New guidance released for Community-driven Green Deal Actions

Collecting experience from 24 local actions across Europe to highlight how communities can help advance European Green Deal objectives, a new guide presents concrete ideas on six different topics: Clean Energy, Circular Economy, Efficient Renovations, Sustainable Mobility, Sustainable Food, and Biodiversity Preservation.

It highlights practical examples of how participatory approaches can drive sustainable change, benefitting from an approach bringing in social science and humanities to deliver change.

The guidance and the local experiments are part of the EU-funded SHARED GREEN DEAL project, which includes CEE Bankwatch Network as a key partner on the Local Leadership on Clean Energy but also benefits from expertise from organisations such as Anglia Ruskin University, Energy Cities, and University of Galway to name just a few.

This report offers practical, replicable solutions for local communities to further the European Green Deal and serves as a first step for SHARED GREEN DEAL to engage with European, national, and local policymakers on achieving a European Green Deal that is responsible, equitable, and desirable.

Local Leadership on Clean Energy
In communities such as Granada (Spain), Bełchatów (Poland), and Jaywick (UK), local stakeholders were particularly focused on developing energy action plans that brought together residents, businesses, and policymakers. The guidance underscores the importance of engaging citizens in shaping their energy futures, which is critical to building equitable and sustainable energy systems.

Advancing Circular Economy Innovation
Santo Tirso (Portugal), Val-de-Marne (France), Cyprus, and Ljubljana (Slovenia) took significant steps in fostering local circular economies. For example, Santo Tirso created accelerator hubs to drive innovation in sectors such as textiles and construction. By supporting local businesses and developing new circular business models, they demonstrated how small-scale initiatives can contribute to the wider EU circular economy agenda.

Efficient Renovations and Knowledge Exchange
Communities in Nógrád County (Hungary), Mayo County (Ireland), Zaragoza (Spain), and Vilnius (Lithuania) established Renovation Knowledge Networks, bringing together residents and building professionals. These networks emphasised practical energy renovation strategies and explored the gender dynamics in renovation decision-making. The findings highlight the importance of knowledge exchange in enhancing energy efficiency across Europe’s building stock.

Promoting Sustainable Mobility through Community Engagement
Braga (Portugal), Galway (Ireland), Panevezys (Lithuania), and Sofia (Bulgaria) focused on sustainable mobility by involving schools in Urban Mobility Labs. These labs co-created solutions to improve school travel and support sustainable urban mobility, in line with the EU Green Deal mobility goals. The report illustrates the role of community involvement, particularly in schools, in contributing to smarter and greener transport systems.

Transforming Local Food Systems
In Stockholm (Sweden), Cella Monte (Italy), Košice (Slovakia), and Wageningen (Netherlands), local food system transformation was a key focus. These communities used participatory approaches, such as Food Assemblies, to identify pathways for sustainable food production and consumption, aligning with the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy. The report offers insights into how local actions can influence broader food system changes.

Preserving Biodiversity through Community Learning
Tolmin (Slovenia), Amaroussion (Greece), Stockholm (Sweden), and Ballyhoura (Ireland) prioritised biodiversity conservation through community-based initiatives. In Tolmin, for example, Study Circles helped local residents better understand biodiversity conservation. The report highlights how community learning can be a powerful tool in addressing biodiversity loss, supporting the EU’s biodiversity targets.

Read Case Study Guides.