Sønderborg, a Danish municipality located between Copenhagen and Hamburg, wants to show the world how CO2 reductions and economic growth can go hand-in-hand. ProjectZero is working closely with the municipality’s 76,000 residents, local business and the public sector and aims to phase out all energy-related carbon emissions by 2029 – 20 years ahead of Denmark as a whole.
From rhetoric to action
The original motivation for ProjectZero was a desire to go beyond political and academic rhetoric and involve the entire community in direct action against climate change. The municipality’s carbon neutrality goal was set in 2007. This was followed in 2008 and 2009 by extensive work by over 75 leading Danish energy experts who analysed a range of challenges and opportunities that formed the basis for a master plan and roadmap through which the target could be achieved. A second roadmap was prepared in 2015, and paves the way to 2020. The current road map focuses on three key ‘focus segments’: Community and Citizens, Business, and The Public Sector. It also encompasses three ‘development themes’: A Smart Grid, Bio-Economy, and Green Transportation.
Working together creates jobs and growth
When the zero emissions target was set back in 2007, 82 percent of Sønderborg’s energy consumption came from fossil fuels. By the time the second road map was prepared in 2015, this number had been reduced by 30 percent – exceeding the 25 percent goal by a comfortable margin. At the same time, an independent analysis concluded that the implementation of the ProjectZero vision created approximately 800 new green jobs between 2007 and 2013. This success appears to be attributable, at least in part, to the ‘everyone on board’ approach taken in the plan and the strong focus on education and support for the different groups involved. ZEROhome, for example, is a program that uses home visits to engage residents with the possibility of retrofitting their homes to increase energy efficiency. Alongside this, the ZEROconstruction program has trained approximately 65 percent of the area’s craftsmen to equip them to install state of the art energy solution. The total investment in building improvements from private home-owners since 2007 is estimated at approximately 105 million DKK. Similar training and awareness raising programs are operating for the business community and in the public sector. Moreover, Sønderborg’s green transition has greatly benefitted from collaborating with experts and other actors at regional, sub-regional and cross-border levels. ProjectZero has placed strong emphasis on the exchange of experiences and good practices. The project results are disseminated widely and ProjectZero is engaged in assisting other municipalities and regions in implementing the ProjectZero model globally – e.g. in China and across Europe. This not only conveys to Sønderborg’s vision about climate change as a common global issue, but creates additional demand for solutions provided by Sønderborg-based experts and companies.
Spotlight on: ‘A green thread in education’
Education is central to the success of ProjectZero. This includes specific programs targeted at particular segments of the community. For example, ZEROcompany, a program that works with companies to reduce CO2 emissions while at the same time retaining competitiveness, and ZEROshop, a program that works with retailers to lower carbon emissions in both their retail outlets and their supply chains (also ZEROhome and ZEROconstruction – described below). The project has also resulted in the introduction of ‘a green thread in education’ that runs from kindergarten to Phd. The curriculum is held through Sønderborg’s House of Science. It includes a focus on climate, innovation and sustainability and makes sure that even the youngest members of the community are equipped with the knowledge they need to participate in Soderborg’s green transition. At the higher levels, students from the business academy SydVest and the University of Denmark have been working with local craftspeople and companies to solve real world problems and come up with new, practically applicable, energy saving solutions.
Regional dimension
Implementing ProjectZero has contributed massively to the course and intensity of regional development in Sønderborg municipality. By turning the challenge of climate change into an opportunity to generate inclusive growth and reduced energy consumption, significant results have been achieved. In addition to the 800 jobs already created, this ‘Green Growth Engine’ of Sønderborg is projected to create an additional 900 green jobs annually – 80% of which will be created in Sønderborg and South Jutland region (vast majority of them in green building and construction sector). Large capital investments are expected to occur simultaneously. Further growth potential is vested in the export of local Bright Green Business Solutions, international business participation in demonstration projects, study visits to Sønderborg and visitor spending as well as the global branding and marketing of ProjectZero’s practices.
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