The Danish capital of Copenhagen has just made an ambitious decision. During the next three years, the city representation will spend almost a million US Dollars on greening the city. The aim is to make Copenhagen the greenest city in the world by 2015. The city council has decided to focus on the following:

• Maximum speed on the big streets in the city will be limited to 40km/h. Vehicles shall be parked in parking lots and parking houses to create more space for bicycles.

• Intelligent traffic management for public transport shall ensure green waves for buses. Further electronic sensors will warn cyclists about large vehicles and vice versa.

• All municipality buildings shall be renovated with focus on energy efficiency of improvement.
  

• All new areas in the city will be constructed to become environmentally sustainable and energy-efficient.

• New beach areas and harbour pools for the public will be constructed.
  

• New mini-parks. Through the closing off of streets on one end and making dead-end streets, mini-parks will be made.
  

• Existing parks will be renvated including new playgrounds for children and more park security.

• More organic food in kindergartens, elderly homes, and other institutions.
  

Concrete aims for 2015 (present percentages in brackets):

• At least 50 % of Copenhagen citizens shall commute by bicycle to either work or educational institutions (36% at present).

• Number of seriously wounded cyclists shall be halved (around 120 per year)

• The CO2 emissions of Copenhagen will be reduced by 20%. (4.9 ton per citizen)

• 90% of citizens shall be within 15 mins walking distance of either beach, harbour pool or another nature area
  (60% at present).

• The part of organic food in the city’s food consumption shall be at least 20%.
  (14 % at present)

• At least 90% of food offered in public institutions shall be organic. (45 % at present)

• Copenhagen shall be the cleanest Capital of Europe. Garbage must be removed every eight hours.
  (at present up to 36 hours)

China:

M-me. Zhao Jiarong announces six major measures of the resources saving society initiative in China in support of the Green Growth approach, August 2006

At the 2nd Green Growth Policy Dialogue on the Role of Public Policy in Providing Sustainable Consumption Choices: Resources Saving Society and Green Growth held in Beijing , China in May 2006, M-me. Zhao Jiarong, Director-General, Department of Environment and Resource Conservation, National Development and Reform Commission of P.R. China (NDRC) announced the following six major national measures in pursuit of green growth and a resources saving society:

· To establish sound legislation, regulation and standardization framework;

· To speed up optimization of the industrial structure, including improvements of energy consumption and use of high quality and alternative energy;

· To promote improvement of technological processes and scientific research for energy efficiency and recycling technologies;

· To improve energy consumption management;

· To develop appropriate and further improve existing incentive policies;

· To develop new tools and mechanism such as energy efficiency labelling and energy and water conservation product certification to guide and provide sustainable consumption choices for consumers.

The Resource Saving Society Initiative developed and promoted by the Department of Environment and Resource Conservation of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is currently implemented by the Government of China through the National 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010).