Östersund - Sweden's best climate municipality

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2 Östersund - Sweden's best climate municipality Östersund is the best climate municipality because of its extensive and ambitious climate work in all areas. Society for the Conservation of Nature's motivation The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation nominated Östersund Sweden's best climate municipality in 2010 in its comparative Climate index, which is compiled every third year. Svante Axelsson is the General Secretary of the society. He has worked with the investigation and justifies Östersund's nomination as Sweden's best climate municipality as follows: The climate work in Östersund is thorough and very broad. The municipality was not best in all the areas we investigated, but is good in all of them. If you were to compare our award with the Oscars, Östersund would perhaps not win the Oscar for best leading role, but, for best direction. Now we are looking to the future and further improvement! We are very proud to have been nominated as Sweden's best climate municipality. This enhances our hopes for the future and gives us further encouragement in the work we are doing. It is our joint responsibility to take measures now to assure a sustainable society for future generations. It is not easy to become the best. Many municipalities have a strong focus on climate work. But we have worked hard for many years within the municipal organisation and have created a system that works extremely well. There are also many companies, organisations and individuals in Östersund who have contributed to the reduction of emissions. The award is verification 2 of the meaningfulness of our long term work. Confirmation that we are on the right track! This is very important since the work has only just begun. Climate work with ambitious goals is a prerequisite for the growth of Östersund. For future generations to choose to live and work here, we must lie on the front edge of developing a sustainable society! AnnSofie Andersson Chair of the city executive board

3 Why did we receive the award? Long term, thorough work lies behind the fact that we have been awarded the prize. The approach is applied everywhere, in all units, as well as in companies and organisations in Östersund. We are the first municipality in Sweden to environmentally certify our entire operation according to ISO and to be EMAS registered. The greatest reductions in climate impacting emission have been made within the framework of the local investment programme (LIP) and the climate investment programme (KLIMP). But what do we actually do? Why are we Sweden's best climate municipality? Here are some examples. The district heating system is extensive, and the combined heat and power plant is primarily biofuelled. Moreover, an accumulator tank is installed, which increases production and delivery reliability at the same time as reducing emission. The property management unit works to reduce energy consumption, to convert from fossil to renewable forms of energy and to engage personnel and tenants in the task. With new construction, energy requirements are set so as to enable environmental classification of the finished buildings. The Green Traffic unit works towards conversion to sustainable travel and several means of transportation. Buses are being converted to use biofuel and to reduce their carbon dioxide emission by 75 per cent. The city is involved on the 'Time for Train' project and has a cooperation agreement with the Swedish Transport Administration. We sort waste, separate food waste and plan to convert the food waste to vehicle fuel at a plant that we share with Sundsvall. At Göviken sewerage plant, we produce vehicle fuel from the sludge, and a biogas filling station is located there also. At Gräfsåsen waste disposal plant, we extract biogas which is then used to produce electricity and heat. The Environment and Community committee encourages the construction of low energy-consumption buildings through annulment of duties for passive buildings. We also encourage the purchase of biofuel cars through offering free parking. The Culture and Recreation committee allocates financial support for events and in return demands that an environmental plan is compiled and implemented. The replacement of half the street lighting in the city to energy efficient lighting is underway. But this is only the start. The city is taking things further. Through signing the Covenant of Mayors agreement, we have committed ourselves to improving upon the EU goal for emission reduction, which is for 20 % less emission in 2020 than in Östersund's own climate goal is to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by 60 % between 1990 and 2020, and according to calculations the emission of these (including carbon dioxide) has already been reduced by 50 % between 1990 and Facts - Climate index: The award is based on a questionnaire survey covering 222 municipalities. The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation awarded points for the answers, and the work in Östersund resulted in 67 points out of a possible 90, which was the highest result of all. The municipalities were evaluated on the basis of the principal criteria: Climate goals and changes in emissions over time, smart transportation, communication and community planning, energy conversion and municipal property as well as the climate impact of food, international cooperation, green jobs and good examples in the climate work. 3

