Number of the week

A number says more than a lot of words - discover the Green Capital´s "green pages"

	In order to reduce Hamburg’s emissions by an ambitious 40 percent by 2020 - we must all do our part! Hamburg is a growing hub of industry, services and commerce. Despite this, the Hanseatic City has managed to reduce its emissions 15 percent by 2007 as compared to the 1990 baseline level. The European Green Capital has the ambitious goal to reduce emissions 40 percent by 2020, and 80 percent by 2050. To meet these demands, the city and local companies must engage in CO2 saving measures, as well every European Green Capital citizen. Which is why the European Green Capital motto is, „the whole city participates“. 2011 will be a year dedicated to generating sustainable behavior.
	Hamburg’s 15 recreational cycling routes can be found here. Always a great idea for the weekend! It is also worthwhile to take family and friends through the city with Hamburg’s public transportation. Don’t have a bike? Hop on the CityBike! In the area of cycling, unlike Freiburg and Münster, Hamburg has room for improvement. Help increase the proportion of cycling by hopping on your bike, instead of taking the car. Aside from projects like the „CityBike", the city plans to expand the cycling networks by 280 km by 2015.
	Hamburg is home to more than 100 renewable energy firms, including solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, geothermal and biomass. Promoting this type of energy not only protects our environment and resources, but creates new jobs as well. This can be seen through Hamburg’s 25 largest renewable Hamburg companies, which employ between 3,000-4,000 employees. The city continues to expand its renewable energies through the Association for the Promotion of Renewable Energies Cluster Hamburg (EEHH), founded in 2010.
	The European Green Capital is home to 1460 parks. A total of roughly 1500 parks occupy 3000 hectares in Hamburg. The largest parks in this case are Hamburg’s City Park with 148 hectares, the Öjendorfer Park with 143 hectares and the Harburg City Park with 91 hectares. The IGS park in Wilhelmsburg will account for a total of 100 hectares. The urban park on top of the A7 highway noise cover will be a welcome addition, creating green areas between Stellingen and Schnelsen.
	The average Hamburg citizen produces an average of 9 tones CO2 per year. Although that is below the national German average (11t), the global average is 3.8t. Of course, with Germany’s prevailing standards, this will be a challenge to achieve, but even small CO2 saving measures (avoiding standby or cycling instead of driving) bring about huge improvements.
	Over 2000 companies enjoy the benefits of the Hamburg environmental partnerships. The goal of the alliance between Hamburg business and the Hamburg Senate is to promote a sustainable, resource efficient economy. A sustainable future combines environmental protection and economic success.
	Since 14 years, the European Green Capital has enforced the campaign, „Hamburg cleans up“, to help environmentally conscious citizens keep the city clean. In 2010 more than 47,000 people participated in the campaign and helped the Hanseatic city by removing waste from playgrounds, school yards and parks to help make the city even more beautiful than it already is. In order to reach a new record of 50,000 participants in 2011, keep March 25th until April 3rd in mind!
	If all Germans unplugged all of their electrical devices, it would save as much as energy as 2 nuclear power plants produce in one year. The point being, small actions count. Every European Green Capital citizen should turn off all appliances on stand-by. Even turning off your computer for a half an hour can make a big difference. Measures such as these are not only beneficial to our environment and resources- but your wallet as well!
	Over 230 different species of trees line Hamburg’s streets. The Lime tree is the European Green Capital’s most common tree of with approximately 57,000 trees in Hamburg. The Oak tree follows in second, with a count of 51,000. Some of the oldest trees in the city can be enjoyed around districts such as Harvesthude or Rothenbaum. Early industrial quarters such as Eimsbüttel or Ottensen are now the home of many young trees. Trees are an essential element to a high quality of life in urban areas.
	Roughly 8% of Hamburg’s area accounts for nature conservation areas, placing Hamburg ahead of its fellow German states. Click on the interactive map to receive detailed information regarding specific nature protected areas throughout Hamburg. In addition, our European Green Capital has twelve nature monuments, which include among others, the Poppenbüttler Graben and the Eibe am Neuländer dike.
	61 different species of birds are available for viewing at the Volksdorfer Teichwiesen nature conservation site. The presence of rare bird species such as the meadowland Northern Lapwing, the Common Snipe, not to mention the waterfowl, make your visit a particularly noteworthy experience. Additionally, the amphibians are a spectacular sight to see in the spring.
	½ an hour on the CityBike costs 0 Cents. The CityBike’s wheels began spinning in the summer of 2009. The red wheel are already proving to be a local hit among Green Capital citizens. When it comes to cycling, in comparison to cities such as Münster and Freiburg, Hamburg has much room for improvement. Local projects such as the CityBike and the expansion of the cycling networks are placing Hamburg on the right path forward. Not only do the wheels beautify the city with their ecological footprint, but also with their characteristic Hamburg-red color, to be seen throughout Hamburg’s numerous locations.
	57 wind rotors currently generate roughly 54 GWh of electricity in Hamburg. According to experts, there is still room for improvement … In order to improve and expand the wind power, additional wind rotors must be implemented, and the existing rotors must be replaced with more powerful systems. Hamburg is not an optimal location for wind power, in comparison to locations on the sea, or those with strong winds- however that has not stopped the city from expanding and improving in the field.