copenhagen european green capital 2014 a review
1 2 copenhagen european green capital 2014 a review
FOCUS ON THE FUTURE 4 TRANSITION NEEDED 5 WHY COPENHAGEN AS EUROPEAN GREEN CAPITAL 2014? 6 A NEW WAY 7 THE JOURNEY 8 KEY FACTS 2014 9 DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS 10 PARTNERS IN DEVELOPMENT 11 MOTIVATING TRANSFORMATION 12 COMMUNICATING THE TRANSFORMATION 14 IT’S ALL ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY 16 CROSSING ORGANISATIONAL BORDERS 17 THE GOOD URBAN LIFE OF THE FUTURE (Jan-April) 18 RESOURCE EFFECTIVENESS AND SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION (May-July) 20 THE BLUE AND GREEN CITY (July-Aug) 26 GREEN MOBILITY (Aug-Oct) 30 CLIMATE AND GREEN TRANSFORMATION (Oct-Dec) 34 GENERATION SUSTAIN 38 WORLDWIDE SHARING 40 THE EUROPEAN GREEN CAPITAL NETWORK 42 SHARING WITH FUTURE EUROPEAN GREEN CAPITALS 44 WE WILL KEEP SHARING 47
3 FOCUS ON THE FUTURE
2014 was a great year for Copenhagen!
The World Bank ranked Denmark as the best place in Europe to do business and Copenhagen was elected ”most liveable city in the world” by Monocle Magazine in 2014 for the third time in six years. Because we combine liveability, sustainable development and creativity.
But first of all 2014 was Copenhagen’s year as European Green Capital. We dubbed it ”Sharing Copenhagen”, because sharing is key if we want to make our cities and regions more sustainable. And we have certainly shared Copenhagen. Our main focus was to utilise Copenhagen’s year as European Green Capital to engage citizens, companies, universities and NGOs in partnerships to maintain Copenhagen as a front-runner of sus- tainable development, liveability and new, innovative solutions. Not just in 2014, but in the years to come.
Copenhagen has already reduced CO2 emissions by 40 per cent from 1995 to 2012. We are working hard to become the world’s first carbon- neutral capital in 2025. Our district heating system is vital in this process. 98 per cent of all Copenhagen households are connected to our district heating system. It has been developed and improved over time by public and private stakeholders. Copenhagen is also successful in the areas of water management, green mobility and waste management. We need more solutions like this – at a global level.
I am sure that if we continue to work together and join forces, as we did in 2014, our approach to the challenge of climate change will be a testimo- ny to the power of cities in combating global issues. If we tackle climate change the right way, we will be able to reduce CO2 emissions, at the same time creating jobs and making our cities more liveable.
This is my vision, and it gives me great courage to see that Copenhagen and many other cities are well underway.
Frank Jensen, Lord Mayor, City of Copenhagen
4 TRANSITION NEEDED
Copenhagen as the European Green Capital in 2014 was an excellent opportunity to turn green ambitions into something tangible, challenging and fun for our citizens. Over time, we have accomplished significant changes in our city. Changes in the way we produce energy, get around in the city and in the habits of our everyday lives.
We strongly believe that new ambitions, ideas and solutions for a sustain able city must be the product of many minds, of cooperation and of strong participation by citizens and businesses. We need to find holistic solutions, and sustainability is about improving life for everyone in our cities. If new solutions are to improve the lives of our citizens, the citizens should be involved in the solutions. That is why we named our project Sharing Copenhagen.
We established a large amount of partnerships, spanning from some of Denmark’s largest companies and universities to small NGOs. They all made an essential contribution so that we could actively use Sharing Copenhagen to strengthen public-private partnerships. At the same time, we created new projects and activities for the Copenhageners and for professionals and tourists visiting Copenhagen.
The large-scale initiatives, such as the transition to renewable energy sources, are not always visible. We wanted to put the green agenda at the top of all Copenhageners’ minds, to get everyone to reflect and cooperate in their daily routines in relation to the environment.
But we can still learn from other cities in Europe that have developed sustainable solutions in areas where we are lagging behind, from waste management in Frankfurt and Vienna to noise reduction in Bristol.
Sharing Copenhagen was about bringing the green transition to the streets of Copenhagen and other cities. And that is why we need to keep sharing our experiences, ideas and solutions with all the cities that are working to become sustainable.
Morten Kabell, Mayor for Technical and Environmental Affairs, City of Copenhagen
5 WHY COPENHAGEN
AS EUROPEAN GREEN CAPITAL 2014?
In 2007, the City Council adopted the Eco Metropolis – a vision for “The Copenhagen Model” Copenhagen 2015. The vision serves as the foundation for the city’s most refers to a unique vision of city important plans, such as the Climate Action Plan, the Bicycle Strategy life combining environmental and the Strategy for Urban Life. initiatives, economic growth and quality of life. The plan puts Copenhagen on track to becoming the world’s first car- bon-neutral city by 2025, and since launching its first Climate Plan in 2009, the city has already achieved significant reductions in carbon emis- Copenhagen 2015-2025 sions. These are some of the reasons why Copenhagen was able to score 50% of commuters cycle to high marks on the application to European Green Capital. their place of work or educa- tion by 2015. The city becomes The vote of the European Green Capital jury CO2-neutral in 2025. The Technical Expert Panel found that Copenhagen achieved the best or the second-best result of all 18 candidate cities in nine out of the 12 indicators.
The jury was especially impressed by Copenhagen’s pioneering efforts to “The award pays tribute to expand its green economy, and that public-private partnerships were at the Copenhagen’s record of con- core of the approach to eco-innovation and sustainable employment. They sistently high environmental found that “Copenhagen is a highly successful role model for the green standards and its commitment economy.” to ambitious green goals.”
Janez Potocnik Former European Commissioner for the Environment
6 A NEW WAY let’s share
The City of Copenhagen is already investing in renewable energy sources, constructing large onshore wind turbines and retrofitting buildings with “We highly value the effort and new kinds of insulation. At the same time, strict demands are set for new input that our many partners buildings in the city, so that energy consumption can be reduced. The aim have provided to the project. is to become CO2-neutral by 2025. They have helped us gain a wide range of experiences and pro- We have ambitious plans and targets when it comes to climate adaptation, fessional relations that we will green mobility and liveability. That is why our year as European Green build on, whilst we continue to Capital was an excellent opportunity to support the city’s current and develop Copenhagen planned activities and the targets of adopted environmental policies. together.”
Acknowledging that cooperation and co-creation is the way to go if we Pernille Andersen, CEO, the Technical want to realise our ambitious goals of becoming carbon-neutral in 2025, we and Environmental Administration, aimed to involve as many stakeholders as possible in Copenhagen as Euro- City of Copenhagen pean Green Capital 2014. We divided 2014 into five themes related to some of our main challenges, both as a city and at a global level. Then we invited stakeholders from all sectors to co-create a programme for 2014 and help us develop the city.
The 5 Sharing Copenhagen Themes
THE GOOD URBAN • Urban Planning/Urban Spaces/ Quality of Life LIFE OF THE • The Coherent City FUTURE • The Sustainable City/Smart City
RESOURCE • Resources and Waste EFFECTIVENESS AND • Waste Management SUSTAINABLE • Food Waste CONSUMPTION • Fashion (reuse/recycling)
• Harbour Baths THE BLUE AND • Waste Water Treatment • Events GREEN CITY • Urban Gardening • Master classes/conferences • Green Areas and Biodiversity • Outreach programmes GREEN • Cycling MOBILITY • Public • Site visits and guided tours Transportation • Press/social media • Adaptation/The Resilient City CLIMATE AND GREEN TRANSFORMATION • CO2-reduction
The stakeholders who wanted to be part of European Green Capital had to contribute to at least one of the five themes.
7 THE JOURNEY let’s share
European Green Capital was the beginning of an exciting, but uncharted journey. It made us wiser to define a project that would move Copenhagen further towards sustainable development. And it felt fantastic when we received the award in Brussels in 2012! The day after, work began...
At the opening event in Copenhagen in January 2014, the Copenhagen ers lit 30,000 beeswax candles to put the spotlight on sustainability and climate change. With some difficulty, since the wind was strong and often blew out the candles. During the swim in the harbour, almost everyone turned blue with cold. But we were in it together.
