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The Province of Limburg has created a list with tons of climate actions for the entire city council. Do you still have colleagues at the Business and Trade department who are not aware yet of the advantages of an ambitious climate plan? Show them which actions are achievable and how they will benefit your whole city!
🤫 At the end of the article you will find a link to a lot of inspiring actions from the municipality of Machelen.
Grab a pen and paper and write down your favorite actions. Take your shortlist to the Business and Trades department of your city to make the actions concrete!
⚠️ Machine failures and heat stress
The buildings and infrastructure of companies play a large part in the emissions of your municipality. Industrial processes and machines in particular cause a lot of emissions. The rise in temperature causes machine failures and less productivity, while the concretion of industrial sites causes extra heat stress.
🏆 What to do as a city
Energy-efficient machines ensure lower energy costs. Getting rid of concretion in industry and companies reduces the local temperature rise and reduces 'heat stress' among staff. Selling local products promotes your local economy.
Write down the most realistic actions for your city for each theme below 👇
1. Focus on energy-saving and climate-friendly measures 🔌
- Promote existing tools: free energy scan for SMEs, self-scan for SMEs, CSR scan, energy coach, ...
- Give premiums: for implementing measures from the energy scan, for a process review by an energy expert, for energy-saving measures, for a light audit, for a heat screening, ...
- Organize an information session about energy-efficient industrial buildings (biomass, combined heat and power, insulation, ...).
- Encourage the use of renewable energy.
- When choosing the location for a new business park, take into account the possibilities for heat coupling, the risk of flooding, the availability of water needed for business processes and for cooling, and public transport.
- Stimulate sustainable logistics such as freight transport by water, bundling transport flows, smart city distribution, ...
2. Focus on more green on business parks 🌿
- Check with business parks, care centers, ... how they can form a stepping stone for nature.
- Initiate a process to set up conversations between companies about the greening of the business park.
- Draw attention to good examples of green business parks and organize visits to 'example' business parks.
3. Focus on sustainable water consumption and infiltration 🌊
- Provide the construction of wadis, water buffering, ... when constructing a new business park.
- Provide grants for the construction of a green roof, green façade, ...
4. Focus on climate-friendly processes and new technologies ♻️
- Promote circular economy through the organization of repair cafés, exchange fairs, ...
- Support initiatives that should encourage companies to make the transition to a circular business model.
- Encourage cooperatives of regional products.
5. Focus on climate-friendly behavior 🌡️
- Run a campaign to local merchants to keep doors closed in the winter.
- Include preconditions in the (operating) permits such as heat curtains or open freezers, prohibit air conditioning, ...
- Set up awareness campaigns to limit light pollution.
👏 Finished your list? Schedule a meeting with the Business and Trades department to discuss your ideas. Good luck!
Focusing on Business and Trade is important for reducing industrial emissions and improving your local economy. However, including other city services in your plans is as important to make your city an enjoyable place to live and work in.
FutureproofedCities allows all different city services to work together in one online tool to realise more climate actions and communicate them to their inhabitants. 💡 Check out Machelen's public page to see how they tackle climate challenges within their city.
(Source: Province of Limburg)
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