Innovative sustainability projects in Europe
24.10.2023 - Urban gardening projects such as the "Bosco Verticale" in Milan shown here are representative of creative sustainability endeavours in Europe. From "edible bus stops" in London to the use of body heat in Stockholm's central railway station, we visit such European environmental activities with an "ooh" effect.
Many cities and municipalities, but also the citizens themselves, are making efforts on our continent to protect the environment, conserve resources and reduceCO2 emissions. In this article, we present some outstanding sustainability projects that surprised us with their creative approach.
Edible bus stops in London
Let's start our journey in the British capital with the realisation of an unusual but not at all complicated idea: here, the project "The Edible Bus Stop" is transforming dull bus stops into small oases of sustainability. The green spaces, which are often - but not exclusively - located around the bus stops, are planted with vegetables and other mostly edible plants that not only improve air quality but can also be "harvested" by local residents. These green islands help to enhance the cityscape and raise awareness of nature and a sustainable way of life. After the initial planting by the project gardeners, the small biotopes are often taken over by local residents, who then maintain them, reseed, replant and enable further harvests.
It is not only in London that people are committed to protecting the environment. In the county of Cornwall, a group of water sports enthusiasts who cultivate a particularly close relationship with the seas and their inhabitants are becoming active.
Surfers Against Sewage: Campaigning for clean beaches in Cornwall
The British organisation Surfers Against Sewage is committed to protecting the seas. The organisation raises awareness of marine pollution and plastic waste through regular beach clean-ups along Cornwall's beautiful coastline and educational work with locals and tourists. The initiative aims to show that everyone can play a part in protecting the environment - whether through active participation or by sharing knowledge and experience. But the surfers from Cornwall are getting their message across in a particularly cool and casual way, which has brought them support and popularity from other young surfers, sailors and beach fans.
From Cornwall, the journey continues to the Netherlands, where some remarkable projects have been realised.
Green roofs in Utrecht
As in London, bus stops are also at the centre of sustainability activities in the Dutch city of Utrecht. Here, however, the municipality only greened the roofs of the bus shelters. Since 2019, more than 300 bus stops have been beautified with sedum plants, which helps to improve air quality, as the robust and decorative plant survivors bind particulate matter and absorbCO2. In addition, the green roofs provide a habitat for insects such as bees and butterflies and contribute to rainwater retention. The project, which is popular with the residents of Utrecht, is part of the city's efforts to improve and beautify the urban environment and combat climate change.
Streets made from recycled plastic in Zwolle
Also in the Netherlands, a pilot project that could revolutionise road construction has been launched in the city of Zwolle. Roads made from recycled plastic have been laid there. These so-called PlasticRoads are much more durable and require less maintenance than conventional roads and help to reduce plastic waste (which is processed as recycled material). In addition, the plastic surfaces can be laid relatively quietly within a few days and allow rainwater to drain away quickly, which is often a problem with closed asphalt surfaces. With this project, those responsible not only want to test a new technology, but also show that recycling and innovation can go hand in hand to reduce the environmental impact.
A sustainable neighbourhood in Amsterdam
A very special neighbourhood has been under construction in Amsterdam since 2014: De Ceuvel. On the contaminated site of a former shipyard, a completely sustainable neighbourhood has been developed that relies on renewable energy and recycled materials. Houseboats installed on pedestals provide space for companies and initiatives from the cultural and creative industries as well as environmental organisations. The boats have been converted into offices, studios and workspaces. The architects, landscape planners and sustainability experts opted for low-cost solutions to deal with the special initial situation: solar heating, air conditioning and composting toilets were used as well as the filtering and utilisation of rainwater and plant-based wastewater treatment. According to the operators, water consumption is 75 per cent lower than for a conventional commercial site of this size. De Ceuvel also relies on plants to detoxify the contaminated subsoil. These are specifically placed as hyperaccumulators to extract toxic metals from the soil. However, they have to be harvested, disposed of and replanted once a year. The planners have also set themselves the goal of ensuring that De Ceuvel can be reached by bike or on foot and that car traffic is largely avoided. De Ceuvel's vision demonstrates sustainability in an urban environment. At the same time, it is clear that even smaller projects can make a major contribution to improving the quality of life and provide inspiration for urban planners. This also applies to the Parisian project "Les Jardins du Ruisseau".
