Electronic New Year's wishes reduce our CO2 footprint and help supply access to drinking water for the people in Ituri. 
BAC has always been a pioneer in developing new technologies and services which enhance cooling efficiency, conserve natural resources and reduce energy consumption. We also implement initiatives to reduce our ecological footprint in day-to-day business.
Every December we send our warmest wishes for the New Year to our customers and contacts. For years we have done this traditionally, with printed cards. A time-consuming business, and quite costly as well. Sending the cards in an electronic format this year not only saves energy and respects natural resources, it also saves money.
BAC invests this money in a project to improve the health situation of the population in the Ituri province (DR Congo). It not only supplies access to drinking water facilities for 15.250 people but gives the water users the tools and responsibility to manage the facilities themselves. Through this donation, BAC supports the initiatives of entrepreneurs in the South to preserve and respect water as a natural resource.
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The supporting organisations
The Belgium organisation "Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs" is one of the supporting partners of the NGO PROTOS that establishes water management projects in the South.
Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs helps companies from the North to support sustainable development initiatives in the South. Their network builds bridges between entrepreneurs and NGO's supporting economically justified development projects.
PROTOS wants to give equal opportunities to the less fortunate. By providing them with safe drinking water, a clean toilet in their immediate surroundings or by making optimal use of the available water for their agriculture. They also aim to stimulate the debate on the equitable, sustainable and participatory water resources management all over the world.
The Ituri project
The Ituri region in Northeast Congo has been heavily affected by war but thanks to the peace process people have been able to return to their villages. But in 2005 only 22% of the population had access to safe drinking water. To meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, this should be 49%. These goals are far from being achieved because very few development workers are present in the area. That's why PROTOS and its local partner determine in collaboration with the population what the needs and priorities are. The Ituri project aims also to establish a more efficient water usage management for 415.000 people, as water is the lever to sustainable development.
For more information on the sustainable development activities of "Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs" or PROTOS, visit their websites.