Spring and summer saw numerous small and large events and conferences, and only halfway through, Ljubljana won the title of European Green Capital 2016. Sharing Copenhagen picked up, and we looked towards the next six months with a great deal of involvement in public, professional and political activities.
In September, the huge official European Green Capital dinner, the Copenhagen Harvest Celebration, filled the streets of Copenhagen, when 2,600 inhabitants gathered in the streets and enjoyed a lovely, organic din- ner, partly sponsored by the city. Everybody enjoyed tasting the city in the beaming sun which created the perfect framework for the outdoor event.
In October, the IPCC’s presence in Copenhagen turned the internation- al media spotlight to the need for sustainable transformation, and the meeting became the take-off for new partnerships. Outside the city hall, a Greenlandic Ice Watch was ticking, while the people of Copenhagen tried to Ring the Leaders with bicycle bells before the important negotiations in Paris in 2015.
In December, the final event took place: The Green Capital Days. While we looked back at an exhausting but rewarding year as European Green Capital, the page was turned in the Green Book, and the baton was hand- ed to Bristol which is European Green Capital in 2015.
Even although Sharing Copenhagen has ended, we will keep working towards an even more sustainable future for Copenhagen. Thank you all for great company during our shared journey in 2014.
8 KEY FACTS 2014
Copenhagen as European Green Capital 2014 created a platform for green partnerships and co-creation in Greater Copenhagen. The project contrib- 67-75% of the responding Copen- uted to the city development with: hageners believed that it had a positive effect on Copenhagen’s –– Establishment of more than 90 new green thematic partnerships environment to win the Europe- –– Co-creation of a common programme for 2014 and execution of an Green Capital Award. more than 250 events, conferences, guided tours and other activities throughout the year –– More than 45 master classes and conferences on issues related to Shar- ing Copenhagen’s five themes –– More than 15 events, exhibitions and festivals aimed at children –– The international press covered Copenhagen European Green Capital 2014 in 84 articles, and Sharing Copenhagen/European Green Capital appeared almost 500 times in the Danish press throughout the year –– Co-creation of a One Point Entry for green visits to Greater Copenhagen –– More than 80 international delegation visits to the European Green Capital 2014 –– More than 60 guided green tours throughout the year –– More than 4,800 Copenhageners/tourists took a free electric boat trip through the European Green Capital –– A range of related reports and publications were carried out, e.g. Co- penhagen – Green Economy Leader (by London School of Econom- ics), Engaging the Next Generation and Copenhagen Climate Plan (Containing 20 best practice cases of Copenhagen city development) –– A boost to a range of green start-ups –– The creation of 8-10 new full time “green jobs”
Throughout the year an estimated 570,000 people visited and participated in the events, conferences and guided tours listed in the Sharing Copenhagen programme.
The many activities – film festivals, exhibitions, treasure hunts, fashion exchanges, a green outreach programme of the Eurovision Song Contest and many other events related to the five Sharing Copenhagen themes – were carried out together with partners; businesses, knowledge institu- tions, NGOs, other municipalities and regions.
9 DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS
Without the help of several partners, Sharing Copenhagen would not ”Copenhagen holds a unique have had the resources to execute the many ambitious ideas and projects position as an international throughout the year. Starting with a just a few partners in late August green city role model. We 2013, the Sharing Copenhagen partnership counted more than 90 part- are proud to have played a ners by January 2014. central part in a wide range of significant projects in the city, There were two types of partners in Sharing Copenhagen: main part- which contribute to making ners (NCC, Ramboll, Capital Region of Denmark and HOFOR) who Copenhagen an attractive place contributed with money, activities and other resources, and the rest of to live and an inspiration for the partners who contributed to the programme with activities and other cities worldwide. It has been resources; for instance events, conference facilities, keynote speakers, ex- a privilege to have worked hibitions, communication and man-hours. In return, the City of Copen- closely together with the city hagen/Sharing Copenhagen offered a common communication platform administration as partner on the (website, social media, press, outdoor publicity etc.) and visibility on all Sharing Copenhagen initiative printed Sharing Copenhagen material throughout 2014. and to promote Copenhagen as a liveable city, at the same time Partnerships in Sharing Copenhagen were open to companies, knowledge setting the agenda for how to institutions and NGOs which contributed with relevant activities to one continue this journey”. or more of Sharing Copenhagen’s five themes. Altogether, the Sharing Co- penhagen partnership co-created and carried out more than 250 activities Jens-Peter Saul, throughout 2014. Group CEO at Ramboll. When we started working with the stakeholders in the projects, we discov- ered that sometimes the best way was to let go of the municipality reigns and let the projects unfold at the pace of the people involved. This resulted in an influx of companies, NGOs, grassroots and citizens who wanted to lend a hand and influence the development.
10 PARTNERS IN DEVELOPMENT
Partnership projects were a cornerstone of the co-creation. By recognising the needs of our partners – in terms of business, organisational develop- “As co-creating event organisers ment goals and corporate communication – Sharing Copenhagen found working with Sharing Copenhagen that we were able to develop more effective communication and showcases. to develop the Harvest Celebra- In particular, the work with start-ups and socio-economic entrepreneurs tion, we developed our own or- proved valuable in creating high-end experiences for our international ganisation, and at the same time guests, corporate partners and citizens. we came up with what turned out to be next year’s business The Copenhagen Harvest Celebration, the Green Capital Days, the Christ- case. Cooperating with the City mas Swap Market and the fair Driving Green are examples of large Sharing of Copenhagen, we experienced Copenhagen events that were co-created by small and medium-sized busi- a responsive approach to our nesses which at the same time created new local networks and future green needs as socio-economic start- business ideas. up entrepreneurs trying to make a living from promoting a closer connection between city people Sharing Copenhagen partners and city nature.” Aalborg Universitet, 2200 TÆSK, Albertslund Kommune, Amager Ressource Center, Arken, BIOFOS, Billedskolen, By og Havn, BYBI, Brhama Kumaris, Buster Filmfestival, Byhøst, Carlberg/Christensen, Kristoffer Melson, Founder, Byhøst CBS, CIDEA - KU, Copenhagen Capacity, CLEAN / CCC, Copenhagen Goodwill Ambassadors, Cultura 21, DAC, HOFOR, Huset Markedsføring/Dagbladet Børsen, Cyklistforbundet, Danish Fashion Institute, (City Harvest) Danish Maritime Days, Danish Science Factory, Dansk Design Center, Dansk fodgænger forbund, Dansk Industri, Dansk Retursystem, Grønne kirker/Danske Kirkers Råd, Det Danske Kulturinstitut, Det Kongelige Bibliotek, Det Økologiske Råd, DTU/Skylab, Energi- og Vandværkstedet , Erhvervs- og Vækstministeriet, Eurocities, Europakommissionen, Folkevandringen, Foreningen Alverdens Børn, Foreningen Cykling uden Alder, Frugtformidlingen, Furesø Kommune, Gladsaxe Kommune, Go more, Gate 21, Green Building Coun- cil, GoGreenCopenhagen, Green Cities, Hansa Green Tour 2014, Huset Markedsføring/Børsen, Hennes & Mauritz, HOFOR, IBC Euroforum, INDEX: Design to Improve Life, Ingeniørforeningen IDA, International Federation for Housing and Planning, IPCC - Klimaministeriet, Island Dynamics.org, Kulturhavn, KAB, let’s Københavns Internationale Teater, Københavns Lufthavn, Københavns Madhus, Københavns Museum, Københavns Universitet, LAGI, Life Exhibitions, Lokaludvalgene, Metroselskabet, Malmø Stad, Miljøpunkt Amager, Ministeriet for forskning, innovation og videregående uddannelser, Movia, Naturpark Amager share - KK, NCC, Nordvand A/S, Omstilling Nu, Rambøll, Region Hovedstaden, Roskilde Festival, SAS, State of Green, Stop spild af mad, Skt. Kjelds klimakvarter, Strømma Danmark, Sydhavnstippen, Suitable for Business, Sustainable Citizen Festival, TAGdetOP, Toldboden, Tagtomat, Teknologisk Institut, Transportens Innovationsnetværk, Unfolding Fields, University of the Creative Arts - the Centre for Sustainable Design, Woco, Vejdirektoratet, We/Do Agencey, Øresund Kulturdage, Øresundskomiteen, ØsterGRO.
