Greencity Environmental Policy-FREIBURG

Environmental Policy
i n F r e i b u r g
Freiburg
I M B R E I S G A U
Preface 4
I. Climate Protection and Sustainable Urban Development 6
1. Urban Development 7
1.1. Urban Planning and Efficient Settlement Development 7
1.2. Less Space, More Quality of Life! Modern Settlement Development
in Freiburg with the Land Use plan 2020 9
1.3. Environmental Protection through Sound Land Use Policies 13
1.4. Examples: Quartier Vauban and Rieselfeld 15
2. Future-oriented Mobility: Freiburg's Transport Concept 19

2.1. Inseparable: Urban and Transport Planning 19
2.2. Space for All: Integrated Transport Modes 20
3. Noise Management Action Plan 25

3.1. For a High Urban Living Standard:
Noise Management Action Plan Freiburg 25
3.2. A Concrete Set of Measures Against Noise 25
4. From Abandoning Nuclear Energy to a

Leading Position in Solar: Energy in Freiburg 26
4.1. 40% by 2030! Freiburg Concepts for Climate Protection
and Energy Provision 26
4.2. Energy Savings in Buildings 29
4.3. Weingarten-West: Renovating an Entire District 31
4.4. Expanding Renewable Energy 32
4.5. Increasing Energy Efficiency 34
4.6. Freiburg Climate Campaigns: More Communication, More Impact 36
4.7. The Sun as Economic Factor: The Freiburg Solar Region 38
4.8. Clever and sustainable: Freiburg’s Facility Management 42
4.9. Energy Transition for All: Utility Company badenova 46
5. Waste in Freiburg 49
5.1. Ecological Waste Management in Freiburg 49
5.2. Waste: A Resource for the Future 52
6. Tomorrow's Markets are Green:

Waste Management and Environmental Research 53
6.1. Sustainability and Quality of Living:
The Driving Forces of Qualitative Growth 53
6.2. Exhibitions, Congresses, Events: In Freiburg and Around the World 55
7. Experiencing Sustainability: Welcoming the World to Freiburg 57
7.1. Professional Tourism 57
7.2. Learning from each Other: International Exchange 57
II. Nature: Our City's Capital 60
1. Forestry 61
1.1. The City's Forest 61
2. Biodiversity on a Small Scale:

Landscape and Nature Conservation in Freiburg 65
2.1. The Schauinsland: Nature Reserve and Popular Recreation Area 65
2.2. The Tuniberg: Premier Wine Region with Mediterranean Living 68
2.3. Nature Reserve Freiburg Rieselfeld:
Discover Biodiversity Enfolding a New Urban Quarter 69
2.4. The Mooswald: Landscape Preservation and a Multifunction Forest
in an Urban Agglomeration 70
3. Public Parks, Green Lifeblood of the City 71
4. Protecting a Treasure: Soil Preservation in Freiburg 73

4.1. Soil Preservation as a Part of Environmental Policy 73
5. Water in Freiburg 76
5.1. Groundwater Must be Preserved 76
5.2. From Trickle to Flood: Flood Protection and Urban Development 79
6. Air Quality Management in Freiburg 81

6.1. Ozone 81
6.2. City Traffic Emissions 82
6.3. Air Quality Protection Plan for Freiburg 83
III. Man and the Environment 84
1. Participation 85
1.1. Agenda 21 85
2. Learning with All Senses: Environmental Education in Freiburg 88

2.1. Environmental Activities in Schools 88
2.2. Extracurricular Activities for the Young and Old 92
3. Involving Citizens in the Environment 98
Imprint 100
“Sustainability is increasingly becoming a key part of urban policy. It is no longer just about
preserving resources and climate protection - it has very real economic implications as well.“
This is an extract from the joint declaration of the presidents of the German County Associ-
ation and the German Association of Cities and Communes issued on the 28. October 2008
on the topic of the Sustainability Strategy of the German Government and the climate goals
it embodies. The declaration continues: “Climate protection is our greatest challenge and a
key element of sustainable local policy... Following the motto Think Globally, Act Locally,
these climate protection goals can only be achieved through the active participation and
support of local authorities.“
Freiburg local authorities see themselves as especially committed to he principle of sustain-

ability. It can be seen and felt in a holistic city development concept - that deals with na-
ture protectively, is driven by energy efficiency, saving and renewable energy, focusses
strongly on developing sustainable public transport infrastructure and has as a goal the elim-
ination of 40% of all CO2 emissions by the year 2030.
Freiburg has taken a leadership role in this area that has garnered it international recogni-
tion. The city is globally seen as an example of ecological politics and urban development.
The idea of a “Green City“ not only underpins environmental policy and implementation
strategies, but also stands for a committed citizenry engaged in an ongoing dialogue to cre-
ate the political framework for sustainability coupled with a high standard of living. Lastly,
“Green City“ encompasses an ever-increasing economic dimension: environmental busi-
nesses create long-term and sustainable growth and jobs in future-oriented sectors, and
promote the economic competitiveness of the city and the region.
What makes Freiburg special is the unique mix of political, economic, geographic and cul-
tural factors that combine to create a coherent whole: The research capacity of universities
and institutes, a sensitised and environmentally conscious citizenry, and a clear political ma-
jority in support of city-wide actions in his regard.
This brochure is aimed at giving a comprehensive overview of the development and current
status of environmental policy in Freiburg, and its integral role in urban development. I
would like to thank our colleagues and external partners who have made it possible.
Dr. Dieter Salomon

Lord Mayor of Freiburg
4
“All politics is local“. This statement by the American politician Tip O'Neill effectively describes
the approach to sustainability by local authorities. As important as the framework condi-
tions developed at a global, European, national or regional level are, it is at the local level
that the true impact is felt.
Half of humanity lives in cities, and the lion's share of investment decisions are made at a
local level. Cities produce more than 75% of CO2 emissions. At the same time,they present
the greatest potential for emissions reduction. The right, future-oriented infrastructure at a
local level, starting with waste management, through public transport and land use plan-
ning, makes possible a sustainable economy and livelihood for the city’s inhabitants. This
responsibility must be heeded, especially as a city in an industrialised country.
This brochure gives an overview of the current status of environmental policy in Freiburg.
Environmental policy, as an important component of a comprehensive sustainability strat-
egy, is made up of a broad spectrum of topics. These include the protection of environmen-
tal resources such as soil, air and water, the protection and further development of biodi-
versity amongst plants and animals, sustainable forestry management, waste management
and urban and transport planning.
Climate protection has become the most important task of local authorities. The goal of a
40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 - decided by the Freiburg Municipal
Council as part of the Freiburg Climate Change Action Plan - can only be achieved if climate
protection can be integrated universally across all local government departments, offices and
companies, and if all important related actors such as chambers of commerce and industry,
churches, the university and the regional energy agency are in constant communication on
related projects and initiatives. The city takes a leadership role within its own domain by,
for example, reducing the emissions from city buildings by 20% by 2015 as part of its goals,
or through the city program “Energy-aware Renovation“ which supports energetic renova-
tion in private households.
One knows only what one sees - one only protects what one knows. Environmental and na-
ture preservation, and the question of a sustainable lifestyle, a “good life“, must be made
concrete, understandable and reachable. All plans, concepts, new technologies and infra-
structural developments are only as good as their acceptance by the broad population, and
the degree to which that population fills them with life and meaning. This philosophy drives
the city's activities also in the area of public relations, for example in the series of events
entitled “Sustainability as the Art of Living“, the climate protection campaign CO2 LIBRI, or
the project “LifeStyle“ (LebensArt) in which learning about sustainability is promoted to be-
come the central theme of education. As the motto of the CO2 LIBRI campaign states: “Up with
Quality of Life! Down with Emissions!“
Gerda Stuchlik
Mayor
Prelude 5
I. Climate Protection
and Sustainable
Urban Development
6
1. Urban Development 7
2. Future-oriented Mobility: Freiburg's Transport Concept 19
3. Noise Management Action Plan 25
4. From Abandoning Nuclear Energy to a Leading Position
in Solar - Energy in Freiburg 26
5. Waste in Freiburg 49
6. Tomorrow's Markets are Green : Waste Management
and Environmental Research 52
7. Experiencing Sustainability: Welcoming the World to Freiburg 56
1. Urban Development
1.1. Urban Planning and Efficient Settlement Development
Urban planning not only impacts built up areas - it also affects the open landscape. A land-
scape plan should guarantee the sustainable development of the landscape. The open, but
also urban, landscape, has many functions - living space for plants and animals, a protec-
tive environment for the resources of earth, air and water, and a recreational space for peo-
ple. In addition, it serves as the area of activity for agriculture and forestry. The Landscape
Plan should integrate all of these facets.
Ongoing development of settled areas through encroachment on open landscape is one cause
for the natural habitats of plants and animals to be limited or isolated by impassable barriers.
This when many species are highly dependent on interaction and contact.
In 2008 the state of Baden-Württemberg saw 8,2 hectares of open areas used for settlements
and transport infrastructure. Such use acts as a loan on future resources - it encumbers the
environment and impacts on the remaining landscape resource.
Nowadays, far more than say twenty years ago, the integration of the interests of urban de-
velopment and environmental protection and biodiversity are part of the urban planning
task. The city of Freiburg has made such integration a central part of its urban development
policy.
Networked Biotropes - The “Biotopverbund“ protects biodiversity
In order to enhance and protect the living space of plants and animals and reintegrate such
biotopes as may have have been isolated due to urban encroachment, national legislators
introduced a national network of biotopes in 2002.
I. Urban Development 7
To realise this within the urban area of Freiburg, the local authority commissioned a Biotope
Network Plan in 2003 to serve as one of the foundations of the city's Landscape Plan 2020.
The Plan made clear that numerous species exist in Freiburg that are heavily dependant on
interaction and relocation/reintroduction processes for their survival. The freestanding and
wayside bushes around the Tuniberg play an important role in this, as do the small rivers
and streams in the Waltershofer lowland and the grasslands of Waltershofen, Kappel and
Ebnet or the Mooswald. Still, it is possible to observe how heavily-frequented transport ar-
teries throughout Freiburg interrupt formerly cohesive living spaces, for example in the
Dreisam valley, connecting Black Forest and Rhein valley areas. Ecological networking axis
must be created to serve as migration routes. This is especially true for the creation of trav-
erses over and under existing roadways, as well as the creation of green areas along streams
and brooks, both inside and outside of the immediate urban area.
Key Areas for Biodiversity
To ensure the long-term survival of species, it is not sufficient to maintain or recreate con-
nections between biotopes. Many species, especially those less mobile, leave their tradition-
al habitat only when their numbers cause unusual population pressures. Then they may cov-
er significant distances between biotopes. The method of choice to extend the prevalence
of individual species is by improving their numbers to the point where natural migrations
take place. The Biotrope Network therefor wishes to achieve a sufficient density of habitats
offering animals and plants optimal living conditions.
In so-called Biodiversity Key Areas, the networking of existing and the creation of new
biotropes will be undertaken. For the Landscape Plan, such areas are clearly documented
and suitable activities developed. Especially important in this process is the Land Use Plan
2020 (LUP2020) of the city of Freiburg. Because each intervention in nature and the land-
scape through urban development needs to be balanced somewhere else, the LUP2020 makes
suitable land available for this balancing process. It determines the location of Biodiversity
Photo: LUBW-Bildarchiv, Koenig M.
Key Areas to ensure that the Biotrope Network benefits directly from the urban development
process.
Residential area development takes cognisance of Biotrope Key Areas and the network of liv-
ing spaces so developed. New areas for development in the LUP2020 are created mainly
through the rezoning of unused industrial or railway land or through the balancing of ex-
isting residential areas and the expansion within areas immediately bordering such areas
(Internal Development, see page 11).
Well-Aired - Urban Green Spaces Promote a Good City Climate
In urban landscapes, such as the residential areas found in Freiburg, a characteristic urban
climate prevails, impacted by the many buildings and sealed surfaces. In such urban areas,
it is generally warmer and the quality of air lower than in less densely inhabited regions.
Especially the rate of evaporation and air mass exchange rates are limited - whereby
so-called heat-islands are formed. People living in cities are often exposed to higher levels
of heat than those living in the surrounding countryside.
8
The impact of these climatic aspects on urban planning and development were recognised
in Freiburg very early on. The urban climate in Freiburg has been the subject of ongoing re-
search for nearly 50 years. A city climate analysis prepared in 2003 captured important as-
pects of the local climate in Freiburg and determined the impact on future urban develop-
ment. When, in summer, hot, clear and wind-free periods stretching for days or even weeks
occur, the urban public green areas play a significant role, especially when they are correct-
ly dimensioned and oriented - as they represent important areas of climatic balance and
channels of air movement. Through a combination of evaporative chilling and shading they
promote the development of cooler air and thus lower temperatures. These cooling effects
in green areas go on to impact the surrounding built environment. Aisles or lanes facilitate
fresh air movement even on wind-still days, when cool air descends down the slopes of the
Black Forest - in turn avoiding overheating. In winter, the mountain-valley wind system fa-
cilitates the flushing of airborne pollutants - from traffic, for example - even during inver-
sion conditions.
The airfield, agricultural areas between St. Georgen and the Haid industrial area, and the
part of the Dreisam valley between Ebnet and the Schwabentor bridge serve as exemplary
air movement lanes. Within Freiburg, many such lanes are now becoming cluttered, with
the exception of lanes formed by several railway lines. The central old city part of Freiburg is
poorly ventilated, due to the narrow alleyways and relatively high building structures.
The size, plant cover and networking of green public spaces can positively impact the urban
climate. In Freiburg, care is taken to ensure that a sufficient number of such spaces are main-
tained. As such, the Land Use Plan 2020 has determined that air movement aisles and ur-
ban spaces be excluded from future building activities.
1.2. Less Space, More Quality of Life!

