ENVIRONMENTAL RECOGNITION:Could your city be a European Green Leaf?

Could your city be a European Green Leaf?

Following the success of the European Green Capital Award the European Commission has launched a new initiative called the European Green Leaf. The European Green Leaf is a pioneering competition aimed at cities, with between 50,000 and 100,000 inhabitants, to recognise their achievements in green growth.

Recognition will be given to a city or cities that demonstrate a good environmental record and green growth commitment; actively seeks to develop citizen’s environmental awareness; and can act as a ‘Green Ambassador’ to encourage other cities.

The 2015 European Green Leaf will be awarded by the European Commission at the European Green Capital Award ceremony in June as a stamp of approval to Smaller Cities, Growing Greener!

What are the benefits of winning a European Green Leaf?

Cities who are awarded a European Green Leaf can look forward to many benefits. The winner(s) will have the opportunity to attract new investors as a result of high green performance. This may open the door for increased tourism, commercial investment, new jobs and further investment in green growth initiatives. A European Green Leaf city will receive valuable national and international media coverage which will lead to wider active interest in the city and its environmental achievements. The initiative will increase citizen’s pride in living in a green city. The city authority efforts to improve inhabitants’ quality of life will be recognised at an EU level. European Green Leaf laureates will also benefit from the exchange of best practices, experiences and knowledge for continuously better quality of life from European Green Capital winners.

Selection Process

A panel of internationally acknowledged experts will assess the information supplied by each city. The selection of a city or cities to earn a European Green Leaf 2015 will be assessed on the basis of six categories:

• Climate Change & Energy Performance
• Mobility
• Biodiversity & Land Use
• Quality of Air & the Acoustic Environment
• Waste & Green Economy
• Water Management

The initiative will run as a pilot project for 2015 using one language (English) and will be further developed in due course to include other languages. Detailed instructions on how to apply can be found at ec.europa.eu/europeangreenleaf.

The deadline for eligible cities to submit their application is 31st March 2015 at 23h59 CE