11 MOTIVATING TRANsFORMATION
Communication was central to the strategic development of the Sharing Copenhagen project. Communication promoted future sustainability, motivating and inspiring globally with storytelling and knowledge shar- ing. And communication was a platform for showing the world the many ongoing projects to create a greener future.
Sharing Copenhagen as a 360 degree communication platform Political and strategic communication: Activities such as Green Mobil- ity, Ring the Leaders and Green Capital Days were used as opportunities to promote green development on the political agenda in the media.
Event communication: At the popular events, partnerships and joint preparations were part of the project, and in this way, all partners spread the messages about the events on different media platforms and own chan- nels. The physical meetings at the events communicated in themselves, as did the written information and merchandise which was distributed.
Visibility in the cityscape and in the media: Radio, television, daily newspapers, local media, web media and special niche media – all played along with outdoor poster advertising and social media to contribute to greater awareness of Copenhagen as European Green Capital to a wide variety of audiences.
Professional communication focus: The many professional confer ences related to Sharing Copenhagen – like Building Green and Driving Green – enhanced the focus on Copenhagen’s green development and best practice case studies of knowledge sharing in academic circles in Denmark and internationally. Current developments often served as the creative backdrop for green storytelling and news stories in the media.
12 motivating transformation
The messages about the green transition and Copenhagen as European Green Capital 2014 were distributed to many different audiences, ranging from pre-school classes to companies and government secretaries. The information consisted of a variety of upcoming events, practical green guides and inspiring green stories, political statements and debates about the future.
The rhetoric was systematically linked to urban living and quality of life, which gave a revival to the interest in Green Copenhagen.
International branding and green inspiration were focal points for Sharing Copenhagen as well. Copenhagen City’s visiting service received many foreign journalists interested in the story of Copenhagen as the European Green Capital. For Sharing Copenhagen it served as an opportunity to share the city’s CO2-neutral vision and showcase best practice cases to an international audience.
During the meeting of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Copenhagen, Sharing Copenhagen also made a video about biking, Ring the Leaders. This was distributed to international journalists through press broadcasts and the international press centre in Copenha- gen, the Danish Foreign Ministry, VisitDenmark, Wonderful Copenha- gen, Copenhagen Capacity, State of Green, social media and Green.tv who all helped distribute Copenhagen’s green messages worldwide.
European Green Capital in 2014 resulted in 84 international media mentions and almost 500 mentions in the Danish media, including stories on the radio, television, newspapers and on Internet news media.
5/1/2015 The urban environment: Clean-up time - FT.com
By continuing to use this site you consent to the use of cookies on your device as described in our cookie policy unless you have disabled them. You can change your cookie settings at any time but parts of our site will not function correctly without them.
Home World Companies Markets Global Economy Lex Comment Management Life & Arts
Columnists The Big Read Opinion The Exchange FT View Blogs Letters Corrections Obituaries Tools
December 29, 2014 7:41 pm The urban environment: Clean-up time Christian Oliver
Policy makers from around the world are flocking to study the ‘Copenhagen model’ of heating cities
©Reuters
Reducing smog: Anshan will use waste heat from its central steel plant to help heat the city of 3.5m people efore China’s leaders declared their “war on pollution” in March, they had already recruited help from abroad. The northern city of B Anshan, capital of China’s iron and steel industry, had been chosen as an early battleground in the campaign against poisonous air. But the Chinese lacked the knowledge to clean up a city of 3.5m people, choked by sulphur dioxide.
For answers, they headed to a nation that has slashed energy consumption and hazardous emissions while still growing economically: Denmark.
For a country of 5.6m people, the tide of interest from the communist hierarchy of a superpower with more Sign up now than 200 times its population has been overwhelming. Copenhagen’s 40 per cent reduction in carbon emissions since 1990 has turned it into a green showcase for Chinese delegations. Somewhat dazed, officials from the Danish capital say they now receive inquisitive groups from Chinese municipalities virtually every week.
The Chinese signed a contract with Danfoss, a local engineering company, to help Anshan kick its debilitating coal habit during a visit to Copenhagen by President Hu Jintao in June 2012. FirstFT is our new essential daily email briefing of the best Danfoss was chosen because of its expertise in a field where the Danes are world leaders: improving the stories from across the web efficiency of massive urban heating networks. Once seen as dreary manufacturers of thermostats and valves, Denmark’s heating companies are now at the vanguard of a major strategic and environmental trend worldwide.
The technology, known as district heating, takes heat that would otherwise be wasted from power stations or factories and uses it to warm water. The process has been used in Denmark for decades but is now gaining global attention. “We never thought that one day we would have a showcase city,” says Niels Christiansen, Danfoss’s chief executive. “It wasn’t orchestrated, it just happened. We pressed ahead with district heating and now have the most modern solutions.”
As leading economies seek to rein in energy costs and emissions, they are discovering the haemorrhaging cost of inefficient heating. According to the UN, 70 per cent of all energy is burnt in cities, where half of it is used in heating and cooling networks. That is why cities from London to Darkhan in Mongolia are suddenly looking to Copenhagen as their model of efficiency.
Anshan has turned into a textbook example of what the “Copenhagen model” is all about. Instead of heating homes and offices with coal- fired boilers, the city will now use waste heat from its central steel factory, harnessing the energy that normally vanishes up the chimneys. By 2015, Anshan should burn 173,000 tonnes less coal each year and Danfoss says it can expand the networks of hot water pipes to reduce yearly coal consumption by 1.2m tonnes.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/ad40767e-8f57-11e4-b080-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3NxaX3sNw 1/4 13 COMMUNICATING THE TRANsFORMATION
A visual campaign was created to embed the honour of being European Green Capital 2014 with the Copenhageners. The objectives were to in- volve and engage the citizens and raise awareness of Sharing Copenhagen.
The campaign was kick-started with a photo competition on Instagram. To activate the Copenhageners and create awareness of the competition, all possible media platforms were activated, including posters in the city- scape, GoCards in cafés, Internet, social media, media partnerships, and great prizes for the best photos were promised. The result was 1,609 followers, 10,000 photos sent to @Sharing CPH, 48,503 photos tagged with #SharingCPH and 76,036 photos tagged with the Danish version #delditkbh on Instagram.
On top of that, the municipality’s dialogue with the (mainly young) instagrammers was very positive, and The Communication Department had many relevant experiences with the use of the new media.
14 communicating the transformation
All materials published in connection with European Green Capital 2014/ Sharing Copenhagen followed a design manual, which took into account that several organisations and messages were to be included, and that the partners themselves could easily help spread the brand.
A fixed, common sender identity was offered to everyone involved in the project, along with a number of ready-to-use design elements. This ensured a relatively uniform visual identity on all types of materials, both print, web and outdoor, also in the partners’ own communication. sharing copenhagen 2014
The project focused on social media as communication channels Facebook: With a person committed to communication on Facebook and daily informative and inspirational posts and interaction, we gained approximately 5,000 dedicated followers and interest groups with a shared interest in the green agenda, who helped spread the green messages. The language used was Danish, since Copenhagen was the primary target.
Instagram: see page 14
Twitter: Sharing Copenhagen used the City of Copenhagen’s official Twitter account in Danish to share green political and event information with the public. Besides this, we created an English language Twitter account, @SharingCPH, targeting a professional international audience. The Twitter account was used as a channel for knowledge sharing via hashtags during the professional conferences, and to share major news stories about sustainable news from Copenhagen.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn was used experimentally for employer branding, since the City of Copenhagen’s LinkedIn account is normally used ex- clusively for job postings. Tests showed that published articles about the green capital Copenhagen generated a higher degree of interaction, and statistics showed that a single posting on LinkedIn led to 52.7% more views on the news section on the website. Olafur Eliassons sculpture: Ice Watch. The arctic ice is melting in a very artistic way on Instagram.
15 IT’S ALL ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY
Interest in the sustainable transition has, after years of doubts, materialised all around the world, and Copenhagen has become a solid part of it. Shar- ing Copenhagen opened doors to sustainability events and conferences in collaboration with various partners, and also offered communicative support to activities that Sharing Copenhagen was not an official part of.