Modern Settlement Development in Freiburg with
the Land Use plan 2020
It is quite clear: The more residential areas constructed on the outskirts of a city, the greater
the negative ecological consequences. The prime directive of the city of Freiburg is therefor
to keep the need for new areas to an absolute minimum. Sustainable development utilis-
ing a minimum of land has been practiced in Freiburg for some time now. More than half of
all residential development in Freiburg since 1980 have taken place internally - on unused,
fallow land, in areas between existent buildings, old industrial areas and former military
land. This principle is referred to as inner-development by urban planners.
This kind of space-saving urban development has been given priority at the highest levels
- the national Sustainability Strategy of the German Government has been in place since April
2002 and in the state of Baden-Württemberg an initiative “Saving Space in Baden-Würt-
temberg“ has been pursuing this goal since October 2004. Freiburg has joined this initia-
tive, whose main goals are now firmly anchored in the Land Use Plan 2020, put in place by
vote of the city council in 2006.
This is especially important in light of the fact that land lost to urban development is no
longer available to either the natural environment nor to the agricultural and forestry sec-
tors. The construction of streets, residential areas and industrial areas impact local and glob-
al climate, water resources and biodiversity. The cutting up of the landscape and the loss of
recreational value as traffic volumes rise represent further negative side effects.
Sustainable and Humane: Determining Appropriate Land Use Demand
With the Land Use Plan 2020 Freiburg has acted boldly to oppose this trend. As a first step,
the land use demand of the whole city was evaluated from scratch. City experts created - as
opposed to former practice - a land use demand prognosis that was as realistic as possible.
In this way, the new Land Use Plan only allocated exactly as many new building plots as de-
mand required. Formerly, a broad palette of plots were allocated for a variety of uses - just
in case.
Also new is the determination of exactly which inner-development potential remains in

Freiburg. In this way nearly 34 hectares of building plots could be “saved“ compared to the
plans presented in 1980. For almost 40 hectares, more environmentally friendly alternatives
could be found - a surface area as large as the old city of Freiburg itself.
Regular statistical analysis is used to validate this demand-driven urban development

process. Should results indicate a lack of demand for a specific area, its development can be
postponed.
The inherent sustainability of the Land Use Plan 2020 is further enhanced by the integration
of the Landscape Plan 2020. In addition, and for the first time, an environmental evalua-
tion has also been introduced, which means that that selection and layout of each new de-
velopment area acquires an environmental dimension. Additionally, before an area is allo-
cated, potential alternative inner-development areas are checked for suitability. Finally,
those areas with the lowest environmental impact are developed first.
The goal of reducing development along the outer edge of Freiburg has significant popular
support. Immediately preceding the implementation of the Land Use Plan 2020, the citizens
of Freiburg voted with a significant majority for exactly this principle. And the council fol-
lows the recommendations of the citizenry in almost all land use allocations.
10
Bloated Cities? Freiburg grows inwards!
Open land is a resource, all be it one that is vanishing at an astonishing rate. Even though
most communities in Germany are facing a reduction in inhabitants, the amount of land use
per capita keeps going up. A paradoxical development, as population densities are contin-
uously sinking, while new land development density is quite high. Experts are following this
trend with great concern, as it could produce negative impacts on quality of life in cities and
towns in the long run. While newly developed areas require the completely new develop-
ment of infrastructure and services, existent areas with sinking numbers of inhabitants ex-
perience a reduction in the efficiency and usage levels of existent services. This leads to in-
creased maintenance costs, while service levels decrease. The vitality of neighbourhoods -
that which make them attractive as places to live and work - is reduced. Run down city cen-
tres and neighbourhoods reduced to “dormitory towns“ are further negative effects of ex-
cessive land development.
It is for this reason that inner-development has the highest priority in Freiburg. It is an im-
portant component of sustainable development. At the same time, however, the city under-
stands that not every gap between built areas is suitable for further development. Rather,
the aim is development with good judgement; the city of Freiburg is a proponent of urban
values and wishes to see them maintained and enhanced. The maintenance of, for exam-
ple, parks and public green spaces for their environmental and climatic value is seen as self-
evident, while the tasteful development of inner-city spaces - openings between developed
areas, unused spaces or low-density areas - is pursued.
The importance of inner-development for the urban development policy of Freiburg is also
made visible in the city's participation in ambitious research projects. Together with three
partners from the research and implementation sectors, Freiburg participated in the period
2006-2008 in a project financed by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research called
“komreg - Communal Land Use Management in the Region“. A further ten local governments
from the southern Baden region also took part.
Within the context of “komreg“ potential land for development was identified and fed in-
to a Geographical Information System (GIS) - a laborious process requiring extensive site vis-
its and the evaluation of arial photographs and related information. The inner-development
potential was evaluated in four categories: unused land, gaps, sparsely used areas, and for-
mer agricultural areas. Due to these efforts Freiburg today possesses a sophisticated devel-
opment land register that is constantly updated and represents a solid foundation for fu-
ture land use management in the city.
Planning with Punch - Innovative Instruments for Land Use Management
An important result of the “komreg“ project was that - in spite of decades of pressure to ex-
pand - significant potential for residential development was found to be still available with-
in the current city boundaries.
The effective use of all potential areas is not realistic, and is not the goal of any quality-ori-
ented inner-development process. The scenarios produced in “komreg“ clearly show, how-
ever, that a significant portion of the development land requirement in Freiburg - between
65 and 95 percent, depending on the scenario - can be covered from internal sources until
2030.
Since the end of 2008 and the completion of the “komreg“ project, Freiburg has been par-
ticipating in the research and testing project “Practical Land Use Management in Freiburg
and the Region“ (PFIF). The two-year project is supported by the state of Baden-Württem-
berg, and is focused on the practical application of land use management instruments by
local governments. It is designed to build on the outcomes of the “komreg“ project. One ini-
tiative within the project was the creation of a regional exchange for available areas/plots.
Another is the creation of a residential area pool across municipal boundaries. An intensive
regional dialogue on the development of business plots is also foreseen, as is the develop-
ment of shared standards of residential development to feed into urban land use planning.
The ultimate aim, of course, being to ensure that in the growth region of Freiburg, not too
many areas are subject to development.
Urbane, Compact City Structures
Lively street scenes. A chat here, a coffee there. Shopping around the corner. It's not just
everyday life that becomes a bit easier when a neighbourhood encompasses all the basic
services we require. The environmental impact of traffic and land use can be significantly
reduced in this way. In a functioning neighbourhood, the distances between home and
work, school and kindergarten should be short enough to cope with on foot or by bicycle.
Also within a short walking distance should be shops and services, doctors and social infra-
structure.
To ensure that these various services can be maintained, they have to be used - without cus-
tomers even the nicest bakery next door will close up shop. For this reason, it is crucial that
neighbourhoods are able to maintain their residential levels. As - also in Freiburg - the area
of land per head of population will steadily increase in coming years, residential areas will
have to be developed further to enable them to maintain population levels. The most sig-
nificant part of this development will be through inner-development projects - the expan-
sion of current residential buildings, or the development of additional housing on sparse or
low density areas in the neighbourhoods themselves. The Land Use Plan 2020 also allocates
sufficient new development areas for each neighbourhood so that the available social serv-
ices infrastructure can be fully utilised and maintained.
A select group of neighbourhoods will receive the benefit of more detailed land use plan-
ning attention. With the participation of the inhabitants weaknesses in services, transport,
open spaces and other urban structural issues will be identified, and solutions found. Here
also, the environment will play a significant role.
12
Strengthening Neighbourhoods and Their Economic and Social Centres
For those neighbourhoods where building activities and changes in traffic flow are likely to
cause upheavals, frameworks will be created to strengthen and support those neighbour-
hoods in the long term. Those neighbourhood centres that threaten to lose their attractive-
ness and service function for the inhabitants of the area will see the development, in close
cooperation with businesses, service companies and other relevant actors, of a so-called Ur-
ban Centre Reactivation Plan, aimed at revitalising the neighbourhood from the centre out.
The avoidance of additional traffic volumes is another market and town centre support con-
cept of the city. It ensures that new retail locations in mature neighbourhood centres and
those in the city centre do not needlessly compete, but rather fill suitable niches in the city
retail landscape. Outside of those centres, only large goods like furniture that typically re-
quire automotive transportation may be sold. All other purchases should be possible by foot
or bicycle.
An urbane, compact city district with attractive infrastructure and a unique atmosphere rep-
resents the focal point of their daily lives to its inhabitants. This not only influences mobil-
ity; identification with one's neighbourhood helps inhabitants take responsibility for the de-
velopment of and environmental protection within their neighbourhood.
1.3. Environmental Protection through Sound Land Use Policies

The city still has significant scope in the area of residential development, in spite of a sig-
nificant amount of rules and legislation. This means that environmental policies can be -
and are - integrated into the planning process and into contracts with those benefitting from
the planning process (e.g. owners and investors). This was the wish of the Freiburg city coun-
cil, who decided on a set of land use principles in middle 2009 that feature environmental
concerns as an important principle. This decision gave everyone involved in land use plan-
ning in Freiburg a significant degree of transparency and a secure foundation for future plan-
ning activities - not to mention entailing a significant step forward for environmental pro-
tection in Freiburg.
The environmental management goals of the city now steer the long term direction of ur-
ban development. The concrete impact of this includes the fact that now, environmental im-
pact studies are always assigned by the city, ensuring their quality and independence. Where
development impacts the environment, this has to be balanced out by compensation else-
where. The immediate beneficiaries of the planning process are required to finance the land
value of the area used to compensate for development, as well as the cost of the balancing
measures themselves and the cost of maintaining the compensation land area for a period
of thirty years. In this way, the incorporation of the compensation area into the biotope net-
work in Freiburg can be assured over the long term.
Energetic - especially solar - aspects are borne in mind even during the design phase of land
development plans. The most environmentally friendly version of the resultant energy con-
cept is typically implemented, given that it may not be more than 10% more expensive than
a predefined basic version.
During the summer of 2008, a step-by-step implementation of new energy standards for
predominantly residential buildings was initiated that will reduce the CO2 emissions per
square meter of heated building area by more than half compared to current standards. For
more detail, see Chapter I.4.2, Page 29. SInce the first of January 2009, these standards are
also being applied to buildings of the city and the Freiburger Stadtbau building society, the
sale of city residential land and within the context of new building contracts deriving from
the new land use plan.
Environmental Protection from Above - More Solar on Freiburg's Rooftops!
Every house owner in Freiburg should be encouraged to use solar energy. Anybody building
a flat roof, or a roof with an inclination of less than 25 degrees, are required to at least en-
sure that it is built in such a way that solar PV or thermal systems can be comfortably retro-
fitted at a later stage. The local authority in Freiburg wishes to see the proportion of renew-
able energy in the city increased, and the emission levels decreased accordingly. In addition,
suitable roofs should at least be given a complete vegetative cover, as these green roofs not
only improve the city climate, but also capture and store rainwater, reducing excessive run-
off into the drainage system.
Those wishing to live in the close proximity of running water must also expect some limita-
tions: within a five meter wide strip of the water, as measured from the edge of the em-
bankment slope, no building activity is allowed, nor may the grassland be damaged or ma-
terials that endanger the quality of the water be handled.
Photo: ENERGOSSA GmbH
O Contact:
Abteilung Stadtentwicklung des Stadtplanungsamtes
Fehrenbachallee 12 || 79106 Freiburg im Breisgau
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 41 70
stadtplanungsamt@stadt.freiburg.de
14
1.4. Examples: Quartier Vauban und Rieselfeld
Freiburg’s Youngest Residential Area - The Vauban Quarter
Eleven years of construction now sees the new neighbourhood Vauban nearing completion. An
attractive residential area featuring a wide variety of interesting building styles - including pub-
licly funded rental housing - has been realised. Where formerly military buildings of German
and later French origin stood, a modern, family-friendly residential area now stands that is con-
sidered amongst the best addresses in Freiburg. Together with those who built and invested here,
Freiburg has been able to implement its goals of sustainable urban development in the new
Vauban quarter. The development clearly demonstrates that sustainability in urban develop-
ment can be convincingly harmonised with expectations of modern residential standards.
A Typical Example of Modern Inner-development

