The house is looking for a smart owner

The last couple of weeks I don’t feel like a miser when I turn off the tap while brushing my teeth or washing my head - a big goal “looms” in front of me - Energy Evolution in Ukraine. A cold shower in the morning invigorates pleasantly; and in general, Dr. Komarovsky argues that cold is useful. I refuse to wash at high temperatures and make sure that the load of the washing machine is complete. Moreover, now and in the afternoon I do what I previously did only at night.

And I also disconnect the devices from the outlet (this way you can save up to 8% of electricity). The model of behavior, everyday habits are gradually changing - and I understand that this is not as scary as it might seem. It’s like a game: it’s like you are re-exploring your house, apartment, looking for where you can help it become more efficient. At that time, while we dreamed of a smart house, our houses dreamed of smart owners.

But how tangible will these little "steps" be? Are they able to significantly influence the situation? There is hope. I find out that energy consumption can be reduced almost by half - ~ 45.8%. This is ~ 29.3 billion m3 of natural gas - more than Ukraine imported from Russia in 2013.

And on the heating alone, the housing sector can save more than 30 billion hryvnias a year.

If you start to save gas, water, electricity, heat, each family can save about 2500 UAH on utilities. in year. For someone, by the way, this is a monthly salary. What would you spend it on?

So it all spun. Marketing. Timing plan Team meetings Distribution of tasks. Responsible, terms. The birth of a brand. Logo, slogan, first layouts. Creative anthill. Lots of work, little sleep. Personality crisis: I again packed myself in the project mode - until ?! But for the sake of the country and you can suffer They are looking for us Akhmetov, Kolomoisky, the state. Not found. At the second meeting of volunteers comes 95% of those who were at the first. An indicator of success and cohesion a single idea. So we do everything right.

In parallel, I notice my own energy evolution: the gas could be ignited after water was drawn into the pan, and the appliances were turned off from the outlet not only at night, but also during the day. Starting to close the water while brushing your teeth. I hang a bottle at the entrance to collect waste batteries.

Having read that Naftogaz is initiating its own campaign on energy saving, I am actively looking for an outlet on Andrei Kobolev. It would be foolish to do one thing in parallel. We must pay tribute to the head of "Naftogaz" - he responds to my letter of motivation with lightning speed - within half an hour. After a day we meet with a company representative. Professionalism, understanding of common goals - we do not compete, but cooperate. Agreed to help each other with content and connections.

I spend days at the office of the National Ecological Center of Ukraine. Employees do their usual things - projects in the field of climate and energy ... I am surprised to notice that, without necessity, they do not turn on the lights in the kitchen, make sure that the plumbing equipment does not flow, and even twice use tea bags, despite the fact that afford to live is uneconomical. In the office there is mutual understanding and support.

Beginners do not survive, on the contrary - help, what they can. It gives strength. Clear boundaries between private life and work are erased, I catch myself feeling the interconnection of our goal with more global initiatives. The view is scaled: our team "suddenly" has a feeling that we are doing something significant not only for Ukraine, but also for the planet as a whole.

Notice, we are not the "crazy ecologists" who go to the actions with posters and urge not to eat meat (although it is better not to eat it). We are ordinary people who have come from business and politics, and are surprised at the changes that have begun to occur with us.

But, returning to Ukraine, we rejoice in our first successes - just these days the sticking-up of the first series of energy-saving boards and city lights began. Volunteers provided us with more than 500 planes in Ukraine (social advertising). NETZU paid for the seal (thanks !!!) All the money that I managed to scrape together went to outdoor advertising. Not even left to print flyers. Nothing, think of something.

Having fun, watching the first volunteer videos. In the style of Hitchcock. And just a harmless youth creative. And one more.

We are looking forward to a contest of energy saving short films within the framework of the Crazy Cameraman Cinema Fest. We are preparing two events on Khreshchatyk. Create an educational computer game. We create a series of motivating posters from celebrities. We work with offices.

We are creating a series of creative stickers on sockets and switches, baths and gas stoves ... We want to overcome the stereotype that saving is a shame. We think it’s time for each of us to change the position "Why am I ?!" to install "Who, if not me?" Energy saving is a new trend among Ukrainian youth.

Look into the house in which the reasonable owner lives.

This and other layouts will be freely available. Any person in the most remote town of Ukraine can “pick it up” on your website or print it and hang it, say, at the entrance. The project will gradually turn into a horizontal initiative - and no longer we, but new volunteers full of fresh forces will begin to deliver information about energy saving in their cities.

I never thought that someday I would associate the word "economy" with myself. But now you know how I came to this life. Besides, saving is so nice: take a shower together. Do not wash the cup of tea bags. Well, or have dinner with night vision devices.

Ukrainian truth.