Circular template

European Circular
Newsletter for
ICLEI members, partners and friends
Issue 20, Spring 2004
ICLEI involved in shaping European Union’s Urban
Thematic Strategy
ICLEI’s Executive Committee Member, Celia Cameron and its Regional Director for Europe,
Gino Van Begin, are members of the enlarged European Union (EU) Expert Group on the Urban
Environment, which held its first meeting on 7 April in Brussels. Two other meetings have been
set for July and October. This year, the recent Communication “Towards a Thematic Strategy
on the Urban Environment” COM(2004)60 will be discussed in detail and the EU Expert Group
is acting as the main consultative panel. To ensure that the Commission receives a wide range
of views from different stakeholders on the development of the Thematic Strategy, the EU
Expert Group has been enlarged to around 80 members during 2004.
The Expert Group on the Urban Environment is an independent advisory group established in 1991 at
the request of the EU member states. It offers independent expert advice to the European Commission
on the development of Europe’s policy on the urban environment. The Group comments on the ideas
set out in the Communication and highlights issues that need to be addressed in more detail, or should
still be included. It also comments on the recommendations of several working groups that will be
established to consider key ideas in the Communication. ICLEI’s European Director for Sustainable
Management, Holger Robrecht, has been appointed as a member of the sub-group on Sustainable
Urban Management Plans and Systems. A first meeting of this sub-group is foreseen in June.
With the aim to provide the European Commission with a shared viewpoint, ICLEI currently
undertakes an e-mail consultation with its European membership on the key issues of the EU Urban
thematic Strategy.
To read the communication see: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/urban/thematic_strategy.htm.
For more information, contact gino.van.begin@iclei-europe.org
Contributions to Aalborg Commitments invited
Some 1000 representatives of European
Cities and Towns will meet their peers as
well as many further networks and
organisations at the "Inspiring FuturesFourth European Conference on Sustainable
Cities and Towns - Aalborg plus 10” in ICLEI
member city Aalborg, Denmark, 9-11 June
2004.
After a decade of work for local sustainability, cities and towns shall not only take stock of what has
been achieved, but together find effective and efficient ways for sustainable development. The ten
conference themes that range from Governance to Urban
Planning mirror the Aalborg Commitments that shall be
Content
adopted as a shared pledge to work for a sustainable Europe.
ICLEI Internal
You are cordially invited to participate in the consultation
ICLEI’s International Training Centre
ICLEI Themes
process that will lead towards the adoption of the Aalborg
Urban Governance and Local Agenda 21
Commitments at the conference.
To read the draft document, to find out more about the conference or
to register, please see www.aalborgplus10.dk
Sustainability Management
Climate and Air
Sustainable Procurement
Book Reviews
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4
6
6
8
14
17
19
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Network of Cities for Sustainable Tourism
The Network of cities for sustainable tourism that is coordinated by ICLEI operates since the
year 2000. It now embraces 16 local government partners (see box below) and has been
particularly active in the last few months. A golden rules leaflet has been issued, contacts been
forged at the world’s largest tourism fair, and working groups develop future activities.
Recently a leaflet containing the “10 golden rules of the
sustainable tourist” was published. The leaflet will be used in
the Network destinations to raise awareness among incoming
tourists. Furthermore, it will be a tool to improve the
communication between tour operators and destination local
governments. Thus, one of the challenges of the sustainable
development of tourism will be taken up, namely tour operators
are often based far away from the destinations, which means
that the involved actors cannot easily exchange on common
expectations.
The Network was present at the ITB Tourism fair in Berlin,
Germany, 12-16 March 2004 and made contact with Tour
Operators Initiatives (TOI), the World Tourism Organisation,
Tourism research institutes and many further potential partners.
“10 golden rules of the sustainable tourist” were disseminated
in the pavilion called “Travel with sense” to many interested
potential tourists.
The Network currently explores the possibility to enter into direct partnerships with Tour Operators
and other international organisations and institutions committed to the development of sustainable
tourism. The added value is owed to the fact that the Network can identify common problems and
topics of interest, which could then be profitably discussed with either Tour Operators or other
organisations in order to efficiently identify solutions together. Further, the Network partners have
created working groups, one of which develops a proposal for the European Commission’s
INTERREG III C program. Additional topics for the Network are sustainable procurement, carrying
capacity and seasonality and Local Agenda 21.
The Network is open to local governments located in the European Union and the Mediterranean,
where mass-tourism plays a major role in the local economy.
16 partners for sustainable tourism:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Çanakkale (Turkey)
Cervia (Italy)
Chioggia (Italy)
Comunitá Montana del Giovo (Italy)
Georgioupolis (Greece)
Kallithea (Isle of Rhodos, Greece)
Lloret de Mar (Spain)
Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Costa
del Sol Occidental (Spain), representing
Benhavis, Benalmádena, Casares,
Estepona, Fuengirola, Istán, Manilva, Mijas,
Marbella, Ojén, Torremolinos.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Punta Umbría (Spain)
Rimini (Italy)
San Benedetto del Tronto (Italy)
Sousse (Tunisia)
Tortolì (Italy)
The Union of Local Authorities in Israel
(representing the cities of Tel Aviv, Haifa,
Ashkelon, Ashdod, Netanya, Bat Yam,
Akko, and Nahariya)
Venice (Italy)
For further information, to receive copy of the leaflet “The 10 golden rules of the sustainable tourist” or to join the
Network please see: www.iclei.org/europe/tourism, or contact Ilaria De Altin, Sustainable Tourism Coordinator at
tourism@iclei-europe.org, tel: +49-761/368920, fax: +49-761/36892-29.
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How green is your city?
ICLEI co-ordinates European Union's Urban Green Days initiative 2004
To celebrate this year’s World Environment Day,
and Europe’s Green Week, cities and towns from
across Europe are invited to hold Urban Green
Days to report on their environmental progress.
Exhibitions, presentations, competitions, performance arts and open days are some of the
activities which will take place during Europe’s
Green Week, 1 – 5 June 2004. The European
Commission is responsible for the Green Week,
and within this framework supports local
governments to celebrate Urban Green Days, be it
as a “stand-alone” event or linked to, for example,
activities on World Environment Day (5 June). A
website, www.urbangreendays.org, has been set
up as a central information and reporting point for
cities and towns, national governments,
cooperating
organisations
like
municipal
networks, and the media.
Urban Green Days aim to create a pan-European link between the local activities during Green Week.
“We need to understand the environmental issues that face us – so that we can solve them together”,
says Margot Wallström, European Commissioner for the Environment. Urban Green Days provide an
opportunity for local reporting and exchange on environmental issues, progress and future challenges.
But local governments may report and show their leadership in environmental policies also to their
peers and the European Union.