After more than 60 years of military use, the Vauban quarter now exemplifies the consistent
application of modern inner-development strategies. The restructuring of existant, built-up
areas within the confines of the city represents a milestone of modern urban development
- a future-oriented opportunity that has drawn well-deserved attention, especially in the
context of sustainable residential development. The question of resource use is key here: are
land-intensive, single-storey developments still timely, or rather becoming the exception?
The Vauban clearly shows that higher-density urban development can offer an exemplary
residential ambience. A four-storey building style dominates here, designed by a number
of stylistically-differentiated architects for everything from owner-builders to building com- The Vauban 1992
munes and commercial real-estate developers.
Traffic-related issues played a key role in the - highly inclusive - planning process from the
very beginning. Traffic calming in the quarter reduces the negative impact of private motor
vehicle use. A speed limit of 30 km/h is maintained on the main traffic axis; elsewhere traf-
fic-calmed conditions dominate - walking speed only, and devoid of public parking spaces.
As parking facilities have been externalised to the periphery of the quarter, the experienced
quality of public spaces is significantly increased. Here, the roads are reserved as a space for
playing children and strolling adults, not for vehicles. The tram line - built specifically for
the quarter - and its interconnection with many inner-city bus routes has also produced
very positive results: the use of private motor vehicles in the area lies well below the city av-
erage, a real plus for both climate and environment. The Vauban 2009
Strict Energy Standard

Of central importance is the strict energy standard of the buildings in the quarter. The Vauban,
along with the Rieselfeld development, are at the forefront in Freiburg in this regard. All de-
velopers and owners were required to build to at least the Low-energy Construction Standard,
so that all buildings in the quarter adhere to a maximum energy use of 65 kWh per square me-
ter per year. Around 240 residences even adhere to the Passive House Standard, requiring on-
ly 15 kWh per square meter per year. The valuable experience gained from this Passive House
Standard implementation in the Vauban is now being applied to other residential areas in
Freiburg.
Closely related to energy standards is the supply of heat in the quarter. A purpose-built co-
generation plant fired with wood chips not only provides CO2 -neutral heating, but also elec-
trical power to 700 households. Photovoltaic installations are now almost standard. In 2008
alone almost 90 systems were installed, with a combined capacity of 662 Kilowatt. In 2007,
systems installed in the quarter delivered 621,636 kWh - supplying the energy demand of
nearly 200 households!
Sustainable urban development also requires the sensitive handling of pre-existent natu-
ral characteristics in the area to be developed. The village stream in St. Georgen that skirts
the Vauban, for example, was declared a biotope according to paragraph 24a of the relevant
law. Another example is the sensitive treatment and retention of the large trees throughout
the Vauban, that now contribute to the healthy microclimate of the quarter. The green cor-
ridors so created channel fresh air into the whole residential area and supports nocturnal
cooling in summer. These features are valued by both young and old as areas of leisure and
social interaction, creating a relaxed atmosphere.
An exciting example for future developments is the handling of rainwater in the quarter. Due
to the relatively narrow, traffic-calmed nature of the roads in the Vauban, little space for
canalisation was available. As such, rainwater is primarily collected in paved gutters and
stored in a trough-canal-system. The flat, greened roofs act as a further buffer, releasing
water in a delayed manner. Rain water cisterns are used to water gardens, run washing ma-
chines, and in the case of the Karoline-Kaspar primary school, for the flushing of toilets.
n Further Information:
www.freiburg.de/vauban
Photo: FWTM
16
Rieselfeld - New Residential Area in the Western Part of Freiburg
The urban planning concept developed for the new Rieselfeld neighbourhood also saw eco-
logical strategies play a central part - strategies that have been rigorously applied throughout
the development process since it was initiated in 1994. By the end of 2010 more than 10,500
people will call Rieselfeld home. The neighbourhood covers a 70 hectare area along the west-
ern edge of Freiburg.
Energy
The energy strategy in Rieselfeld is characterised by the optimal orientation and spacing of
buildings, its connection to the Weingarten district heating network with its cogeneration
plant, building concepts drawing on both active and passive technologies, and the use of
modern renewable energy sources. The entire residential area served as a model project for
the minimisation of pollutants in urban development under the auspices of the Federal Min-
istry of Transport, Building and Urban Development.
Soil
The land currently occupied by the Rieselfeld development was used to treat the waste wa-
ter of Freiburg until the mid eighties. As some remaining contamination of the soil could not
be fully excluded by the time development began, it was decided to remove 50-80cm of top-
soil from the area. The removed soil was used to landscape an area in the western part of
Rieselfeld that has been declared a nature reserve and will never be further developed. Spe-
cial attention was paid to limiting both surface sealing and land use.
Water
Water has always played a key role in the Rieselfeld. Even during its use as a water treat-
ment area, plant and animal species dependent on plentiful water availability settled in the
area. To maintain these species, the entire surface water collection of the area is dealt with
as a separate water management system, with a retention soil filter to biologically treat the
water before it is fed into the nature reserve area in the western part of Rieselfeld. A rain-
water seepage system was designed for the total area under development.
Green Spaces
An important aspect of the ecological planning in Rieselfeld has been a small-scale green
space concept. It has meant the creation of green spaces within housing blocks for use by
residents, as well as a plethora of high-grade green spaces throughout the neighbourhood
that gives it its unique structure. The public green spaces that stretch into the centre of the
residential area channel visitors to the Käsbach-Dietenbach-Niederung in an attempt to re-
lieve pressure on the nature conservation areas. Just beyond the strip of forest to the north
of Rieselfeldt the Untere Hirschmatten sport and recreation ground will be realised. The recre-
ational area “Wald3eck“ to the south of the 4th development phase completes the green
spaces strategy.
Transport
For Rieselfeld, connection to the city tram network followed immediately after the construc-
tion of the first houses. Tram line number 5 runs directly from Rieselfeld to the city centre.
The interests of cyclists and pedestrians also enjoyed a high priority, which has meant that
Rieselfeld features mainly traffic-calmed roads, a speed limit of 30km/h and numerous
playstreets.
Climate, Air and Noise
An important part of ensuring adequate ventilation of Reieselfeld lies in the urban structur-
ing of the development. This includes the deliberate integration of the residential area with
the Käsbach-Dietenbach lowland to the north - an open area that stretches into the heart
of the community. This green corridor into the centre of Rieselfeld results from the efforts of
planners to create an underlying connection between the developed area and its natural sur-
roundings. The wedge-shaped construction that connects the developed area with the high-
ly frequented Besançon avenue, along with the neighbouring woodland strips maintained
for this very purpose, shields the neighbourhood effectively from external traffic noise.
Nature Conservation in Western Rieselfeld

The supraregional ecological importance of the western part of the Rieselfeld - the part not
used for development - has lead to it being maintained as a nature preservation area with
very visible success: the area has now been declared an official flora and fauna habitat and
a European bird sanctuary. The Environmental Protection Office of the city of Freiburg has
created a nature trail that serves to sensitise the local population to the importance of na-
ture preservation and to keep visitors on the “right track“ - a concept that has been well re-
ceived.
Sustainable Urban Development

The new residential area Rieselfeld, along with the Vauban quarter, represent real-world ex-
amples of modern, sustainable urban development. They show how fundamentally our un-
derstanding of living and working in the urban context has changed over the last 30 years.
The sheer variety of buildings stand in marked contrast to the homogenous - even monot-
onous - construction philosophies of the seventies. Rieselfeld especially embodies the idea
of an evolutionary urban environment that successfully integrates active social and cultural
aspects into its underlying ecological urban development standards through the early and
consistent creation of the required public infrastructure.
n More Information:
www.rieselfeld.freiburg.de
18
2. The Future-oriented Mobility: Modal Split in Freiburg's
Freiburg's Transport Concept Transportation
Pedestrian Cycling Public
The transport policy of Freiburg has made a significant contribution to the city being recog- Transport Car Sharing
nised for its environmentally friendly nature and high standard of living - quite often es-
pecially as a city of cyclists. Freiburg is also very much a city known for its public transport,
and for being pedestrian-friendly. Intelligent concepts for dealing with traffic issues provide 29% 26% 24%
a further highlight.
4%
6%
Since the late sixties, Freiburg has boasted an integrated traffic management strategy that 9% 20%
explicitly included pedestrian, bicycle and public transport, as well as more conventional 11% 18%
private vehicle traffic. That underlying philosophy still underpins traffic management poli- 15% 27% 28%
cies to this day.
35%
The city has, as an important goal, the continued development of environmentally friendly 23% 24%
traffic infrastructure that is compatible with modern urban development principles. Good
public transport and suitable facilities for bicycles and pedestrians are aimed at motivating
1982 1999 2020
its citizens to transition to these environmentally friendly transport forms and reduce auto-
mobile traffic in Freiburg.
2.1. Inseparable: Urban and Transport Planning

A transportation concept for a whole city must be closely linked with that city's urban de-
velopment goals. The intent is not for Freiburg to be a city of short distances only in some
neighbourhoods. The overall townscape and urban environment should be maintained and
environmental pollution generally reduced. Freiburg's inner city incorporates urbane living,
shopping, recreation and work in one coherent whole. This functional integration must be
maintained, living quality increased, the economic vitality strengthened and everything
done to make the city centre attractive for residents, visitors, and the service, commercial
and gastronomy sectors.
Extend Promote Promote Promote Limit

Public Cycling Pedestrian Liveable Individual
Transport Traffic Streets Motorised
Network Traffic
The Five Pillars of Freiburg Traffic Policy
Universally Traffic-calmed
Where traffic is so widely calmed as in Freiburg, it becomes critically important to bundle in-
dividual motorists along well-developed major routes. Where traffic declines, however, roads
can be calmed and built back. The commercial management of parking spaces also repre-
sent a key component of Freiburg’s transportation plan - anybody wishing to park in pub-
lic areas must pay for the privilege. These aspects, taken together, contribute significantly to
the improvement of the quality of life of city dwellers in Freiburg.
Looking back, it becomes clear that the right strategy has been followed in Freiburg. In the
sixties, increasing road vehicle transport impacted negatively on urban quality of life. This
increasingly led to inhabitants moving to the surrounding region. The challenge at the time
was making the city a great place to live again, and the key to this was traffic calming. In
1973, large parts of the inner city were declared a pedestrian zone, accessible only for deliv-
ery vehicles and the vehicles of residents. At the same time, it was ensured that the new
pedestrian zone could be easily reached with public transport. Even today, all tram lines still
serve the city centre.
Following the creation of the pedestrian zone, residential areas immediately bordering the
city centre were also incorporated into the traffic calming plan, followed eventually by all
neighbourhoods. With the exception of major traffic routes, all roads were converted to 30
km/h zones or so-called play streets in the 1990s. Today, 90% of all residents live in areas
where cars are only allowed a maximum speed of 30 km/h, and where pedestrians and cy-
clists are significantly safer than before. In addition to increasing safety, these measures have
also significantly reduced traffic noise and related emissions.
But even in a city where facilities and services are closely collocated and most tasks can be
completed on foot, by bicycle or by public transport, cars still play a role. This necessary traf-
fic component depends heavily on being bundled along major traffic routes that are locat-
ed where noise and emissions impact on the environment is as low as possible. For this rea-
son, new roads are still being developed in Freiburg. At the same time, inner city connections
are being reduced, for example through the elimination of traffic lanes. A unique opportu-
nity in this area is presented by the planned construction of the city tunnel, which would
significantly decrease the traffic flow into the inner city and along the Dreisam river.
2.2. Space for All: Integrated Transport Modes

