Temperatures in the Alps have risen almost twice as much as the global average over the last century. And they are set to rise even more, especially if the Alps themselves continue to consume around 10% more energy per capita than the European average. However, clever and innovative adaptation or mitigation initiatives are increasing in local and regional Alpine areas facing to climate change consequences. The challenge is thus to make best practice become minimum standard if we want climate neutrality in the Alps be achieved within the next 40 years. Here is the aim of the Alpine Space project ALPSTAR. Toward Carbon Neutral Alps Make best Practice Minimum Standard through the collection, analysis, comparison, testing and implementation of climate protection measures in 12 pilot regions all the over the Alps. It is now our turn to make mountains reach the stars! ALPSTAR Workshop September 20 th 2012 Sonthofen, Germany CARBON NEUTRAL ALPS = GOOD LIVING HOW MUNICIPALITIES SUCCEED IN SHAPING THE CLIMATE Copyright: Tiago Daniel / fl ickr.com, remibridot / fl ickr.com, aloxe / fl ickr.com, Caroline Begle
CARBON NEUTRAL ALPS = GOOD LIVING INTRODUCTION Properly thought-out but rapid action is, in the long term, better than doing nothing, at least as regards climate protection. There are already good examples, such as municipalities, towns and regions in the Alps that are reducing their emissions and promoting renewable energies. It is now time to broadcast and replicate these success stories on a wider scale. This is the aim of the Alpine Space Project Alpstar: since its beginning in 2011, innovative and effi cient climate protection measures have been collated, evaluated and developed. Mayors, local councils and local authority employees will now receive a Guideline as to how successful climate protection can be implemented. The aim of the Workshop, to be held on September 20 th 2012 in Sonthofen, Germany, is to develop, evaluate and discuss the factors that make climate protection measures successful. In addition, examples from the Alpstar collection will be presented to three themed working groups in which successes and obstacles will be discussed. Politicians and administrators will then work together on a recipe for good climate policies. Finally, the success criteria that are most important to participants will be compared with the guideline for decision-makers as written by the Alpstar project partners. Participants will be looking not just at the Alps, but also at other mountain areas, with inputs from the Convenant of Mayors. 08.30 Registration 09.00 Welcoming address Hubert Buhl, mayor of the city of Sonthofen and president of the Alpine Town of the Year Association 09.15 Make the Alps carbon neutral! How Alpstar will improve your lives. Aurelia Ullrich-Schneider, assistant of the Alpstar project 09.35 We create the climate. Why climate protection is an issue for every town. Miguell Morcillo, Convenant of Mayors EXCURSIONS 10.00 Excursion I From concrete building to passive house. The Sonthofen High School Excursion II Climate protection through waste management 13.00 Lunch WORKSHOPS Registration and further information at www.alpenstaedte.org/en/projects/alpstar Collection of good examples at http://alpstar-project.eu/best-practice-plateform/ best-practice-database/ 14.15 Workshops 15.45 Coffee break 16.15 Market place: presentation and discussion of recommendations to politicians 17.30 Prospects and close ALPSTAR: Toward Carbon Neutral Alps Make Best Practice Minimum Standard 2/6
WORKSHOP I Energy-efficient building: a benefit for budget, environment and quality of life As Socrates was aware, the ideal house is warm in winter and cool in summer. The Italian city of Bozen/Bolzano is now showing that this is possible without the need for conventional heating systems. It is building to climate-neutral standards so that, by 2030, the aim is for a reduction of over 40% in the energy required for heating and over 70% in CO 2 emissions compared to 2007. What is required for energy-effi cient building to become standard? Workshop participants will be addressing this question. Expert: Helmuth Moroder, director general of the city of Bozen/I Moderator: Aurelia Ullrich-Schneider, project manager of climalp Language: German WORKSHOP II Using the force of nature: 100 % self-sufficient with renewable energies Wildpoldsried: this small municipality in the Allgäu, Germany, frequently held up as a climate policy model, produces three times as much electricity from renewable energy sources as it consumes. By 2020 this energy village wishes to produce all its energy needs in terms of heating, electricity and mobility. The Workshop will discuss the strategies, success factors, limitations and challenges for energy self-suffi ciency via renewable energies. Expert: Arno Zengerle, mayor of the city of Wildpoldsried/D Moderator: Madeleine Rohrer, director of the Alpine Town of the Year Association Language: German with english translation WORKSHOP III Climate change and you. How municipalities can motivate people A campaign in Germany offering free energy counselling. The subject: the benefi t to quality of life and the reduction in heating costs by means of correct energy improvements. Following the consultation, two thirds of participants undertake house improvements. In other words, climate protection requires professional