Sharing Copenhagen helped spread awareness of important green confer- ences and messages through our own communication channels, and made European Green Capital material available at the conferences and through other partner communication channels.
Copenhagen sizzled with sustainable events in the autumn of 2014
–– Driving Green –– Green Aviation Seminar –– The Future of Green Mobility –– Eurocities Environmental Forum –– Eat Your City –– Conference on Environmental Taxation –– Urban Transition Forum –– Danish Maritime Days –– New Directions in Climate Change Governance –– Building Green –– Global Green Growth Forum –– C40s Green Growth Networks annual workshop –– Green Capital Days –– European Green Capital Award Handover
16 CROSSING organisational borders
The Sharing Copenhagen plat Greater Copenhagen form was created by and for Greater Copenhagen is a busi- the Copenhageners, trade and ness region that spans Eastern industry, cultural and know Denmark and Skåne. ledge institutions, regional Greater Copenhagen aims to be the leading metropolis in collaboration partners and Northern Europe in terms of attracting and retaining interna- Europe’s green cities. The purpose tional investments, companies, was to get together and share tourism and global talent.
ideas, which is necessary to move The 79 municipalities and three forward with the green agenda. regions in Greater Copenhagen offer 3.9 million highly skilled Greater Copenhagen inhabitants, world class research The platform and the many new projects and partnerships had to not only facilities and a creative business be closely aligned with the City of Copenhagen’s visions and strategies, environment with access to the but also in line with the overall strategies and plans for Greater Copenha- markets of two countries. gen, the Capital Region and Region Skåne in Sweden. The platform with the Sharing Copenhagen partnership also had to add value to the entire regional green agenda.
To manage the Sharing Copenhagen 2014 project we established an internal steering committee with representatives from five of the City of Copenhagen’s seven administrations.
Besides this, we established an advisory board for Sharing Copenhagen with representatives from businesses, knowledge institutions, ministries, the City of Malmö in Sweden and the Capital Region of Denmark to make sure the overall strategy would work all year and in all respects.
17 THE GOOD URBAN LIFE OF THE FUTURE
january - april
key targets: More and more people are living in Europe’s large cities and at the same time, the cities are facing the greatest challenges. More than 1,000 new Our approach: Consider urban residents arrive in Copenhagen every month, so the city is forced to life before urban space; Consider expand with new urban development, while the harbour is being trans- urban space before buildings formed from a working port to a recreational area for the citizens. That is why the first theme of the year focused on how the green transition and More urban life for all: Goal: By quality of life in the city can go hand in hand. 2015, 80% of Copenhageners will be satisfied with the opportuni- The signature event of the theme was the opening event in January which, ties they have for taking part in apart from the VIP dinner and large lighting event in the city centre, urban life included a number of activities related to the theme. At the event, winter swimmers jumped into the harbour and invited guests to do the same. More people to walk more: With torches, bonfires, choirs and hot chocolate it was celebrated that the Goal: To increase the amount of water in the harbour is so clean that you can swim in it. pedestrian traffic by 20% by 2015 compared to 2010 The Danish Architecture Centre celebrated the award by focusing on sustainability and hosted three different international exhibitions on the More people to stay longer: paradoxes of sustainability with the headline: Will it sustain? Goal: By 2015, Copenhageners The exhibitions were flanked by a range of debates, presentations, films, will spend 20% more time in ur- family activities and guided tours. ban space than they did in 2010
18 THE GOOD URBAN LIFE OF THE FUTURE
The kick-off conference Copenhagen Insights – Sharing Urban Learnings was hosted by one of the four major partners, Ramboll. Keynote speakers, ”Copenhagen has lead the way including Jan Gehl, founder of Gehl Architects; Karl Falkenberg, Direc- with a planning tradition where tor General for the Environment in the European Commission; George people are the focal point, and Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol; Herbert Dreiseitl, Director for Liveable this is very visible in the city Cities Lab at Ramboll; Ole Stilling, CEO, The International Federation today.” for Housing and Planning; and Morten Kabell, Mayor of Technical and Environmental Affairs in Copenhagen, shared key learnings and engaged George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol. the participants in a lively discussion on how to develop liveable cities.
Another important activity to this theme was the master class on air quality which was hosted by Bristol, the city that got better scores than Copenhagen on air quality. Focus was on the challenges and opportunities for reducing air pollution in big cities. The master class was well attended and provided a forum for knowledge sharing.
Wind and clean water Three new onshore wind turbines, owned by one of the main project part- ners HOFOR, were inagurated. Furthermore HOFOR invited everybody for a swim in the cold but clean Copenhagen Harbour.
let’s share
19 RESOURCE EFFECTIVENESS AND SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
april - july
Better use of resources is one of the main challenges of the near future. We need to get more out of less. The things we cannot use we must recycle or reuse and give new life. The way we live, what we eat and how we dress can make a enormous difference for resource consumption and the environment.
The spring theme of the Copenhagen year as European Green Capital offered inspiration to improve quality of life with less resource consump- tion. By showing examples of sustainable fashion, food without waste and new architecture, the partners of Sharing Copenhagen contributed to the necessary green transition.
Focus was on resource efficiency and sustainable consumption, and the ob- jective was to inspire children, youth and grown-ups, business life, cultural life and educational institutions to adopt more environmentally friendly practices for everything from innovation to cooking and shopping.
20 RESOURCE EFFECTIVENESS AND SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
Some of the main events with focus on resources and consumption:
–– Official opening of Dome of Visions 29 April –– Copenhagen Fashion Summit 24 April –– Master class on sustainable fashion by Danish Fashion Institute 23 April –– Stop Wasting Food event and Aqua Bar in Eurovision Village under Eurovision Song Contest 6-10 May –– Master class on Copenhagen Green Economy Leader by London School of Economics 22 May –– Visit from Director-General Karl Falkenberg on his bike from Brussels to Copenhagen 31 May –– Master class on Involving Youth in Sustainability at Green Week in Brussels 3-5 June –– Closing the Loop – Plastic Zero Conference by ISWA and City of Copenhagen, 16-17 June –– C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and Urban Sustainability Directors Network, 16-21 June –– Science in the City at Carlsberg 21-26 June –– European Green Capital Award 2016 Ceremony 24 June
”2014 is a special year for Copenhagen, as it has been awarded the prestigious Euro pean Green Capital Award by the European Commission. Why? Because the city excels in com bining sustainable solutions with growth and quality of life. And because we are happy to share our knowledge and experiences with the rest of the world. ‘Sharing Copenha gen’ is all about sharing good solutions”.
Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary, 2014 Copenhagen Fashion Summit, 24 April 21 RESOURCE EFFECTIVENESS AND SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
april - july
On 24 June 2014 Ljubljana won the award as Europe’s Green Capital 2016.
Ljubljana beat four other European cities: Oslo, Essen, Umeå and Nijme- gen, and the Award Ceremony was held in Copenhagen. The day included a welcome in the Dome of Visions and the workshop Biking in Copenha- gen and Beyond with keynote speakers such as Klaus Bondam, Director of the Cyclists’ Union, Ole Kassow, Cycling Without Age, and Philippe Crist OECD, International Transport Forum.
Lunch was served at Copenhagen Street Food by some of Copenhagen’s fin- est socio-economic entrepreneurs, followed by a harbour cruise, where City Architect Tina Saaby explained how the harbour areas are being redeveloped into attractive living areas. Some participants, including Director-General Karl Falkenberg, took the opportunity to take a swim in the harbour bath at Islands Brygge, which reached the Danish television news.
Director-General Karl Falkenberg on his bike from Brussels Three weeks earlier, on 31 May, Karl Falkenberg and his cycling team had arrived in Copenhagen after a five-day bike ride from Brussels. It has become a tradition that the Director-General bikes from Brussels to the Green Capital of the year, and in Copenhagen the biking team, who was in high spirits, was welcomed in the City Hall Garden with sunny wea ther, music, organic sausages, beer, chocolate and ice cream.
