Eco-support Activity and Carbon Calculators Promote Climate Work

Transcription

1 Eco-support Activity and Carbon Calculators Promote Climate Work After-LIFE Communication Plan Mitigation of and Adaption to the Climate Change in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area

2 2 Results of the Julia 2030 Project The Julia 2030 project provided a framework for Helsinki Region joint climate work in The project was co-funded by the European Union LIFE+ programme. The aim of the project was to boost local government efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to outline ways of preparing for climate change. The project was co-ordinated by Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority HSY, and the other project partners were the municipalities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, Kerava and Kirkkonummi, together with Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) and the Finnish Environment Institute. The Julia 2030 project reinforced collaboration between the Helsinki Region municipalities and joint local authorities in tackling major climate challenges. Eco-support activity is an effective scheme Eco-support is an operating model developed by the City of Helsinki to promoting environmental responsibility. It is suitable for a wide range of workplaces. It begins by appointing and training one or more ecosupporters. The state of environmental affairs at the workplace is then reviewed to determine any improvements that could be made. Finally the eco-supporters The City of Espoo Technical Services Unit, one of the project pilot sites, was awarded the 2010 HSY Helsinki Metropolitan Area Climate Prize.

3 3 guide and inspire their colleagues in implementing new ecological practices. Based on experiences gained in Helsinki, the Julia 2030 project drew up a common framework programme for training new eco-supporters with a strong emphasis on climate issues. This operating model can be readily deployed by other cities in Finland, and in other countries. An associated website at may be viewed in four languages: Finnish, Swedish, English and Estonian. Emissions reduced in use of public premises The project helped to develop and test the WWF Climate Calculator by selecting 32 pilot premises where a concerted effort would be made to achieve a 10 per cent cut in the greenhouse gas emissions of buildings between 2009 and Most emissions from these premises came from heating systems and the use of electric power. The Climate Calculator is best suited to sites for which consumption data are readily available. The combined greenhouse gas emissions of the pilot premises fell by 4 per cent between 2009 and 2010, and were also expected to fall in The final results will be available in spring Environmental aspects considered in procurement General guidelines were drawn up for municipalities on how to take into consideration greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental aspects in public procurement. These guidelines include a comprehensive study of public procurement regulations and

4 4 practical instructions on how to arrange competitive tendering for various purchases of goods and services. A specific JUHILAS tool for calculating the carbon footprint of a product was developed for five product groups. The guidelines and calculators developed by the project are freely available in Finland. Greenhouse gas emissions from waste management The project specified life cycle-based greenhouse gas emission factors for 15 types of waste identified in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area waste management system. Calculations of the greenhouse gas emissions arising from waste management were incorporated into the Petra waste benchmarking service, and into the Martti material flow accounting system used for monitoring waste flows. A new Konsta waste calculator was developed for use by households, and a new Emmi model was introduced for forecasting municipal waste volumes. Information affects mobility choices The Julia 2030 project provided carbon dioxide calculators to help residents choose the best modes of personal mobility from the point of view of climate change mitigation. A survey revealed that 8 per cent of users believed that the online Journey Planner service had affected their choice of transportation mode. Fifteen per cent of users of the Jälki carbon calculator for weekday transport reported that the calculator had affected their personal mobility choices. The Helsinki Metropolitan Area is preparing for climate change The cities of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and HSY have been preparing a climate change adaptation strategy, which is due for completion in spring This strategy will specify regional and common strategic principles for adapting to climate change, together with sectoral and inter-sectoral preparation measures for the period from 2012 to 2020.

