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2023, when Tallinn is the European Green Capital, Tallinn will create a park to the Town Hall square, food gardens to Mustamäe and Lasnamäe, bring international green innovation to the city center, greenery to Kristiine transport hubs and much more.

The main themes of the year of the European Green Capital are biodiversity, climate, green technologies and sustainable city governance. Tallinn has a goal to involve the people of Tallinn, local companies and various non-governmental organizations to the activities of the green capital. The Green Capital program includes interesting environmental activities for all Tallinn’s residents, including more than 60 events.

“In Tallinn, we are very committed to accelerating real changes towards a more environmentally friendly city in the title year, and to make them visible everywhere in Tallinn, both in the urban space, in the attitude of the city’s employees and officials, and in the mindset of the city’s citizens,” said Tallinn Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart last week, during the introduction of green capital program.

The mayor pointed out that, for example, for the development of more environmentally friendly public transport, the city has additional funds to acquire electric buses, and in 2023 the construction of the new Vanasadama tram line will begin. Tallinn will also host a green technology week next fall, including a unique CleanTech Europe conference and a green EXPO.

“Our bigger goal is the well-being of the people of Tallinn. That is why the development strategy Tallinn 2035 was created. The title of the green capital of Europe is only a part, only one milestone of the bigger picture that we have set as our goal,” said Kõlvart.

See the presentation of Tallinn’s European Green Capital program HERE.

The head of the Green Capital team, Mrs. Krista Kampus, introduced the program of the title year in more detail and emphasized that Tallinn wants to give momentum to green changes. She also invited people of Tallinn to participate in a round of non-profit grants, that will be opened in January to give various community associations and activists the opportunity to apply for support for their activities.

In addition, the city invites all citizens with a green mission to join the network of Tallinn’s green ambassadors.

Internationally, there will be close cooperation with the European Commission in 2023, when Tallinn will lead the European Green Capital network.

Liis Vahter, head of Tallinn’s Green Transition Competence Center, introduced the Green Tracks project of tactical interventions in urban space, which is being carried out for the first time in Tallinn, with the larger goal of creating a more pleasant, human-friendlier urban space.

“We want this project to have a city-wide dimension, so that it is not only in the city center, but something happens in every district of the city to reach as many citizens as possible,” said Vahter and listed some examples: the improvement of access to Pirita beach, the creation of a park on the Town Hall square, the placement of green areas in transport hubs, the planting of food forests on Mustamäe and Lasnamäe.