The City of Gijón has recently increased its economic activities related to the tourist sector. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out a sustainable energy policy targeted to growing sector.

Objectives and target audience

The main objectives of this initiative are:-

• To reduce water and energy consumption;
• To reduce fossil fuel energy sources consumption;
• To improve energy efficiency;
• To reduce CO2 emissions;
• To promote Renewable Energy sources;
• To achieve behaviour change in clients and employers regarding water and energy use.

Target audience:-

Costumers and employers of Gijón’s hotels: in total 42 hotels and 2368 rooms.
Financial Resources and Partners involved
Budget: 3.487.10 €
Funded by: Gijón Local Energy Agency
Organisations involved: Municipality of Gijon/, Local Energy Agency, Municipal Water Company; Hotel Association and the Public-Private Company Capital Tourism

Process

This campaign has been developed in 3 phases:
Phase 1: Design and elaboration of the campaign’s brand: 3 elements:

• Folder with general recommendations for saving water and energy;
• Notice recommending the reutilization of  towels;
• Card to avoid the daily washing of bed linen, in the case of a guest staying for several days.

Phase 2 Information and distribution of campaign’s elements:

• Presentation of the Campaign by the Councillor for Economic Promotion and Innovation, the president of the Public Private Company Capital Tourism and the director of Gijon City Council Environmental Department.
• Send information about the Campaign to Hotel managers.
• Distributing elements: 2.368 rooms in 42 Hotels.

Phase 3: Evaluations and monitoring results.

Results

This campaign is currently under phase 3, working on recompilation of information and analysis of results. Therefore no results are yet available. Every 3 month, the Local Energy Agency contacts the hotels in order to gather their feedback and to distribute new elements in case they are needed.
Some of the reactions have been:-

• Good acceptance of the campaign, mainly by small hotels;
• Scepticism regarding the clients’ implication;
• Customers are participating in the Campaign, mainly with the reutilization of towels.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

Not yet available

The Murcia Tramway is defined as a sustainable mobility solution to effectively link the four large strategic axes of Murcia.  To do so, the City is studying the future route for the Murcia Tramway.  Once all the lines are built, there are to be two interchanges: One in the Plaza Circular and another at the RENFE Station. Both are linked by another tramway network that would cross the city centre.

Objectives and target audience -

• To improve public transport;
• To reduce traffic around the city centre and the main axes in the municipality;
• To raise awareness among citizens of the environmental importance of the use of public transport.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

Process

Results

• The current result is the existence of 2.2 Km experimental track, with which the citizens have been able to see how this means of transport works;
• They have also been able to see the importance of public transport as an alternative to private vehicles.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

• Quick completion of the 2.2 Km test section in 6 months;
• A service that is free of charge so that all citizens are able to try it out;
• It could be transferred to other municipalities by studying population and employment centres and studying the possibility of linking them with a tramway.

The Urban Solid Waste Treatment Centre treats the sludge from sewage plants in the region. Every year, 108,000 tons of sludge enter the plant. Out of the total mass that arrives at the plant, 12% is converted to compost which equals some 1,600 tons of this product per month which is used to fertilize the land

Objectives and target audience

To improve the management of urban solid waste, thereby reducing the amount of waste and facilitating its sustainable use.
This is aimed at all citizens in the region who generate this waste. This demonstrates the administration’s concern for carrying out its tasks in a sustainable manner.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

Which organisations were involved in shaping and delivering the project.

Process

Results

12% of the initial mass is transformed into compost which is used as fertilizer in farming.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

• Technical and economic viability of the project.
• Market for the compost produced
• Making the society aware of the installations and processes that are carried out at the plant.

Demonstrative installation of 9 windmills, 5 kW each, to generate electricity at the University of Murcia

Objectives and target audience

• Information through a demonstration programme in real time for elementary schools, secondary schools, etc., and for the community in general (students);
• Research and studies on how these turbines operate and their electrical production through University research groups (students and researchers);
• Training university students interested in the topic (students).

Financial Resources and Partners involved  -

University of Murcia

Process

Results

The key results are:-

• Building an installation which allows students and researchers to find out about this technology;
• Building the installation as a way to make the university community environmentally aware.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

• The technical operation of the installation.
• Dissemination within the university departments related to these technologies.  This initiative could be transferred to other cities by building similar installations at universities or social centres.

It involves solar photovoltaic installations – 1.5 kWp each, and all of them together generating 20,200 Kw/year – which costs an estimated 120,000 euros.  The 10 installations subject to this agreement will have an estimated useful life of 20 years.