ICLEI, together with a network with national coordinators, is supporting the organisation of Urban
Green Days on behalf of the European Commission, Directorate-General Environment. Building on
the European Union’s Urban Thematic Strategy, the following priority themes are focal points for the
events: Urban transport issues, Sustainable management of urban areas, Sustainable construction, and
Sustainable urban design.
All events taking place this year will be listed on the Urban Green Days web site
www.urbangreendays.org. Active cities and partners may also present information material,
promotional material, and inspiring examples of activities that are available. Further Europe-wide
reporting includes a focal session at the Aalborg plus 10 conference dedicated to selected examples of
Urban Green Days activities.
For more information or to share your urban green Days experience with other cities please visit:
www.urbangreendays.org or contact: Mr Didier Bergeret, +49-761/36892-63, Fax: +49-761/36892-29, E-mail:
urbangreendays@iclei-europe.org.
ICLEI INTERNAL
Welcome to the new ICLEI members!
We are happy to welcome the following new ICLEI members to our network:
Europe:
Africa:
•
Cambrils, Spain
•
•
Ponferrada, Spain
Asia/Pacific:
•
Hrazdan, Armenia
•
Tbilisi, Georgia
•
•
•
Pamplemousses & Rivière du Rempart, Mauritius
Penrith, Australia
Sabae, Japan
Townsville, Australia
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ICLEI’s Executive Committee meets in Seoul, Korea
The newly elected Members of ICLEI’s Executive Committee met in Seoul, Korea on 26-30
March 2004. The ICLEI Executive Committee meeting was generously hosted by ICLEI member,
Seoul Local Government and chaired by ICLEI President Mr. Masondo, Lord Mayor of
Johannesburg, South Africa.
From left to right: Margit Vestbjerg,
Environmental Mayor, Kolding, Stefan
Sofianski, Lord Mayor of Sofia, Gino Van
Begin, Regional Director for Europe,
Helena Barraco and Imma Mayol, Deputy
Mayor of Barcelona visiting a river
restoration project in Seoul.
ICLEI’s Executive Committee, together with Secretary
General Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, as well as with
senior staff representatives of the regional ICLEI offices
had intensive discussions on issues such as ICLEI’s
workplan for 2004, ICLEI’s future advocacy work,
enhancing the organisation’s membership base,
screening the development of the different offices, as
well as adopting various decisions that enable ICLEILocal Governments for Sustainability to concretely
fulfil its mandate as provided by ICLEI members at the
World Congress in Athens, Greece, last November
2003.
ICLEI Executive Committee decisions relevant
particularly to European ICLEI members and the
European Secretariat include the following: the
adoption of the ICLEI 2004 Workplan and the work to
be undertaken in Europe; the adoption of governance
rules regarding the European Sustainable Procurement
Campaign; recommendations to closely follow the
GATS proceedings and share members viewpoints regarding potential impacts of these proceedings
on local government practise; the composition of ICLEI’s Advisory Council; a mandate to seek close
co-operation with the United Cities and Local Governments organisation; the appointment as new
Executive Committee Member of Mr. Emilio D’Alessio, Deputy Mayor of the City of Ancona, Italy
and elected candidate to ICLEI’s Executive Committee; and as a result of a bidding process, the
approval of Cape Town, South Africa, as the next host of ICLEI’s World Congress in 2006.
INTERNATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE (ITC)
International Mayors Assembly
ÖKOPROFIT
 – Sustainable Development through
eco-efficiency in public private partnerships
Graz, Austria, 28 –30 October 2004
The ICLEI member city Graz (Austria) has developed ÖKOPROFIT,
an approach to Sustainable Economic Development through Ecoefficiency in a Public Private Partnership since 1991. The basic idea
of ÖKOPROFIT
 is a win-win-model, using integrated environmental
technologies, common training programs and networking to
strengthen businesses economically and simultaneously improve
the local environment.
The Mayor of Graz is inviting his colleagues from all parts of the world to exchange information on
ÖKOPROFIT, to share the success his city has gained in the past years and to motivate local
governments to start similar initiatives to the benefit of their local business, their environment and
their social system.
While local leaders might be inspired to start ÖKOPROFIT activities in their town, they may also
start or intensify an international ÖKOPROFIT co-operation. A network gives participants the chance
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to use established guidelines for efficient measures supporting eco-efficiency and even to create
cost and competitive advantages through participation. It also supports the promotion of crosscultural communication and open international markets for its members.
The programme of the 2.5 days’ assembly will contain presentations of cities which already apply
ÖKOPROFIT, presentations of business leaders who will explain their benefits as well as on-site
visits to see real results of the increased co-operation between local government and the private sector.
ICLEI’s International Training Centre will prepare and organise the assembly on behalf of the ICLEI
member city, Graz.
For more information: www.iclei.org/itc/, or contact the International Training Centre at: training.centre@iclei.org,
phone: +49-761/36892-20, fax: +49-761/36892-29
International Symposium
Greening events:
Local governments implementing sustainability
principles as hosts of international events
Barcelona, Spain, 19 – 21 September 2004
The ICLEI member city Barcelona is inviting its peers from all parts of the world to join an
exchange on how sustainability principles can be applied when hosting international events.
The symposium will be part of the Barcelona Cultural Forum 2004 itself, an excellent example of how
a host city can apply sustainability principles when organising a major international event. The related
goals are to use as few natural resources as possible, to avoid and reduce waste to a minimum, to cause
minimal environmental impacts and to avoid negative impacts on the local population. The
symposium takes up a recently established initiative by ICLEI.
Objectives of the conference
•
Bring together representatives of local
governments with experience in greening events,
that have hosted or are preparing to host an
international event, to share their experience;
•
Showcase and document successful activities for
implementing sustainability principles in event
planning;
•
Intensify interaction between host cities and
international event organisers for defining
standards and reaching agreements;
•
Build relationships with UN agencies who are
being requested to act as forerunners and to
support this greening initiative;
•
Identify and
initiative.
discuss
the
greening
events
ICLEI’s International Training Centre will prepare
and organise the symposium with the city of
Barcelona.
The “Athens Call for Greening Events Sustainability principles for local hosts
organising international events” was
developed by ICLEI with the support of
the Coalition 21 in Athens. The call was
endorsed at the last ICLEI World
Congress by ICLEI’s members in Athens
November 2003.
ICLEI - launched this with a view to
local governments acting as host cities.
Among the commitments stated in the
“Athens Call” is a mandate to facilitate
the exchange of interested cities, to
support their technical expertise and to
organise an international forum for
further exchange within local
governments and with international
event organisers.
The symposium in Barcelona will be the
first occasion for this intensified
exchange of cities and their interaction
with international event organisers.
For more information: www.iclei.org/itc or Email: training.centre@iclei.org
6
URBAN GOVERNANCE AND LOCAL AGENDA 21
www.localevaluation21.org:
Assess your local process for sustainable development
On April 21, ICLEI’s European Urban Governance Team and its project partners officially
launched Local Evaluation 21, the new evaluation tool for local sustainable development, in the
presence of a selected audience of representatives from municipal associations, European
Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign networks, and European Commission officials.
