The greenest city in Europe

by So Hie Kim-Hellstrom

For years Vaxjo was described as the city by the lake where the roads meet. Until some decades ago, the lakes were severely polluted, but after massive restoration work, Vaxjo has now integrated the lakes in the townscape again.

Vaxjo is an internationally recognized frontrunner in the fight against climate change and has undertaken an ambitious programme designed to protect and enhance its local environment. Vaxjo will make a shift from fossil fuels to bioenergy in the heating and transport sectors. Access to many forests is the basis for the climate politics of Vaxjo, the municipality is actually situated in the middle of the woodshed - the source of bioenergy. Politicians, NGOs, businesses and inhabitants have been successfully participating with wide knowledge about environment and the ability to see solutions instead of problems. To ensure environmental improvement and efficient work, we use the environmental management system ecoBUDGET. Through the system we can control the environmental resources in the municipality and follow up goals in the Environmental Programme. "Fossil Fuel Free Vaxjo" is an overall community programme that takes an integrated and cooperative approach to achieving its objectives. It involves a wide array of activities aimed at generating more energy and heat from renewable energy sources, improving energy efficiency in all areas and achieving sustainable patterns of mobility. Vaxjo has decreased the emissions of fossil CO₂ by 30% per inhabitant from 1993 to 2006. The Fossil Fuel Free-programme has given the the city a lot of recognition.

Vaxjo was in February 2007 given the award within the "Sustainable Energy for Europe Campaign", a campaign initiated by the European Commission.

Later in September the city was given another award "The best environmental practice in Baltic Cities Award 2007". Actions have been performed and will be performed in large scale and small scale. Many different stakeholders are involved in the work - the city administration, energy companies, housing companies, transport companies, NGO's, university and private persons. -Vaxjo is now called the Greenest City in Europe by international media, in more than 500 international articles, radio programmes and television features during last months. We are proud of this but it's also a commitment to fulfil- says Charlotta Svanberg, new UBC Executive Board member.