SUNDANCE RENEWABLES
“Right Livelihood is an ancient Buddhist philosophy, which ‘embodies the principle that all people should follow an honest occupation that fully respects all others and the natural world. This means being responsible for the consequences of our actions and taking only a fair share of the earth’s resources.”
Sundance Renewables is a workers’ co-operative and a company limited by guarantee (registration no. 4420315). It aims to help community regeneration through appropriate and sustainable methods and the development of renewable energy projects. Also, by engaging local communities in consultation and by offering a range of educational resources, Sundance Renewables is increasing understanding and awareness of energy issues.
Using renewable energy helps to reduce global warming and pollution, offers a better environment for our children and for us all, and will provide energy security for the future and more local jobs. We are keen to build the capacity at all levels for the successful deployment of renewable energy systems in Wales.
Sundance is an approved feasibility study consultant and installer for wind, solar and biomass systems under the Clear-Skies DTI grant programme and an installer for PV systems for the DTI Solar grant scheme. We are also a registered consultant for the Carbon Trust’s Action Energy Programme.
In 2004 we set up a small scale production facility for biodiesel which is the first community enterprise of its kind in the UK. We offer training courses to help accelerate the development of similar ventures.
We continue working closely with the New Ventures Panel and Sustainability Working Group of Co-operatives UK as there is considerable potential for the co-operative development of renewable energy and we particularly enjoy working with our colleagues in the co-operative sector.
As a sustainable energy co-operative we are also committed to reducing our ecological footprint and this is at the forefront of any development strategy we undertake.
An ecological footprint is the impact we have on the planet in terms of the resources we use and the waste we leave behind. In terms of the total amount of ecologically productive land available on the Earth, there is approximately four and a half acres available for each person.
Today, humanities ecological footprint is over 23% larger than what the planet can regenerate, so it is therefore fundamental that each person is responsible for their own footprint as humanities ecological footprint has breached ecological limits and is thus unsustainable. We must respect the limits of our planet’s economy and adopt long term strategic thinking for the benefit of future generations.