Stockholm was awarded the first “Green Capital” award in Europe. It’s efforts in sustainable urban development and environmental protection are overviewed in a new publication from the EU titled “Stockholm European Green Capital 2010.” An extract of the foreword to this publication reads:
At a time when many of the world’s great cities are facing chronic environmental problems, we need inspirational examples showing what cities can do to deal with them. Most of the environmental challenges facing our society happen in urban areas: and it is these areas that have the potential and the resources to bring together the commitment, and generate the innovation needed to solve them.
We have to think beyond traditional problems. Caring for the urban environment doesn’t just mean cutting CO2 emissions. It also means thinking about the air we breathe, the water we drink and the noise that affects us. It means integrated long-term plans for the cities of tomorrow and the people who will live and work there.
If cities are to flourish, city dwellers must enjoy a clean and healthy urban environment – it is up to city authorities to provide this. The European Green Capital Award promotes ideas such as sustainable mobility, modern waste management, sustainable land use, eco-innovation and other green technologies which local authorities can champion. It is our duty to make citizens aware of the need for sustainable urban living, and to show them how they too can become a part of the drive towards sustainable development and a more resource-efficient life. Sustainable urban development is a vision and it needs everyone to participate if it is to become a reality.
Citation: Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2010, ISBN 978-92-79-15064-7, doi: 10.2779/17961
