"A significant reduction in CO2 is the declared goal of the city of Münster. Stadtwerke is now making an important contribution to this, also with regard to its own emissions," emphasizes Lord Mayor Markus Lewe. From the administrative buildings to service centers and ticket machines to the drinking water pumps in the waterworks - 340 consumption points will be supplied with Grüner Strom-Label-certified green electricity from 2020.
For almost 20 years now, the Grüner Strom-Label has been an integral part of Stadtwerke Münster's green electricity products and the company's public charging infrastructure. The label supports the nature-friendly expansion of renewable energies by obliging the providers of certified green electricity products to invest a fixed amount per kilowatt hour consumed in energy transition projects. In this way, a total of 1,350 energy turnaround projects have already been realized with more than 65 million euros and be co-financed.
The lungs of the earth
To neutralize its own CO2 emissions, Stadtwerke Münster is supporting a project to protect the Brazilian rainforest. Together with the local population, the project team works along the Jari River in the northeast of the country, ensuring sustainable conservation of the rainforest.
In addition, the municipal utilities are committed to expanding renewable energies and increasing energy efficiency locally. In this way, emissions can be avoided in Münster and the Münsterland region. Starting this year, 28,000 street lights will accompany Münster residents on their way home with climate-friendly green electricity.
Together for climate protection
In addition to the switch to certified green electricity with the Grüner Strom-Label, Stadtwerke Münster plans to offer an online portal for private households and companies in the future: "Climate protection is also a community task. We want to make it easy for citizens to neutralize their personal CO2 emissions in the same way. That's why, starting next spring, we will be offering private households and companies an online portal where they can record and offset their CO2 emissions," explains Sebastian Jurczyk. Any surplus generated in the process will in turn be used for climate protection. In this way, the energy turnaround can be driven forward piece by piece as a community.