Community energyDespite its small size the municipality has been a regional pioneer in promoting sustainable energy and engaging citizens in energy – saving actions
Engaging citizens for energy-efficiency
Ivanić-Grad is a town 30 km south-east of Zagreb with a total population of 15,000. Despite its small size the municipality has been a regional pioneer in promoting sustainable energy and engaging citizens in energy-saving actions. By 2020 Ivanić-Grad expects to have reduced CO2 emissions by 21% as part of its Covenant of Mayors commitment. A large part of this reduction will come from the positive impact of awareness-raising campaigns with the citizens.
Since 2010, some 300 citizens of all ages and backgrounds have been actively involved in energy-saving activities through the ENGAGE campaign. The objective of the campaign is to make citizens sign a personal energy-saving pledge on a poster that shows how they are going to use less energy in their everyday activities. All posters are then exposed in public spaces across the town during large events like the European Mobility Week,local celebration days such as the Pumkpin Festival or the city day. 79 out of these 300 citizens also accepted to have their energy consumption monitored. They provided data on their energy consumption at home and on their mobility habits. All the information was then put together in a document that was revised a year later to assess the changes in the energy consumption. The results were very positive, with an average 17% reduction in individual CO2 emissions
Several young families were very happy to join the ENGAGE campaign to learn how to save on their energy bill and to sensitize their children to environmental issues. Some families engaged to go to work or shopping by bike or on foot instead of taking the car. Many citizens also committed to sharing travel costs by carpooling to work. Private companies have also been involved in the campaign which they considered an opportunity to improve cooperation with local authorities and to promote their services to the citizens. For instance, some taxi drivers have committed to start using biofuel instead of gasoline and diesel in their cars thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions. ENGAGE is a pan-European communications initiative that seeks to engage citizens and stakeholders at a local level to play their part in building a sustainable energy future. More than 60 European cities and almost 9,000citizens, stakeholders, public servants and elected representatives have been participating in the campaign since 2010.
Ivanić–Grad Key facts
- Total population of around 15,000 inhabitants
- 77 tonnes of CO2 emissions prevented and 64,000 KWh of primary energy saved by engaging citizens and renovating public buildings within a year
- On average, a citizen has reduced his/her annual CO2 emissions by 17% within a year thanks to the campaign
- Joined the Covenant of Mayors in 2009
As a signatory to the Covenant of Mayors the city of Ivanić-Grad commits to reducing its CO2 emissions by 21% by 2020
Featured member cities