Personal mobility is on the increase. People travel more frequently, and cover greater dis-
tances. It is the task of transportation policy to steer this development in a sustainable man-
ner. One thing is clear, however - the various traffic modes cannot take up a limitless amount
of space.
The Pedestrian City - Transport Policy for Mobility on Foot
That so many people wish to travel at speed and in motorised vehicles these days has most
clearly negatively impacted those who prefer to travel on foot. Promoting pedestrian mobil-
ity is an important part of the Freiburg transportation plan. Streets and squares are devel-
oped to be attractive and especially pedestrian-friendly - as are traffic lights. Underpasses
are being replaced with level crossings and access routes. The pedestrian zone will be ex-
tended to include the main railway station. With a coherent “Markets and Centres“ concept,
the city attempts to develop shops and services in central cores in the various neighbour-
hoods, to create a diverse, localised offering. Only when shops and services are co-located
in close proximity can shopping or a doctor's visit be managed on foot.
20
Cycling: Healthy and Environmentally Friendly
Freiburg is a city made for cycling: More than a quarter of all trips are completed by bicycle.
Bicycles have become an indispensable and environmentally friendly transport medium in
Freiburg, significantly decreasing noise, emissions, traffic congestion and cars parked every-
where. At the same time, the cyclists themselves benefit by doing something for their health.
The positive impact of high bicycle traffic in cities has often been undervalued. Freiburg,
however, invested heavily in the required supportive infrastructure and in this way realised
not only an increase in the quality of life for its inhabitants, but also made an important
contribution to environmental protection. For this reason, Freiburg will continue to give cy-
clists the green light in its transport policies.
In the period from 1982 to 1999, the amount of city-wide bicycle traffic grew from 15 to 27
percent. This places Freiburg ahead of most cities in this regard. Both the General German
Bicycle Club (ADFC) and the automobile service organisation ADAC have attested that Freiburg
is extremely bicycle-friendly. But Freiburg is not a city to rest on its laurels in this regard.
As such, the Landscaping and Civil Engineering department continues to extend the bicycle
route network and address possible weak points. Additional one-way streets are being
opened to bicycle traffic and new bicycle parking facilities created. All of this contributes to
ensuring that Freiburg can maintain the status it has so proudly achieved: a city for (and of)
cyclists.
n Bike Path Map
The first bike path map was created in Freiburg in 1970. At the time, the total length of
available bike pathway was just less than 30 kilometres. Today, a bike path network
with more than 420 kilometres of bicycle-friendly paths (170km of bicycle paths, 120km
Photo: Garten- und Tiefbauamt

forest and service roads, and 130km of bicycle-friendly streets with 30km/h speed re-
strictions) is available.
So that bicycles my also be “parked“ somewhere, a number of key centres - the rail-
way station, the city centre, and so on - have been provided with bicycle parking faci-
lities. In the inner city alone, more than 5,000 parking bays are available. The main
railway station, as the most important public transport junction, also features a 1000
bay bicycle parking garage with its own repair shop - the “mobile“ (See page 24)
O Contact:
Garten- und Tiefbauamt
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 46 01 || Fax 07 61 / 2 01 - 46 99
gut@stadt.freiburg.de || www.freiburg.de/radfahren
Like a Personal Chauffeur Service - The Public Transport System
The public transport system is an important component of transportation policy in Freiburg.

This is especially true of the tram service. It represents the classic public transport system for
cities the size of Freiburg. In 1972, the city council bucked the trend in many German cities
of the day and decided to maintain and extend the city tram network. The network, which
at the time had a length of 14,2 kilometres, has since been expanded to 30,4 kilometres - a
significant length for a city of 220,000 inhabitants.
To motivate people to shift to public transport, such a transport system needs to be quick
and universally accessible. The optimal route planning means that today, more than 80 per-
cent of Freiburg's inhabitants live less than 500 meters from a tram stop. High tram frequen-
cies ensure quick access to transport. The fact that most vehicles and stops maintained by
the Freiburger Verkehrs AG (VAG) are accessible also to handicapped persons ensures a high
level of acceptance and use.
This is further augmented by a clearly understandable and generally affordable set of re-
gional tariffs. The RegioKarte, a regional monthly travel card available at a reasonable price,
is also valid in the neighbouring Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald and Emmendingen regions. It
is transferrable, and a feature that allows multiple travellers to use the card on Sundays
makes it ideal for family outings. It has been well received - since 1980 passenger numbers
have increased manyfold. In 1983, when the first “environment card“ tariff was introduced,
passengers numbered around 29 million. In 2008, the VAG counted more than 72,4 million
passengers making use of its busses and trams.
Freiburger Verkehrs AG – Development of Passenger Numbers 1980 - 2009
Million
70
60
50
40 72.8
69.4
64.9
30
45
20
27.3
10
0
1980 1990 2000 2005 2009
The transport network is being expanded on an ongoing basis. The latest addition has been
the Line 3 connecting the new Vauban quarter to the city centre. Numerous further exten-
sions are planned: The residential areas of Zähringen and Littenweiler and the neighbour-
ing municipal area of Gundelfingen are to be connected, as is the new Freiburg Fairground.
A further line along the Rotteckring will improve connections within the inner city area. For-
Photo: VAG
ward-looking traffic planning ensures that space will be available to connect additional parts
of Freiburg as required.
22
The interconnection of Freiburg with its surrounding region is being driven forward in co-
operation with two neighbouring counties. A joint body was founded in 1994 to develop an
integrated regional transport network known as the Breisgau S-Bahn. It aims to expand and
closely align the public transport networks in the region, incorporating the 212 kilometres of
regional rail network, the Freiburg tram line network and the regional bus services. After suc-
cesses on a number of pilot lines - the Breisach Line, the Kaiserstuhl line, the Elztal line and
the Haslach tram line - it will be expanded to all regional lines in coming years. Freiburg's
citizenry will benefit through the addition of new S-Bahn stations that will facilitate rapid
Photo: RVG
transit to the Freiburg tram network. Through the realisation of a regional transport network,
the Freiburg transportation policy has experienced its logical regional expansion.
n In Motion for Freiburg: The VAG
The Freiburger Verkehrs AG (VAG), as a city-owned public transport company, runs the
bus and tram network in Freiburg as well as the Schauinsland cable car facility. The
VAG draws on the 250,000 strong population of the region for its 72,4 million passen-
gers per year across its 4 tram and 26 bus lines - an amazing 200,000 guests per day!
The trams and buses run by the VAG cover around 7.3 million kilometres a year.
In addition to the city of Freiburg, the adjacent municipalities of Umkirch, Merzhau-

sen, Au and Gundelfingen are serviced by the 64 trams and 70 busses the VAG main-
tains. It is part of the Freiburg Regional Transport Association - the Regio-Verkehrs-
verbund Freiburg (RVF). The RVF bundles the transport networks of Freiburg,
Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald and Emmendingen into one attractive tariff system co-
vering 17 transport companies and 115 lines into a regional network with a serviced
length of around 3,000 kilometers.
The City by Car
The Freiburg inner city as an example: Everyone wants to visit - families with children, young
and old, the workforce, students and tourists. Many of them by car. To ensure that they all
find what they are looking for - the comfortable inner-city atmosphere of Freiburg - the city
has developed a parking space management scheme.
The maxim: public parking spaces in the inner city and surrounding areas are under eco-
nomic management, and so cost money to use. However, costs are graded based on loca-
tion. Thus, parking spaces in the inner city are the most expensive. Less expensive are the
parking garages located around the inner city area. In this way, long-term parking is avoid-
ed and most visitors can find a parking space. Free parking is available in so-called “Park
and Ride“ facilities around the urban periphery, the idea being to motivate commuters and
visitors to park outside the city centre and use public transport for their final leg of travel.
To support those living in the city centre, residents are treated preferentially - for a small fee
they can acquire an annual parking permit for their section of the city, ensuring that they
have a good chance of being able to park close to home.
n Freiburg Main Station
The main railway station is the hub of environmentally friendly transport in Freiburg.
The German Railways (DB) alone facilitates more than 65,000 travellers every day. Si-
tuated immediately next to the railway station is the central bus station, that con-
nects Freiburg not only to the entire region, but also to the EuroAirport Basle-Mul-
house-Freiburg. The city tram network crosses the long-distance and regional lines
on the Stühlinger bridge that bisects the station.
Photo: RVG
Mobility Advice and Service – The “mobile“ at the Main Station
“mobile“ is the name of the bicycle station connected to the railway station and the Stühlinger
tram line bridge. It promotes travel without a personal motor vehicle - especially the idea of
“Bike & Ride“: transferring from bicycle to local, regional and long distance lines as required at
the adjacent railway or bus station.
The 1,000 parking bays in the incorporated bicycle parking garage are guarded and are avail-
able for periods stretching from 1-2 days to months at a time. It includes a bicycle workshop
where defective bicycles can be repaired. It is also possible to rent a bicycle here, complete with
child seat or trailer.
There's more: Those wishing to migrate to sustainable mobility often need a little support ini-
tially. This is available to both residents and visitors at the “mobile“, which is also the seat of
the Freiburg Car-Sharing organisation, which shares around 90 cars amongst its 2,500 mem-
bers.
O Contact:
mobile || Main Railway Station
Wentzingerstrasse 15 || 79106 Freiburg im Breisgau
Tel. 07 61 / 2 92 76 00 || Fax: 07 61 / 2 02 28 01
www.mobile-freiburg.de
24
3. Noise Management Action Plan
3.1. For a High Urban Living Standard:
Noise Management Action Plan Freiburg
Photo: Garten- und Tiefbauamt

Urban noise is a serious environmental and health issue. “The day will come when man will
have to fight noise as inexorably as cholera and the plague“ were the prophetic words of
Robert Koch in 1910. Over 90 years later, in 2002, the European Union declared, as part of the
EC Directive on Environmental Noise, that noise levels should be measured and reduced
throughout Europe.
In recent years, Freiburg has made an intensive study of traffic noise on all main transport
arteries carrying more than 16,400 vehicles per day. While Freiburg is generally seen as a rel-
atively quiet city, more than 4,500 people are exposed to levels of noise along main roads
that are not just objectionable, but could well constitute a health threat. The health-relat-
ed noise limit is set at 55 decibels at night. In Freiburg, more than 60 decibels have been
measured in some places. This was confirmed by a noise mapping study ordered by Freiburg
local authorities.
Those exposed to ongoing excessive noise levels are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
Because of this Freiburg has been active in making provision for noise reduction, and an im-
portant part of that has been its support of low-noise transportation. This includes the ex-
tension of cycling and pedestrian paths and the expansion of the public transport offering
in Freiburg. This alone, however, is not sufficient.
www.freiburg.de/laermaktionsplan
3.2. A Concrete Set of Measures Against Noise

The city of Freiburg has developed an action plan against noise that contains an entire bun-
dle of measures aimed at reducing the noise produced by traffic. This stretches from lower-
ing the speed limit in certain streets to resurfacing to introducing low-noise surfaces to
rerouting traffic in some areas. Also important are active and passive soundproofing and
noise reduction measures.
In spite of this concrete and comprehensive set of measures, the topic of noise management
will remain an issue in Freiburg for many years to come. By 2012 all streets in Freiburg car-
rying more than 4,000 cars per day, all railway lines with more than 82 trips per day, the
airfield and 10 industrial units will be actively noise-mapped. One thing is clear - if the city
tunnel gets built, the inner city noise pollution in Freiburg would be significantly reduced.
4. From Abandoning Nuclear Energy to a Leading
Position in Solar: Energy in Freiburg
Global climate change is a reality. To address this challenge and also reduce the substantial
impact of climate change, fast, decisive and committed action is needed - not only at
(inter)national level but also locally. With more than half the global population living in cities
today, urban centres are playing an increasingly important role in tackling climate change.
For decades Freiburg has been a leader in this field. The first impulse for action came from
the peaceful protest in Wyhl, a small community in the Kaiserstuhl, 25 kilometres from
Freiburg. Here citizens from Freiburg and the region – for the first and probably the last time
– stopped the construction of a nuclear power plant. This protest action created a broad sup-
port base and started a strong environmental movement engaging in a multitude of initia-
tives.
Photo: Leo Horlacher, © Archiv soziale Bewegungen

4.1. 40% by 2030!
Freiburg Concepts for Climate Protection and Energy Provision
The Tschernobyl nuclear disaster of April 1986 provided the impetus for the Freiburg Council
decision that still provides the general direction today. One month after the disaster in the
former Soviet Union, the Council unanimously decided to abandon nuclear energy. This was
followed by the decision in October 1986 - again unanimously - to develop a future-orient-
ed energy provision concept. In the mid 1980s this step led to the definition of three cor-
nerstones on which the Freiburg energy policy is still based today: energy savings, energy
Source: BUND-Archiv
efficiency and renewable energy.
Climate protection strategy updated
By 1996 the Council had already formulated ambitious climate protection targets: reducing
Freiburg’s CO2 emissions by 25 percent by 2010, compared to the baseline year of 1992. When
considering developments in 2003 it became clear that, although the municipality had initi-
ated a trend change, it could only reach a five percent reduction in CO2 in the community. This
weak result was largely due to inadequate national framework conditions for climate protec-
tion. However, local developments also contributed to this result and need to be considered.
26
Some of the main mitigation activities could not be realised, such as the planned district
heating service between the heating service company and the university heating power sta-
tion. Wind energy also, despite its high potential, was not fully exploited as the construc-
tion of new wind turbines was blocked by the State Government, as well as the Regional
Council in its capacity as an authorising authority.
What Freiburg achieved was good, but not good enough. Thus, in 2007 the city commissioned
the Öko-Institut to review the first climate protection concept and adapt it to future require-
ments.
The New Freiburg Climate Change Mitigation Target: 40% by 2030!
To this end the city delayed setting new targets, with the underlying aim to set even more
ambitious targets for a new target year. Freiburg now aims for at least a 40 percent reduc-
tion of CO2 emissions by 2030, compared to the 1992 base year.
An action plan outlines proposed city-specific measures, with savings potential in six areas:
the city development plan, municipally-owned buildings and plants, the mobility sector,
the internal municipal organisation, as well as through communication and cooperation.
AIMS
Sustainable energy provision
Abandoning nuclear energy – global climate change
ENERGY SAVINGS RENEWABLE EFFICIENT