Urban gardening as a Parisian social project
Several projects in the French capital are dedicated to the topic of urban gardening. One of the best known is "Les Jardins du Ruisseau", in which a disused railway track has been transformed into a community garden. Here, residents can garden together, beautify their neighbourhood and contribute to environmental protection at the same time. Several bee colonies have also already found a home there. As a social project, the gardens are also intended to provide a place for living together and socialising, where educational, cultural and artistic activities take place throughout the year. They are also part of the project to inspire the youth of the neighbourhood and the pupils of the neighbouring schools for nature and environmental protection through gardening.
The journey continues to Slovenia, where smart technologies and the commitment of citizens are working together in the capital city of Ljubljana.
Chip cards support waste disposal in Ljubljana
With the RCERO waste recycling plant, Ljubljana shows that innovative technologies and waste management can go hand in hand. The plant is one of the largest and most efficient in Europe. 98 per cent of the waste generated is reused to make new objects, extract raw materials, produce compost or generate energy. A particular success factor in waste management is the intensive involvement of consumers and therefore waste disposal companies in the separation process, which includes the use of individualised chip cards. Each household receives such a card, which enables access to residual waste and recycling containers. The system has several advantages: Firstly, waste separation is encouraged, as each type of waste has its own container (some of which are buried underground). Secondly, citizens only pay for the amount of waste they actually dispose of. This raises awareness of their own waste consumption and creates an incentive to avoid or reduce waste. The system also helps to counteract illegal or incorrect waste disposal. As the chip cards are personalised, it is possible to track who has disposed of the waste in which container and the card holders receive targeted information about any mishaps. The electronic waste disposal system in Ljubljana has proven to be extremely effective and, after initial resistance and a familiarisation process lasting several years, is perceived as extremely positive by the citizens. The residents of Ljubljana can no longer imagine simply disposing of their waste thoughtlessly and unseparated and are acting as ambassadors for smart waste management throughout Europe.
Incidentally, the disposal of organic waste is organised in a similar way on Mallorca. As part of a pilot project, the city of Palma de Mallorca has set up containers for organic waste, which residents have to identify themselves by using the Tarjeta Ciudadana. This chip-equipped "citizen card" is otherwise used primarily for public transport.
To round off our trip, we visit Sweden, where an innovative energy generation project has been implemented in Stockholm and citizens are keeping fit and doing something for the environment at the same time in another initiative.
Heating with body heat in Stockholm
In Stockholm, the body heat of the 250,000 daily travellers at the central station is used to heat a nearby building. This is the 13-storey, 27,000 square metre Kungsbrohuset office building, which is located right next to Stockholm Central Station. The air heated by body heat from the station halls is captured by heat exchangers and stored in large underground water tanks. The water heated in this way then flows into the heating system of the office building 100 metres away, helping to save around a fifth of heating costs and, above all, reduceCO2 emissions.
Even though it is not located in Europe, it is worth mentioning that America's largest shopping centre, the Mall of America in Minneapolis, uses a similar process. Thanks to the heat given off by visitors, the shopping temperatures there are pleasant even in the cold temperatures of wintry Minnesota.
But back to Sweden, where a special form of jogging has emerged that combines environmental protection and fitness.
Plogging: rubbish marathon in Stockholm
An unusual sport has developed in the Swedish capital: plogging. The word is made up of the Swedish "plocka" (to pick up) and "jogging". In this variant of classic jogging, runners stop when they see litter on their way and pick it up. At the end of their run, the rubbish they have collected is disposed of properly in bins labelled for this purpose. Before throwing it away, many ploggers take a photo of their "loot" and post it on Instagram or other social media channels. The fitness trend was popularised by environmental activist Erik Ahlström. He noticed the rubbish lying around everywhere in picturesque Stockholm, so he mobilised some fellow campaigners who were also annoyed by the waste. Ahlstrom organised jogging tours with gloves and bin bags, and the ploggers took action for the first time. Over time, more and more active people joined the movement. The first small competitions were organised to see how much rubbish had been collected. A short time later, the first plogging website went live and many runners integrated regular plogging sessions into their training schedule.
All these projects illustrate that creative solutions and innovations in the field of sustainability can be found throughout Europe. They should encourage and inspire us to continue looking for new ways to make our cities and communities greener, cleaner and more liveable and to become active ourselves - perhaps even as ploggers?
Cover picture: Babak Habibi/Unsplash
Since his editorial traineeship in Hamburg, Jan Strahl has worked as a journalist, editor or author for almost every large and small publishing house in the city. He writes for consumer media and corporate publishing publications on art, fashion, lifestyle and knowledge topics.
