The Municipal Climate Change Plan was born as the culmination of a series of actions carried out around energy saving and efficiency in the municipality. The main objective of the Town Hall of Noáin-Valle de Elorz at the time of implementing these actions, within the Local Agenda 21, was not only to consume less energy, but the fight against climate change.
The actions started in 2004 began with three energy audits and the subsequent implementation of the respective corrective measures. This led to a Municipal Energy Plan that covered all municipal facilities and is currently being implemented. At the same time, and in parallel, several renewable energy facilities have been developed, awareness-raising and information campaigns have been carried out for the public and the workers of the Town Hall. Actions have been undertaken to save water and reforestation work was carried out in the Elorz Valley.
Thus, among the achievements are the implementation of eight municipal renewable energy facilities and the change in the trend of energy consumption in these municipal facilities (in 2006, electricity consumption in these facilities decreased by 10%, and in 2007 by 6%). Likewise, the population of the municipality is becoming more and more aware. 80 of the 130 families that participated in the Kyoto Homes programme of the Navarra Environmental Resources Centre Foundation (CRANA) were from the municipality of Noáin-Valle de Elorz. In addition, 31,169 trees and shrubs have been planted since 2003, both in bush reforestation work and in linear plantations in the Elorz Valley.
Lessons learned
One of the main lessons learned has been to verify that these types of initiatives are long-term approaches, which require a lot of patience, since sometimes the measures to be applied have to do with the change of policies and habits and with awareness raising among both the workers of the City Council and of the population. In short, it is a long-distance race.
Mainstreaming is fundamental in such a plan.
It is important that there is a department in the Town Hall that coordinates it, but the plan will not work if the information on climate change and the actions to be taken in the other departments does not materialise. Without real mainstreaming, it is difficult for City Council employees to incorporate energy saving and efficiency criteria into their day-to-day work.
On the other hand, to carry out an initiative of this type, it is important to have a budget for projects that need economic investment, but it is not essential. In most cases, raising awareness and changing habits are the best energy-saving measures. There is little point in improving a heating system or the insulation of offices only for people to seize the opportunity to work in lighter clothing in winter.
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