Aiarako Kuadrilla, Getxo and Hernani take the prize for the best Local Authorities Initiative of the Basque Country in the ASTEKLIMA 2024 Awards
29/11/2024

The prize for the best Supramunicipal Initiative went to the Nerbioi-Ibaizabal Local Authority Association; Errenteria Local Council took the award for the Municipality with Over 20,000 Inhabitants; Ortuella was the winner in the Municipality of Between 5,000 and 20,000 Inhabitants category; and Maruri-Jatabe Local Council was recognised with the award for the Municipality with Under 5,000 Inhabitants.
In the Vocational Training and Educational Centres category, CEIP San Inazio HLHI Ikastetxea took the award for the best action and Egoaizia was recognised with the prize in the NGOs and Associations category.
In the Vocational Training and Educational Centres category, CEIP San Inazio HLHI Ikastetxea took the award for the best action and Egoaizia was recognised with the prize in the NGOs and Associations category.
Within the Local Authorities category, the prize for the best Supramunicipal Initiative went to the Nerbioi-Ibaizabal Local Authority Association; Errenteria Local Council took the award for the Municipality with Over 20,000 Inhabitants; Ortuella was the winner in the Municipality of Between 5,000 and 20,000 Inhabitants category; and Maruri-Jatabe Local Council was recognised with the award for the Municipality with Under 5,000 Inhabitants.
The award for the Best Initiative in Vocational Training and Educational Centres category went to CEIP San Inazio HLHI Ikastetxea, and Egoaizia was recognised with the prize in the NGOs and Associations category.
The ASTEKLIMA 2024 Awards recognised citizen shared responsibility and awareness-raising activities in the fields of climate change and the energy transition during the V Basque Energy and Climate Week. Twenty-eight entities entered 50 initiatives in the different categories. The Evaluation Committee took into account the alignment of the activities with the goals of the Energy Transition and Climate Change Act 1/2024 of 8 February, the innovation and creativity, participation, and the impact of the activity on public awareness.
Best initiatives of Basque local authorities
Aiarako Kuadrilla was recognised for the ‘Every action, no matter how small, counts’ initiative. A video and contest were used to raise citizen awareness about the consequences of climate change and about the measures that can be taken to mitigate them. The video invited the public to adopt habits to help to reduce the impact of climate change and explained the possibilities available to do so. The contest posed questions directly related to climate change and the energy transition. The jury took into account the participation and the impact obtained thanks to the many channels successfully used.
Gexto Local Council, through its Environment Unit, took the prize for the 'Klima Family Workshops' initiative, which included different workshops and activities, designed creatively as a fun way and adapted to the target audience to raise awareness about climate change.
Hernani Local Council was recognised for the exhibition of the waste found in the river clean-up. Apart from the waste, photographs taken during the clean-up were on display. This initiative led to greater awareness about waste generation and the pollution effect of wastewater on flora and fauna.
Awards to local authorities
An award went to the Nerbioi-Ibaizabal Local Authority Association for the ‘Workshop on Citizen Energy Communities’, a training initiative to encourage participation in energy communities; they are set up as an opportunity for the energy transition, as they help to increase the percentage of renewables used, to cutting greenhouse gases (GHG), and savings in final energy consumption.
Errenteria Local Council was the winner in the Municipalities with over 20,000 Inhabitants category for the ‘Energy Communities and Collective Self-consumption. The First Photovoltaic Facility of Ekiherri' activity. The Ekiherri energy community showcased the facilities of Egiluze School. The runner-up in this category was Eibar Local Council for the ‘ASTEKLIMA Centre of Interest’ activity.
The prize in the Municipalities Between 5,000 and 20,000 Inhabitants category went to Ortuella Local Council for its 'Children's Workshop on Renewable Energies' initiative; the activity was run from a very hands-on approach to make children aware of the importance of photovoltaic energy.
Maruri-Jatabe Local Council won the prize in the Municipality Under 5,000 Inhabitants category for using drama to encourage using locally sourced produce. The play 'Eneko and Ixabel, in search for local food' made the family audience think about promoting, producing and using local produce. It also helped to raise awareness about the impact that food production has in terms of polluting emissions. The two runners-up in this small municipality category were Dima Local Council for 'Towards Sustainable Forestry' and Muxika Local Council for 'Muxika, Ibarruri and Gorozika Second-hand Fair 2024'.
Educational centres, NGOs and Associations
CEIP San Inazio HLHI Ikastetxea took the award in the Vocational Training and Educational Centres category for the ‘4th Year Mascot to Raise Awareness about Climate Change', an action that highlighted the importance of taking measures to fight climate change and which can easily be replicated in other centres. Intxaurrondo Ikastola was the runner-up for using a character from a story – Kirima the Seal – to raise awareness about climate change and its effects on the planet.
Finally, Egoaizia was the winner the NGOs and Associations category for the 'Responsible Consumption and Ecology Fair' in Eibar, which includes over 30 alternative and sustainable awareness-raising initiatives, and became a space for learning and mobilisation around climate and the energy transition. The runner-up in this category went to the Gaude Association-Donibane Occupational Centre for the 'Forging Green Networks’ activity, which has turned a garden into an urban ecosystem consisting of a pond with amphibians, fruit trees, organic vegetable garden, butterfly oasis, wildflower meadows, etc.
ASTEKLIMA 2024
The Basque Government's Ministry of Industry, the Energy Transition and Sustainability – through Ihobe and EVE – was the driving force behind the V ASTEKLIMA 2024, held between 18 and 27 October as part of the International Day of Climate Action and under the slogan 'Every action, no matter how small, counts'. A total of 83 Basque entities organised 114 activities and 10 municipalities hosted Klima Azoka – an activity driven by Ihobe, the Basque Government's Environmental Management Agency – which consisted of a route through different marquees to learn more about climate change, household habits, mobility, leisure and responsible consumption.