Regions/Provinces/States
Thüringen—Thüringen is a state of some 2.2 million people located in central-east Germany. In 2012, the state produced 30% of its energy using renewable sources, and is aiming to increase this figure up to 5% by 2020. To do so it has largely scaled up its use of wind energy, with 25,000 operating wind energy installations in 2014. Consequently, in 2013, Thüringen had the lowest state GHG emissions per capita in Germany, representing 4.8 Mt CO2 per inhabitant. This is especially low when compared to Brandenburg, whose state emissions per capita–23.4 Mt CO2–were the highest in Germany.
Contact
State Representative Günter Kolodziej
Tel: +49 (361) 3792-400
Mobile: +49 (152) 23097247
Email: guenter.kolodziej@tsk.thueringen.de
Learn More
http://www.thueringen.de/th8/tmuen/energie/erneuerbare/wind/
Cities
Freiburg—Freiburg is a city in the South-west of Baden-Württemberg with some 220,000 inhabitants. Following the events of the Chernobyl disaster, Freiburg citizens were among the first to protest the production and use of nuclear power in Germany, ultimately leading to the nation-wide nuclear phase-out. Notable initiatives include revisited infrastructure design which has driven down domestic energy consumption, as well as integrated waste management systems that encourage waste reductions and organic compost efforts. Most ambitious of all is the city’s goal to reduce CO2 levels by 29% from 1992 to 2020, and 40% by 2030.
Contact
Manuela Schillinger, Head of Environmental Protection Bureau
Telephone: +49 0761 201-6110
Email: manuela.schillinger@stadt.freiburg.de
Melanie Sester
Telephone: +49 0761 201-6115
Email: Melanie.Sester@stadt.freiburg.de
Learn More
http://www.iclei-europe.org/members/member-in-the-spotlight/archive/freiburg/
Wildpolsried—Wildpolsried is a municipality of some 2,500 inhabitants in south-western Bavaria. It was highlighted in Al Gore’s recent climate change awareness project, 24 Hours of Reality, for having developed a sustainability action plan for 2020 as early as 1999. At the forefront of this plan was the community desire to become energy self-sufficient, using a primary mix of wind and solar, but also biomass and hydro sources. Today, Wildpolsried produces more energy from renewable sources than it consumes, exporting electricity to the German power-grid and reducing their carbon footprint to zero.
Contact
Susi Vogl, Chief Coordinator for Energy and Environmental Protection
Mail: Kemptener Str. 2, 87499, Wildpoldsried
Telephone: +49 08304 9205-0
Email: susi.vogl@wildpoldsried.de
Learn More
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF2C4qd9aH0