Municipalities across Europe now have a new tool for supporting their sustainable
development work at hand.
Your council is asking for a report on the
progress of your Local Agenda 21? You are
managing a participatory planning process and
need some feedback on potential improvements?
The local newspaper wants to know how your
municipality’s performance is comparing to other
cities and towns? You would like to know what
the actors involved in the local process for
sustainable development think about its strengths
and weaknesses?
At www.localevaluation21.org, a new service can
assist you in meeting these demands! Local
Evaluation 21 enables local authorities across
Europe to self-evaluate the quality and progress of local processes for sustainable development. The
on-line tool is available free of charge for users from municipalities all over Europe. You can choose
from 20 different languages to carry out the assessment while at the same time being offered - for the
first time on a Europe-wide scale - a standardised system for the evaluation of local sustainable
development processes.
How does it work?
LocaI Evaluation 21 is targeted at local authority
representatives who need support in taking stock of
participatory planning processes such as Local
Agenda 21. The assessment is based on a
questionnaire which is answered by the local
authority after registering with Local Evaluation 21
and receiving access details for the municipality.
Once logged in, the local authority can also register
other actors involved in the local process to share
the assessment by answering a separate stakeholder
questionnaire.
The Local Evaluation 21 system then generates an
evaluation report which is automatically sent to the
local authority. This report analyses the strengths
and shortcomings of a city's local sustainability
process and benchmarks it against a database of
scores from other local authorities across Europe.
Stefan Kuhn, Director of the ICLEI European
Secretariat Urban Governance Team presents
Local Evaluation 21 to a selected audience of
representatives from local government
associations at the launch event in Brussels on
April 21
What is evaluated?
The ten sections of the Local Evaluation 21 questionnaire address two major areas:
•
Quality of the local process for sustainable development: You are asked to supply information on
issues such as process management, actors involved, resources available, and integration into
mainstream local policy-making.
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•
Progress made towards a more sustainable municipality: You are asked to reflect on activities and
policy changes triggered by the local process for sustainable development in five areas of
sustainable development: social equity, viable economy, eco-efficiency, "think globally, act
locally", and urban management.
Your input is then assessed along eleven evaluation criteria - including for example "Local
Relevance", which examines how the local process for sustainable development relates to local needs
and concerns; or "Progress", which assesses how commitment to sustainable development is translated
into practice.
How can Local Evaluation 21 be useful to you?
Both the process of evaluation, as well as the result,
offer benefits:
• Carrying out the assessment will steer you to
taking a self-reflective look at your local
process for sustainable development, which
may already lead to refreshing insights. The
opportunity for joint evaluation by the local
authority and stakeholder organisations that is
offered by Local Evaluation 21 integrates
different perspectives and leads to a holistic
assessment result.
• The individualised evaluation report helps you
Maggie Bosanquet, Sustainability Manager in
to identify your municipality's achievements, as
ICLEI Member County Durham, presented Local
well as necessary areas for improvement, and
Evaluation 21 from a practitioner‘s point of
act upon the findings. By repeating the
view at the Brussels launch event
assessment in yearly intervals, you can
compare developments over time.
• In addition, your municipality also becomes part of a Europe-wide benchmarking system: Local
Evaluation 21 compares your scores to those of other cities, differentiated by population size and
country. The endorsement of Local Evaluation 21 by the European Sustainable Cities & Towns
Campaign as common evaluation tool for all signatories to the Aalborg Charter is encouraging
widespread use of the tool in more than 20 European countries.
Use Local Evaluation 21 now!
For more information or for completing the assessment: www.localevaluation21.org or contact
info@localevaluation21.org. The Local Evaluation 21 will also be presented at the Aalborg+10 Conference in
June.
Local Evaluation 21 was developed between February 2003 and April 2004 as a follow-up to LASALA, a research
project on Local Agenda 21 based on self-evaluation of local authorities across Europe. The project partners
were: ICLEI, Sustainable Cities Research Institute at Northumbria University; Abo Akademi; Universidade Nova
de Lisboa; FocusLab; and the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe.
Local Agenda in Cyprus
ICLEI’s Urban Governance Team was invited to
present on Local Agenda 21 in Europe by
ECOGNOSIA at a launch for rural Local Agenda
21's in Cyprus on 13 March 2004. ECOGNOSIA is
the Environmental Research and Information
Centre of InterCollege, the biggest University in
Cyprus.
Director of ECOGNOSIA Costas Papastavros
on the left, Naomi Luhde-Thompson second
from the right
Ecognosia has been drafting the national Agenda 21
for Cyprus, and works closely with non-governmental
organisations in various participatory activities for
sustainable development. ECOGNOSIA’s director,
Costas Papastavros, gave a passionate speech on the
need for further Local Agendas in Cyprus, and in
particular in rural areas. Naomi Luhde-Thompson, the
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Urban Governance Team representative, presented alongside the Interior Minister for Cyprus at a very
well attended meeting in the Troodos Mountains. Among those attending were local people, local
councillors and local authority representatives, in addition to non-governmental organisations and
students. The presentation was a review of Local Agenda 21 successes in Europe, key success factors,
and some of the barriers to the further development of Local Agenda 21.
SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT
ecoBUDGET: Achievements all over Europe
The circle has been completed! ecoBUDGET is a circular approach
to local sustainability management, similar to the financial budget
process. The local authority defines a master budget, which will
be the steering document for the forthcoming year. Now all
European model ecoBudget local governments have completed
their first budget year.
The administration continuously monitors and controls performance
against the goals set in the master budget. At the end of the year
(calendar or fiscal) the books are closed just like for the financial
budget. The local authority will then evaluate and approve or disapprove of the accomplishments
during the year. Based on that information the administration develops a new master budget, taking
into account previous experiences, thus continuously improving their sustainability performance. The
following paragraphs will briefly present this cycle in model local governments.
The smallest ecoBUDGET municipality of the world
The smallest ecoBUDGET municipality of the world recently completed its the first cycle. On 2
February 2004, the municipal council of ICLEI member city Kalithea (Greece) ratified both the
Budget Balance 2003 and the Master Budget 2004.
Within the Budget Balance the council members and the citizens (the city council in Kalithea is
watched live by the population on the local TV) could be informed by the success of the municipality
in attaining 3 out of 7 short-term targets, whereas for the others, 3 further actions are needed.
Nevertheless within the ratification of the new Master Budget 2004, the council members decided
unanimously to establish further ambitious targets also for the “difficult” indicators, showing that the
spirit of ecoBUDGET has been completely assumed by the local deciders and politicians. Moreover the
indicator “Consume of energy in Municipal Buildings” has been modified in “Consume of Energy in
the whole area”, thus applying in a more complete way the community and territorial principle of
ecoBUDGET.