communication. This Workshop addresses the issue of how municipalities can convince their citizens of the need for climate protection. Expert: Thorsten Böhm, eza! Energie- und Umweltzentrum Allgäu Moderator: Bruno Walder, director of CIPRA International Language: English WORKSHOP IV Convenant of Mayors and mountain areas: from action plan to good example What is a base emission inventory? What does a good action plan for sustainable energy look like? And how can we persuade citizens of the need for more energy effi ciency and renewable energies? This Workshop looks at the aims of the Mayors Convention, the fi nancing possibilities and the entry conditions that a municipality has to meet. Expert: Miguell Morcillo Moderatorin: Petra Wilhelm, city of Sonthofen Language: German ALPSTAR: Toward Carbon Neutral Alps Make Best Practice Minimum Standard 3/6
INFORMATIONS ABOUT THE EXCURSIONS Excursion I From concrete building to passive house. The Sonthofen High School From 2009 to 2012, the town of Sonthofen carried out improvements to its High School at a cost of some 17 million euros. Today the school uses only 10% of the energy consumed before work started, thus reducing CO 2 output by approximately 300 tonnes a year. The school was built in the 1970s as a prefabricated construction of reinforced concrete. No sooner had the school opened than complaints began: the indoor climate and air were poor, energy consumption was very high, safety was inadequate. Germany has some 700 to 800 similar schools. The town council decided that the work on the Sonthofen High School should serve as a model for these other schools and directed that redevelopment should be to passive house standards, with the façade of the thermally insulated building made from wood from the region. The school is to a large extent heated by a groundwater heat pump, which also cools the premises in summer. Claus-Peter Kroiss, the High School s construction supervisor, and Franz Friedberger, head of Sonthofen s municipal building department, will give a tour of the school and present the improvement concept. Languages: German with italian and french translation Excursion II Climate protection through waste management The use of waste for heat generation and the use of the resultant waste heat can help protect the climate. The Zweckverband für Abfallwirtschaft (Special Purpose Association for Waste Management, or ZAK) of the town of Kempten is leading the way. The waste-to-energy plant in Kempten is one the most modern in Germany. The wood and household waste produced by the approximately 300,000 people in the districts of Lindau, Oberallgäu and the town of Kempten can generate 150 million kilowatt-hours of district heating and nearly 50 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. This in turn powers televisions, lighting and washing machines in some 20,000 households, all in a climate-friendly way. The use of waste by ZAK reduces CO 2 emissions by over 70,000 tonnes a year. Participants on the excursion will see, hear and smell the climate protection measures implemented by ZAK. The organisation s technical manager will take visitors on a presentation tour of the facilities and their functions. Languages: German with english translation Further information: www.zak-kempten.de (de) Further information: www.alpenstaedte.org/de/aktuell/news/4603 (de) Pictures copyright: Jeremy Levine Design / fl ickr.com, wolfro54 / fl ickr.com, aloxe / fl ickr.com ALPSTAR: Toward Carbon Neutral Alps Make Best Practice Minimum Standard 4/6
YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO CARBON NEUTRAL ALPS TRAVELLING TO SONTHOFEN By train: www.bahn.de and www.oebb.at MOVING IN SONTHOFEN By bike: You can hire City-Bikes for free or e-bikes for a fee (from 17 EUR per day) at the city hall (tourist information). Information at http://en.sonthofen.de/tourism/ localtraffi c.aspx By bus: Bus schedule at www.sonthofen.de (de); stop for the venue: Staig/AllgäuSternHotel, Linie 2 By Taxi: Taxi rank at the station phone +49 (0)8321 4040 or +49 (0)8321 68666 CARBON OFFSET Travelling to Sonthofen is responsible for about 80 percent of the carbon emitted by this conference. Calculate and offset your emissions. Further information www.eingutertag.org or www.atmosfair.de INFORMATION Registration: www.alpenstaedte.org/en/registration Languages: German, English Venue: AllgäuSternHotel, Buchfi nkenweg 2, 87527 Sonthofen, Germany, www.allgaeustern.de Participation fee: Participation in the conference is free. Travel and accommodation costs will be met by participants. A contribution of 20 EUR towards catering costs is required. Please remit until 9 th of September 2012 to the following account: IBAN: DE 52 7335 0000 0000 000315 BIC: BYLADEM1ALG Please add the note Workshop Alpstar. You will get affi rmation per email. Contact: Alpine Town of the Year Association, Madeleine Rohrer madeleine.rohrer@alpenstaedte.org Phone: +423 237 53 99 Further information: www.alpenstaedte.org/en/projects/alpstar The conference is organised by the Alpine Town of the Year Association with the support of the city of Sonthofen, Alpine Town of the Year 2005. ALPSTAR is cofunded by the European Regional Development Fund, within the European Territorial Cooperation Alpine Space Programme.
Station City Hall High School Venue AllgäuSternHotel ALPSTAR: Toward Carbon Neutral Alps Make Best Practice Minimum Standard 6/6