Bremen Awards in Bremerhaven, Germany, October 18, 2005

As the winner of the 2004 Bremen Partnership Award for environmental innovation, Mondial's Alex Winch was invited to speak at the 2005 award ceremony. In his speech he describes how the Award has impacted Mondial Energy:

How to face Climate Change with Innovative Business?
What is the Role of the ‘Bremen Partnership Award’?

Recognition, Inspiration and Motivation

Guten Abend, meinen Herren und Damen. We have many languages. We have one planet.

Thank you to the organizers of the Bremen Award 2005 for inviting me to be here this evening.

A year ago, I was recognized with the Bremen Umweltpreis International 2004 for my work on the Beach Solar Laundromat and our innovative social partnership with Neighbourhood Link.

My Laundromat uses eight solar thermal panels to heat the water in the Laundromat, we extract the waste heat in the Laundromat to pre-heat our water, and we work with a local Non-Government Organization: Neighbourhood Link, to provide employment and language skills to recent immigrants. I am delighted to report that all of these activities continue, profitably, today.

I have enjoyed the recognition of the Bremen Award, and I would like to share with you what it has meant for my businesses.

More than a year ago, I began work on setting up a new company: Mondial Energy Inc. We pay for solar thermal panels to be installed on customer’s roofs, and we sell the thermal energy to the customer.

In the last year, we have:

• incorporated Mondial as a Federal Canadian Corporation,
• set up a formal board of directors,
• raised seed capital of $200,000,
• signed four contracts which commit us to installing over 470 panels in the Toronto area, including
• Canada’s first solar cooling project.

We are currently completing a $2 million equity share offering, and have two offers from banks for $2 million of debt financing on top of the equity. The $4 million we expect to be able to spend on solar panels represents a leverage on invested capital, seeded with the prize money from last year, of 13,300%.  I think Bremen Aufbaubank, one of the sponsors of last year’s awards, would be pleased with their investment.

With over $4 million of capital, we are establishing channel partners to install panels outside of Toronto.

We are currently in active negotiations with channel partners in the United States in Hawaii, Nevada, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, in Canada in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario, in the Dominican Republic and India.

Our rollout will see initial pilot projects with each channel partner, followed by additional capital raising and full scale penetration of the markets.

In essence, we are a specialty finance company, earning a profit between what capital costs us, and what we can earn on that capital investing in renewable energy hardware.

The Bremen Award has helped me to raise the capital I need, because I have been recognized with an International Award for my environmental work. The Award has inspired shareholders and creditors to invest in renewable energy through my company.

Through my company, employees, shareholders, directors, creditors and customers are motivated to make positive change happen.

Tonight, we have gathered to recognize the accomplishments of the finalists for the Bremen Award 2005.

These individuals have all gone beyond the rhetoric, beyond the accepted wisdom and have helped shape our community, whether we think of that in local or international terms, in positive ways.

They have developed new processes and have innovated fundamentally and profoundly.

Although there are not prizes for all the finalists, the recognition conferred by tonight’s ceremony makes winners of each and every one of them.

In the eyes of their co-workers, their neighbours and their families, they are all winners.

With tonight’s recognition, others will be inspired to attempt change.

And when change is inspired, positive results are motivated.

In art, in sport, and in business, we recognize leadership.

We are inspired by innovation, whether it’s artistic, athletic or financial.

As a society, we are motivated to pursue excellence by the inspiration and recognition of those around us.

And this, to me, is the ultimate role of the Bremen Award.

To recognize the environmental leadership of all of the finalists.

To inspire others to find the courage to attempt change.

And to motivate all of us to embrace positive, sustainable advancement.

Recognize, Inspire, Motivate. The Bremen Awards, 2005.

Thank you.

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