Detail review and discussion in Ferrara
On the 11th of February, the city council of the ICLEI city Ferrara (Italy) ratified the new Master
Budget 2004. This happened after a three-hour long discussion during which city council members
debated on the single targets and the actions needed to reach them, as well as on the relationships
between ecoBUDGET and other instruments. The length and the level of the discussion themselves
prove how well the local politicians have understood the importance of the instrument. In the end, the
new targets were approved, which set even more challenging goals for the next year.
EcoBudget in face of the Olympic games
The 2004 Olympic hosts – ICLEI member city Amaroussion (Greece) – have had a very busy year,
planning and organising for the games. Despite the extended workload due to the games, Amaroussion
have managed their ecoBUDGET process bravely. They have produced a budget balance that shows
that the majority of environmental targets have been met. Only two targets were perhaps somewhat
over-ambitious, considering the circumstances. However, this has been remedied through the transfer
of targets in the politically approved master budget for the Olympic year of 2004.
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Bologna: strong links to established administration procedures
Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna, Italy has had an impressive implementation year. Not only
have most targets been reached, but they have also involved many different actors from different
departments in the process, e.g. administration, service companies such as water, transport, waste and
energy. The process has been continuously revised by the Local Implementation Team, which also
identified some possible improvements of the system. Moreover, a major accomplishment is that the
master budget targets have formed the basis for the establishment of the so-called regulatory plan (the
main urban development plan of Italian administrative legislation). This linking between ecoBUDGET
and the regulatory plan has been executed within the outline of the first Strategic Environmental
Assessment (SEA) process, in accordance with the new EU directives. The only difficulty in Bologna
is unfortunately in the political area. The city council has not yet ratified the master budget 2004 and
the budget balance 2003, although both documents have been thoroughly prepared by the Local
Implementation Team. The political delay seen in Bologna is most likely due to the electoral year,
which created immobility about the ratification of the project. It is hoped that this can be solved in
very short time.
Lewes: Implementation of eco-Budget and EMAS
Lewes District Council (United Kingdom) has implemented ecoBUDGET in co-operation with their
EMAS process. The structure and formalism of EMAS has to some extent influenced their budget
balance, which has been published in an impressive booklet (attainable from Ms. Kia Colbeck at
kia.colbeck@lewes.gov.uk). Lewes has worked hard on several large targets, such as energy efficiency
and climate protection. The budget balance clearly display the effectiveness of Lewes’ recycling,
energy efficiency and carbon dioxide emission strategies. The booklet also very comprehensively
describes the state of their environmental stocks and the human and environmental benefits of their
programs through the Statement of Environmental Assets and Environmental Benefit Analysis. Lewes
have not yet developed their Master Budget for 2004, since they have the intention to run the next
cycle similar to the financial budget year, thus awaiting the fiscal year.
Project leader: Växjö
The European ecoBudget pilot project leader, ICLEI member city Växjö (Sweden) decided at the
beginning of the project that they should team their ecoBUDGET with the financial budget, thus the
budget balance is not due until the 29th of April, since Växjö is working on a fiscal year that is
different from the calendar year. However, the ongoing budget monitoring and initial discussions with
politicians and staff have portrayed a positive picture. We are enthusiastically awaiting the final
budget balance and new master budget at the end of April.
For more information: www.ecobudget.com or contact ecoBudget@iclei-europe.org.
Aalborg, 8 June 2004:
Join the final conference of the European ecoBudget Pilot Project!
Three prolific and exciting years of the European ecoBUDGET pilot project (see articles above) are
coming to their end. We would therefore cordially invite you to the project’s final conference where
the project partners will share their experiences and thoughts on ecoBUDGET as a local sustainability
management system. During the conference there will be opportunities for you to meet the politicians
and staff that implemented the first European ecoBUDGET. You will also have the possibility to hear of
future ecoBUDGET developments, make contacts and gain support aid for ecoBudget implementation
in your local authority. The ecoBudget final conference will be held in conjunction with the
Aalborg+10 conference, June 8, 2004, in ICLEI member city Aalborg (Denmark). If you received this
Circular by mail, an invitation to the conference with the registration form is included. Included in this
issue of the European Circular is an invitation for the conference, please fill out the registration and
send it back to ICLEI Europe.
For more information please contact the ecoBUDGET Team at ecoBudget@iclei-europe.org, phone +49761/368920.
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New guide on environmental management for urban
land use planning: “ ECOLUP-Guidance”
Under the title “ECOLUP-Guidance” a new guide-book for EMAS
in urban land-use planning has been published and presented at
the ECOLUP conference in Constance (Germany) 17 March
2004.
“ECOLUP-Guidance” was developed within the EU LIFE-project
ECOLUP. In the resulting guidebook, results and findings of
ECOLUP are illustrated based on practical experiences: During the
last three years, the Lake Constance Foundation, together with
Constance and Überlingen (Germany) and Wolfurt and ICLEI
member city Dornbirn (Austria), developed an environmental
management system for municipal and use planning. The Institute of
Applied Research at Nürtingen University was responsible for the
supervision of the scientific aspects of this project.
ECOLUP provides communities with the means to validate their
urban land use planning in accordance with the EMAS II directive.
ECOLUP seeks ways to improve the environmental quality of urban land use planning by defining
concrete targets and measures and monitoring them, and supports communities in taking political
challenges and integrating different instruments in a better way. Holger Robrecht, Director of ICLEI’s
European Sustainability Management Team was on the project’s advisory board. He welcomes the
guide as useful tool and step-by-step support for local governments interested in applying EMAS to
land-use planning and highlights its solid foundation on practical experiences.
The brochure is available as pdf-file for download both in English and German at www.ecolup.info. The web-site
also contains further information about the project. A CD-ROM version in English with additional information,
checklists and project findings can be ordered at Lake Constance Foundation.
For a CD-ROM or more information, please contact: Marion Hammerl m.hammerl@bodensee-stiftung.org or
Daniela Paas d.paas@bodensee-stiftung.org, phone: 0049-7531/9098-0 fax: 0049-7531/9098-77
Waste Solutions discussed at workshop
30
researchers,
representatives
from
European local governments and local
government networks met in Dogliani, (Italy)
on 25-26 March for a workshop of the
„Waste Solutions - European Urban Waste
Management Cluster (EUWMC)“ project.
The aim of the workshop was to discuss and
review new approaches to urban waste
management in Europe, with a focus on the
results of the six projects (one being ICLEI’s
concluded RELIEF project) that together make
up the “Urban Waste Management Cluster,”
funded by the European Commission’s
The participants during their workshop in Dogliani
Directorate-General Research. Presentations
(Italy)
included a new standard method for Solid
Waste Analysis, software-supported integrated
waste management systems, and policy-guidance for waste avoidance via the “Pay-As-You-Throw”
approach. These developments were mirrored against the current situation in European urban waste
management, supported by presentations from local governments with a particular focus on the
accession countries. A concluding session analysed further challenges and information needs of
European Local Governments.
