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Klima100

100 climate solutions from Danish Municipalities

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In Aarhus Municipality, the Green Embassy turns the traditional role of municipalities and citizens upside down, giving life to citizen-driven projects.

The Green Embassy is located in the heart of Aarhus and functions as a melting pot for green ideas and co-creation. Here, citizens can drop by and get inspiration about green activities, or share their knowledge about gardens, urban spaces and what nature has to offer. The fundamental principle of the Embassy, better known as the Seed (Frøet), is that the municipality leaves “business as usual” behind and allows citizens to create change and form new partnerships. Open-mindedness and curiosity are essential to the space.

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CITIZEN-DRIVEN PROJECTS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED WITH THE EMBASSY’S HELP

With this philosophy as a starting point, the Embassy has nurtured the growth of two citizen-driven projects: a working group focused on making the street Hans Broges Gade more green and welcoming; and a garden community in Frederiksbjerg City Park where flower beds and fruit bushes have been planted.

The Green Embassy is a meeting place that aims to inspire citizens and the municipality to form new communities and co- create climate projects.

The projects have helped create a new sense of community and social cohesion, for example between two unlikely groups: the local daycare and an elderly group, as well as with citizens who enjoy the flowers and the park. All together these new projects and the communities encourage greater awareness of the environment and climate, which is a necessity for promoting greener behavior and changing norms.

How the Global Goals are addressed

Good Health and Well-Being

The two citizen- driven projects provide citizens with the opportunity to take part in and enjoy green activities. This is expected to provide both physical and mental health benefits.

Sustainable Cities and Communities

The Embassy supports sustainable communities by giving citizens responsibility for their own projects.

Partnerships for the Goals

With the help of the Embassy, partnerships are able to blossom between groups that would not necessarily collaborate otherwise, leading to the changes that citizens wish to see.