Smart Environment

In recent years Güssing has made a name for itself because of its renewable energy efforts. This trend began in the early 1990s, energy conservation and the construction of a biomass district heating plant for supplying the heat of the city. The strategy was as follows: through the sustainable use of domestic resources for energy, depending on the one hand the nature of fossil fuels is reduced and secondly the regional value can be increased. This strategy worked out perfectly and is internationally known as a “model Güssing”.

The Stadtwerk Lehen was developed on the site of the former energy supplier (about 20 ha): 287 subsidized rental apartments, a 97-bed dorm, a 5-group kindergarten, the new city gallery, as well as shop and social centers.
A concept was sought in which energy-saving construction and a high input of solar energy can be implemented economically and sustainably in a district-heat-supplied area.
The result is a European-wide example of sustainable district development with a neutral carbon footprint.

Pornóapáti is located along the Austrian border, its poplutaion is 431. Based on the austrian practises, the municipality decided to establish  a village heating plant using renewable energy.
For the project they have used the village heating plants working in Austria for several years. Besides, the renewable energy sources, the energy independency were also an important factor.

The Microker web application is a map search engine that allows producers and artisans anywhere in the country to display their products online for free. The aim is to enable consumers to obtain as many products as possible from their place of residence, directly from producers. This would allow food from more reliable sources to be placed on the tables and the money spent on it would stay in place, thus strengthening the local economy and significantly reducing the environmental burden of freight transport.
 

The Interceptor is The Ocean Cleanup’s answer for river plastic waste. It is the first scalable solution to prevent plastic from entering the world’s oceans from rivers. It is 100% solar-powered, extracts plastic autonomously, and is capable of operating in the majority of the world’s most polluting rivers. The debris enters the Interceptor with the natural current of the river. All electronics on the Interceptor, including the conveyor belt, shuttle, lights, sensors, data transmission, are solar-powered.

Kiskosár Shopping Community started in 2012 in Esztergom. It was based on the local product market of the Conscious Shopper Festival held in September 2011, organized by the Environmental Culture Association of Esztergom. The idea of setting a shopping community in Esztergom was born in that market. The shopping community for local products was an innovative way back then.
Conscious customer demand is linked to the capacity of the surrounding producers thanks to the regular organization of product deliveries.

Kaposvár set itself the goal of becoming a green smart city. For reaching their aim, they replaced their complete bus fleet, with 40 CNG-powered buses, which work with biogas produced by the Kaposvár Sugar Factory. They have improved public lighting, more than half of their candelabras working with LED bulbs, they are even able to control their brightness. They provide their wasteful buildings with a building management system - which is essentially a computer that controls consumers and energy use.

The aim of the „Protheus Project” is to build up a sustainable e-mobility system, produce renewable electricity, and store that energy for the use by the city of Paks and the surrounding Municipalities. The projects’ main goal is the creation of a healthier, more energy-efficient and inhabitant friendlier city. The projects are: charger infrasutcutre, driver qualification, e-move ticket and pass, electric bike and roller system, electric buses and cars/taxis, energy distribution, energy storage, home solar cells, Paks card, smart garage, Solar cell park and transporting application.

ENERGY@SCHOOL: energy optimization and behavioural change of Central European schools is a cooperation project. The Interreg    CENTRAL EUROPE Programme improves capacities  for  regional development in innovation,  carbon dioxide reduction, the protection of  natural  and  cultural  resources  as  well as transport and mobility. With a budget of 246m EUR, this EU cohesion policy programme supports public and private organisations to work together across Central Europe.

The city of Hämeenlinna has recently started ecosystem development work aimed at improving the town's competitiveness and sustaining its surrounding region.