11
The Waste Solutions project supports information and exchange on urban
waste management in Europe with a focus on the results of the abovementioned Urban Waste Management Research Cluster. In addition to this
workshop, the project will also organise a conference (early Spring 2005)
and publish a brochure, and maintains a mailing list and news service, as
well as a web-centre. A leaflet on the six cluster projects and the Waste
Solutions project is available in English, French, German and Italian.
For more information, to read or download workshop results and presentations or to
obtain a leaflet with project information: www.wastesolutions.org or e-mail to
wastesolutions@iclei-europe.org.
Hyderabad Water Management Information System
(HyWaMIS): Second fact finding mission to Europe
From 17 – 24 March 2004, Dr. Dhar and Mr. Rao from the Birla
Science Centre in Hyderabad were visiting the Cities of
Moedling (Austria) and ICLEI member city Venice (Italy) for the
“second fact finding mission” of the project. Besides technical
site visits, looking into practical appliances of drinking water
supply and waste water treatment, the visit also included
project meetings to take stock of the progress made and to lay
out the detailed workplan for the next months.
During the workshop: Jagadish
Rao, Dr. Dhar, Giuseppe Mella,
Valerie Cogan
In Moedling, the guests visited the water works and water
purification plant of Schwechat, an example of a high-quality
drinking water supplier. Visiting the waste water treatment plant of
the City of Vienna provided a view of the other end of the pipe.
The last technical excursion to the waste water treatment plant of
Venice-Fusina focused on the on-line technical control of the
water-quality parameters throughout the whole treatment process
from inflow to outflow. Via Internet it is even possible for the
operators to view the parameters of two further treatment plants
serving different areas of the City.
Data collection and processing was one of the key topics
for the project meetings. The availability and
compatibility of relevant date to feed the system continues
to be the highest hurdle. Assistance in overcoming some
administrational hurdles is expected from the Advisory
Panel which has been set up in Hyderabad and which will
hold regular meetings. Some last editorial items were
discussed for the upcoming Newsletter that is directed at
local stakeholders in Hyderabad. Beyond their
involvement through the stakeholder mailing list, the next
stakeholder workshop is planned to take place in
September. It is expected to include a demonstration of
the Information System prototype and to conduct a
discussion on necessary modifications and options for
further development.
The delegation visits the treatment plant
in Venice
For more information: http://www.cnet.at/hywamis/ or http://www.vestaspa.net (only in Italian).
12
Ecoprofit® kicks off in Panzhihua, China
®
View on the city of Panzhihua
The basic idea of Ecoprofit (ECOlogical PROject For
Integrated Environmental Technology) as developed
by the ICLEI member city of Graz (Austria) is a
mutually
beneficial
model
using
integrated
environmental
technologies
to
strengthen
businesses
economically
and
simultaneously
improve the local environment. An important factor
®
for the success of Ecoprofit is the special way in
which local authorities, businesses and consultants
work together through common training programmes
and networking. This strong co-operation enables an
effective flow of information and considerable
synergies.
In the framework of the Ecoprofit® Academy, specific technical expertise for specific branches is
developed to ensure the highest benefit for the enterprises and the environment. A key element of the
process is the implementation of measures in the enterprises and the final evaluation and awarding of
the companies. The success of the model has been widely documented and acknowledged by several
international awards including the Dubai Award (UN-Habitat and the Municipality of Dubai, United
Arab Emirates, the Dubai International Award for Improving the Living Environment since 1996). In
the meantime the approach is spreading rapidly over Europe and beyond. In Germany more than 40
Cities are currently applying Ecoprofit® . Amongst them, the ICLEI-member city, Hanover, is one of
the most successful examples of integrating the local economy into their Local Agenda 21 via
Ecoprofit®.
Ecoprofit® expanding to Asia: Pilot city Panzhihua
The Chinese city of Panzhihua, partner of Graz,
Hanover and ICLEI’s European Secretariat in
Ecoprofit co-operation within the European
Commission’s Asia Urbs Programme, is perfectly
suited for being the pilot city for establishing
Ecoprofit in China. The city is located alongside the
upper reaches of the Yangtze River in Southwest
China where the province of Sechuan borders the
province of Yunnan. 38 years ago only a few families
were dwelling at the river. However, when, in the
early sixties, the rich mineral resources of the region
Heavy Industry built on terraces alongside
were discovered, Mao Tse Dong announced the
the stream of the Yangtze River
development of an industrial city in the region to the
People’s Congress. Thousands of people moved
into the area to build mines, railroads, blast
furnaces, basic industries, and housing areas. In
1972, the first blast furnace was starting to operate.
Today Panzhihua is a prospering and fast-growing
city. 1.2 Million people are living in the greater
city area that spreads over 50 km alongside the
river and its tributaries. The city also explores new
technologies. This rapid development was not
achieved, however, without damage to the
environment. Nevertheless, the problem has been
realised by the local authorities and considerable
improvements have already been achieved over the
Project participants gather for a group picture.
last years. Still, there is a lot left to do and
In the centre Vice Mayor Mr. Huang Changmin
considerable efforts will be needed to make the
flanked by Vice Mayor Hans Moenninghoff and
City’s development more sustainable.
Karl Niederl
13
Setting the path: First partners meeting in Panzhihua
The Ecoprofit® project that seeks to establish the
approach in China, aims at making a substantial
contribution in that direction. After a two-year
development phase, the project was started in
January 2004 and at the end of March, the
European partners visited Panzhihua. The
delegation, led by Vice-Mayor Hans Moenninghoff
from Hanover and Karl Niederl, Head of the
Environmental Department in Graz, were warmly
welcomed by the hosts who showed overwhelming
hospitality that made the stay a wonderful
experience.
The nomination certificates are presented to
the Advisory Board
Besides providing the first opportunity for a
personal meeting between the European and the Chinese partners, the visit in Panzhihua focused on
three main elements: first, a one day seminar including guests from National Ministries in Beijing and
representatives from the Provincial Government of Sechuan to introduce Ecoprofit® and the
achievements in Graz and Hanover, as well as giving the Europeans some insight into the situation in
China and Panzhihua. It also included the ceremonial signing of the Partnership Agreement and the
nomination of the members of the Project Advisory Board.
Concluding from the seminar, there is a strong interest in Ecoprofit® going far beyond Panzhihua,
however further co-operation will depend on the success of the pilot project. Second, two half days
were dedicated to visits in local enterprises that allowed the European delegation to gain insight into
the production processes needed to develop concepts for improvements that could be achieved via the
application of Ecoprofit®. Specific conclusions however have not been drawn yet, as the selection of
enterprises was not yet decided and might well differ from the ones that have been visited.
