Green Development News – 700 Cities Committed To Energy Efficiency

700 cities across the globe are committed to minimizing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions within their borders, a commitment they’ve solidified by signing ICLEI Global’s articles of convention.

By signing the convention, the cities’ mayors are committed to developing "green lungs" and to promoting green energy building. They’re also committed to promoting the use of public transportation by encouraging their citizens to walk or ride a bicycle rather than using a car. Other commitments include reducing fuel, water and electricity consumption, reducing garbage production, and encouraging recycling.

The following local governments are taking more initiative than many national governments, some of which are hesitantly approaching efforts to fight climate change.

Here is how some of these cities have approached emission reduction:

Bedzed, England
Bedzed, or the Beddington Zero Energy Development, is the United Kingdom’s largest carbon-neutral eco-community. This green London suburb, founded in 2000, operates under strict energy policies that have been integrated with an advanced social approach. (Over 50% of the housing is dedicated to low-income residents.) Measures such as southern fronts, green roofs, greenhouses, and bi-directional ventilation systems were all utilized during the building of both residential and commercial properties. Bedzed’s practices have already started paying off: energy for heating is down by 90% and electricity consumption lowered 60%. Residents also have a community-wide carpooling system that’s reduced fuel use by about 50%.

Litomerice, Czech Republic
The city of Litomerice in the Czech Republic is home to only 25,000 thousand residents, but its already winning awards for its energy efficient policies. In 2001 Litomris won a national solar energy award when it encouraged many of it's residents to install solar panels on their home and offices roofs thanks to a very convincing incentive: 1500 Euros. Other steps they’ve taken include ensuring the city council’s buildings and the town’s swimming pool are all heated with a heat pump system, which uses sewage to produce energy. Litmors reports it’s reduced its heating costs by 70% via this new heat pump system.

Franche-Comte, France
Fransh-Komta, a department in eastern France near the Swiss border, is one of the greenest regions in France. The region boasts an abundance of forests and unspoiled areas that have drawn community leaders seeking to establish a bio-energy industry. One of these leaders is Bio-Mass, which produces a fuel tree which does not emit polluted materials when burned. To date over 420 plants as well as 4 power plants are scattered across the Franco-Swiss border.

Odense, Denmark
Odense may be the 3rd largest city in Denmark, but its also known as the Danish bicycle capital. Odense has developed over 500 km of bicycle paths and passed a number of traffic laws meant to facilitate and protect riders, so it should come to no surprise that the number of bicycle riders has risen over 20%. But that’s not the only change Odense has made: an online electronic management system allows the public to supervise their own water and energy consumption.

Basel, Switzerland
Basel’s railway system was founded in 1895 and today boasts 11 lines that connect all areas of the city under a meticulously kept schedule. The end result is that 44% of Basel’s population doesn’t even own a car. Basel is considered a pioneer in emerging energy policies. In fact, in 1984 the city passed a law imposing a 5% tax on electricity consumption. By 1994 that tax had earned the city 50 million Euros, which was used to develop the city’s other green energy projects like the 60,000 square meters of green roofs. These green roofs keep homes warmer in winter and cooler in summer and have saved Basel about 4 million kilo watts per years, or the amount of electricity it would take to run 260 of its households.

Woking, Great Britain
Woking’s 90,000 residents understand that every true environmental policy depends on social involvement. To that end, the city’s planners decided a few years back to offer underprivileged and elderly residents free insulation. The city also has an independent tramway powered by renewed energy and a combined heat & power facility activated by natural gas. Finally, the city started a recycling energy fund in 1990 that has thus far invested some 18 million Euros in various projects.

Kronsberg, Germany
Kronsberg is considered one of the biggest successes in the field of energy efficiency. Local building companies are committed to the area’s standard that requires that each building’s energy use be within 55 kilo watts per square meter—or a mere third of most current buildings’ energy consumption. But Kornsberg took this energy efficiency a step further and launched an experimental green building program that built 32 passive houses. These eco-friendly homes use green roofs, solar energy, and insulation systems to create properties that use only one fourth of the energy that standard homes do.

Nantes, France
Nantes is a pioneer in public transportation. Home to 700,000 residents, Nunet has a diverse public transportation infrastructure that includes buses, bicycle paths, an active and advanced tramway and vehicles called “ferry buses.” The city requires the 60 commercial companies in its territory to develop a transportation program for their employees. This program has helped the companies encourage approximately 30% of their employees to use public transportation.

Samso, Denmark
The Danish island of Samso is home to only 4200 residents, but its dedication to green energy proves that size definitely doesn’t matter when it comes to a commitment to the environment. The island produces 100% of its electricity via wind turbines and derives about 75% of its heat via solar and biological energies. Because the island uses thermal building techniques and because the residents have committed to using only renewable energy, Samsu is now considered to be “carbon balanced.” In fact, Samsu actually has excess energy that it then sells back to Denmark to be used elsewhere.

Gussing, Austria
The east Austrian city of Gussing is the only city in Europe that has an entirely independent energy supply. In the last 15 years, the region has constructed numerous plants to produce bio-gas from natural products such as corn, weeds, and turnip. There are also a number of solar facilities scattered around the city. Part of these solar facilities produce heat and water for residential use; other sections produce electricity. These energy initiatives have reduced the city’s electrical expenses by about 50% and today Gosing produces more energy than it consumes. In order to help further eco-conscious energy initiatives and programs, Gosing established a European center for renewal energy and a college that specializes in solar energy.

Vaxjo, Sweden
Vaxjo, home to 77,000 Swedes, is way ahead of the game when it comes to conservation. In 1996 the city decided to gradually stop using fossil fuel. Coal, fuel and oil products were slowly replaced by renewable energy sources. Today these renewable resources provide 84% of the city’s heat. Not only that, but 80% of its streetlamps are lit using energy efficient light bulbs.

Nyiregyhaza, Hungry
The Hungarian city of Nyiregyhaza, home to 119,000, has used long term planning to reduce its energy consumption. While most European cities have abandoned the idea of a central heating system and started using private residential systems, Nyíregyháza’s city council convinced its residents to simply upgrade and improve their current system. An innovative management system allows residents to control their electricity consumption. The results? They’ve effectively reduced their energy use by 36%.

Freiburg, Germany
The German city of Freiburg is known as Germany's solar and environmental capital. Freiburg has the highest concentration of solar systems per person in the country and the local solar panel industry has created about 700 jobs in the last decade. Freiburg also boats the first hotel with zero emissions: the famous Victoria Hotel.

To find out how to implement these technologies into your personal or commercial development plans, contact MyPlanet today!