Medio Ambiente

Reasons for Zaragoza to become European Green Capital in 2014

On the basis of the application forms specified by the European Union, the Municipality of Zaragoza through the Municipal Agency of Environment and Sustainability has made a dossier to show the reliability of our candidacy to this acknowledgement that reflects the important efforts implemented by our city in the last decade for improving the sustainability and quality of its urban environment. The efforts were clearly exposed in the final report on the results of the Agenda 21 Local 2000-2011 and in the 4 objectives established in the Strategic Plan of Zaragoza and that coincide with those required to be European Green Capital: integrate nature in the city and its area of influence, improve air quality, empower the development of clean technologies adopting operational systems for waste management, and improve the quality of water and reduce its consumption.

Zaragoza presents different and very relevant strong points, among others:

• Quality and consumption of water

  

  Through the Plan for Improving the Management and Quality of Water, Zaragoza has made an important renovation of its supplying networks and systems and a spectacular reduction of consumption that has reached a 24% in 2000, since from 136 litres per person and day in that year we have passed to 104.4 litres per person and day in 2010. Apart from that, important laws have been implemented such as the Municipal By-law for Saving and a Efficient Use of Water, the reduction of the number or annual breaks from 0.71 km/year to 0.31 km/year, and the establishment of a new water supply service that has improved the quality of water. The new system of sustainable rates encourages water saving and penalises an excessive consumption.

  Reduction of consumption is mainly due to the education campaigns on water saving developed in the city, mainly the project "Zaragoza, a Water Saving City".

  Zaragoza became in 2008 the world capital of water, holding Expo 2008 with the title "Water and Sustainable Development". The Water Tribune, an intellectual centre for debate with the participation during 90 days of more than 300 speakers and 3,000 experts, experiences and knowledge, has left a legacy of commitment for the future related to water and sustainable development. This permanent Forum focusing on water was a place of participation for NGO for the analysis on water and quality of life.

• Urban green areas

  Zaragoza has increased two and a half times its parks and urban green areas in the last decade, from 3.4 million m2 in 2002 to 8.2 in 2010. This is mainly due to the Additional Plan of the Expo that has served to recover and value as green areas the riverbanks of the Ebro, Huerva and Gállego and the Canal Imperial of Aragon, also making the construction and opening of new green areas as important as the Luis Buñuel Water Park in Ranillas Meander possible.

  During these years it has been reached the integration of nature in the city through water systems and the design and recovery of pedestrianised boulevards connecting the city with its surroundings and network of natural areas.

  The ratio of urban green areas per inhabitant is one of the best in Spain with 11.74 m2 /person (WHO recommends 9 m2 /person).

  96.68% of the people of Zaragoza live also less than 300 metres away from a green area.

• Air quality

  Despite its location in a steppe area in the centre of the Ebro Valley with strong winds and suspended particles, Zaragoza has kept in 2010 all the parameters of the European laws related to the quality of air (tropospheric SO2, NOx, O3, PM10, PM2,5,.. ), being one of the reduced number of big Spanish cities that has reached it. The city has an automatic network for controlling atmosphere pollution that informs on the values for the next 24 hours in a panel placed at Plaza de Aragón and in the municipal website.

  The city is immersed now in an ambitious process to minimise atmosphere emissions and the disturbances produced by bad smell that counts with a budget of 60 million euro until 2010, and a second plan for 2017 with 35 million euro. Important firms located in Zaragoza also participate in the project.

• Climate change

  Zaragoza has drawn up and implemented a local strategy on climate change and air quality. During the period 2005-2010 Zaragoza has reduced a 7.56% the total of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, 15% of them related to mobility, and is doing a good job for reaching a reduction of 30% for the year 2015 thanks to new measures adopted (Municipal By-law on Energy Efficiency, betting on a sustainable transport and increase of public awareness and education of the citizens with specific campaigns). It can also be highlighted the installation in our municipal area in the last years of 750 megawatts of photovoltaic and wind energy.

• Biodiversity and protected areas

  The municipal area of Zaragoza is one of the biggest in Spain, with approximately 100,000 hectares, and includes a rich natural heritage. A 38% of the area is officially protected as LIC (Important Place for the Community), ZEPA (Zone of Special Protection for Birds) or singular areas protected by the General Plan of Urban Planning. There are 1,609 species, 561 of fauna and 1,093 flowers, and 11% are classified in the national catalogue and 3% in the regional.

  A very important effort has been made in the last decade for improving our forest ecosystems that have a total surface of 2,762.5 hectares, with the protection and increase in value of wetlands as important as the Galacho de Juslibol (abandoned river meander), the riverbanks or specific places such as Ojo del Cura and Larralde poold; the protection of the steppe ecosystem (33,500 hectares); agricultural ecosystems (46% of the territory), and the implementation of programs as important as the Green and Blue Ring with the 30 kilometres of the South Green Ring of Zaragoza, 20 kilometres of the North Ring and the 40 kilometres recovered thanks to the Plan for the Riverbanks.