The European Delegation visits
Panzhihua Steel Company
Finally, there were meetings of the project team to discuss the
implementation schedule and to develop a clear understanding of
the common goals in different cultural environments. It was
reconfirmed that it is the interest of all partners to use the current
project to create a solid and sustainable basis for establishing
Ecoprofit® in China with a long-term perspective, as it has been
done in Europe before. A key factor will be the transfer of
knowledge to build the human resources to support the
implementation. This will be achieved in several steps. First, a
high-level delegation will visit the cities of Graz and Hanover in
order to get a direct impression of Ecoprofit® companies and some
ideas about the technologies that have been used in order to achieve
improvements. Later, a group of about twenty Chinese, comprising
selected experts, local government officials, and people from
enterprises will receive an intensive training on Ecoprofit® in Graz
and Hanover that will be backed up by some distance training. In a
next step the trained Ecoprofit® Consultants with the support of
selected European experts will support the implementation of
Ecoprofit® in the enterprises that will have been chosen to
participate in the project.
It will be crucial for the success of the project to get a substantial number of enterprises through the
full Ecoprofit® process including the success evaluation and awarding procedure, as only visible
success will provide a basis for the wider dissemination in China. It is the common understanding of
the partners that consultants who will have been trained and who will have gone through a full
implementation period of Ecoprofit®, should form the basis for the development of a Chinese
Ecoprofit® Academy that should in turn form the core for the further dissemination of the approach to
other cities and regions in China.
14
After almost four days of concentrated work, everybody was convinced that the project would become
a success and that the co-operation in the project is well established. We have to express our thanks
and gratitude to the local project team who made every effort to make us feel at home in Panzhihua
and everybody is looking forward to the next visit.
For more information contact: wolfgang.teubner@iclei-europe.org
CLIMATE AND AIR
Local Renewables 2004, Bonn, Germany
In an initiative involving Kaarin Taipale, Immediate Past
Chair of ICLEI, ICLEI’s International Cities for Climate
Protection Campaign (CCP) Director Bob Price, the
European Secretariat’s Climate & Air and ICLEI’s ITC, we
would like to invite you to share your experience and
viewpoints to prerare team local government position
papers for the upcoming Renewables 2004 and Local
Renewables 2004 Conferences.
From 1 to 4 June, 2004, Germany will host the International Conference for Renewables, as
announced by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder at the World Summit on Sustainable Development
(WSSD) in September 2002 in Johannesburg.
Renewables 2004 will chart the way towards an expansion of renewable energies world-wide,
responding to the call of the Johannesburg WSSD for the global development of renewable energy.
More than 1000 participants are expected to meet in ICLEI member city Bonn (Germany), among
them official governmental delegations including energy, environmental and development ministers,
representatives of the United Nations and other international and non-governmental organisations,
civil society, local authorities and the private sector. ICLEI will coordinate the participation of the
local government delegation in Renewables 2004.
On 31 May, a local government pre-event, Local Renewables 2004 will also be taking place where
ICLEI will play an advisory role.
In the preparatory process towards these two important events, two documents have been drafted, and
we would like to invite you to comment on them on behalf of your city or your local government
association:
•
Local Government Issue Paper, a background paper for the two multi-stakeholder dialogues which
will take place at Renewables 2004 drafted by ICLEI.
•
Local Government Bonn Declaration, which will be officially adopted at the end of the Local
Renewables 2004 pre-event, and which will be brought to the attention of the intergovernmental
conference, drafted by Climate Alliance.
For more information: http://www.renewables2004.de/en/2004/default.asp, or http://www.localrenewables2004.de.
To get involved please contact Kaarin Taipale, e-mail: ktaipale@iclei.org or Mark Hidson, Climate & Air Project
Co-ordinator, tel: +49-761/36892-0, e-mail: mark.hidson@iclei-europe.org
Eight new cities in
Finnish Cities for Climate Protection Campaign (CCP)
The Climate & Air team would like to extend a warm welcome to those new
Finnish local authorities who have joined the CCP-Europe campaign. These
cities are Halikko, Harjavalta, Kajaani, Kuopio, Masku, Muurla, Nousiainen
and Pertteli. This brings the total number of Finnish Cities to 48 covering
47% of the Finnish population. We wish you every success in your climate
protection endeavours!
15
Calvià: Successful completion of XENIOS project
ICLEI member Calvià, Mallorca (Spain) has successfully completed a two-year European
project entitled XENIOS, together with the partners involved. The XENIOS project developed an
audit tool for hotel buildings and promoted the use of renewable energy sources and energy
efficiency in four European countries; France, Spain, Italy and Hellas (Greece).
The project was partly funded by the European Commissions
ALTENER programme and was completed at the end of December
2003. Targeted at the hotel sector, it focused on building refurbishment
and the resulting opportunities for use of renewable energy and energy
efficiency.
The project products are available in French, Spanish, Italian Greek
and English including:
•
the XENIOS software CD-ROM – the decision-aid refurbishment
tool and the dissemination material, made up of,
•
the hotel managers guide to options for utilising renewable energy
and energy efficiency,
•
the hotel guests guide to options for saving energy,
•
dissemination materials on solar collector applications (brochures and audio-visual material).
•
a promotional brochure about the XENIOS project,
•
dissemination slides on the XENIOS project (as detailed in the last issue of the European
Circular),
Calvià, as one of the participating local authorities, had a piloting role regarding use of the XENIOS
software, conducted energy audits in hotels, prepared various dissemination materials and hosted
seminars on the benefits of using solar thermal energy.
For more information: http//env.meteo.noa.gr/xenios/
See also http://www3.iclei.org/iclei/casestud.htm for Case Study 88 – Energy Conservation in Hotels, published
within ICLEI’s International Case Study Series. For a report and analysis is experience of Calvià within the
project. The case study is free for members.
Clean Air for Europe:
Get involved with the CAFE Project!
ICLEI is now involved in the Clean Air For Europe (CAFE) project
on developing a strategy regarding responses to local air quality
problems. There is the opportunity for you to register your interest
to take part in this initiative. The ICLEI European Secretariat is
working on this project together with the UK organisation AEA
Technology, who have been involved in numerous air quality
studies in the UK and Europe, as well as with Eurocities.
The project aims to:
• Invite authorities to describe their air pollution experiences and their
responses in managing the problems (via a questionnaire).
• From the information received, to identify good practice and to draft recommendations for the
related European Commission (EC) thematic strategy.
• To disseminate the findings back to authorities via a publicly available database.
Benefits for local governments in taking part include promoting your good practice across Europe and
being involved in influencing European policy regarding air quality. The outcome of the research will
also be made available to those who take part.
