Fostering publicity business with Enterprise Europe Network sustainability services and EENergy grant
“Edelweiss Glamping embodies the spirit of Ukrainian resilience and European sustainability. It proves that even a small, family-run children’s camp can apply innovative energy-saving technologies, combine business, environmental, and social impact and become a symbol of green recovery in wartime Ukraine,” says Oleksandra Aleksieieva, Co-founder of Glamping Edelweiss.
Glamping Edelweiss, located in the picturesque Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine, is a family-owned children’s recreation camp that increased their energy efficiency through participation in the EENergy project and with support from Enterprise Europe Network (EEN).
Despite the ongoing war of russia against Ukraine and unstable energy supply, the family decided not to close the camp but to modernize it through smart energy solutions, turning it into one of the most inspiring examples of resilience and sustainability in Ukraine’s tourism and education sectors. Location in Carpathian Mountains means harsh mountain climate with long heating periods which lead to high electricity and heating costs. In addition, there are frequent blackouts due to wartime attacks on the power grid.
The company had to find a way to make the camp energy-independent, environmentally friendly, and economically viable to ensure safety and comfort for children and staff in an isolated area. Through cooperation with Sustainability Advisor of EEN–Ukraine, Olena Fesenko, the Edelweiss team attracted funding from the EENergy project for:
- Introducing smart energy monitoring and LED lighting, reducing unnecessary consumption.
- Using solar panels and inverter storage to ensure energy autonomy during power cuts.
In result energy consumption was reduced by over 40% in general, with significant cost savings per season. With the EENergy grant Edelweiss Glamping was able to reach generation of 80% of all necessary energy from solar panels thus shifting towards energy independence.