Nova Alvorada do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul, has been independent for 19 years. Previously the Rio Brilhante district, this young town of 12,000 inhabitants now faces the challenge of structuring the pillars of a sustainable future. This was the situation when ETH arrived on the scene in 2008 to install the Santa Luzia Unit, which produces ethanol and electricity. By joining forces, government and industry gained the strength to seek further growth. The only thing left to do was invite an important player - the Nova Alvorada do Sul community - to join their team for the game to be on. The name of that team? The Social Energy Program for Local Sustainability.

“The aim of Social Energy is to carry out activities and projects that will spur development in this town, seeking a better quality of life for people without being paternalistic," says Carla Pires, the officer Responsible for Sustainability at ETH. This program has the support of an environmental education institute, an NGO called 5 Elementos, and covers five counties in three states: in addition to Nova Alvorada do Sul, it also includes Cachoeira Alta and Caçu, Goiás, and Teodoro Sampaio and Mirante do Paranapanema in São Paulo State.

A participatory management structure has been set up for each town, consisting of representatives of the local government, community and company, covering four themes: Education, Arts and Culture, Productive Activities, and Health, Safety and Environmental Preservation.

According to Irene Carmo, a member of the program’s Education Committee in Nova Alvorada do Sul, the model is already a winner. “Citizens know their town and they know what it needs," she says. The Chair of the Education Workers’ Union says that even the committee members need training. “Sometimes we see something the town needs now and want to find a quick fix, but we’ve been trained to think about the future.”

Carla Pires explains that this program is carried out in three stages: implementation, consolidation and evaluation. During the initial phase, she observes, it is key to prepare the community to understand the concepts of sustainability. “These projects need to be self-sustaining and independent from the company. ETH sees itself as an inducer of community organization, planning programs and investments that will bring about local development.”

All committee members attend lectures and films and meetings to absorb this culture during events that are open to the entire community. They use reference materials such as the Earth Charter, the Millennium Goals and Agenda 21 – global commitments to sustainability – to guide their learning process. “These five counties are very much alike and very different at the same time. They all have needs but with unique characteristics. Therefore, the communities’ participation is essential right now,” argues Carla.

Camila Guerbas represents the Santa Luzia Unit on the Health, Safety and Environment Committee. Born in Rio Preto, São Paulo, she has lived in Nova Alvorada do Sul since she was 20 days old. “The management of this project is pretty special, and shows that ETH is a partner for these towns. We could just make donations, but we’d be missing out on an opportunity to do something much more meaningful in these communities.”

The Theme Committees meet weekly to discuss priorities, identify opportunities and develop projects and proposals that will be sent for the analysis of the Community Council, also formed by members of the local government, the public and ETH. Márcio França, Municipal Secretary for Economic Development and the Environment of Nova Alvorada do Sul and a member of the Council, describes the next steps: “We will choose the projects that are deemed sustainable and go on to implement them. We could, for example, provide residents the job skills they need to work in the service sector, such as gastronomy and hospitality.”

Irene do Carmo knows that a great deal more remains to be done. She will have to work twice as hard to do her day job and participate in all the committee meetings while working on proposals for sustainable projects. “It’s very demanding and tiring, but soon we’ll be seeing a new town. When the program starts getting results, I’ll be here to celebrate.”