4 Green Traffic Traffic and transportation is the major cause of climate gas emission in Östersund. This is why we are converting traffic and transportation to climate smart and renewable fuels. The Green Traffic unit issues information, encourages, and runs projects and activities with other entities both within and outside the municipality. In 2010, the city of Östersund was ranked the fourth best in Sweden by Gröna Bilister (Green Drivers) regarding its work to promote biofuel vehicles. When the city buys in cars, it buys eco cars, and there are now 157 of them in the car pool. In many negotiations concerning outsourcing of services, demands are placed on both renewable fuel and eco cars. Free parking for eco cars in Östersund. Biogas pioneer Östersund is one of Norrland's biogas pioneers; it produces its own biogas, and has a biogas filling station. About 260 biogas vehicles traffic the streets here, and the city administration itself owns 83 of them. In 2011, the 30 buses in the town run on the renewable fuels ethanol, biogas and rape diesel. In addition, 34 of the 80 county buses run on rape diesel. Cycling The city encourages cycling by building cycle tracks, providing cycling maps and good signposting as well as by taking measures to ensure that the main routes are kept free of snow. In addition, different projects are run to promote cycling. Electric cars The city of Östersund and Jämtkraft run several electric car projects. Jämtkraft is also building up a local infrastructure with, among other things, the placement of northern Europe's first CHAdeMO quick-charger in Östersund. The mcity has 23 electric cycles for use with everything from home-help to highways department errands, which, to some extent, replace trips by car. Each September, Östersund, along with thousands of other towns in Europe, organises the European traffic week to encourage sustainable travel. During the week, we inform about and try to encourage our inhabitants to choose a more climate smart means of transport. And for four years in a row, Östersund has been nominated for the European Mobility Award for the quality of its arrangements. More information: or Facebook: Vi som vill ha grönare trafik (We who wish for greener traffic) 4

5 Drive fossil-free from the Gulf of Bothnia to the Norwegian Sea! Once upon a time, the route between Sundsvall, Östersund and Trondheim was a pilgrimage trail. Trade has been done and goods have been transported by various means along this stretch since the days of the Vikings. Today transportation along it results in climate-impacting emission and air pollution. The three towns Sundsvall-Östersund-Trondheim (SÖT), energy companies in both Sweden and Norway and other companies along the route are combining efforts to climate-adapt the traffic using it. Fossil-free fuel transport corridor The project has been given the name the Green Highway. The mission is to establish a green, fossil-free fuel transport corridor all the way across the Scandinavian peninsula. We are going to do this through using vehicles with greater fuel efficiency, conversion to other forms of transport, replacing travel with smart technology and using electric or renewable fuel vehicles. For example, biomass for biogas production, wind power and hydroelectric power are all produced here. Winter test centre for electric vehicles The Green Highway project also has the goal of facilitating industrial development in the region, for example, by establishing a centre in Östersund for winter testing electric and other eco vehicles. Within the vehicle cluster VTC, Vehicle Technical Center, there is an electric skidoo project and training courses for electric vehicle technicians; these incorporate an EMC-lab for measuring, among other things, electro-magnetic disturbances. There are charging stations along the Green Highway, and it is designated as one of two national test stretches to facilitate the use of electric vehicles between Sweden and Norway. Filling stations for biogas and ethanol are also provided along the route. Read more at The conditions for producing vehicle fuel and electricity with minimal climate impact are good in the region. Lieme Symbolförklaring Dorotea Steinkjer Verdal Strömsund Levanger Trondheim Stjørdal Meråker Storlien Åre Järpen Krokom Storsjön Östersund Ragunda Sollefteå Gällö Svenstavik Bräcke Røros Härnösand Borgsjö Ånge Timrå Fränsta Vattjom Sundsvall Sveg Rendalen Ljusdal Hudiksvall Trysil Trysil Bollnäs Söderhamn Map showing all the charging and biofuel filling stations along the Green Highway Orsa 5 Ringsaker Elverum Mora

