The city of Valencia has achieved it: it is the European Green Capital 2024, a title currently held by Grenoble (France) and to be inherited by Tallinn (Estonia) in 2023. With this award, the European Union recognizes the efforts made by the winning cities and promotes, for a full year, actions that favor the environment and sustainability.
The European Green Capital, a project promoted by the City of Valencia, has had the support of the UPV from the beginning. The rector of the institution, José E. Capilla, has welcomed this achievement, a source of pride for Valencians.
“The university-city tandem, an alliance between the València City Council and the UPV, is an example of compliance with Sustainable Development Goal number 17: the alliance between institutions to move towards a sustainable society that respects our environment. The declaration of València as European Green Capital 2024 reflects the history of a society that has been committed to sustainability for decades, and is the result of a great joint work”.
The Rector explained that “it all started at the FAO with the declaration of the “Historic Irrigated Landscape of Horta de Valencia” as an Important System of World Agricultural Heritage (SIPAM), which was a candidacy submitted by the City Council of Valencia in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Valencia. It was followed by the “living lab”, the ‘living’ laboratory where innovations will be tested in view of our joint mission to be climate neutral by 2030. And we will continue to work hand in hand, City Council and Universitat Politècnica de València, so that this story of innovation and sustainability is also the story of our sons and daughters”.
In May, Brussels informed the València City Council that the city had been selected as an official candidate to be European Green Capital, as it successfully passed the 12 sustainability indicators required by this call. And in July, the European Commission announced that València was a finalist for the European Green Capital Award, along with the Italian city of Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia.
Launched by the European Commission under the name “Green Cities – Fit for Life”, this annual title rewards urban areas with more than 100,000 inhabitants showing a serious commitment when it comes to social and environmental issues, bearing in mind that more than two thirds of European citizens now live in cities.