GREEN CITIES

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GREEN CITIES

• AN ENVIRONMENTAL PARTNERSHIP

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• In 2000, a handful of Danish municipalities
• joined forces on how to solve day to day
  environmental tasks.
• The Green Cities partnership came into existence
  - now with
• eight municipalities as members.

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Cooperation commitment

• Being a Green Cities municipality means showing
  commitment.
• We set high standards and subject our work to
• an official audit every year.

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Environmental cooperation commitment

• The Green Cities framework has been set up in a
  common agreement,
• which includes 10 sustainability areas and 16
  common benchmarks for
• how to fulfill the goals.

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Payment

• Green Cities municipalities pay an annual fee to
  keep the wheels going .
• These payment are used for working group
  activities, conferences,
• newsletters, website maintenance and further
  information.

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Organization

• We work in three levels
• The Steering Committee is our primary body. This
  is where
• political, organisational and financial
  decisions regarding
• the Green Cities partnership are being made
• The Directors Group monitors all cases
• that are considered at Green Cities level

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The Working Groups

• We have six working groups on
• Chemicals
• Climate
• Nature
• Organic food
• Sustainable construction
• Sustainable purchasing

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EU projects

• In 2004 the partnership received a contribution
• from the EU Life-programme, worth DKK 7.5 mill.
• The grant was used for supporting and developing
  the partnership,
• based on the Environmental Management at City
  Level theme.

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Carbon Network - a climate project

• In 2009 Green Cities has, together with the
  Danish Association of
• Local Government, applied the EU for a
  contribution to the Carbon
• Network a project that seeks to optimize
  climate effort towards
• energy-consuming industries in the seven member
  municipalities.

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GREEN CITIES

• Climate vision

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Green Cities climate vision

• Energy consumption should be CO2 neutral.
• Joint climate benchmarks
• To reduce CO2 emissions by 25 before 2015
• compared to 2006 figures.
• All municipalities will draw up climate plans
  which describe
• how this benchmark will be met.

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The Municipal Enterprise

• The municipalities are setting good examples by
  implementing climate
• initiatives in a number of areas within their own
  enterprise organisation

• Purchasing of sustainable (green) electricity
• Sustainable purchasing (green) policies
• Sustainable renovation and refitting of existing
  buildings
• Sustainable construction of new buildings
• Environmental certification of the entire
  municipal enterprise

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Encouraging renewables

• The municipalities are encouraging the use of
  renewables
• both when planning, when cooperating with other
  parties,
• and in the projects they participate in

• District heating from refuse combustion
• Biofuels
• Sustainable (green) electricity
• Solar and wind energy

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Traffic

• The municipalities want to create
• sustainable alternatives to car traffic by

• Improving cycle conditions and conditions for
  public transportation
• Providing of Mobility Management
• Establishing a framework for using electric and
  hydrogen cars

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Companies

• The municipalities want to motivate private
  sector companies to reduce
• their energy consumption. One of their
  approaches is climate networks
• for companies who want to reduce their climate
  impact. These networks
• offer various benefits, such as free energy
  counselling, expert presen-
• tations and workshops, and focus groups,
  comprising participants
• from the business community, different
  associations and
• citizen representatives.

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Citizens

• The municipalities want to encourage sustainable
  citizen behaviour
• and choices, and they want to provide a proper
  framework for this.
• Some of their approaches are

• Citizen projects
• The Citizen Climate Ambassador scheme
• Village projects
• Involving children and offering education

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GREEN CITIES

• Environmental Management

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Environmental Management

• Municipal environmental management ensures that
  the environment
• and the climate are included in all processes, at
  all levels.
• The Green Cities target is to ensure that all
  institutions and
• civil services are environmentally certified and
  are operating
• in accordance with environmental management
  principles by 2015.

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Environmental Management puts environmental work
into system

• The municipality will set up a detailed scheme
  for including
• environmental and climate considerations in all
  activities.
• All civil services and institutions will set up
  an environmental
• policy and work out targets and action plans.
• The municipalities will follow up on the
  continuous progress
• to ensure a reduction of the municipal
  environmental impact.

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The environment will become part of each
employees normal workday

• All employees are encouraged to help achieve the
  environmental
• benchmarks, for instance by

• Making sure that municipal purchasers are
  considering
• environmental aspects before they decide on
  their purchases
• Making sure that everyone reduces their
  consumption of electricity,
• heating, and water, and that everyone are aware
  of
• how to sort their waste correctly

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Benchmarks and communication

• Sustainable renovation and refitting of childcare
  premises
• Establishing organically driven childrens
  vegetable patches
• Shifting to serving organic food in residential
  homes

All institutions must have some kind of
environmental benchmark, like Each
municipality should ensure continuous
communication with the employees about the
progress of environmental efforts.
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The first municipalities in the world to receive
environmental certification

• In 2007, the municipality of Albertslund was the
  first municipality
• to become 100 EMAS environmentally certified in
  Europe.
• The municipalities of Ballerup, Copenhagen,
  Herning and Kolding
• operate according to environmental management
  principles
• in parts of the municipal sector.
• Albertslund has gained valuable experience from
  working full scale
• within the environmental management system. The
  other Green Cities
• municipalities now benefit from their knowledge.

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GREEN CITIES

• The Nature

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Green Cities nature visions and benchmarks
Climate changes and human activities take their
toll on nature, and it is therefore important to
set targets and start initiatives to preserve
biological diversification.

