EGCA and EGLA Secretariat newsletter

Ezine No. 25 – January 2018


Nijmegen officially becomes the 2018 European Green Capital!



King's Commissioner of the Province of Gelderland, Mr. Clemens Cornielje, Mayor of Essen, Mr. Thomas Kufen, European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Mr. Karmenu Vella, Mayor of Nijmegen, Mr. Hubert Bruls and Dutch State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management, Ms. Stientje van Veldhoven-van der Meer pictured at the European Green Capital Handover Ceremony. Picture: Nijmegen European Green Capital 2018.



Nijmegen in the Netherlands has officially become the 2018 European Green Capital. Essen, the 2017 European Green Capital, passed the title on to Nijmegen at a Handover Ceremony on 20 January 2018.



European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Mr. Karmenu Vella, speaking at the European Green Capital Handover Ceremony in Stevenskerk Nijmegen. Picture: Nijmegen European Green Capital 2018.


The ceremony was part of the Festival Wondertuin, marking the beginning of Nijmegen’s green year. With a three-day festival of music, art, theatre and dancing, all centred on the theme of sustainability, Nijmegen is off to a good start! No doubt the city will continue to show us why it won the 2018 European Green Capital Award!



You can find out what Nijmegen has in store for 2018 in its programme of events and if you missed it you can watch a recording of the Handover Ceremony here.


See what makes Nijmegen the 2018 European Green Capital!



How much do you know about the 2018 European Green Capital? A good place to start is the Nijmegen brochure! From its climate change adaptation measures to its collaborative urban greening projects, you can find out how this historical city has become a leader in sustainability and why it won the European Green Capital Award. You can also learn about Nijmegen’s ambitions for the future and how it will continue to be a role model for cities across Europe and further afield.

Download the brochure from the European Green Capital Award website in English or Dutch. Happy reading!



Leuven and Växjö become the European Green Leaf winners for 2018!


This year, the Belgian city of Leuven and the Swedish city of Växjö will both hold the title of 2018 European Green Leaf, following Galway, Ireland, winner of the 2017 award.



Wivi Simic, Coordinator of Technical Visits and Henrik Johansson, Environmental Coordinator, City of Växjö.


Earlier in 2017, after relaying the news of winning the award to the City Council, Växjö mounted their winning plaque in the reception of city hall, beginning their communications efforts at promoting good practice and sustainability for their European Green Leaf year at home. Växjö will continue to promote their efforts through a year of social media themes and events such as Earth Week in March 2018. Meanwhile in Leuven, an unveiling of their winning plaque is planned for 7 February and with both cities busy preparing for the year make sure to keep an eye on our website, Twitter and Facebook for updates!


Say hello to our new experts!


Six new experts have joined the European Green Capital and European Green Leaf Awards Expert Panel: Dr. Matt Kennedy, Ms. Birgit Georgi, Mr. Joan Marc Craviotto Arnau, Mr. Christof Mainz, Mr. Marc Okhuijsen, and Mr. Alex Minshull.

The experts play a pivotal role in both competitions; they are responsible for the technical review of the applications of the European Green Capital and the European Green Leaf Awards, determining which applicant cities makes it on to the shortlist.

The Expert Panel is made up of 12 independent and international experts in fields relating to the environment and sustainable urban development.

To find out more about each expert, click on his/her name, below.
Climate Change: Mitigation - Dr. Matthew Kennedy
Climate Change: Adaptation - Ms. Birgit Georgi
Sustainable Urban Mobility - Dr. Ian Skinner
Sustainable Land Use - Dr. Annemieke Smit
Nature and Biodiversity - Mr. David Jamieson
Air Quality - Mr. Joan Marc Craviotto Arnau
Noise - Prof. Dr. Diogo Alarcão
Waste - Mr. Warren Phelan
Water - Mr. Christof Mainz
Green Growth and Eco-innovation - Mr. Marc Okhuijsen
Energy Performance - Prof. Dr.-Ing Manfred Fischedick
Governance - Mr. Alex Minshull

The experts are now busy assessing the applicant cities for the EGCA 2020 and EGLA 2019 competitions, which received a record number of entrants: 28 towns and cities from 21 different countries across Europe.

