On 5 November 2021, 48 European municipalities, cities and districts received the European Energy Award Gold in Ravensburg - the award for local authorities particularly ambitious, active and successful in their local climate and energy policy. In her digital greeting, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen underlined the significance of this award: "The path to climate neutrality leads through our cities and regions. I thank you all for your efforts, they are indispensable."
These days, countries from all over the world have been discussing what climate goals the global community wants to set for itself at the climate conference in Glasgow. The municipalities, cities and districts that have been awarded the European Energy Award Gold have been leading the way as role models for years, demonstrating with consistent energy and climate policies as well as concrete measures what the path to climate neutrality can look like.
At the event in the Ravensburg Museum of Art, 48 municipalities, cities and districts from Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Austria and Switzerland were presented with the European Energy Award Gold in the presence of Gudrun Heute-Bluhm, President of the international eea association, Ravensburg's Lord Mayor Dr Daniel Rapp and Ministerial Director Martin Eggstein, representing Environment Minister Thekla Walker. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also addressed the audience in a digital message.
https://www.european-energy-award.org/download-agenda/event-review-eea-gold-2021
She thanked all the award-winning municipalities for the responsibility they take and encouraged them to translate the commitments made on the world stage into local climate protection activities.
The host city of Ravensburg, which was also one of the award-winning municipalities, used its own examples to show how such local climate protection measures can be implemented in concrete terms in the municipality. Central to this is the climate consensus, an ambitious programme with which the city wants to become climate neutral by 2040 at the latest. Measures to achieve this include, for example, more local and district heating pipelines or the e-bike rental system via the mobility platform of the Schussental Technical Works, as well as an improvement in local public transport and the cycle path infrastructure.
Around 150 participants from several European countries were present in Ravensburg to receive the well-deserved European Energy Award Gold label. Another 70 participants followed the event digitally.
Prior to the awarding ceremony, workshops were held on topics such as 'heat transition', 'climate communication', 'sustainable mobility' and 'land sufficiency'. The participants exchanged their experiences internationally and took away impulses for the further path towards climate neutrality in their own municipality.