  A Strategy for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Zaragoza has been implemented in 2011 aiming at the implementation of the international, European and national guidelines, criteria and indexes that shape the inspiring principles of the action framework of the policy on the conservation of nature in order to reach a high level of conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of its constituent elements in the municipal area of Zaragoza.

  The ratio of woodland (reforested and natural) is 39 m2 /person.

• Sustainable mobility

  Zaragoza has limited speed to 30 km/h in 783 streets, in other words 235 kilometres of cycle paths or pacified tracks have been opened. There is now 104 kilometres of cycle paths in the city, multiplying by eight the number available in 2003 (13.78 km). The Bizi service was opened in 2008 with 30 stations and 300 bikes. Now there is 130 stations and 1,300 bikes. Around 60,000 people use the bike everyday. There is also 30 kilometres of streets exclusively for pedestrians.

  A 95% of the population lives less than 300 metres from a public transport stop.

  The city has bet on the tram. the first stage of line number 1 (North-South axis) was opened last April 2011 and is being built the second stage. The total length of the line is 12.8 km. Line no 2 is on the draft stage.

  The opening of the new commuting network and the construction of Goya intermodal station is foreseen for the beginning of 2012.

  All these structural elements of mobility and the pre-operational test of hybrid buses -nearly 100 hybrid taxis and other actions- are shaping a model of city related to sustainable mobility.

  As a result, Zaragoza has been awarded the Prize of the Week of Sustainable Mobility 2011.

• Energy

  In relation to renewable energies, the city had 489 MW of installed power in 2002 and the objective for 2010 was to produce 400 MW, an objective widely overcome since now Zaragoza has 712 MW. The new objective for 2015 is the production of 850 wind MW and 30 photovoltaic MW of power installed, in other words Energy without CO2

  The municipal buildings have 2.1 MW of installed power and a better use of covers with photo-voltaic installations is being developed in 80 municipal buildings more, with a total of 2MW more.

• Sustainable buildings

  The goal of Renaissance project -that forms part of Concerto program of the European Commission- is saving energy with the construction of 616 new homes in Valdespartera district, the rehabilitation of 360 in Picarral district, the rehabilitation of a school including the installation of photo-voltaic energy, and the construction of the Centre of Sustainable Town Planning. Referring to new buildings, it can be highlighted Valdespartera eco-district with 10,000 homes added to the initial 3,000 of Parque Goya.

  It has been very relevant the rehabilitation of 41,000 dwellings built more than 40 years ago in different districts and in the old town using also social criteria.

  Two municipal by-laws have been passed, one about new buildings, the Municipal By-law on energy eco-efficiency and use of renewable energies in buildings and its systems (24/07/2009) and another one focusing on rehabilitation, the Municipal By-law on the Promotion of Rehabilitation (25/06/2010).

  In conventional buildings -those built without taking into account sustainable criteria- the average power consumption is 80 - 110 kW/m2, whereas in new buildings that consider those criteria such as Valdespartera, power consumption is 20 - 25 kW/m2. In rehabilitated homes that follow the municipal by-law, the average power consumption is between 50 y 60 kW/m2

  Sustainable criteria and energy efficiency has been introduced in more than a hundred municipal buildings. The Zero Emissions Building is an example of bio-construction and integration of renewable energy since it includes geothermal and wind power and an emission balance close to zero.

• Green employment and economy

  There is around 12,000 green jobs in Zaragoza, mainly produced by projects linked to renewable energies. The city has 712 MW of wind and photovoltaic power. It can be highlighted Zaragoza Taim-TFG company focusing on eco-planning in the sector of electrical appliances, CAF, TATA motors, etc. There is also three clusters or groups directly linked to eco-innovation and green employment: water (Zinnae), with more than 24 firms and agencies, another focusing on biomass and energy with 13, and a third centred on the car industry formed by 32 firms and agencies.

  Other agencies working in that sector are CIRCE foundation, specialised in renewable energies and technologies, the Research Group on Transport and Logistics, Aragon Technological Institute, the Institute of Climate Change and other research centres related to the University of Zaragoza.

• Environmental management and local authorities

  In 2001 was created the Meetings Club of Agenda 21 to establish and develop the European common indicator B7 on sustainable management of the local government and local companies. The goal of this agency is to work for the sustainability of the city, boosting the establishment of systems of environmental management (EMAS, ISO 14000) in the companies. The increase has been constant. There were 30 companies at its launching, and 179 in 2010. Now there is 187 partners. Among its members the most important companies of Aragon in the creation of synergies on environment and sustainability.

