“Simply making headlines in the newspapers with sexy projects is not enough for the wildly ambitious plan of Utrecht.”

‘Wildly ambitious' sustainability plan calls for serious approach

Inspired by cities such as Nijmegen, Breda, Apeldoorn, Tilburg, and Groningen, with more than 100,000 inhabitants, De Rijk calls this ‘energy plan’ wildly ambitious. “Utrecht wants to be climate neutral in 2030. We will not get there by simply buying a forest somewhere to compensate for our CO2 emissions. We’re really going to do this ourselves. To do so we will get busy in several areas such as: housing, work, activity, mobility and our own municipal organizations. We want to learn from plans which have been thought up by others and also from the innovation and knowledge which is hidden in office’ shelves. By doing so we can skip the phase of proving ourselves during a pilot program. This way we can count the amount of CO2 that we have to reduce and the effectiveness of each measure. With this knowledge we can find out what we have to do now in order to be climate neutral by 2030. Therefore simply making headlines in the newspapers with sexy projects is not enough for the wildly ambitious plan of Utrecht.”

From technological innovation to social innovation

The government sees that technological innovation has yielded many good ideas in recent years, but that these often remain on the shelf. “It is therefore necessary to be more active within social innovation in order to sustain technological innovation. For example if you look at housing insulation, you will see there is a dilemma which has resulted in the whole idea not being implemented. Namely, the housing association pays the costs for applying insulation to houses, while the lessee have the advantages of lower energy bills. We must organize this in a different way. In finding sustainable organizations we will also discover social innovation. The same counts for renewable energy in businesses. One business has enough energy and wants to offer this on the market, while another company has a shortage and would like to buy some energy. We should facilitate these two companies by building an infrastructure where they can meet and communicate with one another. This is complicated which means that the municipality needs to aid in this process.”

Strengthening the economy: employment, enterprise and innovation

The sustainable plans of Utrecht strengthen the economy in several ways. “First of all, it’s about creating job opportunities. If we would insulate each house within our city, we would create a lot of jobs. Secondly, Utrecht is expected to attract more sustainable companies, such as renovation companies or companies that build infrastructure for electric charging points. The precursors have the first mover advantage, as they can first create and dominate a new market segment. That’s an attractive advantage for companies. Private companies will also be motivated to become more sustainable. This is evident from the multiplier effect of 1 to 5; when we invest 1.000 euro’s, companies will invest € 5.000. Entrepreneurs are more inclined to invest when the government is also paying. And third, the city will be more innovative. Innovations which are thought up can be implemented in Utrecht in partnership with the city’s college and university. Utrecht wants to be known nationally as the city where you have to be when it comes to energy efficiency and sustainable energy."

Because of the coalition we are taking a step backwards

The coalition, which was presented by the VVD and the CDA in September 2010, is disappointing at 2 levels for the alderman. “First of all, the budget for sustainable energy is far too little. Secondly, the government is not willing to give its all towards a more sustainable Netherlands. Municipalities would benefit much more if the government would come up with specific plans and policies regarding sustainable development. For example by setting a standard for energy efficiency of housing. This would be a great incentive to renovate houses throughout the country which would stimulate a whole new market. Without the government stimulating such plans, local municipalities have to do so on their own which is very difficult. Also, abolishing the Green Scheme has been a slap in the face for many sustainable development companies. I spoke to someone from a housing cooperation who was going to insulate all the houses within their management with money from the Green Scheme. Those plans will not be implemented anymore. This truly is a step backwards in time.”

The combination between Durability and the Department of Economic Affairs has many advantages

Despite the reduced support from the government, the city of Utrecht continues its plans with determination. That the city is serious about sustainability is demonstrated by the portfolio of the government, in which sustainability is included as a separate policy. This fits within the trend of increasing focus on sustainability in many municipalities. The combination used by Utrecht between the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) and Durability has many advantages according to De Rijk. “Often you will see that one party works in a completely different direction from the other. For example the DEA will do something completely different from the department for Durability or vice versa. By combining these two departments sustainable development can influence the economy positively and vice versa. From an economic point of view over the long term, exploitation of the environment is never profitable. Money spent on alternative energy measures will always earn itself back on the long run. Our economy benefits from sustainability and vice versa is also true.”