ENERGY SOURCES TECHNOLOGIES
Insulation in existing
old building stock Solar energy Cogeneration
Low energy Biomass Cogeneration plants
construction Hydro power District heating
Passive housing Wind power
Feeding in electricity Geothermal energy
To achieve the new climate protection targets the Council increased the associated budget sub-
stantially. From 2008 onwards, 10% of the concession levy – around 1.2 million Euro annually
– generated from payments by the local utility company badenova to the city for the use of its
electricity grid, will be used for the implementation of climate protection measures. Depend-
ing on the general financial situation of the City, an additional 2 million Euro per year will be
added to this amount for climate protection measures.
Climate Protection Concept – Interim Results
in 1,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent per year Energy Traffic
2,500
–7.3% –13.8%* –40%
2,000
(
1,500
1,000
500
0
Basis 1992 Inventory 2005 Inventory 2007 Aim 2030
* –20% per person
Inventory Results
When setting a future target it is important to monitor developments to determine if one is

still on track, and, if not, to correct course. This is the reason why the City of Freiburg has
conducted a detailed climate inventory every alternate year since 2003.
In 1992 the CO2 emissions in Freiburg were close to two million tonnes – on average, 10.7
tonnes of polluting greenhouse gases released per inhabitant per year. In the following years
it was possible to visibly reduce emissions. By 2007, with 1,8 million tonnes, it was about
13,8 percent lower than the preceding 15 years. The per capita ratio was even better: on av-
erage 20 percent lower than in 1992, with 6,53 tonnes per Freiburger. This is especially note-
worthy considering Freiburg is one of Germany’s few large cities that can show such meas-
ured CO2 reductions today!
This continuing greenhouse gas reduction confirms that the direction of the municipal cli-
mate policy is correct. Yet, to reach the ambitious target of 40 percent, a lot more still has to
be done.
The city is taking on this challenge. CO2 reduction potential can be found in many different
areas – taking small steps, but also making large leaps. In addition to its own climate change
mitigation activities, the municipal administration also wants to cooperate more intensive-
ly with other stakeholders in the city. Climate protection has become a horizontal activity,
relevant to all areas. Success can only then be achieved if the whole city cooperates in a net-
work – from citizens to business, from university to industry. This will lead to achieving the
long-term target of a 40 percent CO2 reduction by 2030.
28
4.2. Energy Savings in Buildings
Energy savings have a high value – especially within one’s own four walls. About 75 percent
of energy use in households is needed for space heating. Clearly the reduction of energy
demand in buildings has a huge potential. To extract energy savings potential in the built
environment the city has presented a package of measures for existing building stock.
Financing Programme for Energy Efficient Renovation
The city financing programme for energy efficient renovation was launched in mid-2002. By
2008 1,21 million Euro had been spent, supporting improved insulation in 290 buildings. In
the bi-annual budget 2009/2010 available funds to the amount of 450.000 Euro annually
were made available – and were already allocated by August 2009! This is a worthwhile in-
vestment - on average 38 percent of heating energy needs could be reduced in buildings.
This is an annual savings of 2,5 million kilowatt hours for heating – this corresponds to the
output of a medium-sized cogeneration plant! In the latest edition of the financing pro-
gramme for energy efficient renovation three cornerstones are addressed: insulation of
Photo: Ingo Schneider

buildings, providing energy advice, and optimising heating systems.
Through the financing programme higher building standards have been achieved. At the
same time it brought an investment momentum for energy efficient renovation of old build-
ings, leading to a higher quantity of orders, and in particular a demand for local craftsmen.
One could say that active climate protection benefits everyone in the region. This is the way
forward.
n INFORMATION:
Application forms and financing guidelines are available for download from
www.freiburg.de/waermeschutz
Energieagentur Regio Freiburg GmbH
In 1999 the regional Energy Agency was established by the City of Freiburg, in cooperation
with the Association of Climate Protection Partners in Crafts Regio Freiburg (Verein Kli-
maschutzpartner im Handwerk Regio Freiburg e.V.) and Fesa e.V. The Energy Agency provides
advice to municipalities, utilities, housing associations and craftsmen in the application of
energy savings techniques, insulation and the use of renewable energy sources. It also de-
velops energy concepts and campaigns.
New Energy Efficient Building Standards
New energetic standards for new buildings were introduced in Freiburg on 1 January 2009.
A multi-phased plan was implemented to improve energetic standards step by step, main-
ly for residential buildings. This was based on positive experiences made with low energy
building construction, especially in the districts Rieselfeld and Vauban. In both these areas
the 1992-implemented and 2005-improved low energy building construction method
(Niedrigenergiehaus-Bauweise - NEH 2005) proved to be the right direction to go, and would
remain the strategic approach. The „Freiburg Efficient Building Standard“ is similar to the
international Passive House Standard, and is implemented in two stages, namely through
the „Freiburg Efficient Building Standard 60 and 40“ (respectively 2009 and 2011).
The criteria for this standard aligns itself to the funding approach of the Kreditanstalt für
Wiederaufbau (KfW). Thus owners can apply for KfW financing, with the required proof of ef-
ficiency improvements easy to present. The „KfW Efficiency Home 55“ is the new designa-
tion of an energy efficient home corresponding to strict criteria in order to qualify for fund-
ing from the KfW.
So what does this mean for the improvement of building standards

for the City of Freiburg and its buildings?
Leading by good example: Since 2009 the municipality has constructed and renovated all pub-
lic buildings according to the Passive House Standard – with heating demand 15 kilowatt hours
and below per square meter per year. In the future the city’s building management will in prin-
Photo: Freiburger Stadtbau GmbH
cipal check whether a Plusenergiehaus® (Plus Energy House Standard) for new construction is
possible and financially feasible. In this way the public administration demands higher stan-
dards for its own buildings, compared to those of private owners. The construction company,
Freiburger Stadtbau GmbH (FSB), a daughter company of the city, has committed itself to use
passive house components in all rented apartments owned by the company, as well as – and
this is remarkable – all privately owned homes. At this stage 134 rented apartments and 34 pri-
vately owned flats are under construction. A total of 350 apartments are planned. These high
standards will be implemented from 2011, also for municipally-owned land sold for private
home development.
Detailed information on these topics is available in a brochure from the Environmental Pro-
tection Office, entitled „Innovative Building for Comfortable Living – Freiburg Energy Efficient
Homes“ or on the website www.freiburg.de/niedrigenergiestandard.
n Further information on the new Freiburg building

standards can be obtained from:
Beratungszentrum Bauen (BZB) im Technischen Rathaus

Info-Hotline, Tel. 08 00 / 7 91 10 00 || Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 43 90
bzb@stadt.freiburg.de || www.freiburg.de/effizienzhaus
Photo: triolog-Freiburg
30
4.3. Weingarten-West: Renovating an Entire District
In large housing estates across Germany approximately five million people live in 2,4 mil-
lion apartments. These flats contribute substantially to energy use and CO2 emissions.
This is also the case in Freiburg, with the example of Weingarten-West: a high-rise residen-
tial complex in the west of the city, constructed in the 1960s. About 5.800 people from 70
different nationalities live here, with an above-average number of senior residents.
Heating, sanitation systems, baths, windows and insulation all no longer corresponded to
modern standards. Responding to this situation, the City Council decided to renovate the
whole district.
In 2007 some 2026 units in Weingarten-West were renovated and modernised by the
Freiburger Stadtbau GmbH. With a total renovation cost of more than 114 million Euro, this
was the largest renovation project in Freiburg’s history. Partially retrofitted to the new build-
ing standard, a few units were also renovated to reach the low energy standard or even Pas-
sive House Standard. With modern heating systems in well-insulated buildings, about half
the energy is needed, leading to a CO2 reduction of about 44 percent (from 21,4 kg per square
meter per year to 11,9 kg).
Not only the climate benefits from energetic optimisation; also the residents. As energy de-
mand reduces the rental costs can be notably reduced.
The interesting aspect of this concept is that the existing social structure can be retained and
reinforced – with the residents remaining in their traditional district among their neigh-
bours. Thus after a retrofit, rental costs should only be moderately increased.
For this overall concept the building company drew praise, not only from the regional me-
dia and experts, but also winning a prize in July 2009. With the contest „Energetic renova-
tion of large residential areas“, of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban De-
velopment, the Freiburg building company won the silver category with a prize of 75.000
Euro.
Photo: Freiburger Stadtbau GmbH