22 dome of visions
The Dome of Visions was opened at Søren Kierkegaards Plads in Copen- hagen in April 2014. The dome shows the way to new visions as the setting The Dome of Visions was built for conferences and debates about the sustainable cities and buildings of as a dome-shaped greenhouse the future. As an open venue for highly different interests, it is used for at the height of a three-storey concerts, readings, debates, business seminars, exhibitions and student house. The dome was built camps for sustainable solutions. to put focus on sustainable construction, urban life, archi- The questions were: How can we create buildings that are both sustainable tecture and working together in the broadest sense and energy-optimized? How can we develop cities across boundaries. Inside the that balance good daily life with ambitious climate goals? transparent dome is a two- storey house, shielded from The company NCC, the project sponsor, has made the Dome of Visions wind and rain and surrounded by an inspiration for new ways to reside, build and live. The dome is also an fragrant trees and plants. example of how a city’s many “middle” spaces (building sites, squares and parks) can have a temporary, unusual and vibrant life.
One of the meetings that took place in the Dome of Visions during Co- penhagen’s year as European Green Capital resulted in the Carbon-Neu- tral Cities Alliance (CNCA or Alliance). The Alliance is a new collabora- tion of international cities committed to achieving aggressive long-term carbon reduction goals. The Alliance aims to address what it will take for leading international cities to achieve these goals. The Alliance was born in Copenhagen in June 2014 at an organising meeting of the 17 cities.
23 Establishment of more than 90 new green thematic partnerships
More than 4,800 Copen - hageners/ tourists took a free electric boat trip
24 European Green Capital appeared almost 500 times in the Danish press throughout the year, and in 84 arti - cles in the interna - tional press
more than 250 events, con- ferences, guid - ed tours and other activities throughout the year
25 THE BLUE AND GREEN CITY
july - august
Copenhagen’s green and blues spaces are an important resource for Co- penhagen and the Copenhageners. The green and blue spaces are home to a large part of the city’s outdoor life and habitat for the majority of the city’s wildlife. The theme the Blue and Green City focused on the impor- tance and future of urban nature and of involving local green professions, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts in the work to make Copenhagen an even greener capital.
The main focus of the theme was urban farming and the edible city. The theme offered inspiration for both citizens and professionals to become a part of the urban farming movement. By inviting the citizens to urban farming workshops, on guided tours and by communicating the impor- tance of urban nature, the partners contributed to engaging and enlight- ening citizens as well as addressing environmental and societal benefits related to urban nature. The Eat Your City conference gathered more than 200 ur ban farming enthusiasts from all over the world, while the Harvest Festival gathered more than 2,600 eating guests.
26 THE BLUE AND GREEN CITY
Some of the main events with focus on the Blue and Green City: TagTomat (RoofTomatoes) –– Visit Nature Park Amager 4 May is a local green entrepreneur –– Urban gardening workshops April-July that has specialised in creating –– Opening of the rooftop garden ØsterGro 21 June plant containers and organising –– Official opening Dome of Vision 27 June urban farming workshops and –– GoGreen Summer School 3-6 July events for citizens. TagTomat –– Culture Harbour 1-3 August was a partner in the theme The –– Wild Festival 31 August Blue and Green City and organ- –– Harvest worship 31 August ised more than 15 urban farming –– Buster Film Festival 12-20 August events during the period. –– Eurocity Environmental Forum 18-20 September –– Eat Your City Conference 18-20 September Byhøst (city harvest) –– Harvest Festival 20 September is a local coalition that informs, inspires and guides citizens to Free one-hour boat trips offered to the people of Copenhagen showed collect and use nature’s com- them the city from the blue and green side, city guiding them to see the modities. Byhøst was a partner sustainable development of Copenhagen. in the theme The Blue and Green City and hosted several eat your neighbourhood tours, a wild festival in one of Copen- hagen’s nature areas. They were the coordinators of the Harvest Celebration.
ØsterGro Rooftop Farm has, since 2014, produced organ- ic vegetables, eggs and honey. Once a week member families gather the produce and main- tain the garden. A restaurant caters for special events looking for innovative and cutting-edge surroundings.
27 THE BLUE AND GREEN CITY
Urban farming has become a global trend. In Copenhagen too, more The Eat Your City conference and more food is produced in the city and the Copenhageners’ interest in gathered more than 200 urban growing their own food is increasing rapidly. Whether in tiny backyard farming enthusiasts from all plots, community gardening in city parks, guerrilla gardening in vacant over the world. lots or rooftops, urban farming is an established movement. During the theme several partners contributed to urban farming events.
Eat Your City The Eat Your City Conference was held in the contemporary setting of Volume Hall, a semi-bombed-out former train garage. The conference offered three days of lively guerrilla gardening, backyard plots and open source product development. There was an extreme willingness to share solutions and experiences. Cross-sectorial cooperation was facilitated between schools, private actors and authorities, proving urban farming a valuable tool to create social cohesion.
The Wild Festival could not escape a cloudburst. 500-600 Copenhageners had come to taste the city nature, and even though tarpaulins had to be put up at the end of the day, people’s moods did not falter. The seaweed pesto, buckthorn juice and delicious wild herbs at the gourmet restaurant were not brought in by airplanes from countries far away. They are inex- pensive ingredients, all of which can be gathered for free in the green areas of the city, for example Amager Beach or Amager Fælled. Byhøst hosted the Wild Festival to illustrate how easy it is to find delicious ingredients in nature and how to use them. It was a beautiful, albeit rainy day, with people collecting apples and buckthorn, followed by a three-course dinner using the wild herbs, fruits and berries of the season.
In Østerbro, a 600 m2 organic urban farm (ØsterGro) was established on the fifth-floor rooftop area of an old industrial building. 90 tonnes of soil were used to make raised beds and transform the rooftop to a lush green and social setting for future organic and social dining events.
28 THE BLUE AND GREEN CITY
Copenhagen City Harvest Celebration The Copenhagen Harvest Celebration as the official European Green The Harvest Festival gathered Capital Dinner successfully showcased liveability, organic and locally more than 2,600 participants produced food, temporary urbanism, creative food entrepreneurs and so- and was arranged in cooperation cio-economic start-ups. All key elements in the overall development plans with 37 local green entrepre- and visions for the City of Copenhagen. neurs. 2,600 Copenhageners took over the streets of Vesterbro and experienced local or organ
ic food, cooked by creative WWW.SHARINGCOPENHAGEN.DK food entrepreneurs, served by local women of the Ting KBHS bjerg neighbourhood and stu HØSTFEST LØRDAG DEN 20. SEPTEMBER 2014 dents from the city’s cookery KL. 17-21 PÅ SØNDER BOULEVARD Vær med når Sharing Copenhagen og foreningen Byhøst inviterer til en spektakulær høstmiddag for 2500 gæster schools. A total of 37 partners midt i København. were involved in the project, Læs mere på www.sharingcopenhagen.dk which connected stakeholders across professional boundaries. LET’S SHARE
SHARING COPENHAGEN 2014
29 GREEN MOBILITY
august - october
Key targets by 2025 Copenhagen is a city in motion. As the city grows, so does the need for new transport solutions to enhance quality of life, traffic flow, health and • The amount of individual trips the environment. Copenhagen is in the midst of an historic expansion of by car decreases from 34% in the public transport system, and massive investment in bicycle infrastruc- 2010 to 25% ture will encourage even more people to ride their bicycles.
• A minimum of 50% of all trips Throughout Green Mobility Days a variety of projects and initiatives were to work or place of study are showcased in Greater Copenhagen. New partnerships and ways of collabo- by bike (from 45% in 2014) rating within the transport sector emerged. Master classes and conferences on cycling and urban mobility planning debated how Copenhagen can • A minimum of 75% of all trips strengthen its position as the world’s best city of cyclists. are by foot, bike or public transport As an effect of Green Mobili • 20-30% of all light-weight ve ty Days, many political debates hicles use electricity, biogas, bioethanol or hydrogen took place with extensive media coverage in Danish and inter • There are 500-1000 public charging stations and 5000 national media and newspapers. partly public charging stations for electric and hybrid cars #SHARINGCPH GRØNNE MOBILITETSDAGE 25.8 -7.9
Svajerløb, elektriske biler, delebiler, samkørsel, sikkerhed. guidede ture, fremtidens cykling, bæredygtige fly og trafik Læs mere og tilmeld dig på www.sharingcopenhagen.dk
FOTO: TROELS HEIEN
Mobility Days Follow us on twitter @SharingCPH // facebook.com/SharingCPH // Instagram SharingCPH in numbers: SHARING COPENHAGEN 2014 Driving Green trade fair: 676 WWW.SHARINGCOPENHAGEN.DK participants, 5 tonnes of LEGO to build a future city infrastruc- ture, 1 EU Commissioner, 1 Min- ister of Climate and Energy, 3 cycling cities to debate the next level of cycling, 2 conferences about city logistics, 203 upload- ed Instagram photos showing best cases of green mobility, a 20-page mobility paper published.
