User:BerlinBangkokBremen/Ecología y Desarrollo



The Foundation Ecology and Development ( Fundación Ecología y Desarrollo (ECODES) ) is an independent nonprofit organization that works towards sustainable and environmentally friendly development, founded on 10 March 1992.

Ecología y Desarrollo works to strengthen dialogue and collaboration with all stakeholders in the implementation of actions and programs that promote sustainable development and enable social change. They provide ideas and solutions as well as critical commentary based on professional expertise. The organizations main areas of focus are social responsibility, climate change, water management, reducing consumption and development cooperation. Besides their various projects they publish an online magazine, esPosible.

History
Ecología y Desarrollo was established on 10 March 1992 in Zaragoza, Spain, with the intent to find solutions to shared problems and bring about social change by becoming an influential nongovernmental actor able to mobilize support and open dialogue between all stakeholders involved. Since then the foundation has gained in significance, winning various awards for their plans, programs and actions. (see Award section below)

Ideology
Ecología y Desarrollo is not associated with any political party however since their aim is to bring about social change by moving society in a more socially just and ecologically sustainable direction they could be considered an organization left from the center.

Structure
The governing body of the organization is the board of trustees consisting of six members. Trustees are not paid, except for the Director General, and may not have any economic interest in the organization’s activities. The board of trustees meets tree times a month. Supplementing the work of the board is the advisory council. The Director General is responsible for the day to day activities of the organization and the following separate departments: demonstration projects, technical assistance, analysis and solution as well as external projection. In addition to these departments and not mentioning the supportive services there are five working groups: climate change, socially responsible business, water, responsible consumption and Latin America.

Areas of work
Ecología y Desarrollo analyzes the causes and consequences of major socio-environmental challenges and prescribes solutions. The organization provides useful, accurate and recognized information and research for the formation of opinions and carries out projects to demonstrate that there are viable and replicable solutions. Furthermore they provide technical advise to facilitate the transition towards a model of production, investment and consumption that is more socially and environmentally sustainable.

Areas of work, often overlapping, are amongst others:


 * Water: sustainable use of water resources


 * Corporate social responsibility


 * Corruption: campaigns against Corruption


 * Climate change: campaigns of alert about global warming


 * Consumption: denouncing the waste caused by a productivist economy.


 * Pollution: denouncing various forms of pollution from air pollution to water pollution, among others.


 * Energy: denouncing the environmental impacts of various forms of obtaining energy; this is, of course, linked to the area of climate change


 * Residues: promoting the reduction of waste materials in modern production systems and denounces bad practices in the management of waste, including lack of interest in and support for recycling or uncontrolled disposal of hazardous waste.

Campaigns
Ecología y Desarrollo gained significant notoriety due to their “Zaragoza, water-saving city” campaign. It started in 1997 and it aimed to promote a new water-saving consciousness through a more efficient management. It emphasised, above all, the importance of simple technological change to achieve a sustainable reduction in water consumption. The project was to issue a challenge to the city: to save 1,000 million litres of domestic water consumption in one year. The project has shown that it is possible to deal with the shortage of water in cities, using a cheap, ecological, fast and contentious-free approach, by increasing efficiency in consumption. For this campaign Ecología y Desarrollo teamed up with local and regional governments as well as the European Union.

(see press dossier and a summary of the campaign at the page provided here )

Awards
The work of the foundation has been recognized on the local, national and international level. An incomplete selection of these recognitions and awards is listed below.

•	2008. Awarded the “Consumer Research Award” of the Government of Aragon for the paper "Virtual water and food, Responsible Consumption in Aragon"

•	2008. Ebrópolis 2008 Award for good citizenship practices granted to Ecology and Development Foundation for the proposal "Zaragoza, Water 100.000 saving compromise"

•	2005. 21 Action Prize awarded by the City Council for the project CeroCO2 in recognition of individuals and institutions working in the field of sustainability.

•	2005. The European Commission Vice President Margot Wallström, decided to donate to the Foundation Ecology and Development. •	2004. Awarded the “Félix de Azara Prize” in recognition of the contribution of the foundation to build an development-friendly environment.

•	2003. The campaign "Zaragoza water saving city. 50 Good Practices "was awarded the "Juan de la Cosa of Environmental Engineering Award"

•	2003. Ecology and Development Foundation received an award from ISR from the Institute for Sustainable Resources for their outstanding contribution to and compliance with the principles of sustainable development (May 2003)

•	2002. The "Water Efficiency Program in the Cities" was recognized at the Sixth National Environmental Conference

•	2002. The campaign "Zaragoza, Water Saving City” was chosen by the UN Habitat Agenda, in its fourth edition as one of 100 examples of successful sustainable urban management in the world.

•	2001. The campaign "Zaragoza, Water Saving City” was chosen by the UN Habitat Programme as one of the 84 examples of successful sustainable urban management in the world.

•	1999. Award City, Urbanism and Environment for the campaign "Zaragoza, Water Saving City" organized annually by the Basque-Navarra Group Architects Planners, Architects Association of the Basque-Navarra, Fundación BBV, the Government Vasto, the Navarro Government and the University of the Basque Country.

•	1999. The project "Zaragoza, Water Saving City" was awarded the Special Mention Prize in the Alhambra-Water and Environment organized by the UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Development and Environment at the University of Granada and the Coca-Cola Foundation Spain.

•	1999 The "Zaragoza, Water Saving City 'was awarded a second prize in recognition of young people working in conservation and environmental improvement in the Young and Bright Award.

•	1998. Award for "advertising design" in the category "Non-Profit." For the campaign "Zaragoza, Water Saving City", awarded by the Spanish Association of Direct Marketing.

•	1998. Selection of the "Zaragoza, Water Saving City/Zaragoza, Ciudad Ahorradora de Agua" as one of the 100 best experiments in the world by an international jury of the United Nations.

•	1998. The project "Zaragoza, Water Saving City" is awarded the Henry Ford Award in the conservation category by the Ford Foundation-Spain.

Partnerships and cooperation
Ecología y Desarrollo has partnerships and joined networks with many other environmental or social organizations and is a member of noumerous coalitions like the "Coalición Clima" and the "Alianza por el Aqua". Ecología y Desarrollo is also a member of the Spanish Association of Foundations ( La Asociación Española de Fundaciones ).