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Leader of Polish Ecology

 

Mayor of Poznan,  Ryszard Grobelny

 

In 2009, for the second time in history our city received the prestigious title of “Leader of Polish Ecology”, awarded by the Polish Minister of the Environment. We regard his reputable distinction as proof of the recognition of our accomplishments in environmental protection so far. However, it is also an incentive for us to take further action in order to reduce emissions of harmful substances, save energy, curb the use of natural resources, and protect nature in our city and in the region. 

 

 

We need to realise that the amount of fossil fuels in the world is limited. Fierce global competition has begun for energy generated from such sources, i.e. on the basis of coal, natural gas and oil. There are almost seven billion people living on Earth, a vast majority of whom inhabit countries where the popular lifestyle involves a universal consumption of goods. This has naturally triggered a demand for growing amounts of energy and continuous increases of fuel prices on global markets. The only chance for humanity lies in a rapid shift towards a universal use of renewable energy sources and energy-saving technologies. Such solutions are also implemented across Poland, including my city – Poznan.

 

In order to maintain short or long-term economic competitiveness, it is high time every community across the globe, irrespective of its geographical location and fossil fuel resources available, sought the most energy-efficient solutions based on renewable energy sources. These should be used in the most beneficial ways in terms of acquisition, climatic conditions and energy security. Although this will initially require much higher investment outlays, in the long run it will result in reduced energy consumption and greater technological advancement.

 

Poland, a country in Central Europe, has a climate that is influenced by polar-maritime air masses. The country’s mean annual air temperature is +8oC, but more and more often summer temperatures exceed +35oC, dropping to below -10oC in wintertime. Expenses related to the purchase and production of heat and electricity are important items in the budgets of Polish households and in the national economy. Air conditioning in private flats and offices has now become commonplace. Heat and electricity consumption provide the most room for cost-cutting, both on a large and on a small scale, by means of changing our everyday habits. 

 

In Poland, we will not escape the need to diversify our coal-based energy monoculture, which stems from the fact that coal is our most abundant natural resource. We must also strive to evenly diversify alternative energy sources to some extent and become more efficient in producing energy. Thanks to combined heat and power production in Poznan, we can now save 14% of energy, which reduces CO2 emissions by ca. 1.2 million tons per year. Very soon, one of the blocks of our central heating plant will start running on biomass. Thinking about renewable energy in Poland, we also seek to harness the great potential of wind power. So far, conditions for the development of wind power plants have been far from favourable. We still lack more effective legislative solutions to support ventures such as those in operation in other countries, for instance in Germany, our western neighbour. Recently, however, wind power production has become more profitable. The European Union wants the share of renewable energy in 2020 to be at least 20%. In Poland it will most probably reach 15%, and wind turbines are an essential part of this puzzle. The importance of wind power in energy production is best attested to by the example of Spain, where for some time its share in the country’s energy pool exceeded 50%. The energy system did not collapse, although only a few years earlier nobody had even dreamt about such a huge share of wind power in the entire energy transmission system.   

 

Coming back to biofuels, Poznan provides a fine example of effective biogas management. The city’s municipal landfill facility recovers methane, which is used to generate heat and electricity consumed on-site, with a surplus fed into the grid. The biogas recovery process is similar in the central wastewater treatment plant of the Poznan conurbation. An interesting initiative launched in Poznan involves replacing coal used for heating in single-family houses with briquettes made of straw. This material, which used to lie waste in fields, can currently become the most environmentally-friendly, renewable and cheap coal substitute.

 

In Poland, we limit the amount of landfilled waste by means of increasing the recovery of recyclable materials. We are also planning to construct a waste incineration plant. As the ecological awareness of the city’s residents improves, non-ecological solutions are no longer approved by the general public. Promoting environmentally-friendly actions and attitudes is one of the key tasks of the local governments in our country, hence the wide array of relevant projects that we are implementing. 

 

From the point of view of the average citizen, care for the environment simply means saving energy and using it rationally, for example by turning off a proverbial light bulb, or saving heat. If these simple actions are scaled up and translated into the behaviour of millions of people, their importance will become pivotal on a global scale. When driving, why not use the gas pedal more skilfully, following one of the basic rules of ecodriving recommended by the European Union. Ecodriving allows one to save up to 20% fuel, while maintaining normal driving dynamics. In Poznan, we have organised a series of free ecodriving tutorials for over one thousand inhabitants of our city. Along with the obvious benefit of having to buy less petrol and of collectively saving a total of 14 petrol cisterns, this will contribute to lowering the amount of pollutants released into the environment. 

 

Let us also remember that it is our households that consume most energy – they account for up to ca. 2/3 of our overall energy consumption (heat and electricity). It is vital that our flats and houses be properly insulated and heat-tight. In this way, not only will we pay less for the energy needed to heat homes, but also ease our burden on the natural environment. All in all, we could say that the “the best energy is that which is not there”, i.e. the saved energy which does not need to be produced because our actions have reduced the demand. In Poznan, energy-saving attitudes are promoted by projects such as the “Green Energy” initiative. In 2008, within the framework of this project we distributed 100,000 energy-saving fluorescent lamps among children and teenagers aged 6-19. The action met with great interest and the amount of energy saved equalled 500 coal-laden train cars.

 

In the 2009-2010 heating season, which in Poland lasts from October to April, we are running an action called “Keep the Heat”, which involves taking photos of houses with a thermovision camera. This project, free to all participants, is aimed at owners of single-family houses. We want to raise residents’ awareness and show them how heat escapes their houses and how money leaks out of their pockets. Thermovision photographs will show them the exact places where they lose most heat, and help them to make decisions about what they should improve, in order to get the best possible result for the least cost/effort, and not squander money on pointlessly heating the air outdoors. The project is scheduled to be continued in the next heating season. 

 

In 2008, the first hybrid bus was purchased for Poznan’s municipal transportation system. The Solaris bus was actually produced in Poland, in Poznan itself, and has been operated by the Municipal Transportation Company for a year now. The first bus of this type in Poland and the ninth in Europe, it was used during the COP14 UN Climate Change Conference held in Poznan in December 2008 as a means of transportation for guests. We feel proud that the UN chose our city, the first city in Central and Eastern Europe, to host such a prestigious conference dedicated to the issue of climate protection and sustainable development, the keys to the future of our planet.  

 

In 2009, for the second time in history our city received the prestigious title of “Leader of Polish Ecology”, awarded by the Polish Minister of the Environment. We regard his reputable distinction as proof of the recognition of our accomplishments in environmental protection so far. However, it is also an incentive for us to take further action in order to reduce emissions of harmful substances, save energy, curb the use of natural resources, and protect nature in our city and in the region. 

 

Poznan – Basic Information:

 

Location: Halfway between Berlin and Warsaw, in the western part of Poland. Poznan is the capital of the Wielkopolska Region, and the commercial capital of Poland, as well as a robust conference, exhibition and trade fair centre. It is also a strong academic hub.

Population: 560,000

Surface area: 261.85 km²

 

Leader of Polish Ecology in 2002 and 2009

 

Poznan is one of the oldest and largest cities in Poland. It is the historic capital of the Wielkopolska Region, and the place where the Polish State was born 1,000 years ago.

 

In Poland, Poznan is known for its traditions of good economy, top labour management and thriftiness. It skilfully uses the favourable development conditions resulting from the political and economic transformation which took place in the country after 1989 and the opportunities provided by European Union funds. Poznan is one of the main locations of foreign investments in Poland.