30 GREEN MOBILITY
Driving Green, Denmark’s largest trade fair for sustainable and ener- gy-efficient road transport, was hosted on 27-28 August in Øksnehallen in Copenhagen. The focus of the fair was to inspire professionals and citizens to replace conventional energy sources of transport with alternative energy such as electricity, hydrogen and gas in combination with ITS innovation. The total amount of participants was 676.
The Future of Green Mobility The conference was hosted on 15 September at Berlingske Media’s rooftop terrace, overlooking Copenhagen’s vibrant city central, while celebrating highlights from Mobility Days and inviting participants to debate the future of green mobility. Keynote speakers included EU’s former Commis- sioner for Climate, Connie Hedegaard. About 60 people participated in the conference.
Mobility paper A newspaper section of 20 pages about the development of green mobility in the Greater Copenhagen region, was published in August 2014 by the Danish newspaper Berlingske. The paper highlighted political views, fu- ture projects and the many events published during the Sharing Copenha- In September, Copenhagen beat a gen programme Mobility Days. Guinness World Record when more than 200 electric cars met on the Malmö side of the Oresund Bridge
31 GREEN MOBILITY
#DYT Future lab: Preparing for better cycling cities A master class at Aalborg University on 27-28 August invited cycling cities DIT in Europe (Oslo, Amsterdam and Bristol) to debate how new cycling cities can be created and how cycling cities can be pushed to the next level. A KBH public event was hosted afterwards at the Danish Architecture Centre, #DYTDITKBH OG VIND EN TUR I DET GRØNNE Upload dit bedste / flotteste / sjoveste foto af dit, din tantes eller din fætters grønne transportmiddel på Instagram med # inviting citizens to hear presentations about green mobility and the role of deltager i lodtrækningen om lån af en spritny elbilDYTDITKBH fra BMW . Alle indsendte fotos om konkurrencen på www.sharingcopenhagen.dk. i en dag. Læs mere cycling in sustainable city development.
GO-CARD © 2014 · Tel. +45 81 10 18 20 · www.go-card.dk · All Rights Reserved · Free Advertising Postcard #14196 FOTO: URSULA BACH A total of 50 professionals participated in the master class and about 70 people joined the
KØBENHAVN // EUROPAS GRØNNE HOVEDSTAD 2014 KØBENHAVN ER KÅRET SOM EUROPAS GRØNNE HOVEDSTAD I 2014. DER VIL VÆRE MASSER AF AKTIVITETER OG GRØNNE OVERRASKELSER RESTEN AF ÅRET. DEL DIT KBH OG LÆS MERE PÅ WWW.SHARINGCOPENHAGEN.DK public event.
SHARING COPENHAGEN 2014
Danish Open Cargo Bike Race A revival of the traditional Danish Open Cargo Bike Race took place on 23 August at Bryggerens Plads in the Carlsberg City, Copenhagen – a public bicycle event showcasing unique Danish bicycle culture at its best. Men and women of all nationalities raced each other on two-wheeled and three-wheeled bikes, as well as on vintage cargo bikes, to find a champion. In total about 100 cyclists participated in the race and about 500 visitors attended the event.
The campaign Dyt Dit KBH (honk your Copenhagen) was implement- ed to inspire citizens to choose green transport over motorised vehicles. Throughout the campaign period from 31 July to 17 August, Copenhage- ners were encouraged to upload Instagram photos showing the best cases of green transport. Among the prizes was a picnic by electric vehicle.
In total, 203 photos were uploaded to Instagram with the hashtag ”DYT- DITKBH” (in English: #HonkyourCPH).
32 GREEN MOBILITY
The future of greener aviation The event hosted at Copenhagen airport on 5-6 September ended four “Aviation needs to kick-start days of debate by decision-makers about the future of green aviation. the process of using biofuel to avoid green restrictions from 300 participants from all around the world joined the conference. authorities.”
At the same time, with the public event Green Aviation Days at the air- Robert Arendal, Head of Sustainable port, citizens and school classes were offered free entrance to several hap- Biofuel Network in Luxembourg and penings and exhibitions such as the LEGO event Build the Change, Solar Copenhagen Goodwill Ambassador Impulse, showcasing of a CD-3 veteran plane and the Nordic Initiative for Sustainable Aviation.
200 electric cars beat the Guinness World Record In September, more than 200 electric cars met on the Malmö side of the Øresund Bridge to challenge an official Japanese world record from 2010. To break the record, all cars were 100% electric and drove in a single pa- rade with 70 km/h on a 3.2 km stretch. The many participants came from Denmark, Norway and Sweden accounted for EVs virtually all the models and colours available on the market today. let’s share
33 CLIMATE AND GREEN TRANSFORMATION
august - october
CPH Key targets for 2025: The fifth and last theme of the year focused on the climate and green transformation. Carbon emissions must be curbed and cities have a re- • 100% carbon-neutral sponsibility to face up to the global climate change challenge.
• CO2 emissions reduced by Copenhagen’s contribution to the global challenge is an ambitious goal 1.2 million tonnes of becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral capital by 2025. The first objective, to cut CO2 emissions by 20% compared to 2005 emissions, • Construction and renovation was reached four years earlier than planned. Biomass, more wind turbines projects to save 50,000 tonnes and energy-efficient street lighting are some of the initiatives leading to of CO2 the carbon reduction. In addition, Copenhagen is preparing the city and making it resilient to the negative climate effects such as extreme weather • Reduce heat consumption conditions. by 20% The programme was compact with events and initiatives, stretching from • An electricity production that small citizen initiatives, including the Sustainable Citizen Festival, to is based on wind and biomass large-scale urban renewal constructions such as the inauguration of the and exceeds the total electricity first climate-adapted neighbourhood, Skt. Kjelds Kvarter (St. Kjeld’s consumption in Copenhagen Quarter).
A part of the first climate-adapted neighbourhood called Tåsinge Plads got an incredible makeover which has not only created a new urban space, but also supports a climate-adapted neighbourhood. This initiative was completed in collaboration with Skt. Kjelds Kvarter and HOFOR. Around 1,600 interested citizens participated in the event.
Tåsinge Plads Skt. Kjelds Kvarter was also host to one of the more creative initiatives A variety of initiatives seep, of the year. Artists from all over Europe lived in the quarter for a couple delay and collect rainwater from of weeks, and at the end gave their views on how art and climate change a roof and road space of 4,300 adaption can create synergies and great experiences for the users. m2. This avoids overload in the sewers and reduces the risk of flooding
34 CLIMATE AND GREEN TRANSFORMATION let’s share
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in Copenhagen On October 27-31 Copenhagen was host to the Intergovernmental Panel on The City of Copenhagen was Climate Change (IPCC). 600 international researchers, government repre- directly involved in the planning sentatives and NGOs gathered to debate the state of the world and finalise and execution of four major the fifth IPCC report leading up to the UNFCCC negotiations at COP21 events: Ring the Leaders, Ice in Paris in 2015. Again, Copenhagen was the centre of the world’s attention Watch, Generation Sustain and and took the opportunity to debate, show and share green solutions. the official welcoming of the IPCC’s 600 international dele- 700 children from Copenhagen participated in the children’s sustainability gates to the City Hall. All with festival Generation Sustain. 600 NGOs and biking enthusiasts participated participation of the local mayors in the happening Ring the Leaders co-created with the Danish Cyclists and ministers. Federation. The video from the event went viral and spread to thousands around the world.
600 IPCC delegates and former leader of the IPCC, Dr. Pachauri, were greeted by Lord Mayor Frank Jensen at the City Hall and presented with the children’s IPCC report “Engaging the Next Generation” by three of the young Copenhagen Climate Ambassadors. Together with children from Belgium, India, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia and Sweden, they deve loped a series of best practice tools for engaging children and youth in a sustainable future. All this happened amidst an installation on the City Hall Square by world famous artist Olafur Eliasson. Eliasson and scientist Minik Rosing had shipped 12 enormous blocks of ice from Greenland to raise awareness of climate change. The 12 ice blocks were melting in a clock formation right there on the square. At least 30,000 people saw, touched, felt and listened to the cracking ice before it was gone.