• Waste

  Selective waste collection in Zaragoza in 2010 offered the following data:
  Paper-cardboard : 20,258 t/year
  Glass: 8,040 t/year
  Light containers: 8,716 t/year
  Batteries: 4,140 hundred kg/year
  Vegetable oil (clean points): 63,363 l/year
  Clothing (clean points):1,215 kg/year
  

  The total of waste collected in a selective way in origin is 37,070 tons/year

• Collection in the dump site:

  From the total of 230,362 tons entering into the CTRUZ, 16,248.381 tons are recovered, 24,045.80 tons go to composting and 3,648,272 kWh of electric power is produced. The total recovered is approximately a 52% of the total.

  With reference to glass, half of the total amount was collected in 2001, and about light containers the quantity collected has been multiplied by eight in the last years. As far as paper-cardboard collection is concerned, Zaragoza is on top of the Spanish cities and also presents a positive evolution compared with the past years. Every citizen of Zaragoza recycles 4.4 kg of waste/month, doubling the figure of 2001.

  In February 2009 was launched Zaragoza Centre for the Treatment of Urban Waste, CTRUZ.

• Noise

  Zaragoza has been a pioneering city in the control and management of environmental noise. In order to give continuity to the concern and interest for noise pollution, z strategic map on noise has been drawn upduring 2006 and 2007, and an action plan against noise for 2010-2015 ( 17/02/ 2011) has been passed. The last one includes corrective and preventive measures for improving the tracking indexes on the impact of noise defined in Zaragoza.

  The population exposed to street noise during daylight hours is 16 % >65 dBA and 20% >55 dBA by night.

• Indicators

  On 24 March 2000 Zaragoza ratified its support to Aalborg Charter on Sustainable Cities and Villages and the Declaration of Hannover 2000. On 27 June 2001 the Municipality of Zaragoza passed the starting document of Agenda 21 Local with the passing and development of the ten Specific Local Indicators. 37 indicators are established now, among them the ecological footprint.

  Zaragoza is the only Spanish city that is developing the ten European common indicators.

  Zaragoza has been present in the first catalogue of indicators made by Medio Ambiente Italia.

  The commitment of Aalborg was renewed by Zaragoza in 2004 with the endorsement of Aalborg +10.

  The city has signed the Pact of Mayors on 27 April 2011.

• Laws

  The passing of the two following municipal by-laws can be highlighted:
  Municipal By-law on energy eco-efficiency and use of renewable energies in buildings and its systems (24/07/2009)
  Municipal By-law on eco-efficiency and quality of the integral management of water (28/01/2011)

  Also:
  Municipal By-law on the promotion of rehabilitation (25/06/2010)
  Municipal By-law on circulation of pedestrians and cyclists (29/06/2009)
  Municipal By-law on protection against noise and vibrations (31/10/2001)

• Participation

  The Local Advisory Council of Agenda 21, formed by 104 members representing more than 230,000 people, a third part of the citizens of Zaragoza, is the main organism of participation related to sustainability. The commissions 21 are meeting and working places for the social agents with a multidisciplinary composition for specific topics. There are seven: Noise, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Waste, Water, Environmental Taxes, and Municipal By-Laws.

• Information and education

  All this is completed with a fully consolidated program on environmental education and with a wide participation in three essential lines: Climate Change and Air Quality, Nature, and Biodiversity and Water.

  The educational projects and actions are addressed on one hand to the schools through the program From my classroom for my City, An Educational Commitment with the Environment, and on the other for the population in general.

  The following activities can be highlighted: the project Orchards for Schools that is developed in 95 educational centres; the program in the Galacho de Juslibol , a singular area of great landscape, ecological and cultural importance with the participation of more than 125,000 children from its launching in 1985; reforestation campaigns with school children made in the municipal mounts; and the activity Stop to the CO2 in which students and centres commit themselves to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions.

  An annual average of more than 20,000 school children have participated in the last years.

  Targeting population in general, it can be mentioned the campaigns for water saving, the routes to approach the citizens to the nature and biodiversity of the city, the surrounding area and its natural spaces, the program centred on saving energy such as Green Homes with the participation of 250 families in the first year and 300 in the second. It can also be mentioned the campaign launched in 2010 in Parque Goya on energy saving and the reduction of consumption.

  The Centre of Documentation on Water and Environment opened in 2002 for contributing to the sustainable development through the spreading of environmental information and documentation. Its documentary resources include more than 11,000 volumes and 170 specialised magazines on environment. It is a reference centre of documentation for the Decade of Water of the United Nations.

  Zaragoza has reasons to be a reliable candidate to become European Green Capital in 2014.

  More information:

  www.zaragoza.es/medioambiente
  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/europeangreencapital/19cities/index.html