Objectives and target audience

The target audience:-

• School-age children;
• Students;
• Citizens.

The project aims to communicate the possibilities of solar energy and photovoltaic energy in particular to the society and more specifically, to students.  It also aims to communicate the need for sustainable development.  The objective is also to demonstrate the possibilities of the urban integration of these technologies to engineers.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

Process

Results

• 10 photovoltaic pergolas at schools.
• Communication to school-age children

Critical Success Factors / Challenges -

• Technical construction of the installation
• Teacher training on sustainable development issues
• Public awareness, location of the installations in easily-visible places.
• Appropriate integration with the surrounding area.

Latbus has begun using three bio diesel buses in Murcia which have reduced CO2 emissions by 13.4 tons per year.  It is one of the lines with one of the longest routes (135,000 kilometres a year).

Objectives and target audience

The target audience for this project has been aimed at:-

• Citizens;
• Transport companies;
• Drivers.

The project is trying to raise awareness about the use of renewable fuel for transport means.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

Process

Results

To show people the possibilities that bio fuels offer, thus raising citizens’ environmental awareness with regards to fuels used in the transport sector so that they may later be introduced on the market.  To improve the image of public transport and the city’s environmental image.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

That it is visible to the citizens.  For this purpose, the buses have been fitted with signs indicating that they use bio diesel.  This project is also replicable.

This is a bioclimatic building which is integrated into the mountains and which makes use of the wind in the area for climate control, the natural light available and is supplied with electricity through photovoltaic pergolas.

Objectives and target audience

The target audience:-
•    Students;
•    Engineers;
•    Architects.

The project is an attempt to demonstrate the energy savings and efficiency possibilities offered by a suitable architectural design.  This spreads awareness among the groups that visit it and carry out activities in the facilities it offers e.g. meetings, masters, camps, excursions.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

CAM (savings bank).

Process

Results

The construction of a bioclimatic building with rooms for accommodation and meeting rooms, with enormous possibilities for hosting school and business meetings and making the population aware of environmental issues and communicating the possibilities of bioclimatic design to engineers.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

It is an innovative project located on a natural spot, which makes it very attractive for school-age children. On the other hand, its location some distance from the city centre could be a disadvantage as far as being chosen to host business meetings.

The bicycle strategic plan provides the linking of the Universities to the centre of Murcia through 15 Km of bike paths.

Objectives and target audience

The project aims to raise awareness about environmental responsibility.  To do so, bike paths are introduced in order to propose the use of bicycles as a sustainable alternative to private vehicles or public transport.

This project is aimed at:-

• Students;
• University employees;
• Citizens in general.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

Process

The process steps are as follows:-

• Designing the bike path plan;
• Implementation in the new urban developments that are being carried out in the area;
• Implementation in areas that were already developed prior to the project.

Results

The key results will be a major decrease in traffic at the University entrance and exit as well as in the corresponding emissions.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

The key issues for success:
Citizen awareness, especially for the students and employees who make the trips daily.
Bicycle use safety.

How could it be transferred to another municipality/organisation?
By connecting the Universities or workplaces near municipalities.

Aguas de Murcia (Emuasa) designed and started up a plant where biogas is cleaned and later transformed into an ecological automotive fuel at the Murcia East Sewage Plant for use by company vehicles.

Objectives and target audience

Citizens:-
•    Show citizens the environmental possibilities of managing the city’s sewage;
•    Show citizens technologies for transport as an alternative to fossil fuels.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

Process

Results

• To prevent the emissions that contribute to the greenhouse effect as one ton of methane gas released into the atmosphere has the same effect as 21 tons of carbon dioxide;
• To reduce carbon dioxide emissions given that the fuel that is produced by the process produces less carbon dioxide emissions than any conventional fuel such as gasoline or diesel oil.  Also including the fact that it is cheaper;
• Biogas does not contain lead, it makes it possible to eliminate nitrogen oxide emissions and other contaminants.  It also makes it possible to replace one fossil energy source for a renewable energy with prevention of the production of odours that come from the emissions of sulphur compounds.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

One major factor for success was due to the appropriateness and the technical performance of the gas cleaning system.  Another factor for success of the plant is the viability of renewable energy in vehicles.  This would be noticed by citizens and would cause a gradual increase of renewable vehicles by citizens.

How could it be transferred to another municipality/organisation?
By studying the possibility of implementing similar treatments at their sewage plants.