{"id":2514,"date":"2023-09-15T15:52:15","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T10:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adultserviceau.com.au\/blog\/winners-of-the-european-green-capital-award-in-your-pocket-travel-blog\/"},"modified":"2023-09-15T15:52:15","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T10:22:15","slug":"winners-of-the-european-green-capital-award-in-your-pocket-travel-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adultserviceau.com.au\/blog\/winners-of-the-european-green-capital-award-in-your-pocket-travel-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Winners of the European Green Capital Award \u2013 In Your Pocket Travel Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"

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We are about to embark on more than 1,500 words of sustainability, eco-awareness and good intentions, so we\u2019ll keep this introduction relatively short. Welcome to the complete history of the European Green Capital Award! The title does an excellent job explaining what it is, namely a designation awarded to a different European city every year to recognise its environmental record.<\/p>\n

The three main criteria are achieving high environmental standards, a commitment to ongoing improvement and role model potential. Conceived in 2006 and established in 2010, it is open to cities of more than 100,000 people across Europe. If your city isn\u2019t so massive, fear not; the European Green Leaf is a little sibling of sorts, for cities of between 20,000 and 100,000 folks.<\/p>\n

Will we write a history of that award in the future? Almost certainly, but this intro is already too long. Without further ado, let\u2019s celebrate all things green.<\/p>\n

2010 \u2013 Stockholm, Sweden<\/h2>\n
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European Capitals of Culture \u2013 Stockholm, Sweden \u00a9 Brightfreak \/ Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stockholm<\/a> was the inaugural recipient of the European Green Capital crown, further proving that Sweden<\/a> is the best place. Shame about all that winter, but what can you do? In many ways, Stockholm was the poster child for the initiative, receiving the award in large part due to its success in cutting carbon dioxide emissions. Since 1990, that number was down 25% per inhabitant, which sounds pretty darn good.<\/p>\n

The Swedish capital was also ahead of the game when integrating environmental aspects into its administrative system, although that sounds far too academic for this celebratory piece. Stockholm is an archipelago city surrounded by water and packed with green areas, good public transport, an extensive cycling network, and a commitment to innovative thinking. Poster child, indeed.<\/p>\n

2011 \u2013 Hamburg, Germany<\/h2>\n
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European Capitals of Culture \u2013 Hamburg, Germany \u00a9 Claudio Testa \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The crown stayed in the north of Europe in 2011, passing from Stockholm\u2019s chiselled jaw to Hamburg\u2019s<\/a> rugged features. The so-called Gateway to the World was chosen because of its commitment to allying sustainable policies in a massive urban environment, focusing mainly on redevelopment and inward growth. HafenCity was arguably the centrepiece, an enormous city development project that took 388 hectares of industrial land and created an urban playground of shops, hotels and residential buildings. That doesn\u2019t sound particularly green, but green doesn\u2019t always mean literally the colour green.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2012 \u2013 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain<\/h2>\n
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European Capitals of Culture \u2013 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain \u00a9 David Vives \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After two years in the north, the prestigious European Green Capital crown headed south in 2012 to Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of Spain\u2019s<\/a> Basque Country. As with the previous winners, the decision was based on good practices the city had been pushing, such as the regeneration of its green belt and commitment to creating new green urban areas. Much more of a focus on the literal green, but Vitoria-Gasteiz wasn\u2019t content to win the crown and simply sit on the throne. In 2019, the city was proclaimed a Global Green City, an award bestowed upon it by the UN. It isn\u2019t difficult to understand why, as you are never more than two minutes walk from a green zone here. Nearly 300 tree species are found across the city, making it a Mecca for Dendrophiles.<\/p>\n

