Do you Have an Idea for ‘100 Days of Possibility’?

Today is Earth Overshoot Day. In case you didn’t know, this is the day when we use up all the resources on  earth that the planet can provide in a year, sustainably. SO starting tomorrow, we will be borrowing resources from the future for our present. Not a happy thought, is it?  To consider what we can do about it, among other things, we have the COP 26 summit coming up, a 100 days from today. And that is the whole point of the ‘100 days of possibility’, an initiative started by the Global Footprint Network, and backed by Schneider Electric.

Schneider Electric has transformed  itself to be a leader in sustainability and has even earned the title, the world’s most sustainable corporation while doing that. A leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, is backing  the Global Footprint Network (GFN), a research organization that tracks how the world manages natural resources, to help generate real ideas that can matter.  Solutions that help address climate change and biodiversity loss are the focus here.

It’s no coincidence that the launch coincides with Earth Overshoot Day, or starts a 100 day countdown to the  26^th annual UN Climate Conference (COP26), when government officials from around the globe will gather in Glasgow, Scotland, to try to agree on effective actions to combat climate change.

The solutions highlighted by the project underpin its key message: Companies, governments and individuals can act now –there is no need to wait for decisions to be made at COP26.

Opportunities and solutions across all sectors will be revealed each day leading up to COP26 at 100DaysofPossibility.org.  These will highlight the many ways that everyone can #MoveTheDate of Earth Overshoot Day. Examples include proposals for 100% renewable power grids, smart homes and food waste reduction.

Schneider Electric,  has already contributed by submitting six of its climate solutions to the “100 Days” list. Other partners in the project include the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Drawdown Europe.

Among of the scalable solutions Schneider has contributed is the integration of a microgrid with an electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in a Maryland-based smart energy bus depot in the US. It will be the first of its kind and help #MoveTheDate of Earth Overshoot Day by reducing carbon emissions by 62% among other benefits.

Another example is with Schneider’s office building, IntenCity, in Grenoble, France. IntenCity demonstrates how public and private sectors have joined forces to build cleaner and healthier communities. The building is designed to consume 7 kilowatt-hours per square meter each year — nearly 10 times less energy than the average European building consumes. Rooftop solar panels, two onsite wind turbines, the use of groundwater, and smart technology solutions enable the complex to consume and produce equal amounts of electricity over one year. A unique microgrid partnership facilitates energy sharing and coordination with the surrounding community.

Another contribution is Schneider’s recent agreement with the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company, the country’s national utility provider. It will be the Middle East’s first ever country-wide smart grid and help Egypt meet future energy demands while advancing its sustainability strategy.

All three solutions will be highlighted during the launch of the “100 days” initiative and Schneider’s remaining three contributions will be featured throughout the project.

We will be tracking the solutions as they come in, and highlighting what we consider the more interesting ones. Keep watching this space!