The City of Kristianstad has been working with Local Agenda 21 since 1993. There is a special political board for Agenda 21 and a full time working coordinator.

The city has comprehensive strategies and yearly programmes concerning Agenda 21. The work has been concentrated on spreading information and starting different projects in the spirit of the Agenda 21 document. However, there is a need for a long-term plan and work on this started in 1998.

The target groups for the different Agenda 21 projects are NGO's, companies, and employees in the municipality organisation and inhabitants in the municipality. The most difficult task is to reach all inhabitants, therefore the city has different Agenda 21 projects. One of these projects was to give every household a wall calendar containing information about Agenda 21 and simple examples on how to make lifestyle more sustainable. The municipality also arranges public lectures and takes part in exhibitions, study circles and other public activities.

A good example of activity is environmental education for employees, which started in 1996. Every employee is offered two days of environmental training. The education gives everyone a basic knowledge of environmental questions and platform to continue implementation of sustainable development at work. Thus far 2500 employees have been educated. Another activity is the European project "Eco Schools". There is a special network for the participating schools, aiming to exchange experiences, develop environmental education and to learn more about Agenda 21. Also, the ecological building network arranges seminars to increase awareness about Agenda 21 and environmental questions in the building industry. In two projects of social and physical planning Agenda 21 has been given a special consideration. In these projects the inhabitants of the villages have been deeply involved in the planning process.

Local Agenda 21 has become a well-established part of municipal activities. The biogas plant and the new system for waste management are two examples that show a new way of thinking and dealing with problems. The government cofinanced these ecologically sustainable investments.

So far most Agenda 21 activities have been concentrated on environmental issues. The Agenda 21 board now strive for further implementation of Agenda 21 in economic and social questions, to achieve the concept of sustainable development.

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