2013 \u2013 Nantes, France<\/h2>\n
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European Capitals of Culture \u2013 Nantes, France \u00a9 Christel \/ Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The list of European Green Capitals is varied. Some are famously green places, while others are formerly industrial cities that have reinvented themselves against all the odds. 2013 winner Nantes is among the latter, and the French city\u2019s impressive blossoming from a ship-building centre into a sustainability powerhouse attracted the decision-makers. The industrial past of Nantes wasn\u2019t ignored, however; quite the opposite, as the magical Machines of the Isle of Nantes (Les Machines de l\u2019\u00eele) showcased the history of machines in this fascinating place while doubling up as a creative hub and eco-district. A tour in the Great Elephant is an absolute must.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2014 \u2013 Copenhagen, Denmark<\/h2>\n
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European Capitals of Culture \u2013 Copenhagen, Denmark \u00a9 Peter Lloyd \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let\u2019s be honest; it would have been a shock of seismic proportions if Copenhagen<\/a> wasn\u2019t on the list. The Danish capital always comes up when discussing sustainable and innovative capital cities, and Copenhagen is at the forefront of all this business. One particularly delightful law states that since 2010, all newly constructed buildings must incorporate green roofs into their structures, and that gets a thumbs up from us. More than a quarter of Copenhagen\u2019s urban area is green, with the city\u2019s famous parkipelagos another creative quirk of this most creative quirky place. Copenhagen is a beacon of verdant light, a land of thoughtful public policies and clear priorities. If you look up European Green Capital in the dictionary, you\u2019ll probably see a picture of Copenhagen sipping a craft beer and wearing a funky hat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2015 \u2013 Bristol, England<\/h2>\n
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European Capitals of Culture \u2013 Bristol, United Kingdom \u00a9 Nik \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Is Bristol<\/a> the Copenhagen of England<\/a>? Or is Copenhagen the Bristol of Denmark<\/a>? Both of those are true, in all honesty. For all the creative innovation Copenhagen brings to Denmark, brilliant Brizzle does the same in England, from its Fair Trade focus to its status as Britain\u2019s first Cycling City (and its second Gold Sustainable Food City). Throw in the Soil Association, the BBC Natural History Unit, Sustrans (the sustainability charity behind the UK National Cycle Network) and much more, and you\u2019ve got a green city worth celebrating. This is useful, as Bristol was recently revealed as the UK\u2019s booziest city\u2026<\/p>\n

2016 \u2013 Ljubljana, Slovenia<\/h2>\n
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European Green Capitals \u2013 Ljubljana, Slovenia \u00a9 Eugene Kuznetsov \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Okay, we\u2019re a little biased as Ljubljana<\/a> is a home base for us, but the Slovene<\/a> capital was born for this award. Ljubljana has been front and centre of green initiatives in recent decades, transforming its old centre into a pedestrian-only zone to celebrate. Sure, it hasn\u2019t all been perfect, but Ljubljana is a city that makes the most of all it has. Few cities have embraced the title and concept as enthusiastically as darling Ljubljana, which takes its reputation as a \u2018city built on a human scale\u2019 very seriously. If you haven\u2019t spent a day hiking into the hills surrounding the city, have you really been to Ljubljana? (Yes, of course, but you should get into the hills pronto).\u00a0<\/p>\n

2017 \u2013 Essen, Germany<\/h2>\n
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European Green Capitals \u2013 Essen, Germany \u00a9 Michael Gaida \/ Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With over 3,100 hectares of green areas, Essen is the very essence of what it means to be a European Green Capital. No, we will not apologise for that. If this was about Nice, we\u2019d say it was a very nice place. If it was about Lyon, we\u2019d be lying if we said we\u2019d avoid the puns. Without them, what are we? Essen is a city where green living is essential to daily life. It is the third-greenest city in Germany<\/a> and was the second to wear the European Green Capital crown. Many similarly sized cities (a population of around 550,00) can learn many lessons from Essen. Or lessens. Okay, we apologise for that one\u2026<\/p>\n

2018 \u2013 Nijmegen, Netherlands<\/h2>\n
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European Green Capitals \u2013 Nijmegen \u00a9 Richard Brunsveld \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nijmegen became the first Dutch European Green Capital when it was honoured in 2018. The oldest city in the Netherlands<\/a>, Nijmegen was given the award on the back of a strong city-wide push for sustainability, from old-timers to young bucks, and the city\u2019s investment in clean energy, smart mobility and sustainable business practices really paid off. 2018 was Nijmegen\u2019s first bite at the cherry, losing out to Copenhagen<\/a> (2014) and Bristol (2015), before staging a major play at the award ceremony in Ljubljana (2016), eventually getting its day in the sun. But all those cycling lanes, waste separation units, wind turbines and other policies aren\u2019t just for awards; they are for everyone in Nijmegen.<\/p>\n