5 5 The Carbon Calculators Developed by the Project For residents: The Journey Planner carbon calculator The Helsinki region Journey Planner is a search engine that provides details of various transport alternatives for a selected journey, and includes a route-finding facility for walking and cycling. The Journey Planner carbon dioxide calculator also shows the user of the carbon emissions associated with the selected journey when made by various modes of public transport, and provides a comparison with the emissions arising when the same journey is made by car. A chocolate calculator illustrates the calories that the traveller would burn personally when completing the journey on foot or by bicycle, and interprets this in terms of ten gram pieces of chocolate. The Jälki calculator This facility informs users of the carbon dioxide emissions caused by travelling in an ordinary working week (Monday to Friday). Users can calculate the emissions caused by their own mobility by estimating the distance travelled using various means of transport, or by entering the associated points of departure and destinations in the search fields of the calculator. The calculator also displays relevant tips advising the user on more climate-friendly mobility. The Konsta waste calculator for households Konsta calculates the quantity of household waste generated annually and the associated greenhouse gas emissions, based on source data entered into the calculator. The quantity of waste is compared with waste volumes from other households. (in Finnish only) For workplaces: The Climate Calculator The Climate Calculator is a tool developed by WWF Finland for assessing the greenhouse gas emissions of offices. Precise data on energy and water consumption, procurements, personal mobility, goods transport, waste generated and emission compensations may be fed into this calculator, which is also suitable for assessing non-office operations and may be used in the Finnish and English languages. > UK Flag The Petra waste benchmarking service Petra is a service that enables businesses and public administration to analyse their waste volumes by comparing them with the average for the operating sector or type of building in question. The Petra carbon dioxide calculator estimates the greenhouse gas emissions of waste management, based on the volume of waste and details of waste processing. (In Finnish only)

6 6 For professional use: Carbon footprint calculators for public procurement (JUHILAS) The JUHILAS tools for public procurement are used in competitive tendering for assessing the greenhouse gas emissions of a product over its entire life cycle. This figure may then be used as a criterion for comparing bids. The tool has been created for five products: IT hardware, paper products, office chairs, incontinence products and outdoor lighting. The calculators may be downloaded from the website of the Finnish environmental administration at Martti material flow accounting system The Martti system compiles annual details of waste generated in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and processing of this waste. An associated carbon dioxide calculator estimates the greenhouse gas emissions of waste management, based on the volume of waste and details of waste processing. This information is used in waste management planning and for assessing the associated environmental impacts of waste management. (In Finnish only) The Konsta waste calculator weighs household waste and calculates the associated greenhouse gas emissions. Emmi municipal waste forecasting model Emmi helps to predict growth in municipal waste volumes and to assess factors that affect the volume of waste generated. The forecasting model also incorporates a calculator for estimating the greenhouse gas emissions arising from waste volumes Ilmari Hakala

7 Communications Activities during the Julia 2030 Project Information on ways of mitigating climate change and on tools for calculating greenhouse gas emissions has been effectively disseminated to local government policymakers and employees in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and to local residents. A joint steering group of project partners has co-ordinated communications, and two brainstorming and planning workshops have also been held for communications professionals and climate work specialists from all of the participating Julia 2030-hanke saa rahoitusta EU:n Life-ohjelmasta. (LIFE07 EN/FIN/000145) organisations. Website tracked project progress The project has announced its achievements on the project website, which has also provided illustrations and details of training events and other meetings. The website includes links to all of the carbon calculators created by the project, together with downloadable pdf versions of brochures, reports and other materials. The Julia s choice video inspires action on climate change 7 Oho. Nyt pääsi 435 g CO 2 * Oho. Nyt pääsi 880 g CO 2 * Oho. 0 g CO 2 * A video was produced for the project website illustrating everyday climate-friendly behaviour through the story of baby Julia, the one millionth resident of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. This video has been used as teaching material in schools and in eco-support staff training. Carbon calculator advertising campaigns for residents The Journey Planner carbon calculator campaign called attention to the carbon dioxide emissions arising from personal mobility. Reittioppaasta nyt myös eri liikennevälineiden hiilidioksidipäästöt. Use of the transport and waste management carbon calculators was promoted through advertising campaigns on Helsinki Metropolitan Area public transport, in the press and on the radio, and in the social media (Facebook). About 10,000 visits were recorded for both the Konsta and Jälki calculators during the campaigns. * Liikennevälineiden keskimääräinen hiilidioksidipäästö: henkilöauto 176 g/km, bussi 87 g/km, juna 0 g/km.

