Today, the world's leading green energy Awards scheme announced that Marches Energy Agency (MEA), is one of the pioneering energy  projects from the UK, Africa, Asia and Latin America chosen as finalists for the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy 2009. MEA will compete in the Charity Award category for up to £30,000 in prize money, to be used for project development and expansion. The winners will be announced at a ceremony hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales in London on 11 June.

MEA's Low Carbon Communities (LCC) programme works with households, businesses and groups  within a community to deliver lower CO₂ emissions. Over 1,400 technical measures have been carried out that reach 2,000 people directly, saving over 1,700 tonnes a year of CO_2. 19,000 people have been reached indirectly through wider awareness activities. The pioneering communities that have adopted this approach have already reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by up to 5% a year. More communities nearby are set to start the low carbon journey this year.

Consumer surveys show that many individuals in the UK are concerned about climate change, but many are confused and uncertain about how make meaningful changes within their home, business or wider community.

Simon Ross, Team Leader on the Low Carbon Communities Project, describes what makes the MEA project unique:

"We tackle each community in a bespoke way, not simply imposing a top-down solution, but seeking to find the most appropriate approach with the community. The enthusiasm for sustainable energy action we help to instil is something that we hope will outlast the life of the project by generations rather than years."

The area where MEA is based is rural, with much local employment in small independent businesses and a significant amount of fuel poverty (17% of households). Many small towns and villages in the region are not on the national gas grid, and there are many opportunities for households and businesses to reduce CO₂ emissions and save money at the same time.

To date MEA has worked with six small rural communities. For around 12 months a project worker is posted within each community to encourage families, local groups and businesses to adopt measures like insulation, energy efficient lighting and solar water heating. Support is also provided to help local businesses become more sustainable. The LCC project provides ‘honest broker' advice and expertise, along with funding for measures such as insulation, efficient lighting for businesses and renewable energy installations. A local laundrette, for example, has installed energy efficient dryers and a boiler.

Andy Silson of the Washing Well laundry said:

"My ears pricked up when I heard that there were grants for equipment to save money on energy. I'd never have believed how much less gas the new dryers would use."

Another result is that eco-businesses have sprung up - a joiner is making sawdust briquettes; a farmer is producing biodiesel from waste oil and a local IT company has designed an energy monitoring system. The project worker's job is to motivate and support, building the capacity of local people so they are equipped to continue the journey.

MEA makes the process of accessing funding easier. In most LCC work, the households and organisations pay part of the cost of the technology being installed, but costs are kept relatively low by MEA's ability to use different funding streams. Households in fuel poverty get insulation and other relevant measures free of charge, through the MEA ActionHeat programme.

To help motivated community groups to continue when the active support has finished, local volunteers are given support and training on applying for grants, carrying out energy audits and other activities.