35 CLIMATE AND GREEN TRANSFORMATION
The Christmas Swap Copenhagen Christmas Swap Market Market in numbers: As a closing event, the City Square housed a giant circus tent. Inside, 10 DJs, 4,000 citizens, approximately 4,000 people took part in a giant Christmas Swap Market, 2 tonnes of second-hand bringing what they had in surplus and taking home what they needed. goods swapped, 3 social entrepreneurs, 30 volunteers, Co-creating organisers were local women who have raised landslide aware- 1 Dane of the Year ness of swap markets in Denmark. Guests were pampered with delicious free soups, cooked by volunteers from Det Runde Bord (the Round Table) with vegetables and ingredients donated by vegetable markets and food wholesalers with goods close to the official expiry date; foods that would otherwise have been discarded.
At the same time and almost in the same place, Copenhagen concluded the year as European Green Capital with a large, professional conference – Green Capital Days – where decision-makers, business leaders and civil society organisations from Denmark and abroad met and debated sustain- able urban development. 650 conference participants took part.
Cities can contribute significantly to bridging the global emissions gap – with emissions reduction of up to two-thirds the impact of recent national policies and actions. Front-runner cities around the world already have far more ambitious reduction goals than nation- al governments.”
Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40
36 CLIMATE AND GREEN TRANSFORMATION
Green Capital Days 8-9 December Green Capital Days in Green Capital Days showcased specific green initiatives and projects that numbers: create green growth and make Copenhagen and the region a sustainable 1 EU Commissioner, 8 mayors, and better place to live in the future. The conference participants from 10 embassies, 20 cities, 40 com- all around the world shared knowledge about how to support a future of panies, 650 registered confer- sustainable urban living. ence participants, 17 public ses- sions, 55 children from Malmö, The programme included: Brussels, Bristol and Copenha- gen, 17 keynote speakers from –– The official European Green Capital Europe, Canada, Asia and the –– Handover ceremony Copenhagen-Bristol U.S., 10 DJs, 4,000 citizens at the –– Copenhagen Climate Solutions – CPH 2025 (annual conference) Green Christmas Swap Market –– The conference The City of Copenhagen at the City Hall Square, 2 tonnes –– Ramboll: Realising Liveable Cities of second-hand goods swapped –– The High-Level Roundtable Talks at the Christmas Swap Market, 3 –– Copenhagen-Paris: A Roadmap to COP21 social entrepreneurs, 30 volun- –– The Children’s Climate Summit teers, 1 Dane of the Year. –– The European Green Capital Network
Handover Ceremony The Handover Ceremony where Copenhagen handed over the title as “Cities act, collaborate and lead European Green Capital to Bristol for 2015 took place in connection with but can only reach their ambi- the Green Capital Days. tious goals through visionary collaboration with industry part- Here the European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs ners and continued dismantling and Fisheries Mr. Karmenu Vella, Lord Mayor Frank Jensen and Mayor of national and international George Fergusson turned the page in the Green Book – and Bristol is now barriers to city legislation and the official European Green Capital 2015. Congratulations to Bristol. initiatives reducing emissions.”
Morten Kabell, Mayor for Technical and Environmental Affairs, City of Copenhagen
37 gener ation SUSTAIN
In Copenhagen, the City aims to prepare the future generations for more sustainable living by teaching and involving them. For their health, the City also ensures the availability of organic meals during the daytime in all childcare centres and primary schools.
Sharing Copenhagen at Green Week in Brussels During the Green Week in Brussels, several Copenhagen events took place. Students from the European School of Brussels demonstrated how their classes had worked hands-on with the Copenhagen Model with litter and street cleanliness, green mobility and green areas in and around their school. The children presented their findings and recommendations to the European Commissioner for the Environment, Janez Potočnik, the European Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard, and Copenhagen’s Mayor for Children and Youth, Pia Allerslev.
Generation Sustain In October, when the International Panel on Climate Change met in Copenhagen, 700 children from all around the city participated in a chil- dren’s sustainable festival, Generation Sustain. Here they met in debates, play and creative projects about waste, reuse and valuable resources.
The Children’s Ambassador Corps challenged the Mayor for Children and Youth, Pia Allerslev, and the Minister of Climate, Rasmus Helveg, on the sustainability of their daily habits. The day ended with the staging of a great adventure, made by the children themselves, about garbage, litter, resources and a more sustainable future.
38 GENERATION SUSTAIN
The Children’s Climate Summit As part of the conference Green Capital Days, 55 children aged 11-17 gathered in Copenhagen on December 8-9 for the Children’s Climate let’s Summit 2014. They came from Bristol, Brussels, Malmö and Copenhagen. share They worked together with the purpose of ensuring the commitment of the European Green Capital, to include education, engagement and in- volvement of children and youth in the effort for sustainable development. The children strongly believed that education, engagement and involvement in sustainable development were missing crite ria in the European Green Capi tal selection process.
This is essential for a greener and better future for the coming generations worldwide. During the two days, the children worked on creating a joint strategy proposal that answered the questions:
–– Why engage and involve children/youth? –– What to do: Five central strategy points/goals –– How: Dos and don’ts when implementing strategy in practice Karl Falkenberg, European Commission's The strategy proposal was handed over to representatives of the European Director-General of Environment, is keen Green Capital Award and the European Green Capital Network. to engage with upcoming generations and is currently exploring the best way to involve younger people in the future cycles of the European Green Capital Award.
39 WORLDWIDE SHARING
Even before 2014, a large amount of delegations and study tours would There is a significant potential in arrive in Copenhagen every year to learn about sustainable city devel- giving visiting businesses, cities opment. Especially Copenhagen’s unique mix of liveable sustainability and organisations a positive and attracts the visitors from foreign capitals: a harbour clean enough to swim inspiring experience when they in, a ubiquitous bicycle infrastructure, city-wide district heating grids visit Greater Copenhagen. It not powered by waste incineration, innovative climate adaptation and Copen- only provides knowledge about hagen’s vibrant cleantech sector with its advanced green technologies. Copenhagen as a green capital, but also paves the way for ex- As Europe’s Green Capital, Copenhagen invited the world to learn how to port and future cooperation. create greener and more sustainable cities, and to share their own solutions and experiences. A dedicated one-point entry for delegations was set up in the Sharing Copenhagen team to professionalise how Copenhagen received delegations and ensured beneficial visits for both guests and hosts.
Through the one-point entry, foreign delegations were assisted in planning inspiring programmes, connecting to local experts, arranging site visits and making the expertise of officials available to guests. Partners such as CLEAN, the Danish Centre for Architecture, State of Green and others were invited to co-create a common approach for delegation visits. Private partners were likewise involved in the visit to display local sustainable solutions.
40 WORLDWIDE SHARING
A dedicated one-point entry within the municipality included an effort to coordinate departments within the municipality, developing standards and best practices for visits and mapping relevant destinations in Copen- hagen and its surroundings. A section on the Sharing Copenhagen website guided visitors to green destinations and had suggestions for self-guided tours and events throughout the year. More than 80 delegation visits were organised specifically in relation to Sharing Copenha gen. The visiting delegations originated from more than 30 different countries and in cluded mayors, civil servants, private enterprises, students, journalists and researchers who came to learn about the Copenhagen model for urban sustainability.
The success of these activities has since led to the creation of a one-point entry for the entire Greater Copenhagen area to coordinate delegation visits beyond the Green Capital celebrations, to promote green growth and to share solutions throughout the region.
41 THE european green capital NETWORk
As part of the application for the European Green Capital Award, Copen- In 2014 up to 21 cities were hagen promised to establish and host a new city network with membership potential members: limited to cities that have been shortlisted for the award.
