October 25, 2024. CRPE organized a discussion with 45 students from the Academy of Economic Studies on what public authorities—and especially they themselves—can do to make cities greener. We talked about green investments, the goals of Romanian cities, the aspirations of young people (and we are always delighted to see them civically engaged and active), and how we can demand more accountability and action from public authorities in combating pollution and improving environmental indicators.
Why we need greener, less polluted cities
A greener city requires reduced traffic, more pedestrian spaces, expanded green areas, and lower noise pollution. We discussed and worked on green priorities across six categories, including Air Quality, Water Quality, Urban Biodiversity, Waste Management and Circular Economy, Noise Pollution, and Energy Efficiency. For more details on these six categories of measures, you can access the CRPE report—What is the role of green investments in the future of Romanian cities.
There were many measures we liked, several of which we’ve seen in other cities committed to a green agenda: from environmental indicators collected and analyzed annually, noise pollution maps, and green spaces with increased biodiversity, to green participatory budgeting and the implementation of zero-emission zones. We highlight that many of them not only interacted with public authorities but also sent petitions, filed complaints, or requested solutions to various environmental issues in their cities, both big and small.
Personal carbon footprint calculator
We also presented the personal carbon footprint calculator, an online application developed as part of a European project coordinated by CRPE, which helps us understand the impact of our daily habits on the environment. By answering a series of questions about behavior and consumption habits, we can get a clearer picture of our carbon footprint and its environmental impact. The result is then compared to the number of car trips that could be made around the Earth’s equator—approximately 40,075 km.
We were delighted to see that many of the students achieved excellent scores, showing sustainable and environmentally conscious behavior. Each of them completed the application, and we discussed areas where improvements could be made.
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