Earlier this month, Hamburg succeeded Stockholm (Sweden) as European Green Capital, a designation bestowed annually by the European Commission to recognize cities that are making a particular effort to meet high standards in environmental performance and the improvement of their citizen’s quality of life.
In bestowing this year’s honour, the European Commission said Hamburg “seeks green answers to metropolitan challenges and has innovative ideas on how to share its experiences and best practices.”
As noted on the Commission’s “Green Capital” web site, the city of Hamburg “face numerous metropolitan challenges”.
“However,” it notes, “Germany's second largest city combines comprehensive approaches, policy commitment and the necessary funding needed to resolve these challenges. On the whole, it has an integrated and participative planning strategy and a strong commitment towards a "green" vision.”
Hamburg has set ambitious climate protection goals such as reducing its CO2 emissions by 40 percent by 2020 and by 80 percent by the year 2050. CO2 emissions per person have already been reduced by about 15 percent when compared to 1990, with annual energy savings of some 46,000 MWh -- “a major achievement for a big city,” the Commission said.
In accepting the designation as a Green Capital, City of Hamburg officials said they plan to launch a “train of ideas” whereby interested cities within the European Green Capital Award network ‘own’ a wagon and promote their respective green ideas, achievements and future plans.
The train will then travel around Europe spreading experience and best practice in an innovative way, they said.
The information pavilion, which will act all year long as the central contact point for all the information and events associated with the activities connected to the Green Capital year, has a roof area of 117 m².
Last week, COLEXON Energy installed photovoltaic equipment comprising 24 Sanyo modules on this surface. The small solar plant will generate approx. 4,590.3 kWh of power per year, providing a CO2 saving of 4.6 tons. The plant will be connected to the grid at the official opening of the information pavilion.
"We wish to support the city in realizing its goals,” said Thorsten Preugschas, Chairman of the Board at COLEXON Energy, explaining his company’s involvement. “One of these is the not inconsiderable challenge of achieving a reduction in CO2 of two million tons per year compared to 2007 by 2012."
”Politics, industry, and society should pull in the same direction in terms of environmental protection,” Preugschas continued. “As a company in the field of renewable energies, we feel we have a particular responsibility to this cause.”
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