A+CoM award conferred to nine Italian cities by Climate Alliance Italy together with Kyoto Club

The A+CoM award, an initiative of  Climate Alliance Italy and Kyoto Club which aims to  acknowledge outstanding Sustainable Energy Action Plans adopted in Italy, was granted for the first time to nine cities on the occasion of a ceremony held on 26 May in Florence.

All around Italy, there are already 1600 cities and towns that have joined the Covenant of Mayors. Climate Alliance Italy, the Italian Coordinator of Climate Alliance helps its members committed to meeting and even exceeding the EU 20% CO2 emissions reduction target by 2020 through energy efficiency measures and investment in renewable energy. As part of their commitment, they have pledged to adopt a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) outlining a set of key actions intended to bring a more sustainable future to their citizens.

The award winners

In the category up to 5,000 inhabitants, Montaione in Toscany received the award for a SEAP that takes the Covenant of Mayors as a point of departure and a roadmap towards the improvement of its citizens’ quality of life and the 20,000 annual tourists.

In the category of up to 20,000 inhabitants, Castelnuovo di Garda was rewarded for its administration’s efforts in the early collection of data for the elaboration of the SEAP, managed entirely by the city council staff.
In the category up to 90,000 inhabitants the award was granted ex aequo to two cities, Castelfranco Emilia for its excellent internal organisation, a concise and simple plan with interesting actions and Lodi for a plan elaborated entirely by the municipal experts and with very ambitious goals for the administration itself, as a basis to reach out to the tertiary and residential private sector.

Above 90,000 inhabitants the scientific committee gave the award to the city of Genova for the depth of data collection, ambitious but realistic goals and the large scope of stakeholders’ involvement.

In the Province of Milano, Villasanta received an award of appreciation for the overall high quality of its plan and its initiatives of capacity building aimed to support the plan implementation.  The little community of Palena in the Region of Abruzzo received the same recognition for its comprehensive database on municipal energy consumption.

Special mentions were also given to the SEAPs of Bari (for its well thought-out blueprint on the job creation potential of sustainable energy policies) and Florence (for the scope and ambitions of awareness-raising and communication activities).

SEAP - A strong will to act

In their praises the members of the Scientific Committee underlined the importance they attribute to the operational process of Sustainable Energy Actions Plans. “All of the plans”, said Karl-Ludwig Schibel, coordinator of Climate Alliance Italy, “have some methodological shortcomings, but they all reflect a strong will to act and are viable instruments for implementation, monitoring and adjusting the course while going ahead. A process with the potential of self-correction and adjustment is all-important in a moment where nobody has the perfect blueprint in his pocket.” Silvia Zamboni, environmental journalist, who presided the ceremony, concluded with the hope that other European countries will take up the initiative and that eventually there will be a European A+CoM award.  

For more information: www.climatealliance.it/notizie/88/ITA/114/Premiazione-A+CoM