The shortlists will be announced in April 2018 and the finalists for both competitions will go on to present their cities to the Jury in June 2018.

As we welcome our new expert panel members, we would also like to thank the exiting expert panel members for their valued contribution to the Awards.




Launch of ‘Sustainable Shaun’!




The much loved television and movie character, Shaun the Sheep, now features in the online game ‘Sustainable Shaun’ in all EU languages and in 28 Member State versions! Shaun the Sheep, whose movie has earned over €80m worldwide, can teach us how to make our cities greener, healthier and fit for life!

Sustainable Shaun was a collaborative effort between the UK-based Sustainable Learning team, the Bristol-based Aardman Animations and the City of Bristol during its year as European Green Capital 2015. The game challenges players to create their own sustainable city, focusing on the themes of food, nature, energy, transport and resources.

Sustainable Shaun was initially tested by primary school children across Bristol in 2015. Now translated by the European Commission into all EU languages, and completely free to play, this game is open to anyone who wants to learn more about urban sustainability.



Looking back on EGCA and EGLA 2017


As we look forward to 2018 and beyond, it’s important to remember all the positive events and activities that took place throughout 2017, thanks to the European Green Capital, Essen, and the European Green Leaf, Galway.



Bathers jump into the recently re-opened Baldeneysee in Essen at the official ceremony in May 2017. Picture: Sascha Kreklau.


A major milestone for Essen was opening the Baldeneysee, a reservoir in the Ruhr, for swimming. For the first time in over 40 years, citizens can bathe in the Baldeneysee, thanks to a collaborative effort between the City of Essen, Safe Ruhr (Sichere Ruhr’), IWW Water Centre, Ruhrverband, RWW Rheinisch-Westfälische waterworks, and the Universities of Duisburg-Essen, Bochum, Bonn and Aachen, to ensure the water is clean and safe. Around 450 projects were realised in Essen, including 200 citizen projects. Many of these forward-looking projects will continue beyond 2017.




Another change has taken place in Essen: the rise of community gardening. Initiatives such as ‘Transition Town’, a global movement that promotes sustainable living, are helping Esseners inject some green into the historically industrial city!

None of these transformations would be possible without the hard work of Essen’s citizens, such as Jörn Hamacher, a volunteer with ‘Transition Town’ and one of our City Diarists.

You can also hear from other Esseners that feature in our City Diaries: Nils Mosh, sound designer, composer and field recordist; Teresa Deckert, project manager for the greenApes App; and Dominique Ellen van de Pol, who works in the area of sustainable fashion. The ‘green bar’ has been set high by Essen in 2017 and the city will continue to be a role model for cities across Europe.



Launch of 'The Water News', a special publication of work by local national schools in Galway.



Galway has also shown that cooperation is key, bringing together local schools, the City Council and Ireland’s water utility company, to raise awareness around water conservation. This includes the launch of the ‘Slow the Flow’ e-booklet, a print and online resource offering practical tips on how to save water at work, at school and at home. At the launch of the e-booklet, students from local National Schools presented articles and art work on why water is important for Galway city. These were later collected and printed in a special edition of ‘The Water News’.


European Green Leaf Keeps on Winning!


The City Council of Mollet del Vallès, the joint European Green Leaf Award winner in 2015, has won the Spanish Sustainable City 2017 award in the Efficiency and Energy Savings category. The council introduced multiple measures to reduce its energy use, creating a plan for energy savings every year since its energy Management Office was founded in 2012. Awareness raising exercises were carried out in schools through 3 year education programmes and all energy bought by the municipality is certified as renewable. The city achieved its primary goal of reducing energy consumption by over 30% for all buildings and public lighting.

In addition to reducing energy consumption, cutting carbon dioxide emissions, and saving cost, the city now has another accolade to be proud of!

Click on the image below to watch the video!



Looking ahead to EGCA 2021 and EGLA 2020


We may be in the middle of the EGCA 2020 and EGLA 2019 competition cycles, but it’s never too early to start planning ahead! The EGCA 2021 and EGLA 2020 competitions will open in May 2018, so keep an eye on our website, Twitter and Facebook pages for the call!