studying the energy industry in Germany to search for ways to decrease dependence on nuclear power. Together with her husband, Michael Sladek, she formed a group called "Parents for a Nuclear Free Future" to promote energy efficiency in the Black Forest region of Germany and return control of energy production and distribution to the community. By 1991, this movement grew to a nationwide fundraising effort to enable Sladek's group to take ownership of the local power grid when the previous power company's lease to supply power to the Schönau region was up for renewal. The group raised 6 million DM (about 3 million in euros) and by 1997 had established the Schönau Power Supply as a community-operated energy provider committed to a sustainable energy future.

The Schönau Power Supply uses a decentralized approach to power generation and renewable energy sources, including solar, hydroelectric, wind power, and biomass. The company is operated as a cooperative; while the cooperative owners receive dividends, the majority of the profits are re-invested in renewable energy sources. Total revenues reached 67 million Euros in 2009.

Awards and recognition
Sladek has won a number of awards for her work in the fields of energy conservation and renewable energy production. These include the German Federal Cross of Merit, the Henry Ford European Conservation Award, the German Founder of the Year Award, the International Nuclear-Free Future Award, the German Energy Prize, the European Solar Prize, and in 2011 she won the Goldman Environmental Prize. In 2008, Sladek was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship.