ECO2 – Eco-efficient Tampere 2020 is a project by the City of Tampere aimed at mitigating climate change. Today the project was awarded at the international competition targeted at the Baltic Sea Region and the Nordic countries. The aim of the competition was to find appropriate solutions to assist municipalities and other local actors to better control the effects of climate change. The winners were announced in Turku at the 'Solutions, local, together' Conference on sustainable development in the Baltic Sea Region.
A snow cooling concept by Swedish company Snowpower AB was named the second winner in addition to the ECO2 project by the City of Tampere. There were two special distinctions also. The awards were presented by Mr Johnny Åkerholm, President and CEO of the Nordic Investment Bank.
The awarded ECO2 project by the City of Tampere was praised by the jury of international experts for its ambition and clearly defined and concrete objectives. The project comprises a wide variety of actions which the city uses to develop, e.g. low carbon urban design and sustainable business. As a part of the project, passive energy construction pilots will be implemented. Through the project the City of Tampere strives to be a forerunner in climate policy.
The joint solution by Swedish Snowpower AB and the County Council of Västernorrland is based on storing snow during the winter and using it for cooling the county hospital during warmer seasons. According to the jury this is a model example of practises that produce both climate benefits and cost benefits. The solution is easy to implement also on a broader scale.
Sybimar Oy was awarded a special distinction for closed loop system that enables the production of energy and food locally and with small emissions. The jury applauded the cooperation between the public and private sector and the possibility of creating new jobs in particular. Catch Solar Energy AS was awarded the second special distinction for its solar collector with excellent energy efficiency.
The competition was organised by the national local government associations of Finland, Sweden and Norway, and the Nordic Council of Ministers. A total of 79 organisations from seven different countries participated in the competition.
Awarded projects and 16 other solutions are presented in detail in the competition booklet. It is available in electronic form.
For further information, please contact:
Ms Maija Hakanen, Manager for Environmental Affairs, Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, tel. +358 9 771 2106, +358 50 5704368
Mr Pauli Välimäki, Project Manager of ECO2, City of Tampere, tel. +358 40 801 6035
Mr Jan Lindberg, Energy Controller, County Council of Västernorrland, tel. +46 (0) 611 802 90
Mr Kjell Skogsberg, CEO of Snowpower AB, tel. +46 (0) 73 83 753 10
Mr Rami Salminen, CEO of Sybimar Oy, tel. +358 440 122 100
Mr Hans-Christian Francke, Catch Solar Energy AS, solar-energy@catchsolar.no