8 Julia 2030-hanke saa rahoitusta EU:n Life-ohjelmasta. (LIFE07 EN/FIN/000145) 8 Eco-supporters trained in mitigating climate change 640 new eco-supporters were trained for municipality workplaces during the project, and new training and information materials were also created for these employees. Eco-support activity helps municipalities to save energy, create less waste and adopt working methods that reduce emissions from mobility. Joint events were organised enabling eco-supporters to share information and experiences. Project results presented at events and conferences The project video was shown to education sector professionals at the Educa Fair in Helsinki. Carbon calculators for use by residents were presented on Car Free Day, on the Science Tram, at the Climate Info Energy Factory urban event, at Megapolis 2026, and at other events in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The methods and tools developed by the project for calculating greenhouse gas emissions were also presented at the Green Week event in Brussels and at several international seminars. Good media visibility for climate issues The project video was widely covered on Finnish public television and radio news broadcasts, and on the website of Finland s largest circulation daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. The carbon calculators and eco-support activities also enjoyed considerable news coverage in the commercial press, online publications, local authority newsletters, and various climate bulletins and reviews. The project issued a total of 11 press releases. Work out the greenhouse gas emissions of your weekday travel: Don t let your colleague win. The Jälki calculator campaign challenged residents of the Helsinki Region to compete in reducing transport emissions. Try the Jälki calculator and challenge your friends, neighbours or family to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

9 9 Future Dissemination Activities All of the carbon calculators created by the project will be available for online use, with the project partners providing links to them on their own websites and intranet services. The calculators designed for use by residents will be advertised in various ways, for example as part of the ecumenical Eco-fast campaign of churches in spring The progress of climate work in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area will be monitored through climate reviews and newsletters, and an abridged version of the Julia s Choice video has been produced for use in future training events. Collaboration continues in eco-support activity Training of more eco-supporters for project municipalities will continue. Training materials will be jointly developed and a special eco-support website will gather information on current affairs and best practices. Common further training events and meetings will be arranged for eco-supporters in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, and the overall operating model will also be disseminated to the rest of the country through national collaboration efforts. Training arranged in eco-procurement Staff responsible for local government procurement will be familiarised with ways of allowing for climate and other environmental aspects in various procurement processes. Experiences of using carbon calculators in competitive tendering will be recorded and shared on procurement staff networks. The guidelines and calculators created by the project are available for use in public procurement throughout Finland. Increased use of Petra waste benchmarking The ERDF-subsidised Majakka project is extending the Petra waste benchmarking service to include enterprises and organisations operating in the Lahti and Turku regions with a view to incorporating 500 new users in the system. Petra will be advertised through newsletters, presentations and visits to enterprises. Transport calculators increasingly familiar Use of the Journey Planner carbon calculator will be promoted by finding partners such as the organisers of major events and linking the Journey Planner to the websites of events and businesses. HSL mobility managers will tour enterprises and publicise the

10 10 Jälki calculator, which will be marketed in particular to motorists, encouraging them to consider alternative forms of transport and to make use of park and ride facilities and carpooling. Experiences of adaptation work to be shared with policymakers The Helsinki Metropolitan Area climate change adaptation strategy will be brought to the attention of city staff, policymakers and other interest groups at seminars and other events. Experiences of regional adaptation work will be shared with Finnish and international stakeholders. Climate work presented internationally Presentations of adaptation work done in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area will be made at international climate conferences such as the major Climate Adaptation Futures conference in Tucson, USA in May The Emmi waste volume forecasting model and the climate impacts of waste management will be presented at the International Solid Waste Association conference in Florence, Italy in autumn 2012, and the project carbon calculators will be presented at the Procura+ seminar and Ecoprocura conference of ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability. Budget Most of the communications work will be done in house by the project co-ordinator and partners, and the associated staff costs have not been itemised in the cost estimate. The remaining anticipated costs of communications are: Marketing of Petra waste benchmarking in the Lahti and Turku regions: EUR 11,000 Conference and seminar travel costs: EUR 4,000

11 11 Further Details and Materials Publications and communication materials created by the project and links to all greenhouse gas emission calculation tools are available on the project website at > In English Project Manager: Susanna Kankaanpää Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority HSY PO Box 100, FI HSY, Finland Telephone (HSY switchboard) Copyright photos: HSY/Karoliina Bärlund, HSY/Kai Widell Cover photo: HSY/Kai Widell Edita Prima Oy Helsinki 2012 NORDIC ENVIRONMENTAL LABEL Printed matter

12 The Julia 2030 project was part-financed by the European Union LIFE+ programme. Reference: LIFE07 ENV/FIN/ Project partners: City of Helsinki City of Espoo City of Vantaa City of Kauniainen Kerava City Kirkkonummi Municipality Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority HSY