16
The project has been commissioned by the EC’s Directorate-General for the Environment. CAFE
contributes to the adoption of a thematic strategy on air pollution under the Sixth Environmental
Action Programme in 2004. The thematic strategy for air quality will drive European policy on this
subject for the following five years and will be influenced by a range of experiences and policies in
dealing with air pollution.
If your local government has implemented successful measures to reduce air pollution and would like to take part
then please contact: ICLEI Climate & Air team, e-mail: ccp@iclei-europe.org.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) 9 update
The ninth annual ministerial meeting of the 188 Parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) concluded in Milan (Italy) on the 12 December 2003
after adopting some two dozen legal decisions and exploring a wide range of options for
limiting greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change.
COP 9 was attended by more than 5,000 participants, including 95 ministers. The conference sought to
stimulate further action by national governments, civil society and the private sector and to prepare for
the Kyoto Protocol’s entry into force.
The high-level political debate during the conference took place through three informal ministerial
roundtables focusing on adaptation, mitigation, sustainable development, technology and assessment.
Ministers agreed that climate change remains the most important global challenge to humanity and
that its adverse effects are already a reality in all parts of the world. Many parties, developed and
developing, reported on activities to adapt to climate change and emphasised the moral duty to provide
support to developing countries in these efforts.
Participants emphasised that the Kyoto Protocol represents a significant first step towards realising the
Convention’s goal of stabilising atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases at safe levels and called for its
immediate entry into force. Furthermore, the Protocol is already changing the way we think about the
climate, energy and investment. Ministers noted that economic growth and climate change policies are
compatible and if action is taken at an early stage, economic gains can be made. Implementing policies
and measures such as energy-efficiency projects can help to de-couple economic growth and the
growth in emissions, in addition to achieving social and environmental benefits such as improved
health. Intensified north-south and regional co-operation is essential, for example, in technology
research and cleaner production. Good governance and infrastructure as well as opportunities for
private-sector investment are vital. Fortunately, many low-emission technologies are already available.
The Protocol’s “flexible mechanisms” — the Clean Development Mechanisms (CDMs), joint
implementation and emission trading — will promote technology investment and diffusion.
The formal decisions adopted by the conference will strengthen the institutional framework of both the
Convention and the Kyoto Protocol. New emission reporting guidelines based on the good-practice
guidance provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will provide a sound and
reliable foundation for reporting on changes in carbon concentrations resulting from land-use changes
and forestry. These reports are due in 2005.
Another major advance is the agreement on the modalities and scope for carbon-absorbing forestmanagement projects in the CDM. This agreement completes the package adopted in Marrakesh two
years ago and expands the CDM to an additional area of activity.
Many of the discussions over the two weeks touched upon co-operation between developed and
developing nations, including the funding needed for least developed countries that are most
vulnerable to climate change and that need to develop and carry out effective policies. Technology
transfer and capacity building are addressed in many of the decisions, and there is a clear
understanding of the importance of advancing this work in partnership with the private sector.
Two funds, the Special Climate Change Fund and the Least Developed Countries Fund, which will
support technology transfer, adaptation projects and other activities, were further developed. The
European Union, Canada, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland renewed an earlier pledge
to contribute 410 million US Dollars annually to developing countries through these funds and other
avenues.
For more information: www.unfccc.int or contact the UNFCCC press office at press@unfccc.int, phone +49228/815-1005.
17
SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT
Administrations send signal for sustainable
consumption
On Earth Day, a group of public authorities from
across Europe have committed themselves to making
their consumption activities more sustainable by
+
founding the Procura Sustainable Procurement
Campaign. In doing so, the 16 Founding Authorities
+
of Procura , among them for example the ICLEI
members Kolding (Denmark) and Barcelona (Spain),
sent a clear signal to other public authorities and
citizens to buy environmentally friendly and fair-trade
products. The Campaign aims to finally achieve a breakthrough in making sustainable public
procurement a mainstream practice throughout the continent and through this to achieve huge
environmental benefits.
European public authorities have direct control over 15% of Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) through their purchases of products, services
and works. In light of the latest clarifications of the European legal
framework regarding procurement, Margit Vestbjerg, Mayor for
Planning and Environment in Kolding and ICLEI Executive Committee
member, asserts that “those still claiming that there are legal problems in implementing green
procurement are avoiding taking practical action - hiding behind formal arguments”. Recent research
has shown that the environmental benefits of “green” procurement of computers, electricity, buses,
buildings, cleaning services and computers could offset the greenhouse gas emissions caused by 15
million Europeans.
Imma Mayol, Vice Mayor of Barcelona and ICLEI Executive
Committee member, stresses that “despite the theoretical
potentials of sustainable procurement, practical implementation is
still too low. Politicians at all levels must commit public
administrations to taking action.” The Sustainable Procurement
Campaign Procura+ responds to this situation by offering a simplified approach to implementation.
Taking into account the current financial constraints of public budgets, Procura+ was designed to be
financially neutral for the procurement budgets of the participants. The Campaign has been developed
by ICLEI, building on eight years of experience in European networking on the topic. Furthermore,
the Campaign is supported by national partners in 13 countries.
“We are very happy with the response we received so far”, Christoph Erdmenger of the European
Secretariat concludes. More than 100 public authorities have shown interest in the activity with 16
already confirming their commitment to joining Procura+.
Earth Day goes back to 1970 and is celebrated every year on 22 April. Earth Day was initially
instigated to celebrate the wonders of our planet and send a strong signal to the US public, and has led
to the founding of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Since 1990, Earth Day has been
organised as a global event. It seeks to stimulate action in all sectors of society, stressing the need for
more sustainable patterns of production and consumption.
For more information on Earth Day: http://www.earthday.net/.
More information on the Procura+ Campaign and the contact
http://www.procuraplus.org or email: procuraplus@iclei-europe.org.
addresses
of
National
Partners
18
Procura+ Manual published
+
The “Procura Manual - A Guide to Cost-Effective Sustainable
Public Procurement”, written by ICLEI's Sustainable Procurement
Team within the RELIEF project, has now been published by
Oekom Verlag publishers.
The manual, which serves as basis for Procura+ and is free for
participants, has been designed to provide European public procurers
with all they need to know to implement sustainable procurement. It
presents both the Campaign Milestone process and the Procura+
purchasing criteria, as well as answering several key questions
including "Does it cost more?", "How do I decide what is a green
product?", and "Is it Legal?". In addition it provides key arguments for
convincing others within an administration of its merits.
To order a copy of the book please visit Oekom's website at
www.oekom.de/verlag/german/books/clement-erdmenger_cities.htm
Procura+ website finalised
The Campaign website has now been fully finalised and is available at www.procuraplus.org. In
addition to information about the Campaign concept, Milestones, criteria and participants, there is also
a Participants' Area for the exclusive use of the authorities who have joined, allowing them to input
monitoring data on their achievements and to post political commitments on the website.
