Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Växjo Kommun, the greenest city in Europe

This weekend I went on a little field trip to the city of Växjo, known as the greenest city in Europe.  Why they are called this is quite interesting, as it seems largely to do with the fascinating way their politicians agree across the board on sustainability issues.  They really take it seriously, and have been doing so for decades.

We got an overview of their city planning strategies and sustainability iniatives.  About 90% of the energy to heat their homes comes from biomass from the surrounding forestry industry (which replenishes itself quicker than it's consumed).  They rely on less than 5% of fossil fuels.  Below you see a picture of their power plant, fueled by biomass.  Notice how its on a beautiful lake.  They also have super terrific goals of becoming much less car dependant.  

One of the big breakthroughs for the area, has been the allowance of timber buildings over 2 stories.  Since wood burns so easily, they haven't been allowed to build with it for a long time.  However, because of their huge supply of this building material, they have begun to build with it again, and have adopted new fire safety codes.  See below some of their timber construction buildings!  





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