n 16-floor Passive House – in Freiburg!
Another innovative project of the Freiburger Stadtbau GmbH was the renovation of
a 16-floor flat in Bugginger Street in Weingarten. Approximately 40 years old, this
building would become the first Passive House high-rise in Germany, funded by the
Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The heating demand was reduced by ne-
arly 80 percent. This project was to be concluded by 2010.
4.4. Expanding Renewable Energy
Renewable energy sources refer to their inherent benefit by name – they do no require lim-
ited resources, but rather use nature’s power without depleting it. Nearly all renewables –
from wind to biomass - depend on the sun, which itself provides an unlimited energy source.
Energy provision that deserves to be called “future-oriented“ will exclusively be drawn from
these energy sources.
Renewable energy sources in Freiburg range from small hydropower from the Dreisam river
and the Gewerbebach, to numerous solar projects, to wood chip plants and biomass fer-
mentation. Four percent of electricity use in Freiburg is generated from renewable energy
produced in the city. Already in 2004, the city set the goal to increase the share of renew-
ables to ten percent by 2010. With the review of the city climate protection strategy in 2007,
options for electricity from renewables were evaluated - also in the context of restrictive state
policy regarding wind energy. The „optimal context“ scenario (on which the climate protec-
tion decision of 2007 was based) presents an outlook where in 2020 about 18 percent of elec-
tricity could come from renewable energy.
Half of the electricity sold to private customers by the regional energy utility badenova AG
comes from renewable resources, with the other half generated through co-generation. 10
percent of badenova’s Freiburg customers have selected the option for „regiostrom aktiv“,
regional energy sourced completely from renewables. At the latest by 2015, badenova AG,
which is one third owned by the City of Freiburg, will transition energy provision in the South-
Baden region. As part of this process, all private and business customers will be provided
with 100 percent natural, nuclear-free energy from renewables and co-generation. Howev-
er, this can only be done by the additional purchase of electricity from renewables.
Solar rooftops of Freiburg
Freiburg justifies its position as a solar city. With the tool FREE SUN „Freiburg Renewable En-
ergy Solar“, the city was the first Baden-Württemberg community to create a register that
identified roof space for solar installations. Using laser scanning, the potential size, direc-
tional adjustment, position and shading, are presented. On www.freiburg.de/freesun house
owners can get information – fast, for free, and without commitment – on whether their
roof space is suitable for a solar system (photovoltaic and solar thermal).
To support private users without their own roof space, the city has since many years made
available municipal roof space for photovoltaics – another reason why solar energy contin-
ues to grow. By December 2009 in Freiburg, 15,000 square meters of solar thermal collectors
Photo: badenova
and more than 1,000 photovoltaic systems were installed. The photovoltaic systems gener-
ate 15 Megawatt – enough energy for about 5,500 two-resident households for the whole
year. Many photovoltaic systems have been installed on schools, churches, public buildings
and private homes. In 2008/2009 alone the Freiburger Stadtbau GmbH (FSB) installed pho-
tovoltaics providing about 800 kWp on their own apartment roofs. Examples of other large
systems in the city include: new fairground (694 Kilowatt), B 31 tunnel (365 Kilowatt), bade-
nova stadium (290 Kilowatt), university (550 Kilowatt), VAG (300 Kilowatt), and the main train
station tower (55 Kilowatt).
32
Wind, water and gas
Electricity generation from bio-energy is the remaining step needed to reach the 10 percent
target of energy from renewables. Today hydropower is already an important topic in
Freiburg: the small brooks running through the city centre (“Bächle“) feed seven small hy-
dropower stations on the Dreisam river and the Gewerbe brook. These were partly private-
ly funded and have been initiated with commendable commitment on the part of all in-
volved. The newest plant was constructed in 2008 by the company „Wasserkraft Wagner“,
Photo: badenova
and uses a drop-height of about three meters, annually generating 300,000 to 350,000 kilo-
watt hours electricity in a climate-neutral way.
There is also movement in the use of biogas. The company badenova intends to extend the
own generation of biogas in 2010, and in the region from 2011 onwards – partially generat-
ing biogas that is fed into the natural gas grid and thus available for general use. The co-
generation plants of Freiburg’s covered swimming pools have been using biogas since 2009.
Extending wind energy beyond the existing five wind turbines in the Freiburg region is un-
der evaluation.
Regional environmentally-friendly electricity
Electricity provided to private households in Freiburg by the regional energy utility baden-
Photo: badenova
ova has been “nuclear electricity free“ since 2008. Further, the „regiostrom basic“ option
provided is not sourced from oil or coal power stations, but consists of 50 percent generat-
ed from co-generation plans (fuelled by natural gas, landfill gas and wood waste) and 50
percent renewable energy.
There is also an additional option, namely to choose „regiostrom active“ with energy exclu-
sively coming from renewables. The extra cost for „regiostrom active“ flows into the further
development of renewable energy plants.
The city is commited to providing good examples: since 2004 all schools and Kindergärten
have been provided with environmentally-friendly electricity from the region, and from 2008
up to 100 percent with renewable energy from „regiostrom active“. This covers about 50 per-
cent of the total municipal building stock. The administration offices use the „regiostrom
basic“ option.
The tram goes green – travelling with eco-electricity
Since the 1st of January 2009, the city of Freiburg’s trams have been running completely, and
climate-neutrally, on eco-electricity. The electricity requirements are about 13 Gigawatt hours
per year, of which about 80 percent is covered by hydropower and 20 percent by wind- and
solar energy. Through this energy switch, CO2 savings have been huge: annually about 7.000
tonnes of greenhouse gases are avoided. In addition to this, electricity demand of the trams
Photo: VAG
have been reduced by 20 percent, due to a special brake system that recovers energy when
braking.
4.5. Increasing Energy Efficiency
Despite successes in energy savings and expanding the use of renewable energy, it remains
clear that Freiburg can not currently do without fossil fuels for its energy needs. However,
this also means that where used, fuel use needs to be as efficient as possible. Co-genera-
tion, i.e. the simultaneous generation of electricity and heat, exploits fossil fuels optimally
and is thus a key technology for energy efficient implementation.
In Freiburg around 140 co-generation plants provide more than 50 percent of the city’s elec-
tricity. This has helped to reduce the nuclear contribution to electricity to less than 25 per-
cent in 2007. Examples of where Freiburg uses co-generation include energy for three indoor
swimming pools. In 1991 the district heating network of Landwasser was switched to an en-
ergy efficient co-generation unit running on landfill- and natural gas. The districts Wein-
garten and Rieselfeld were provided with district heat and electricity from a natural gas fu-
elled co-generation plant since 1998. For the new district Vauban, a wood chip fuelled
co-generation unit was erected.
BHKW Co-generation plant Vauban
The largest co-generation project is the district heating network Freiburg (Wärmeverbund-
kraftwerk Freiburg), as a public-private partnership of the badenova predecessor – the FEW
- and the company Rhodia. In 1998 it was one of the most efficient plants in Germany. Heat
produced wis used for the production process of Rhodia, and the largest part of electricity
produced is fed into the Freiburg electricity grid.
Master plan for „Energy Efficient City of Freiburg“
The master plan concept for an energy efficient city foresees the development of a flexible
planning instrument for efficient, decentralised energy provision solutions such as co-gen-
eration. This is needed to make a substantial contribution to achieve Freiburg’s climate pro-
tection goals – also in the future. The master plan incorporates three cornerstones: a heat-
ing registry providing essential data, the development of a co-generation extension strategy
and the implementation and communication. In 2010 Freiburg took the first step with the
establishment of a heating registry. Here energy use and energy systems in Freiburg can be
presented and promoted. On the basis of this registry, a strategy can be developed for the
Co-generation unit at the city extension and optimisation of the existing district heating network, addressing energy ef-
theatre: 2 co-generation modules ficiency and co-generation concepts.
each generating 350 kW electrical/
520 kWh thermal output The most important stakeholders, from energy providers to housing associations, can be in-
volved in the strategy development.
With this planning instrument priority areas for decentralised co-generation plants can be
identified, or existing plants and new plans can be linked to one another. Through such a
comprehensive approach, investors and owners can be offered decentralised energy provi-
sion concepts at an early stage of their planning – an offer that provides both economic and
ecological benefits.
Targeted communication and awareness-raising form the third cornerstone of the master
plan. From single house owners to housing associations can be informed onenergy efficient
options – easily and clearly – using the Internet, information days, and study tours.
34
Energy efficiency in industry, crafts and trade
An important area of action for the Freiburg Climate Protection Strategy is the crafts and in-
dustry sector, with its high energy savings potential. To exploit this potential, a specific sec-
tor concept was developed to assist businesses to recognise and use their energy savings po-
tential. Presentations on specific topics, study tours to good examples, and, in particular, an
advice programme, offer local businesses various entry points relevant to the topics of en-
ergy, environment and climate protection, with the aim to present concepts and encourage
their implementation. In the long run a network will be established where businesses can
set their own climate protection targets and support one another in achieving these.
There are many successful projects developed by Freiburg-based companies. A limited se-
lection is presented below:
Solar Info Center

Freiburg does it first, others follow suit – for example with the Solar Info Center, close to the
new Trade Fair. This building complex, constructed at the end of 2003, offers 14.000 square
meters for offices, production and research space for the renewable energy and energy ef-
ficient technologies sector. Private investment to the amount of 26,5 million Euro was sup-
ported by the City of Freiburg through a reduced land sales prices. 45 companies with about
400 employees are based here. These companies implement projects that stimulate region-
al and international interest. The innovative building and energy concept also demonstrates
how economic the use of renewable energy can be.
The concept has proven itself internationally – based on the Freiburg leading example (and
with Freiburg’s support) a Solar Info Center is under development in South Korea. In a few
years a new government capital city is to be constructed south of Seoul. With 500,000 in-
habitants, Sejong – the name of the new city – is in planning, with ecological criteria in-
cluded in this initial phase. The Green Info Center is part of this ambitious project.
Hotel Victoria
The Freiburg-based Hotel Victoria is a null-emissions hotel, achieved through the use of
solar energy, water, wind and wood. Heat is produced through a wood pellet system and a
solar thermal system, while air-conditioning in the rooms is dealt with by a groundwater
cooling unit.
The roof houses an „energy garden“ with a solar power system and four wind turbines that
provide environmentally-friendly electricity. This is further enhanced by shares in a wind
farm. Insulation and flow controllers, as well as energy efficient minibars and LED lights used
for room lighting, encompass an extensively implemented energy savings concept.
Another exemplary offer to guests is the free use of the Regiocard (for local and regional pub-
lic transport), using bicycles or even a Solarmobil - a light solar powered vehicle. For its com-
mitment to the environment, the hotel has twice been awarded as the best eco-hotel in the
world.
Project Pfizer
An energy efficient and ecological building renovation and extension concept was developed
for the Freiburg-based pharma company Pfizer by the „Planungsgruppe Buschmann“ to-
gether with the Fraunhofer Institut for Solar Energy Systems (ISE). The project received the
Pfizer Green Building Award 2007. With the installation of a wood pellet unit the company
engaged in the use of sustainable resources, and, combined with the other innovative build-
ing blocks, the overall concept is exemplary.
Solar-Fabrik
Not only with the production of solar modules does the Solar-Fabrik promote the use of so-
lar energy. Its building concept is also highly innovative and has regularly won awards. To-
Photo: Solar-Fabrik AG, Freiburg
tal energy demand – of both module production and company administration – is covered
by its own photovoltaic system and a rapeseed-oil co-generation plant.
4.6. Freiburg’s Climate Protection Campaigns:

More Communication, Higher Impact
The Freiburg CO2-Diet
With the CO2 -Diet, Freiburg citizens can create a personal climate balance on the Internet,
and identify options for measures to „lose weight“ - e.g. CO2. An online calculator can out-
line a personal CO2 footprint, linking to tips and contacts that offer support to improve the
individual CO2 balance. One can also find information on how to off-set personal emissions.
www.freiburg.de/CO2.
CO2LIBRI: Climate protection with fun and initiative
In March 2009, the City of Freiburg established a long-term sustainable climate campaign
called CO2 LIBRI. Through its range of actions the city intends to convince inhabitants to ac-
tively engage in climate protection. Using environmentally-friendly mobility, applying en-
ergy and heating effectively, enjoying being emissions-free more often – these are the main
messages of the campaign.
The climate campaign was launched in March 2009 with the „Dance of CO2 Molecules“. Large
blue balls rolled through the city centre, representing CO2 molecules. The combination of fun,
curiosity, adventure and spontaneous meetings were explicitly promoted. Simultaneously
with the dance of the molecules, the extensive CO2 LIBRI website went online with current
news on local activities. It has a community section with extensive information.
With the „Home Match for the Climate“ in April 2010, CO2 LIBRI started a unique cooperation
with the Sport Club (SC) Freiburg. During the Bundesliga soccer game against VfL Bochum the
SC presented itself as „Climate Defenders“ in front of around 21.500 visitors. Fans could en-
courage their club using CO2 LIBRI-branded clappers while bouncing blue CO2 balls. To con-
tinuously draw citizens’ attention to the topic of climate protection, the CO2 LIBRI info stand
pops up in many different areas of Freiburg life. For example, with an activity day organised
in the city centre on the theme „enjoy“ und „explore“ - but in a climate-friendly way.
The whole campaign runs for two years, and includes some remarkable activities to gain vis-
ibility. www.CO2libri.freiburg.de.
Photo: Sebastian Bender
36
Electricity savings check Freiburg
With the electricity savings check Freiburg, a new service has been provided to low income
households, starting in 2008. This Caritas community action, VABE (Verein zur Förderung
kommunaler Arbeits- und Beschäftigungsmaßnahmen e.V.) and the City of Freiburg had mul-
tiple goals. It was used to reduce electricity demand and so also reduce costs for poorer house-
holds. At the same time it also focused on long term unemployed people, who were trained
as energy savings advisors, and so obtain the chance to re-engage in the job market.
Of these, 14 advisors were on the road between October 2008 and September 2009, offering
energy savings advice. In the first eight months of that year they visited 143 families that live
on social benefits. They installed 329 energy savings lamps, 98 multiplug connectors to re-
duce standby-consumption, 49 water-savings Perlators and 35 water-saving shower heads.
The annual savings per household is on average 74 Euro, and in some cases more than 200
Euro.
As this activity achieves a positive social impact as well as providing an important contribu-
tion to environment – and climate protection, it is funded through the badenova innova-
tion fund.
Funding innovation
Without a financing impulse many of the exemplary projects in Freiburg would not have been
possible. One fund that has provided extensive support is the Innovation Fund Climate- and
Water Protection from badenova. The energy service provider badenova annually provides
three percent of company profits for new and innovative projects in the region – to date pro-
viding nearly 1,8 million Euro. Over the past few years more than 17 million Euro came to-
gether for financing sources, benefiting 145 environment projects in the whole region.
Through this financing an additional 77 million Euro investment was triggered for the envi-
ronment and climate sectors. Applications are accepted from associations, non-governmen-
tal organisations, companies, private individuals and municipalities.
Thus the City of Freiburg, through its innovative approach, started enjoying the benefits of
project financing as well. These range from construction projects such as the Wentzinger
School built to Passive House Standard, or the training room for energy technologies at the
Richard-Fehrenbach Technical School, to projects addressing environmental education such
as the WaldHaus, ScienceNet or the seminar series Sustainability as LifeStyle („Nachhaltigkeit
als Lebenskunst“). Activities such as the „Freiburg CO2 -Diet“ and the „Energy Savings Check
Freiburg“, both addressing energy and CO2 savings, received funding support as well.
Illustration: Renate Alf
4.7. The Sun as Economic Factor: SolarRegion Freiburg
What makes Freiburg a solar region? It is simple: as the southern-most large city in Germany,
with 1.800 hours of sunshine per year, it has an almost Mediterranean flair and offers opti-
mal framework conditions for using solar energy. In addition to this no German city has such
a high density of research and practical applications of solar energy than is the case in the
„Solar-City“ Freiburg.
The idea of „SolarRegion Freiburg“ was born prior to the world EXPO 2000 in Hannover. With
its exemplary projects Freiburg was a pioneer in the application of solar technologies, yet
global attention and recognition of its solar policy only came with its participation at the
EXPO 2000. Freiburg showed itself - in every sense - from its sunny side. Spectacular proj-
ects that had already been realised helped to present Freiburg as a first class solar location.
The world’s first autonomous solar home in Freiburg
The world’s first energy automomous solar home and rotating solar house - called „Heliotrop“,
and designed by solar architect Rolf Disch - was constructed in Freiburg in 1994. The roof of the
sport club stadium became home to the first solar system ever installed on a soccer stadium.
Long before the Renewable Energy Law (“Einspeisevergütung des Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz
- EEG) was adopted in 2000, the former municipal energy service provider FEW provided a „So-
lar Penny“ as financial support for solar projects.
Photo: Rolf disch, SolarArchitektur
The „SolarRegion Freiburg“ has set the goal: integrating the multitude of existing projects and
providing new impulses for their further development. The visibility and promotion of Freiburg
as a solar city (and a tourist destination), resulting from participation in the world EXPO and
ongoing communication activities, had a very positive impact. „SolarRegion Freiburg“ was nev-
er formally established as an organisation, but is rather a loose network where engaged ac-
tors can exchange news and ideas.
Favourable solar location
PV Solar Thermal
PV (kW) Thermal (m2)
The Renewable EEG Update
Energy Sources Act
16,000 16,000
14,000 14,000
12,000 12,000
10,000 10,000
8,000 8,000
6,000 6,000
4,000 4,000
2,000 2,000
0 0
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
38
Freiburg has, at least in the German context, very favourable conditions for the use of solar
energy, with about 1,700 to 2,000 hours of sunshine and a mid-level solar radiation of more
than 1,100 kilowatt hours per square meter per year. One can expect a photovoltaic system
in Freiburg to generate high yields. It can produce, from one kilowatt peak and a module
surface of about eight square meters, 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. This in turn can be
fed into the electricity grid with good financial compensation.
The conditions are just as favourable for solar thermal systems that provide hot water or con-
tribute to space heating. The integration of these systems in building heating systems is more
complex, meaning the solar yield estimation is more differentiated.
The City of Freiburg has been awarded – four times in a row – the first place in the large city
section of the nation-wide „Solarbundesliga“ competition (2009: 3rd place). Currently about
1.1 percent of Freiburg’s electricity is generated from solar energy. Among all the renewable
energy sources, solar energy has been the fastest growing segment and has the most long-
term potential.
Variety distinguishes Freiburg
What makes the „SolarRegion Freiburg“ exceptional is not the focus on using a particular
technology. It also does not refer to a single large project that makes the location special.
Freiburg’s solar sector develops technological innovations – from facade modules installed
at the main train station, to solar-thermal cooling of the laboratory and devices of the uni-
versity clinic, to PV modules with optical concentration systems. Yet these developments are,
in principle, available everywhere. What Freiburg offers is something unique: the extraor-
dinarily large variety of solar applications that can contribute to the sustainable regional de-
velopment in many public and societal areas.
Often, the search is for a compromise between environment and business. In the SolarRe-
gion Freiburg, it becomes clear that both can be combined to mutual benefit.
For Example: Business