Copenhagen The idea was to enable the most progressive green cities in Europe to share Stockholm knowledge and shoulder the environmental agenda together. The network Hamborg keeps in close contact with the EU-Commission – DG Environment – Bristol leaving the Commission with a forum for testing new visions and ideas. Nuremberg Reykjavik The network is expected to meet two or three times per year in connection Amsterdam with other Green Capital events. Here the members can exchange experi- Freiburg ences and discuss relevant subjects and themes. During the meetings there Münster will be special attention on the exchange between political leaders and Oslo sometimes a meeting for politicians only will be organised. Barcelona Malmo Politicians as well as public servants can be members. The network is in- Nantes formal and based on personal contacts in order to create a confidentiality Vitoria-Gasteiz that allows for sharing both successes and failures. Frankfurt Brussels Glasgow Ljubljana Essen Nijmegen Umea
42 THE european green capital NETWORk
The activities of the network are planned by a steering group with mem- bers from DG Environment, the current Green Capital and the former and the future Green Capitals. The common denominator of the network members is that they have been shortlisted for the Green Capital Award, which makes the network an addition to the existing networks in which a more mixed group of cities can participate.
Three meetings in the network took place in Copenhagen in 2014. The first in January in connection with the opening event for Copenhagen’s year as European Green Capital. On the basis of a draft paper prepared by Copenhagen, the meeting focused on deciding the set-up of the network: Why a new network? How should it work? What makes the network different to other networks? It was agreed that the network would be informal and confidential, and that participants would start in a low-key way to see how the network would develop.
The themes of the two subsequent meetings of the network were –– Liveable cities – integration of different policy areas in order to create a liveable city –– Communication of Green Capitals Copenhagen looks forward to continuing the cooperation and mutual inspiration in the European Green Capital Net work in the years to come.
43 SHARING WITH FUTURE EUROPEAN GREEN CAPITALS
The main learning points to be shared from the European Green Capital 2014 – Sharing Copenhagen
Do not underestimate the power of partnerships and co-creation! Throughout Copenhagen’s year as Green Capital 2014 we formed more than 90 partnerships – from major corporations to citizens growing toma- toes on rooftops. We executed nearly 250 events throughout the year. We travelled all over Europe and had visits from all over the world.
We were delighted and, admittedly, surprised at the level of interest and energy put into the projects by third party agents. They inspired us, helped us develop the project and the contents, and sometimes they transformed our view of them as third parties, as we recognised them for being the ones affected and involved. It made perfect sense to have very different partners play a more active part than we would traditionally have done ourselves, in an administrative organ named the Technical and Environ- mental Administration of the City of Copenhagen.
Dare to share This lesson of cooperation is definitely something that we will carry with us in the future. We recommend that future Green Capitals establish, build and sustain partnerships. The partnerships were crucial to our efforts during our time as Green Capital. They were crucial for focusing atten- tion, and for creating and emphasising the need for solutions that take all parts of the matter into account. And they were crucial for activating ordinary citizens and creating a public obligation towards a better future.
Establishing a new platform for communication takes time Sharing Copenhagen was a great tagline for the year as European Green Capital 2014, telling an important story in itself. It provided an excellent, open platform for partner involvement and co-creation, and in general it was easy to communicate.
However, establishing of new message platform takes time, and looking back, it would have been preferable to start the process somewhat earlier.
let’s share
44 SHARING WITH FUTURE EUROPEAN GREEN CAPITALS
Focus on daily communication There is no such thing as too much publicity. So the project had to be Get people involved, dare to made visible for the organisation itself, partners, the citizens and any share, dare to engage in equal possible followers of the message. Reflecting on how to communicate and partnerships, dare to co-create on how to reach the target groups should be started early. Looking back, a and you will see incredible results. more strategic involvement of the partners regarding communication and press activities from the start of the project could probably have boosted results.
Partnerships should also be grounded in the partners’ communication departments to continually help spread the common messages in the press and in the social media. The design manual made from the very beginning supported and facilitated the communication for everybody during the year.
Enjoy and acknowledge the process Being European Green Capital put a tremendous strain on not just our organisation but also on us all as individuals. It was also great fun though, and during this year, we felt things move. We felt that we made a differ- ence. And we were all in it together. Sharing Copenhagen was a process that cost a lot of energy but rewarded us with a lot more.
We need to go beyond merely sustainable. We need a shared culture of sustainability.
45 we will keep sharing
The themes for Copenhagen will not stop sharing just because we are no longer the Euro- Sharing Copenhagen pean Green Capital! When we started the preparations in early 2013, we partnerships 2015 and had an ambition to make a programme for 2014 that would engage the 2016: people, the business community and the organisations of Greater Copenha- gen. We wanted them to take part in the development of a coherent green • Climate city where quality of life, growth and the environment are all in focus. • Climate adaptation And we had a strong ambition to use the platform of being European • Green mobility Green Capital 2014 to make some long-lasting changes to the way we do • Green Copenhagen things in Copenhagen. • Circular economy/ resources The Sharing Copenhagen 2015 partnerships One of the most tangible results from our year as European Green Capital is the Sharing Copenhagen partnership, counting more than 90 part- ners from small NGOs and knowledge institutions to large companies and other municipalities, including the City of Malmö in Sweden. The continuation of Sharing Copenhagen 2014 has already been launched at a public kick-off meeting with 130 participants at the Dome of Visions in May 2015.
A one-point entry for green delegations Another visible result is the set-up for handling visits to Copenhagen. The title as European Green Capital created an opportunity for a wide range of stakeholders to join forces and establish a smart set-up for handling green visits. The success of these activities has since led to the creation of a one-point entry for the entire Greater Copenhagen area to coordinate delegation visits beyond the Green Capital celebrations, to promote green growth and sharing of solutions throughout the region. And of course the City of Copenhagen will continue to be a part of the European Green Capital Network.
46 let’s share
47 THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR PARTNERS
HOFOR NCC rambøll the Capital Region of Denmark
Amager Ressource Center The Energy- and Water Science Center Copenhagen Metro Amager Nature Park - KK The Danish Ministry of Business and Growth Malmø Stad Arken Eurocities Miljøpunkt Amager BIOFOS The European Commission Ministry of Higher Education and Science Billedskolen Folkevandringen Movia By og Havn Foreningen Alverdens Børn Nordvand A/S BYBI Cycling Without Age Omstilling Nu Brahma Kumaris Frugtformidlingen Roskilde Festival Buster Filmfestival The City of Furesø SAS Byhøst The City of Gladsaxe State of Green Carlberg/Christensen Go more Stop Wasting Food movement Denmark CBS Gate 21 Skt. Kjelds climate resilient neighbourhood CIDEA - KU Green Building Council Strømma Danmark Copenhagen Capacity GoGreenCopenhagen Sydhavnstippen CLEAN / CCCThe City of Albertslund Green Cities Suitable for Business Copenhagen Goodwill Ambassadors Hansa Green Tour 2014 Sustainable Citizen Festival Cultura 21 Huset Markedsføring/Børsen TAGdetOP DAC Hennes & Mauritz Toldboden Huset Markedsføring/Dagbladet Børsen IBC Euroforum TagTomat Danish Cyclists’ Federation INDEX: Design to Improve Life Danish Tecnological Institute Danish Fashion Institute The Danish Society of Ingineers The Transport Innovation Network Danish Maritime Days International Federation for Housing and Planning Unfolding Fields Danish Science Factory IPCC University of the Creative Arts - the Centre for Sustainable Design Danish Design Center Island Dynamics.org WOCO Danish Pedestrian Society Kulturhavn The Danish Road Directorate Confederation of Danish Industry KAB We/Do Agencey Dansk Retursystem Copenhagen International Theatre Øresund Kulturdage Grønne Kirker/Danske Kirkers Råd Copenhagen Airport Öresundskomiteen Det Danske Kulturinstitut The Copenhagen House of Food ØsterGRO The Royal Danish Library Museum of Copenhagen Aalborg University The Ecological Council The University of Copenhagen 2200 TÆSK DTU/Skylab LAGI Life Exhibitions Lokaludvalgene
PHOTO and text CREDITS Ursula Bach/City of Copenhagen, Le Lyby/ MeWe Communication, Danish Fashion Institute, KøbenhavnerGrøn, Studio Olafur Eliasson, Jill Christina, Byhøst, ØsterGro, TagTomat, Dome of Visions, Christian Alsing, Ernst Tobisch/CPH, @kimahmphotographer, @aig__cph, @thomasrousing, @nikolajthaning, @kennethnguyen
Design TMF Design
sharing copenhagen 2014 www.sharingcopenhagen.dk