2019 \u2013 Oslo, Norway<\/h2>\n
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European Green Capitals \u2013 Oslo, Norway \u00a9 Gunnar Ridderstrom \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The European Green Capital award roadshow went to Oslo<\/a> in 2019, and the people of Norway\u2019s capital greeted the gong with shock and disbelief. Not because Oslo was the recipient but because it took so long for the city to be recognised. For decades, Oslo has been at the forefront of climate-friendly policy and green development through the widespread use of renewable energy and its impressive reduction of emissions. The Norwegian capital is packed with farm-to-table restaurants, sustainable neighbourhoods and magnificent museums that are aware of their carbon footprint. We can\u2019t afford to eat in the restaurants, but maybe that is on us.<\/p>\n

2020 \u2013 Lisbon, Portugal<\/h2>\n
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European Green Capitals \u2013 Lisbon, Portugal \u00a9 Andre Lergier \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ask our most handsome writer about Lisbon<\/a>, and the Welsh boy will invariably say something along the lines of \u201cwhen I worked at a hostel in Mostar<\/a>, Lisbon seemed to win all the awards.\u201d Does Lisbon win all of the awards? Long story short, yes. Yes, it does. In 2020, it won the European Green Capital award, another string to its sustainable bow. In 2016, Lisbon was the first European capital to sign the New Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, the same year the city achieved its 2030 goal of reducing carbon emissions by 40%. The Rue de Silva (the city\u2019s Green Street) is an excellent example of Lisbon\u2019s transformation, a serene street lined with plants, flowers and joy.<\/p>\n

2021 \u2013 Lahti, Finland<\/h2>\n
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European Green Capitals \u2013 Lahti, Finland \u00a9 Hert Niks \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2021, lovely Lahti became the first Finnish city to receive the award, capping a remarkable transformation for the city. In many ways, Lahti\u2019s story closely mirrors that of the country, where 20th-century industry has given way to innovation and forward-thinking decisions. Lahti was known as the Chicago of Finland, not because of the wind but because of the abundance of factories and (in particular) slaughterhouses. Enough was enough, and the last few decades have seen Lahti escape the cocoon of clog to become a blossoming butterfly of brilliance. Yes, alliteration, we love it. In 2015, Lahti established the world\u2019s first carbon-neutral symphony orchestra, and the city is aiming for carbon-neutral status by 2025.<\/p>\n

2022 \u2013 Grenoble<\/h2>\n
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European Green Capitals \u2013 Grenoble \u00a9 Fabe Collage \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nearly a decade after Nantes took home the championship (is that how it works?), Grenoble<\/a> became France\u2019s second European Green Capital. A deserved gong, to say the least, as the Alpine capital was the first city in France<\/a> to adopt a climate plan to clean up some of the mess our species has created. Easier said than done, of course, but you can\u2019t fault Grenoble for effort. The city implemented a 30m\/ph limit in 2016, making Grenoble a pedestrian-friendly place no matter where in town you find yourself. All that Alpine air now flows freely through the lungs of its people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2023 \u2013 Tallinn, Estonia<\/h2>\n
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European Green Capitals \u2013 Tallinn, Estonia \u00a9 Leo Roomets \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Did it really take this long for Tallinn<\/a> to win the award? Honestly, we are shocked. The current and reigning European Green Capital champion, Tallinn is a gorgeous city that isn\u2019t afraid to take risks, although by risks, we mean \u2018declaring access to the internet to be a human right\u2019. The Estonian capital is undergoing a green makeover this year, with concrete being transformed from grey to green, making an already sparkling city even more delightful. Tallinn\u2019s winning bid was built around eco-innovation and biodiversity. We\u2019ll check back in next year to see how the year went.<\/p>\n

2024 \u2013 Valencia, Spain<\/h2>\n
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European Green Capitals \u2013 Valencia, Spain \u00a9 Tim Wehrmann \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The official IYP Crystal Ball has been dusted off, and we have peered into the future to see how next year\u2019s European Green Capital has fared. Valencia is gearing up for its year in the sun, just reward for years of eco-friendly developments and innovation. At the centre of it all? That will be the Huelta, 120 square kilometres of fruit and vegetable farms that light up the menus of the city\u2019s restaurants. The city is also surrounded by two natural parks, which helps in this business. Was it a success? We didn\u2019t say the crystal ball worked, so we must wait and see.<\/p>\n

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