An innovative green municipality

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ACCTING aims to understand the impact of Green Deal policies on vulnerable groups, prevent inequalities, and produce knowledge and innovations to advance behavioural change at individual and collective levels for an inclusive and equal European Green Deal. This bottom-up initiative was collected by Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes within ACCTING’s mapping of inspiring practice cases, within the Clean Energy Research Line. Read our report on all 693 mapped initiatives.

Ii, Finland

This municipal initiative aims to lower dioxide emissions, recycle, prevent waste, and use resources responsibly within the limits of the Earth’s capacity. Energy and climate work allow for cost savings, diversify the area’s economy and promote the well-being of locals and tourists.

Mobilizing the community

For over a decade, almost 10,000 citizens of the municipality of li have decreased the emissions of their region by 80%. After Ii’s previous tech-driven economic crises, decision-makers adjusted its development strategy; they took the crucial decision to boost the economy through sustainable means since climate efforts were not perceived as putting the brakes on business.

A joint effort of the whole municipality towards lowering carbon emissions made the success of the emission reduction possible. An inclusive approach was applied; the opinions of different groups when heard. Through strategic planning, the local economy’s reliance on renewable energy has grown, complementing a number of other sector (e.g. the rubber, plastics and packaging, construction, fine mechanics, and metal industries).

Creating an eco-friendly town

The climate actions led to significant achievements. Among these:

• Stopping the usage of oil heating and switching to local energy sources, such as geothermal heating.
• Enhancing the circulation of goods and materials intending to be waste-free.
• Hosting a yearly nationwide climate festival, ClimateArena, to address climate change.
• Achieving a 64% reduction in carbon emissions (2012-2020), and a decrease in electricity of 4% between 2014-2020
• Managing to cut down oil consumption by 89% from the 2010 level.
• Collecting energy, heat and water data in real time from all public buildings.
• Saving the costs of renewable energy and energy efficiency investments by more than 0,5 M€ per year
• Generating a tax revenue income from wind power of 1M euros per year.

Find out more here.

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