The San Ignacio de Loyola Educational Group became the first Peruvian educational institution to obtain the “Certificate of energy of conventional renewable origin from water sources”, by Statkraft Peru and the international certifier AENOR, in the framework of the world day of energy savings, which is commemorated every October 21.

This certification guarantees the renewable origin of the energy from the hydroelectric plants of the electric company Statkraft Peru to supply the University San Ignacio de Loyola (La Molina and Pachacámac), the Institute of Entrepreneurs (Independencia) and the Colegio San Ignacio de Recalde (San Borja). In addition, this certification is a tool to offset the carbon footprint of USIL and its educational units nationwide.

The development of this project makes USIL one of the most powerful contracted educational groups, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability, responsible consumption of natural resources and helping to reduce the impact of climate change with the use of 100% clean energy, said Galia García-Hjarles Villanueva, Director of Sustainability of USIL.

According to the World Bank, investment in energy efficiency yields key benefits such as financial and economic benefits, reduced climate impact and reduced local pollution; for that reason, it believed that access to energy was essential to ending poverty. The international body believes that despite accelerated progress over the past decade, the world will fail to ensure universal access to affordable, safe, sustainable and modern energy by 2030.

Globally, more than 789 million people live without electricity, and another 3 billion use polluting fuels such as firewood or other biomass to cook or heat their homes. In Peru, 95 per cent of the population has access to electricity, 80 percent has access to a clean kitchen and the total consumption of renewable energy is 28 per cent.

Since 2018, USIL has been developing actions that promote the environmental care of its training activities, as well as through the Administration Management was able to concretize the use of energy from hydroelectric renewable sources with Statkraft, whose benefit was not only environmental, but also in the reduction of costs.

At the end of 2019, the Ministry of the Environment (MINAM) launched the Carbon Footprint calculation tool at the national level and from the USIL management was assumed the commitment to measure the carbon footprint, being thus the first university to complete the process and obtain the first star, which has allowed it to present its experience from the academic sector in different scenarios at national and international level