6 Renewable and energy efficient energy production A significant part of climate work concerns energy use efficiency and the types of fuel used for heating. Much of the energy supply in the city of Östersund is today provided by district heating and renewable electricity. This is largely due to a significant expansion of the district heating system in the more densely populated areas, Östersund and Brunflo. Renewable fuel The district heating receives a large proportion of its energy from the renewable fuel used by the hot water plant. About 90 % of the fuel used in 2010 was renewable. The hot water plant not only provides hot water but also, simultaneously, electricity - which is to say, renewable electricity. The electricity used by Östersund's inhabitants is supplied primarily through hydroelectricity production and the district heating plant energy from renewable sources. Accumulator tank The efficiency of the hot water supply has also been increased through the installation of an accumulator tank. Arctura, located at the ski stadium, holds 26 million litres of hot water. This is a heating reserve that enables optimal usage of the valuable electricity production, a reliable district heating supply and minimal use of oil. Hot water production and the combustion required for it can now be held at a constant and efficient level. This is a factor that has considerable effect on the emission of air pollutants. The development of district heating in Östersund Energyfeed with sulfur and nitric oxide emissions District heating in Östersund OIL CARBON FLUE GAS CONDENSER PEAT SULFUR WOOD ELECTRIC BOILER HEAT PUMP WASTE WATER, GAS LANDFILL GAS 200 Nitric Oxide Electricityproduktion KVV+landfill gas engine Nitric Oxide-RELEASE SULFUR EMISSIONS As the diagram shows, the hot water plant is no longer dependent on oil; wood is now the primary fuel. At the same time, combustion emission from the plant has been radically reduced. 6

7 Reduced energy consumption saves both money and the environment The city of Östersund aims to and will be exemplary in its environmental and energy conversion work. Reduction in energy consumption is fundamental to successful climate work; it preserves the environment and saves money for the inhabitants. Energy cost reduction We have been working proactively with the question of energy since the end of the 1990s. Over recent years, we have taken several significant steps forward and increasingly tougher goals have been set. Oil shall no longer be used and the electrical heating of water shall be reduced. Energy consumption in property shall be reduced by 15 per cent per square metre between 2004 and In order to reduce energy costs, we work to reduce energy consumption in municipal and public buildings. We also make savings in the street lighting network through, among other things, new climate smart technology in combination with a clearer determination of needs. More efficient street lighting resulted in an energy saving of 10 per cent between 2009 and The city of Östersund has quality assured its measures by working in accordance with the relatively new energy management standard ISO This standard ensures that the operation has energy goals and works continually to improve them. In addition, the certification assists in the prioritisation of activities. It quality verifies our work. Advice to companies and the general public We are not responsible for all the property, premises and housing in the city of Östersund. We need our industries, organisations and, not least, our citizens to be with us in the task. We rely on the involvement of one and all in the work of reducing energy consumption and helping to build a sustainable society. Consequently, much of our work with energy cost saving and efficiency improvement involves providing information and advice for companies and the general public. We wish to spread the knowledge we have gained to assist others to think climate smart also. It is important that energy consumption within housing is minimised to allow for the necessary energy consumption within industry. In order to create new thinking regarding energy consumption within architecture and building design, passive buildings - those with extremely low energy needs - are exempt from, among things, building permission and plot map fees in Östersund. Result Energy consumption reduction and efficiency improvement work have resulted in electricity consumption per inhabitant being reduced by seven per cent between 1996 and 2008 and five per cent between 2007 and The city's goal is for energy consumption to continue to fall by one percent per year. 7

8 Technical Tours If you would like to visit one of the plants that contribute to making Östersund Sweden's best climate municipality, contact Östersund Tourist & Congress Tel. +46 (0) Jämtkraft's quick Cademo charger Recycling centre at Odenskog Jämtkraft's biogas engine Siv Photo: Jämtkraft Photo: Katarina Rehnsbo Jämtkraft's Arctura Biogas plant at Göviken Jämtkraft's combined heat and power plant Photo: Stefan Linnerhag Photo: Magnus Engdahl The city of Östersund, SE Östersund, Tel +46 (0)