CREED- Project Overview

China Rural Energy Enterprise Development (CREED) initiative is helping to create a sustainable energy development path for rural people in the biologically rich and diverse northwest Yunnan Province and neighboring areas of Western China. CREED is doing this in ways that also help to eliminate deforestation and the loss of biodiversity caused by past logging practices and the unsustainable collection of fuelwood.

CREED builds on the "REED approach" developed by project partner E+Co to couple Enterprise Development Services (EDS) with closely targeted startup financing for entrepreneurs, enabling them to deliver cleaner and higher quality energy services through new business ventures. With support from the United Nations Foundation (UNF), this approach is already being applied successfully in Africa (AREED) and in Northeast Brazil (BREED).

CREED also offers support for consumer credit and income-generation loans through GreenVillage Credit, offered by another CREED partner, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) China Program. GreenVillage Credit builds on TNC's larger, multi-year effort to preserve Yunnan's biodiversity.

As with other REED programmes, CREED creates strong links with local government agencies, NGOs and financial institutions active in the areas of energy, environmental protection, consumer credit, and income generation. Within these links, CREED aims to influence broader energy and development shifts underway in China, and redirect existing sources of finance and support to sustainable energy activities.

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