News

During the first half of the European Green Capital year, Tallinn has brought about changes in the urban space, including the creation of a summer park in the Town Hall Square, 14 flower meadows, and 150 trees as part of the Song and Dance Celebration. Additionally, nearly 100 environmental-themed events have taken place, and nine companies have shown interest in testing their eco-friendly ideas in Tallinn.

In the spring, Tallinn allocated 1 million euros from the Green Capital budget to support non-profit activities, allowing citizens, companies, and NGOs to be part of the green capital initiative and implement their ideas. Over a hundred applications were received during the three application rounds, and funding was provided to nearly half of them. In total, the European Green Capital supports 48 environmental projects in Tallinn.

“Tallinn sees the European Green Capital year not as an endpoint but as a journey. Our main goal is to ensure that the changes happening this year have a long-lasting impact, primarily improving the quality of life,” said Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart.

One important project is the cooperation between Tallinn and Utilitas, which will focus on creating new energy production technologies in the coming years. “This collaboration with a long-term impact, which is aligned with green objectives, ensures price stability for heat energy and also energy security. It is symbolic that we launched this project during the Green Capital year,” added Kõlvart.

As part of the “Green Tracks” project, Tallinn is creating a more pleasant and human-centric urban space, exemplified by the summer park set up in the Town Hall Square. In the second half of summer, innovative urban solutions will be added to areas like Pirita, Lasnamäe, Nõmme, and North-Tallinn. A major transformation awaits the area surrounding the City Hall: the city plans to connect it with the Kalaranna promenade and the cruise terminal area, creating a continuous coastal path from Noblessner to Pirita beach.

“The ‘Green Tracks’ project is certainly something that Tallinners will notice the most in their daily lives. The urban space will turn green in the broadest sense of the word. Where possible, we can use tactical urbanism to make our urban space significantly more pleasant. We will also put great emphasis on green landscapes: during the Green Capital year, we will plant 1,000 trees, with 150 already planted with the help of young participants from the Song and Dance Celebration. About 100 of these trees are special shade trees, planted to reduce the heat island effect. Additionally, we are creating 14 flower meadows across the city, and for three of them, people can plant seeds themselves – we have sent them 8,000 seed packets to do so,” said Deputy Mayor Vladimir Svet.

Throughout the Green Capital year, several activities and events are planned. For example, in collaboration with Let’s Do It World, the international Baltic Sea campaign “Save Our Sea” will take place from late August to mid-September. “We invite residents of Baltic Sea cities to raise awareness of the critical situation of the Baltic Sea and clean up its coastline. More than 40 cities, including Helsinki, Kiel, and Riga, have shown interest in joining the campaign,” said Krista Kampus, Head of Tallinn – European Green Capital 2023.

From October 7th to November 4th, the Green Capital Citizens’ Assembly will focus on the comprehensive and cohesive urban greenery of the entire city. It is the first time that the city is inviting citizens to engage in such a participatory process, to discuss how to design green spaces in Tallinn that are cohesive, attractive to residents, and adaptable to climate change.

Tallinn also wishes to attract more innovation during the Green Capital year. The city has two projects for this purpose: Test in Tallinn, inviting companies to test their sustainable products and services in Tallinn, among which Tallinn has already chosen 9 partners from 3 countries, and the November GreenTech Week and Expo.

From November 13th to 17th, in addition to being the European Green Capital this year, Tallinn will become the green technology capital, hosting the international technology fair NEXPO Tallinn, featuring the most innovative and groundbreaking ideas from Europe, Asia, and the United States. Throughout the week, four events and the NEXPO green technology exhibition will be held in Tallinn.

The main themes of Tallinn’s European Green Capital year are biodiversity, climate change and innovation, and sustainable governance. Additionally the goal is to involve residents more in the city’s activities. For more information, visit greentallinn.ee.

Photo: European Green Capital Office