Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark with 355,000 inhabitants, situated on the peninsula of Jutland. The green transition and the ambitious vision of becoming C02-neutral by 2030 are among the core tasks of Aarhus Municipality. This involves everyone, meaning citizens, employees, companies and educational and knowledge institutions as well as organisations.
The city council form the political leadership of the city, appointing the mayor and five eldermen to head each their department, and all political decisions require a majority vote in the city council. Policy, however, as is the tradition in Denmark, is developed in collaboration with the main stakeholders in the city. Citizen engagement in the broadest sense (incl. private citizens, companies, organisations, and institutions) is a core element of city development in Aarhus. Cooperation with the municipality’s stakeholders takes place in the form of ad hoc cooperation on specific projects and initiatives - as well as in a more formalised and structural setting. One example of a more formalised cooperation is the Climate Alliance Aarhus, engaging 15 of the municipality's biggest companies in a mutually committing strategic cooperation with the common target of achieving carbon-neutrality in 2030.
How can Aarhus Municipality engage their citizens in changing their present food habits into habits with a lower CO2 footprint?
This is the main question for the Circle U Challenge 2022 at Aarhus University, Aarhus Eats Greener, where Aarhus Municipality asks university students for help in solving this important issue!
Aarhus Municipality aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and have a target of becoming CO2 neutral by 2030. On a global scale food production accounts for 25% of the CO2 emissions, and since CO2 emissions from plant based food products are 10-50 times lower than animal based product the CO2 reduction potential is great . So sign up and make your contribution!