• The vision
• To maintain abundant opportunities for adventure
• in a biologically diversified natural
  environment,
• cultivated in accordance with ecological
  principles
• Joint benchmarks
• To have stopped the loss of biological diversity
  by 2010, and
• to have increased the number of species by 2015
• To run municipal agricultural areas in accordance
  with ecological principles

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Increased biological diversity

• Larger natural areas will increase the number of
  species
• Diversified landscape and natural habitats will
  increase
• the number of species
• Improved transitions between different nature
  areas will provide
• better opportunities for more species to
  spread and find safe habitats
• Improved transitions between different nature
  areas will provide better
• opportunities for more species to spread and
  find safe habitats
• A focussed improvement of nature areas will
  ensure the survival of
• vulnerable and threatened species

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Sustainable nature from cities to open country

• Urban green areas should provide biodiversity
• and recreative opportunities
• Urban green areas should merge into nature areas
  beyond
• the city limits for the benefit of people,
  plants and animals

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Planning, communicating and cooperating

• Our employees plan the maintenance and
  preservation
• of nature areas in the municipality. They also
  make it possible
• for citizens to use the areas for recreation and
  various activities
• Nature schools and nature interpreters
  communicate knowledge
• and understanding of ecological environments to
  all ages
• Citizens and landowners will be included in
  eco-policy
• discussions and planning to encourage their
  sense of responsibility
• towards initiatives and solutions

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GREEN CITIES

• Green purchasing

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Green Cities encourage green purchasing

• Green purchasing encourages sustainable
  production
• and consumption. Green Cities will therefore
  establish
• green purchasing policies which include detailed
• environmental benchmarks.
• Public purchases amount to 10-20 of the GDP, so
  it makes
• a difference when municipalities demand that the
  products
• and services they buy are environmentally
  sustainable.

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Toolbox for green purchasing

• Green Cities are preparing a toolbox to assist in
  green purchasing.
• The toolbox will contain

• A description of green purchases in the Green
  Cities municipalities
• Definitions of purchasing concepts
• Overview of environmental requirements
• and criteria, nationally and at EU-levels.
• Joint Green Cities environmental requirements and
  criteria for selected products.

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Green Cities benchmarks for green purchasing

• Joint Green Cities environmental requirements and
  criteria
• must support the other joint benchmarks

• Chemicals - products must be free from hazardous
  chemicals
• CO2 - special requirements to production,
• energy consumption and transportation of the
  products
• Organic food - all food must be organic
• Environmentally certified products and life cycle
  appraisal
• of products help us achieve our targets

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Examples of green purchasing

• Preferred electrical appliances and cars
• The most effective, A-rated electrical
  appliances.
• CO2 impact/km from cars should be minimal.
• Preferred cleaning and construction materials
  Should not contain
• any of the 13 chemicals which have been
  blacklisted by Green Cities

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GREEN CITIES

• Ecology

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Green Cities are shifting to organic produce

• Organic farming increases the natural and
  biological diversity,
• protects the ground water, the climate and human
  health in general.
• This is why we want to use only organic produce.

• Joint benchmarks
• All municipal food consumption should be organic
• At least 75 must be organic by 2012

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Climate and eco-considerations

• Shifting to consuming only organic food in the
  Green Cities
• municipalities makes it necessary to consider the
  climate.
• We do this through

• recommending a reduced intake of meat
• and increased intake of seasonal vegetables
• making better use of all raw materials and
  minimizing waste
• demanding climate considerations from our
  suppliers, for instance
• in terms of transportation and packaging

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Organic food in all kitchens

• Child care institutions lemonade and cake have
  been replaced
• by fruit and milk. The result is happier and
  healthier children
• Schools Lunch packets have been replaced with
  school food,
• for instance organic wholemeal sandwiches with
  salad and chicken.
• Organic nutrients are fuel for brains and
  increased learning
• Residential homes the vegetables and the milk
  taste like
• they used to do, when the residents were
  children.
• Organic food contains more natural flavours

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GREEN CITIES

• Anchorage

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Sustainable development initiatives must be
anchored

• Anchorage is when actions and choices
• are influenced in the right direction.
• Anchoring sustainability is one of the
  cornerstones
• in the Green Cities project.
• We want to inspire citizens, companies and the
  public sector
• to become conscious about their environmental
  impact and
• be committed to playing an active part in
  sustainable
• development of the environment.

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Sustainable anchorage in the citizen community

• Green lifestyles and choices in the community are
  essential for creating
• sustainable development. Green Cities have
  therefore initiated various
• activities for and together with the citizens.
  Examples are

• Launching an internet campaign that gives advice
  to
• citizens on how to cut down on their CO2
  emission
• An event, in which celebrities got on their
  bicycles
• and advocated for the importance of choosing
• the bicycle instead of the car

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• Further examples

• Establishing networks in which citizens
• can discuss green initiatives with municipal
  representatives
• This will create a bigger sense of
  responsibility among the citizens
• Launching various local projects, such as having
  a village determine its
• own climate benchmarks and work towards reducing
  its CO2 emission
• School education about the climate. Children
  contribute to family climate habits

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Anchoring sustainability in the business
community

• The municipalities cannot solve the climate and
  environmental
• challenges alone. Green Cities are therefore
  engaged
• in formal cooperation with the business
  community.
• The key words in this cooperation are dialogue,
• voluntariness and commitment.

• In Company Networks, the municipality is
  cooperating
• with local companies to create sustainable
  development
• When the local business community contributes to
  creating
• a municipal climate plan, they feel a stronger
  responsibility
• for achieving CO2 reduction benchmarks

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Anchorage of sustainability within the
municipality

• Sustainability initiatives must also be anchored
  within the municipality.
• Green Cities are committed to including
  sustainability principles
• in all policies and service areas.
• Each municipality must set a good example.
• We are committed to ensuring that all municipal
  institutions
• have received an environmental certificate by
  2015.