We would be very pleased to hear any comments you may have on the website. For more information:
www.procuraplus.org or contact simon.clement@iclei-europe.org
Sustainability in the public urban transport market:
Multi-stakeholder roundtables and national networking meetings held
Two roundtables on Sustainable Urban Transport and Competitive Tendering have taken place
in the framework of the SIPTRAM (Sustainability in the Public Urban Transport market) project.
These are part of a multi-stakeholder dialogue and provide a link between local transport
authorities and other actors in the transport field. The SIPTRAM project further conducted four
National Networking Meetings.
The first roundtable took place in ICLEI member city Berlin (Germany) on 13 February 2004 and
dealt with technical standards and new developments in vehicles and infrastructure. 14 stakeholders,
including representatives from industry, national government, transport authorities, local transport
companies and NGOs, discussed recommendations on technical standards to include in tender
documents. Concrete criteria for noise and emission levels, as well as measures for emission reduction
of older vehicles were discussed. There was a clear preference to ask for EEV (Enhanced
Environmentally Friendly Vehicles) standard when purchasing new vehicles. Concerning the
retrofitting of older vehicles, the potential of particle filters was especially underlined.
The second roundtable took place in Brussels, Belgium, on 1 April 2004. During this second event,
representatives from local transport companies, service suppliers, NGOs, the European Commission
and from national governments discussed how to set incentives in tender documents in order to
achieve higher quality and environmental standards. The event focussed on good quality aspects, since
it was common opinion that the best results in terms of environment can be achieved by convincing
people to switch from cars to public transport. This is only possible by attracting passengers through a
high quality service. Furthermore, it was agreed that requirements in the tender should leave the
biggest possible flexibility to the operator to achieve the results that are asked for.
Outcomes of these roundtables are two guidance documents for authorites, giving assistance on how to design a
tendering procedure. These documents will be available at the SIPTRAM website under www.icleieurope.org/procurement/siptram.
19
SIPTRAM National Networking Meetings
Four “National Networking Meetings” have taken place, again in the framework of the SIPTRAM
project. These took place in ICLEI member cities Berlin (Germany), 10 February, Ancona (Italy), 12
March, Grenoble (France) 23 April nad Barcelona (Spain) 30 April 2004. Employees of local transport
authorities and local transport companies discussed issues linked to competitive tendering with a
special regard to the national situation.
In particular during the Italian meeting, hurdles for competitive tendering were also discussed: it was
stressed that there is a lack of integrated planning for transport in cities, therefore competitive
tendering might not be the most appropriate instrument to increase and improve urban public
transport. Another main hurdle is the national legal situation. The aim of these meetings was to
provide participants with information on improving the social, environmental and quality standards of
urban public transport through competitive tendering.
For more information and minutes of the meetings will be available at the SIPTRAM webpages under www.icleieurope.org/procurement/siptram.
Italian roundtable on the role of public procurement in
environmental and social sustainability
ARPAT, the Environmental Protection Agency of the Region of Tuscany, hosted a workshop on
sustainable procurement in Firenze (Italy) 2 April 2004. The roundtable took place within Terrafutura,
an international exhibition and conference on good practice in sustainability.
The workshop brought together a number of public authorities, institutions and consultancies working
on sustainable procurement in Italy to share best practice. ICLEI presented the results of the RELIEF
project and introduce Procura+.
For more information: www.arpat.toscana.it or contact Simone Ricotta s.ricotta@arpat.toscana.it
Training programme on sustainable procurement for
World Bank project officers in Ghana
ICLEI has been contracted to prepare and deliver a 2-3 day pilot training package on sustainable
procurement (theory and practice) for staff responsible for procurement within World Bank funded
projects in Ghana. The pilot training programme, building on an existing UNEP/IAPSO training kit
and scheduled to take place in early June, will then be reviewed and adapted for widespread
application within World Bank projects across the developing world.
BOOK REVIEW
Publication in German: Das Solarbuch - Fakten, Argumente, Strategien
Kurz vor dem internationalen Bürgermeisterforum Local Renewables 2004 Ende Mai (siehe Artikel in
diesem Circular) wollen wir auf einen wichtigen Baustein auf dem Weg zur des solaren Nachhaltigkeit
hinweisen. Die zweite, überarbeitete und ergänzte Auflage von Das Solarbuch - Fakten, Argumente,
Strategien – ist ein leicht verständliches Handbuch und Nachschlagewerk für alle, die sich mit dem
Thema regenerative Energien beschäftigen. Alle fünf Formen erneuerbarer Energien werden
vorgestellt: Sonne-, Wind-, Bio-, Wasserkraft und Geothermie, mit besonderer Betonung auf der
Vielfalt der Einspeisemöglichkeiten für Solarenergie. Das Einläuten des zweiten Solarzeitalters, nach
kurzem fossilen Intermezzo, wird hierbei angekündigt.
Auf den wirtschaftlichen Boom in Deutschland, der durch Fördermaßnahmen entstanden ist, und einen
kurzen Überblick über Stand der Dinge in der Europäischen Union wird eingegangen. Vier Jahre nach
dem Inkrafttreten des Erneuerbaren Energien Gesetz (EEG) in Deutschland am 1. April 2000 werden
die daraus resultierenden Wirkungen vor allem auf Investitionen als auch im europäischen Vergleich
analysiert. Starke Gegenargumente zu typischen Einwänden gegen solche sauberere Energieformen
werden jeweils erläutert.
20
Die Kooperation zweier Autoren - des freien Beraters für das Öko-Institut Freiburg Dieter Seifried und
des Energiepolitischen Sprechers der Fraktion Bündnis 90/Die Grünen im Landtag BadenWürttemberg Dr. Walter Witzel - bewirkt, dass breit fundiertes Wissen für allen Akteure zum Beispiel
zu möglichen Fördermaßnahmen und Marketingstrategien für sauberen Strom geboten wird. Zum
Abschluß werden noch die besten kommunalen Beispiele aus ganz Deutschland zur Förderung
regenerativer Energien dargestellt, und ein Glossar der wichtigsten Begriffe, eine
Internetaddressenliste und Zeitschriftenliste zur weiteren Unterstützung geboten.
D. Seifried / Dr. W. Witzel, Das Solarbuch, Energieagentur Regio Freiburg, Freiburg 2004. Das Buch wurde vom
triolog – kommunikation mit energie, Design- und Marketingagentur als auch der Servicestelle Kommunen in der
Einen Welt/InWEnt GmbH unterstützt. Das Solarbuch enthält eine CD-Rom mit Bildern und Diagrammen.
For any comments or questions regarding the European Circular, please contact: Stefanie Lay, Coordinator
Information Services, information.services@iclei-europe.org
© ICLEI European Secretariat GmbH, Freiburg, Germany, 2004