First of all, a big Thank YOU to all our amazing partners, colleagues, and clients for working with us, trusting in us, and walking this path together.
It has been one of the busiest years of our life here at ELIA; so many new opportunities opened up this year for sharing our skills and vision. Our work this year expanded to Southern and Eastern Africa (Kenya, Namibia), the Arab States (Sudan and Syria) and the Small Island States (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Zanzibar) through Climate Change projects, Dynamical Systems modelling in collaboration with our partners, and implementation of the Mauritius Strategy (a regional project of the Indian Ocean Commission). We have also been engaging with the private sector for sustainability. We have done the Sustainability Reporting using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework for a leading company in the cane industry in Mauritius. We were also involved with carrying out studies on Green Investment and the Green Economy with the Millennium Institute. Our contribution extended to green job creation in 12 countries, and on the development of a green corridor based on REDD+ in Kalimantan, Indonesia.
We also developed the technical proposal for the EU-funded regional (Eastern and Southern Africa and Indian Ocean Region) programme for the Implementation of the SIDS Mauritius Strategy for the winning Europe-based consortium MWH-UNITAR-ETC in 2011. The programme started in August 2011, and ELIA has been retained by MWH to provide technical advisory/backstopping services to ISIDSMS. We have also developed a PIF for a GEF wind farm project in Sudan. A similar project formulation came to a halt in Syria due to political unrests.
Early 2011 we started our Eco-Literacy Program with 18 secondary schools across the Island in Mauritius, in collaboration with Bureau de l’Education Catholique. This has been one of the most rewarding and stimulating experiences for us at ELIA. We really acknowledge all the amazing teachers and rectors who welcomed this program with open arms. And our Inner Growth Training Programs expanded with many new clients committed to being the change that our world needs today. I personally loved working with each of these amazing individuals who were willing to explore the very depth of their being and learn the wisdom of our inner ecology.
On the research front, we have submitted a research proposal for funding consideration by the Mauritius Research Council (MRC). The proposal is to use System Dynamics modelling to propose a new architecture for developing Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) for Mauritius in the broader context of leveraging novel international financing for climate change mitigation. Our preliminary feedback from MRC shows that the proposal has been peer-reviewed and found to be technically sound. We trust to start this research project in 2012. We have also stepped up our efforts to complete a book on Indicators for Sustainability with an orientation on policy decision making for sustainable development. We are on track to have it published in the first quarter of 2012.
We are also very grateful to Xavier and Maja for joining the ELIA team in 2011. Their contributions, talents and ideas have been so valuable and they are truly part of the ELIA family. They bring many interesting new dimensions to ELIA and it really helps being able to share the work together. In 2012, Xavier will be trained in Dynamical Systems Modelling and take the lead on many of these projects. Maja will be trained in Permaculture and work closely with me in the further development of our Eco-Literacy Programme for primary and secondary Schools in Mauritius.
As I (Anneloes) am reflecting on this year I am thinking back of 2006 when ELIA was born during a beautiful meditation with Mother Earth. In this meditation I received a little seed in my hands from what felt like the womb-space of our planet. When this seed landed in my hands it was glowing with light and amazing possibilities. At that time I did not know how she would grow, what she would become and how to bring forth all that I felt in those precious minutes. Then step by step, year by year, and together with Sanju, ELIA became an organisation, our eco-house became reality and our shared vision became a living reality.
In those early years many people told me, you are a dreamer (which is true – it all begins with a dream!!), you cannot create / run a company where love and connection is the guiding principle … the world does not work like that, how can you ever make money…. We stayed true to what felt most important to us: to be the change that our world needs right now. Recently somebody asked me; ” Is it not difficult to be a visionary and to be walking that path alone there where others have not gone; so many people are simply not interested in ecological living”. I reflected and answered, “Yes, about 10 years ago this was difficult, but now my experience is that so many more people are receptive to our planet’s message and so many more people are looking for a way to come back into connection with each other, themselves and Life. I feel so supported and I walk this path together with many amazing people and organisations all around the world. We are not alone; we are each doing our work and together things are changing… more than we may realise.”
2012 a year that has been foretold by many visionaries around the World to bring the promise of deep change and transformation. What will we do with the possibilities that are here for us; will we recognise the potentials that are within us and awaiting to be born through co-creative relationships based on connection with Life? Above you find a flower of an endemic plant called Dombeya. Some of the flowers have already opened, others are yet to be born. For the new flowers to be born we need to water the plant and provide the right conditions. For these new possibilities to open-up from inside us and between us in our relationships, we need to nurture this with our trust, love and care. It is up to us, together, what we are going to co-create with the possibilities that are pregnant in this new year ahead. ELIA will continue to be here in support of this deeper change and we will continue our work in partnership with communities, individuals and organisations that share this dream.
We look forward to meeting you in 2012 in-person and online, and to hear from you your ideas, visions and initiatives.
From the whole ELIA team we wish you all a very happy X-Mas and New Year.
With love, Anneloes and Sanju