Sustainability
Sustainability
Holapueblo
Every hour, the rural world loses 5 inhabitants, which poses a major risk to the livelihoods of people and regions with an already limited number of inhabitants.
Red Eléctrica is acutely aware of this situation, and so it has joined forces with AlmaNatura - a social enterprise that, among other things, designs transformative learning experiences with the aim of settling the population and revaluing rural life through technology, education, employment and health - to help launch and roll out the pilot social innovation project ‘Holapueblo'.
The project is presented within a digital platform (www.holapueblo.com), which seeks to promote the creation of ecosystems geared towards encouraging social entrepreneurship and social innovation in sparsely populated rural areas, with a view to connecting people who want to launch their entrepreneurial projects in a rural area, with towns and villages willing to welcome them as new residents.
The initiative aims to help reverse the depopulation of rural areas by supporting, accompanying and advising 20 entrepreneurs who have viable business ideas and a firm intention to live in a village, to develop social, sustainable and innovative projects
In collaboration with the provincial councils of Burgos, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Huesca, Palencia, Soria and Teruel, 50 municipalities have been selected on the basis of key criteria defined with a view to attracting new entrepreneurs and encouraging them and their families to settle in a village and make a new life there. The criteria include:
- Municipalities with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants in the most depopulated regions.
- Towns and villages that have lost 5% of their population over the last 5 years.
- The nearest province capital must be no more than an hour away.
- They must have a doctor’s surgery and a school.
- They must have good internet connectivity and good telecommunications.
- A range of cultural activities, agri-food trade and leisure/recreation options.
- Availability of housing to buy or rent.
- Public administrations must be willing to support the project.