For Messengers of Peace, an NGO that aims to develop social projects aimed at people at risk of exclusion, it is essential to optimize all its resources and use the savings obtained in solidarity initiatives. For this purpose, it contacted the Repsol Foundation to assess the possibility of developing a project in which energy efficiency measures would be carried out. Fundación Repsol brought together a team of volunteers to develop it. And the result translated into energy savings of around 7,000 euros.
José Manuel de Pedre, Repsol's commercial representative in A Coruña, was convinced that his knowledge of energy efficiency was going to be of great help in social projects such as Messengers of Peace. And they really were. In 2021, José Manuel and two other colleagues audited the NGO's headquarters in Madrid. “We saw that there were, on the one hand, investments in energy efficiency that could be made; On the other hand, it was necessary to raise awareness among the volunteers and workers of the entity,” explains De Pedre.
“What we wanted was to save costs on our projects so we could dedicate them where they are really needed: in the projects, in the people and in the development of those who need it most,” details Paula Lemos, director of Global Development for Messengers of Peace.
After a thorough energy study, some measures were implemented, such as changing conventional lighting for LED lighting systems, acquiring low-consumption appliances or holding training talks for members of Messengers of Peace on how to make more responsible use of energy. In one year they achieved savings of about 7,000 euros, money that was allocated to social projects.
Given the results achieved, these audits are currently being replicated in other centers that the entity has. “The project,” Arnau Roca, Repsol panelist operator in Tarragona, tells us, “is in full expansion and we are leaving the territory; in Peru, for example,” he observes.
The results of this project are a good example of everything that can be achieved with volunteering and its usefulness for society. This is what Laura Vicente, Project Coordinator of the Social and Volunteering Area of Fundación Repsol states: “It has helped them reduce their energy consumption and invest those savings in social projects; and to the volunteers, to grow personally and professionally,” she points out.
And in professional volunteering, everyone wins. Entities receive essential aid to cover their needs while acquiring new knowledge and skills. “They are teaching us to be able to take care of the environment and, above all, to know how to save energy,” acknowledges Father Ángel, president of Messengers of Peace.
Companies, for their part, improve their corporate image by supporting these projects, assimilate learning from other sectors and markets and contribute to increasing the motivation and retention of their employees.
The latter, for their part, are protagonists of transformative experiences, fulfill their social concerns and increase their life and professional satisfaction. The story of José Manuel De Pedre, Repsol Foundation and Messengers of Peace is good proof of this. For José Manuel, this experience has been very enriching both on a personal and professional level: “This project has allowed me to discover that there are other worlds that we sometimes do not know about, but that are there.” And, as he himself concludes, “the future lies in a fairer and more inclusive society.” A future in which volunteers, NGOs and companies walk hand in hand in search of a joint benefit.
