(openPR) - 444 cities and municipalities from 11 countries take part
Award ceremony in October in Melk near Vienna

Presenting, awarding and recreating. Climate Star’s principle is as easy as that – a competition in which cities, municipalities and local associations from all over Europe submitted climate protection projects. “With the Climate Star award we want to encourage the winners and to disseminate successful measures and smart ideas on local climate protection. That way local authorities need not reinvent the wheel”, comments Ulrike Janssen, director of Climate Alliance.

A principle that works. 102 cities and municipalities participated in the first Climate Star 2002, this year there are record-breaking 444 applicants from 11 countries. Janssen: “According to the motto ‘The Short Track to Climate Protection’ the projects submitted address a broad range of topics, such as using less energy, producing energy locally from renewable sources, sustainable means of transport or marketing of regional products. We are very pleased about that and would also like to thank the local authorities involved.”

Cities and municipalities, which have submitted projects, need to wait for the competition’s results until October. An international expert jury is going to select the best climate protection projects in four categories (up to 10,000, up to 100,000, more than 100,000 inhabitants, local associations). The Climate Stars 2009 are going to be awarded during a gala on 22 October at ‘Stift Melk’, part of the UNESCO world heritage Wachau near Vienna.

Further information:
www.climate-star.net

The “Climate Alliance of European Cities with Indigenous Rainforest Peoples” is a city network with 1400 European local authorities in 17 countries that have entered into a partnership with indigenous rainforest peoples - united by the common concern for the global climate. By adhering, the cities and municipalities commit to an ambitious target: to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent every five years, with the important milestone of halving per capita emissions at the latest by 2030 (base year 1990).

Climate Alliance / Klima-Bündnis / Alianza del Clima e.V.
European Secretariat
Galvanistr. 28, D-60486 Frankfurt am Main
Tel. +49-69-717139-0, Fax +49-69-717139-93
europe@climatealliance.org
www.climatealliance.org