Freiburg is not an industrial city. Thus the economic contribution of companies in the solar
sector is very important, as these are present in the region in large numbers. Of international
significance are, for example, the following companies: Solar-Fabrik AG, S.A.G. Solarstrom AG,
SolarMarkt AG, Concentrix Solar GmbH and others. A proper solar business branch can be
found in the crafts sector (nowhere easier to find a competent installation company than in
Freiburg!), energy advice or financing. Also many companies outside the solar sector have
discovered that solar systems fit very well into their business philosophy: supermarkets,
chemical companies and others are solar powered and so address their social obligations –
without economic disadvantages. The solar sector in Freiburg is quantitatively not the
largest, but provides an above average contribution to employment and turnover, and also
helps to profile the location in a way that positively impacts on other business branches.
For Example: Citizen Participation
Citizen engagement in the energy sector has had a tradition in Freiburg since the anti-
nuclear protests in the 1970s. To own a solar system is an obvious choice for many house own-
ers. There are also multiple participative options available: cooperative, association, fund
and share models. A well-known Freiburg citizen participatory approach is the Regio-Solar
electricity facility - the first of its kind, often replicated as a financing model, especially for
wind farms. The Solar-University system (550 Kilowatt), the system installed on the B 31 East
tunnel (365 Kilowatt) or the multiple systems implemented by funding entities comprised of
Photo: Emil Günnel
schools, pupils and their parents are further examples. Last but not least is the energy
provider badenova which generates publicly available electricity from renewable energy
sources – with about ten percent of their customers selecting this option.
For Example: Market Support

About 90 percent of all solar systems in and around Freiburg have obtained some form of
financial support from the energy provider badenova and its Regio Electricity Fund, which
exclusively provides grants for systems running on renewable energy from solar, water and
biomass.
For Example: Tourism

Tourism plays an important economic role in Freiburg and benefits from the active environ-
mental and solar policy of the city. The four-star Hotel Victoria presents itself as the first ze-
ro emissions hotel in the world, the solar tower at the main train station is an eye-catcher,
while other hotels and restaurants have energy concepts which include solar energy. The
Freiburg trams run exclusively on electricity generated from renewables.
Experts from all over the word visit Freiburg to see the solar projects and in turn act as mul-
Photo: FWTM
tipliers for conventional tourism. Special offers are made for expert visitor groups, provid-
ing information and guided tours.
For Example: Building and Living

Solar construction refers to much more than just installing a solar system on the roof. Solar
architecture and sustainable urban planning work hand-in-hand in Freiburg. For the dis-
tricts Rieselfeld and Vauban a low energy standard was decided on in 1992, which has since
Photo: Rolf disch, SolarArchitektur
then been steadily improved. This has provided a push for long-term innovation in the
building sector, which continues to this day.
Passive housing and Plus Energy houses („Plusenergiehäuser®“) of the Solar Settlement am
Schlierberg as well as the combined living and office space in the Sun Ship („Sonnenschiff“)
have helped to further develop standards. In these energy concepts solar energy is includ-
ed as a matter of course, also with the renovation of existing buildings (refer to Chapter 1.3.
for energy efficient renovation, page 13).
For Example: Research and Development

Freiburg’s solar economy is not based on mass production - rather, it is based on specialised
know-how. Freiburg hosts Europe’s largest applied solar energy research institute, the Fraun-
hofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), founded in 1981. The work of the 800-strong staff
at ISE creates the technical expertise necessary to ensure an environmentally-friendly energy
supply system in both developed and developing countries. A large part of the innovations pro-
duced lie in the building technology sector. The institute plans, consults and makes available
know-how and technical equipment for services in the sector.
40
The collected expertise in Freiburg represents a significant locational factor. The Fraunhofer
ISE is an important partner in numerous cooperative projects. It has produced sevarl succes-
ful spin-offs. This expertise is further enhanced through the university with int interdisci-
planary Centre for Renewable Energy (ZEE). The Öko-institute is another famous institution
in this area in Freiburg. A number of internationally active societies and NGOs are also based
in Freiburg - for example headquarters of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) and
the ICLEI European Secretariat (ICLEI, see Chapter I.7.2, Page 57). Together with local actors like
the Freiburg Energy Agency, the “Förderverein Energie- und Solar-Agentur Regio Freiburg“
(FESA), the Zukunftswerkstatt Handwerk (Future Workshop of the Crafts) and the Solar Info
Center, Freiburg has become the foremost location for knowledge transfer in the sector.
For example: Education and Training

Schools and educational institutions in Freiburg are also working on a solar future: the
Richard-Fehrenbach vocational school, in close cooperation with the Chamber of Crafts, has
developed solar education modules that are now a fixed part of its building trades curricu-
lum. This is especially important as installers represent the interface between the technolo-
gies used and the end-users. A solar curriculum ensures the necessary opennes for new in-
novations and imparts the required skills to use, install and maintain them. The solar
education groups at the vocational school and the chamber are also working on curricula for
international exchange in this area.
A third of all schools in Freiburg also have their own solar projects, where committed stu-
dents, teachers and parents have jointly installed solar systems on school roofs. These, to-
gether with energy efficiency and energetic renovation projects, strengthens the identifica-
tion with the schools, enriches the learning environment and leads to more young people
with interest in technical careers.
The Role of the City of Freiburg in the SolarRegion
It is not the role of the city to push through projects in a technocratic way as part of its so-
lar policies, but rather to support a network of actors using a broad suite of local policy tools
- for example by making city-owned building roofs available for solar projects, offering fi-
nancial support for projects, executing own solar projects, mounting support programmes,
the founding of solar-friendly utilities like badenova through which the city can influence
regional market development, providing economic and cluster development support, man-
dating low energy standards for buildings, doing intensive public relations work, providing
support for international cooperation in the region, cooperation with partner cities in en-
ergy matters, and developing new initiatives in the areas of education and training.
Contact details for the SolarRegion at the Environmental Protection Office, City of Freiburg:
O Contact:
Umweltschutzamt
Talstr. 4 || 79102 Freiburg im Breisgau
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 61 46 || Fax 07 61 / 2 01 - 61 99
umweltschutzamt@stadt.freiburg.de
www.solarregion.freiburg.de
4.8. Clever and sustainable: Freiburg’s Facility Management
With the ambitious goal of reducing 40 percent of its CO2 emissions by 2030, Freiburg has no
other choice than to sustainably manage its building stock. This applies to both current
building management and to renovation and new buildings. Freiburg’s Facility Management
(GMF) supervises approximately 450 municipal buildings, of which 80 schools constitute the
largest share in terms of area and energy consumption.
So far, facility management has achieved remarkable energy reductions. Given the goal of
reducing 40 percent CO2 emissions by 2030 however, the success of Freiburg’s Facility Man-
agement depends on whether it can further lower the energy consumption of municipal
buildings in future.
GMF’s future objectives are:
• Compare economic feasibility of renovation or new building.

• Investigate feasibility of converting new buildings into PlusEnergie Houses®
(principle: new buildings are constructed as passive houses).
• General redevelopments should comply with the Freiburg low energy standard.
• More user information and training courses for caretakers.
• Expand operational energy management and gradually extend remote diagnostics
and control through the conversion of 30 buildings within the next five years.
• By 2015, 50% reduction of the total floor area related heating demand of GMF’s
building stock (as mean value for all buildings) compared to the base year 1992 and
by means of structural and technical measures as well as improved operative energy
management.
• Advertisement of appropriate and newly redeveloped roof surfaces for the use of
photovoltaic plants.
• Application to existing support programs (subsidies) to unburden the city
household budget.
• Prevent rising electricity consumption.
• Until 2015, increase the number of schools involved in the project “Non-Investment
Energy Savings“ (Fifty/Fifty project) to 75%
Redeveloping Municipal Buildings
In 1997, the Weiherhofschulen were the first schools in Freiburg to benefit from a compre-
hensive thermo-technical redevelopment. Despite an additional heating system in 2002, the
schools’ energy consumption was reduced by more than 70 percent, from 2,089 Megawatt
hours in 1998 to 606 Megawatt hours in 2008.
Following this success, GMF started redeveloping numerous other buildings, involving com-
prehensive renovations with highly energy-efficient façades. Within the past four years
around 90 millions Euro were invested in energy-efficient renovations.
42
Between 2003-2009, the city of Freiburg filed as many as 53 applications to the “Climate Pro-
tection Plus“ support program of the state Baden-Württemberg. While general measures for
thermal insulation are financed with the city’s investment of 27 million Euro, additional en-
ergy saving measures rely on the 2.8 million Euro subsidies so obtained.
Passive House Design for New Buildings
Sustainable building must incorporate the progressive energy standards in passive houses.
A certified passive house can be heated using a maximum of 15 kWh per square meter of floor
area per year. Taking into consideration supply losses and hot water heating, this corresponds
to an actual energy consumption 25-35 kWh per square meter of floor area per year. High
standards further guarantee the efficient use of electricity within the house.
Passive House Design planned or realised for Municipal Buildings:

