Situated on the banks of the Rhine River near Switzerland and France, Freiburg is the city with more hours of sunshine in Germany and greater number of environmental facilities of the European Union. It is nicknamed the “solar capital”.
Freiburg is a city in the bore of the Black Forest area of 215,000 inhabitants, of whom 30,000 are university students, and there are twice as bicycle hire.
It all began in 1975 when the intention of building a nuclear plant joined the population, leaving aside any ideological difference in defense of an ecological model of development against the threat that hit them. Today the Greens in a coalition governed the city with more than 30% of the vote.
Social consciousness has pressured federal and regional governments to adopt environmental policies constants within an environmentally respectful. Among many other unique features of this city include:
- Silent City without jamming: cycling track of 500 km that accounts for one third of commuting.
- Parking at the station with a capacity of more than 1,000 bicycles to facilitate train-bike combination to get to work, and also hosts a car sharing agency (Car Sharing).
- Large network of trams that run on electricity (in part from renewable sources).
- An urban policy prevents the city grow too, “is about building only in areas already developed for no more forest to cut and maintain the compact city,” says the councilor of the Environment, Gerda Stuchlik.
- Neighborhood superecológico of Vauban. Most homes have solar thermal panels for hot water and photovoltaic sale of the electricity network. The buildings are energy efficient, and all its inhabitants by car (only 20% of families living there) have to buy a parking space-solar found in the input, also can not park inside.
- City leader in solar energy. 10,000 people are directly engaged in the environment, mostly in solar energy companies that billed more than 1,000 million € per year.
- Parishes self supplied by renewables.
- The football stadium is also supplied with photovoltaic panels.
- Head of the Institute for Ecology and ISES (International Solar Energy Society).
- Residence of the European Secretariat of the International Council for environmental initiatives.
- Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems.
- Celebration each year of the Fair’s most prestigious European solar sector: Intersolar (21 to 23 June 2007).
- And a long list.
This new example demonstrates again the ability to pressure of public opinion, and the need for involvement by the municipalities, provinces and communities.
