HINKU Forum, or “Carbon Neutral Municipalities Forum” in English, brings together municipalities, businesses, citizens, and experts with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating carbon-neural municipalities. Participating municipalities are committed to resource efficiency and plan to reduce CO2 emissions more rapidly than at European Union-mandated rates. HINKU Forum started as a project of the Finnish Environment Institute in 2008. The project, which started with five municipalities, now includes 30 municipalities with a combined population over half a million people.
Local climate work
Becoming a HINKU-municipality involves fulfilling certain criteria such as committing to lower emissions at all levels – from citizens to businesses and other stakeholders. A HINKU municipality must, for example, commit to lowering greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2030. HINKU municipalities must also form a HINKU-committee, sign an energy efficiency contract with the Ministry of Employment and Economy, and take into account the climate and environmental aspects in all aspects of decision making. The HINKU Forum is coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute and has several partners, such as the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, as well as many private companies.
Sustainable solutions
HINKU Forum actives have had some significant results. In the years 2007–2013, HINKU municipalities’ emissions were lowered by 21%. The municipality of Ii fared the best, lowering emissions by almost 70% (see Case study 40). In addition to the benefits of climate change mitigation, HINKU Forum activities have also provided financial benefits for the municipalities. The municipalities of Ii and Padasjoki, for example, have saved hundreds of thousands of euros through reduced oil consumption after adopting renewable energy solutions. When reducing greenhouse gas emissions becomes a primary goal for municipalities, it also increases interest in green business. This creates a positive cycle whereby municipal operators, residents, and businesses work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, this type of cooperation between stakeholders is a cornerstone of the HINKU Forum. The HINKU model provides a fine example of concrete actions to mitigate climate change at the local level in Europe.
Regional dimension
The HINKU Forum is unique in that it encourages municipalities to work together to achieve individualised goals around carbon neutrality. Collaboration between municipalities opens the door to networking opportunities and allows good practice to be shared nationally and internationally. The forum has developed tools such as “HINKUMappi”, where partners can share best practices and “Hankintamappi”, a public procurement database focused on clean energy solutions. Actions realised in municipalities are diverse, ranging from better bicycle lanes to town halls heated with renewable energy. At the local level, the purpose of the HINKU Forum is to strengthen local cooperation and improve wellbeing through energy efficiency and new business opportunities. As the local authority, municipalities play an important role in promoting renewable energy use. At the same time, municipalities can save money through energy efficiency. Municipalities can also support local cooperation within the business community based on its own experiences of the benefits of emission-saving activities. When local businesses see energy efficiency as an everyday matter, emission cuts and new solutions become naturally sustainable.
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