Today, half the world’s population, 3.5 billion people, lives in cities. Current predictions put the percentage of the population living in urban areas by 2030 at almost 60%. For this reason, goal 11 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, signed by the 193 member States of the United Nations, is to make cities green. But how do we go about this?
BEST PRACTICES FOR THE FUTURE
Il primo punto è la gestione ambientale con investimenti in architetture e infrastrutture sostenibili per The first stage is environmental management, by investing in sustainable architecture and infrastructure to cut CO2 emissions and ensure good air quality. This can be achieved, amongst others, by creating gardens, green belts around cities, vegetable gardens and buildings designed with green roofing or “vertical forest” criteria to help absorb carbon dioxide. The second stage is energy transition, producing energy from alternative sources (rivers, wind, solar and biomasses, that exploit resources made available by the local area with an intelligent approach. One such example is wood from trees that have fallen to produce electricity). Another crucial chapter is the approach used to manage waste (over 30 million tonnes of urban waste is generated in Italy), which needs to move beyond separate waste collection and use Smart Bins instead. These are solar-powered and are used to compress waste. The sensor system tells the waste collection centre how full the bin is. This eliminates the cost of unnecessary waste collection rounds using large rubbish trucks, thereby consuming less energy and resources. The future of green cities will also involve increasing the use of sustainable transportation, including bicycles, electric vehicles and low-emission public transportation. Smart working is good for the environment because it reduces emissions caused by travel, and cuts the need to heat or cool work premises, whilst the Internet of Things (IoT) enables anything that uses sensors to be linked up to the Web. It is a system that starts at home but also includes workplaces, hospitals and systems for managing traffic and safety in order to reduce consumption and optimise activities.
WHAT DOES EFFE DO?
These best practices have been adopted for Effe’s entire production system in order to optimise energy consumption as much as possible. Its products are made using 100% recyclable materials that do not harm the environment. The wood used to make Finnish saunas is not sourced from deforestation, nor is it obtained from trees at risk of extinction, and Effe's steam generators are equipped with an Energy Saver setting. The maximum power of the generator is harnessed to bring the water to boiling point and reach the set temperature. While it is running, the energy input is reduced to a half or even a third, depending on the model, while keeping the steam flow constant. Thanks to these state-of-the-art technological solutions, all Effe products are quality-certified, long-lasting and energy-saving and they require very little maintenance.
THE 5 GREEN CITIES
TALLIN
The capital of Estonia sits on the Baltic Sea. It was recently awarded the title of European Green Capital 2023. Its inhabitants enjoy no less than 207 square metres of green spaces per capita and around one fifth of its surface area is protected. It has embarked on projects to collect rainwater and its noise pollution levels are minimal.
COPENAGHEN
It is committedit is committed to becoming the world’s first zero emission capital by 2025. It will do so by reducing consumption levels, generating energy using renewable sources and promoting sustainable mobility.
AMSTERDAM
500 kilometres of cycle paths for getting anywhere and everywhere. Amsterdam was one of Europe’s first cities to focus on bicycles as a means of slashing its carbon footprint to a minimum.
VIENNA
At the top of the league table of the “World’s 10 greenest cities”. No less than 53% of its urban area is covered with vegetation.
MADRID
Work on the Bosque Metropolitano to plant half a million trees over a 75-kilometre perimeter are now almost finished. It will create a wonderful green belt which will absorb approximately 175 thousand tonnes of CO2 each year.
