Ljubljana and Bydgoszcz Candidates for Green Award

The Slovenian capital and Bydgoszcz, a north-central city in Poland, were two of eight candidate cities announced for the 2015 European Green Capital award. The other candidate cities include Bristol, Brussels, Dublin, Glasgow, Kaunas, and Kutahya in northwestern Turkey.

A European Commission initiative, the yearly designation is awarded to the city promoting environmentally friendly urban living. Criteria include climate change, green urban areas, air quality, noise levels, promotion of nature and biodiversity, water consumption, waste water management, and sustainable employment.

Since its inception in 2010, Stockholm, Hamburg, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Nantes, and Copenhagen have been recipients. Vienna was one of 19 applicants for the award in 2014, but missed the shortlist.

For more see "Just How Green Is Wien?" in Jul./Aug. 2009 TVR.