1. Wentziner School Extension, completed in 2009
2. New Feyel School Building, completed in 2009
3. Merian School Extension, completed in 2011
4. New Fire Station Building, completed in 2011
In future, if realisable and feasible, new buildings should generally be designed as PlusEn-
ergy Houses® (e.g. by installing a PV roof system that produces more energy per year than is
consumed).
The planned nursery school Urachstraße and the Central Art Storehouse could be the first mu-
nicipal PlusEnergy Houses®, of which more are planned by 2015.
High Comfort and low Energy Costs through Correct Operation
How buildings are operated can affect heating costs by 10-20 percent. Ideal energy efficien-
cy can thus be achieved by way of operational energy management and well-trained care-
takers. Technical heating and ventilation equipment can also contribute significantly to en-
ergy saving, requiring however professional handling and correct configuration. Substantial
Photo: Building Management in Freiburg

amounts of energy can be saved through controlled space heating, which supplies heat on-
ly to spaces that are actually being used.
In joint cooperation with the trade academy, GMF has therefore developed a training pro-
gram that teaches heating engineering to all caretakers. The program features a special learn-
ing unit called „Datalogger“ in which two caretakers themselves train their colleagues with
great success and laudable enthusiasm.
Data loggers are matchbox-sized devices that continuously record the ambient temperature
to accurately adjust heating based on the actual demand. This is a worthwhile contribution,
as the adjustment of overheated room temperatures can reduce the energy supply and costs
by up to 6 percent per each degree Celsius.
Fifty/Fifty –Freiburg’s Success Story for more than 10 years
The idea itself is simple yet exceptional: The Fifty/Fifty project is a system of financial incen-
tives that enables schools to keep 50% of the savings from electricity and water consump-
tion achieved through basic and non-investment measures. An important requisite for this
success is therefore a high level of motivation from all participants involved. In March 1998
the municipal council of the city Freiburg laid the cornerstone by establishing the “Freiburg
Incentive System“.
For more than 10 years, the “Freiburg Incentive System“ has achieved considerable success
with achieving the goal of saving 5-10% energy in all projects and reducing 1,518 million Eu-
ro and 6,855 tons of CO2 emission.
Freiburg’s Building Management will continue to recruit schools with the aim of increasing
its share of school participation from currently 50% to 75% by 2015.
Total savings in 10 years Fifty/Fifty project at Freiburg’s schools
(5,482,000 kWh) (16,498,000 kWh) (50,500 m3) (6,855,000 kg)

Electricity Heating energy Water CO2
Total savings: 1,518,000 Euro
Contracting
Freiburg has always prioritised energy-relevant redevelopment measures for its housing es-
tates. In 1998 the city of Freiburg started to engage in contracting to exploit its potential for
energy saving as far as possible. Contracting means that the city of Freiburg delegates the
performance of certain tasks to service providers.
44
System Contracting
System contracting is an agreement in which the contractor finances, plans, builds and oper-
ates a system. In the case of a heating system for example, Freiburg consents to a so-called
heat-supply agreement and pays the contractor only for the supply of energy. Thus the installed
system is financed solely by the agreed payment and not by the obtained savings. Heating sys-
tems of four municipal buildings in Freiburg are currently operated this way.
Savings Contracting
As indicated by its name, savings contractors systematically harness energy saving potentials
in one or more buildings. Within an energy savings agreement, both the client and contrac-
tor specify the amount of energy to be saved.
The energy saving measures are then financed, designed, built, supervised and operated by
the contractor. In return, the contractor receives the majority of savings to finance initial in-
vestments and associated services regarding maintenance, energy management and system
control for the entire contract period.
To insure that not only highly feasible buildings are energetically redeveloped, less profitable
buildings in need of redevelopment are sometimes also included in the city’s ongoing agree-
ments on Savings Contracting. This is a win-win situation, as investors profit from these
mixed calculations, while the city can guarantee a positive climate protection balance.
In four such „building pools“ around 8.4 million Euro were invested, achieving annual sav-
ings of up to 700,000 Euro which corresponds to 7,410 Megawatt hours of heat and 1.330
Megawatt hours of electricity. The amount of saved CO2 amounts to approximately 2,530 tons
each year.
Building Standards and Energy Guideline
In Freiburg there exists an unspoken rule: If the legislator specifies energy standards, it is
almost certain that the city will raise the bar voluntarily. Thus, since 1st August 2007 the city’s
building management has been specifying uniform building and energy standards, which
are regularly updated. In principle, the construction, redevelopment and operation of all
municipal buildings should be performed as economically and pollution-free as possible.
Taking thermal insulation, for example, the city has established far more ambitious goals:
all redevelopments generally apply components from passive house design, which prove par-
ticularly economical in the long run. As soon as a building is highly insulated, it immedi-
ately starts to save energy, and continues to do so for many years. However, the most effec-
tive way of reducing energy costs is through less energy consumption.
O Contact:
Gebäudemanagement Freiburg
gmf@stadt.freiburg.de
4.9. Energy Transition for All: Utility Company badenova
Pursuing sustainable environmental and climate protection politics on a local and regional
scale requires not only a declaration of intent, but also powerful actors who are willing and
able to realise concrete projects, products, offers and innovative solutions. Belonging to this
group of actors is the energy- and environmental utility company badenova.
badenova is a regional energy service utility located in Freiburg. It is community-owned with

33% of its shares belonging to the city. Along with its business capacity and annual gross
revenue of around 850 million Euro, badenova is considered in many aspects a pioneer of
environmental and energy services.
Remunicipalisation of Public Services
In 2009, the repurchase of the Thüga AG by a municipal alliance of more than 45 public utili-
ties led by badenova, sparked off a nationwide trend in remunicipalisation of power utilities.
Unlike the establishment of local and therefore very isolated public utilities, the Thüga net-
work has achieved a nationwide impact due to its share in over 120 public utilities. For Freiburg
and badenova’s vision of an „Energy Transition for All“ this step has revealed various new per-
spectives for modern public services. Public services of the future provide more than just the
supply of energy, water and infrastructure. They guarantee sustainability and quality of life for
coming generations. This new dimension of public services can only be achieved by way of in-
telligent structures, such as in the case of the Thüga network. Due to their strong interest in
renewable energy and energy efficiency, community-owned public utilities have become im-
portant partners for municipalities in achieving climate protection goals. badenova is an ide-
al example.
In 2008, the enterprise issued, for the first time, an ecological and sustainability report, in
which it was concluded that badenova’s projects have reduced annual CO2 emissions by
400,000 tons. This equals the amount of CO2 emitted by 148,000 cars in just one year. baden-
ova is thus an energy provider that rigorously combines energy, ecology, innovation and re-
gionalism.
46
badenova promotes Solar Energy
Freiburg’s commitment to promoting solar energy is most noticeable when taking a look at
the yearly increase of private solar roofs. With support from badenova’s Regional Electricity
Support Initiative, Freiburg reached the threshold of 10 Megawatts of installed solar capac-
ity in 2008. This was only made possible with badenova’s 2.5 million Euro subsidies, which
assisted the installation of more than 70% of Freiburg’s private solar systems.
This business commitment is part of a specific ecological strategy. It is based on the “region-
al mission“ that was assigned to badenova by its shareholders and aims to achieve an “en-
ergy transition for all“. Both these terms require an explanation:
The “regional mission“ is unique in Germany. It is based on the regional alliance „Strategic
Partnership for Climate Protection on the Upper Rhine“ and consists of the regional coali-
tion of several districts, as many as 90 municipalities, numerous federations and regional
enterprises. The „Strategic Partnership“ compiled, within its climate protection study for the During an anniversary celebration
Upper Rhine, a list of measures and possibilities for the development of decentralised, re- in summer 2008 with the mayor of
newable and innovative energy solutions. These measures are to be realised by badenova, Freiburg, Dr. Dieter Salomon (right),
as determined by its shareholders within the framework of the “regional mission“. More and badenova’s managing board
concretely it is stated: Dr. Thorsten Radensleben (left)
the aggregate of solar systems on
„We entrust badenova to initialise and plan the energy transition in our region, while grad- Freiburg’s roofs reached the
ually developing appropriate core competencies and business fields within its own organ- threshold of 10 Megawatt installed
isation. capacity. The anniversary system
was mounted on the roof of the
We expect from badenova, as a free market oriented and medium-sized company, to achieve Steimel-Dosch family in Elsässer
economic success in these future disciplines and to become a market leader and entrepre- road.
neur in this region.
We want badenova to become a driving force in the energy and environmental markets of
the future and take on a leading position even beyond the region.“
Photo: badenova
With this regional mission badenova has formulated the goal of an „energy transition for
all“. The term “for all“ thereby highlights the difference to conventional eco niches and em-
phasises the claim to develop marketable, affordable, sustainable and long-term solutions.
A total change of course should be realised with all the power of a medium-size and region-
ally anchored company. Besides the regular business segments, badenova has recently ex-
tended its activities to the segments energy efficiency, expansion of combined heat and
power plants and on the regional development of renewable energies, in particular biomass.
Replenishing Energy Sources from and for the Region
At the present time, badenova has established three locations on the upper Rhine for the
industrial production of biogas, with plans for two more. A first step has thus been taken to
provide - at a competitive prices- regionally produced, renewable energy sources to private
households.
From 2008 badenova’s private customers are guaranteed a non-nuclear energy-mix. In ad-
dition, badenova has set itself the ambitious goal to join a group of medium-size enterpris-
es that derive all their energy from highly efficient cogeneration systems and renewable en-
Photo: badenova
ergies. badenova thus aims to install a number of decentralised cogeneration systems that
meets the full electricity demand in the region. By 2015 all business and industrial customers
will be supplied with guaranteed, nonnuclear electricity.
badenova can only achieve its task of implementing an „energy transition for all“ if focus-
es its entire strategy to the establishment of new energy, climate and environmental mar-
kets and if it adjusts its business approach accordingly. This step has been taken by baden-
ova. It complies with the belief and experience that the energy transition can only be realised
for all given the existence of future-oriented markets and products. Within this dimension
the ecological future of energy is no longer an ideology, but instead a business perspective.
Decisive factor is the triggering of market forces. This is badenova’s current task.
O Contact:
Dr. Roland Weis
badenova-Unternehmenskommunikation
Tullastr. 61 || 79108 Freiburg im Breisgau
Tel. 07 61 / 2 79 30 44
roland.weis@badenova.de || www.badenova.de
48
5. Waste in Freiburg
5.1. Ecological Waste Management in Freiburg
Even a „Green City“ is a natural producer of waste. Waste? It is no longer that simple. The
term “waste“ presently refers to things that are no longer needed and thrown away. Waste
can to a large extent be used or reused. Waste that can no longer be reused is considered to
be residual waste. In order to minimise quantities of residual waste, Freiburg has for many
years successfully applied a concept for ecological waste management.
Applying this concept however, has been a challenge due to the fact that modern waste man-
agement is subject to constant change. Laws and decrees on EU and national level, mod-
ernisation of technologies and the increasing demand for eco-friendly recycling and dispos-
al of waste contribute to the difficulty that responsible municipalities currently face. Apart
from ecological aspects, municipal waste management must also consider economical as-
pects: After all, modern waste management should in the long-term be affordable to all cit-
izens.
Freiburg has applied an ecological waste management regime since the 80’s; it now pos-
sesses a sophisticated and citizen-friendly system of waste separation. Freiburg’s waste
management concept defines “avoidance before recycling before depositing“ as the future
strategy.
Waste Avoidance as the Principal Aim
Adhering to the maxim “no waste means no disposal“ Freiburg has for a long time engaged
in comprehensive and effective waste avoidance, effectively reducing its quantities of resid-
ual waste.
With this concept Freiburg aims to promote sustainable consumer behaviour, while active-
ly searching for future solutions to reduce and avoid waste. Thus, Freiburg’s Waste Manage-
ment and Treatment Department GmbH (ASF) attaches high importance to active public
education to inform citizens about regulations, measures and modalities of waste manage-
ment. Awareness is further promoted by means of an annual waste calendar, online infor-
mation, information brochures, press releases and timely educational campaigns.
An important starting point for a responsible attitude towards waste is the active involve-
ment of children and adolescents. In the past ASF, on behalf of the city administration has Recyclable Lunchbox
thus developed a large number of successful and educational projects and measures on
waste. One example is the project „Children and Agenda 21“, which is a competition in
Freiburg’s primary schools that teaches children environment-friendly behaviour and social
interactions.
Increasingly Important: Recycling
The highest aim of Freiburg’s waste management is the protection of resources. Unavoid-
able waste is therefore separated, gathered and recycled in an eco-friendly manner. With
technological improvements in waste collection, in particular during sorting and conversion,
waste recycling has become increasingly important in Freiburg. Recycling presently applies
to organic wastes, garden wastes, glass, paper, wrapping wastes, scrap metal, electronic
scrap, scrap wood, and bottle corks, all of which are collected and reintegrated into the eco-
nomic cycle.
The following numbers validate the success of such measures: Between 1992 and 2009, re-
cyclable waste in Freiburg increased from 17,000 tons to around 60,000 tons, while the to-
tal amount of households waste, bulk rubbish and sorting remnants dropped from 52,000
tons to 27,500 tons. In other words, citizens’ personal commitment for waste separation and
the use of modern technologies have made it possible that 69 percent of the produced waste
is recycled.
Recycling share: 1992 - 2009 (Freiburg’s households)
90,000
27,509
40,551 39,080 29,040 28,645 27,462
43,206 36,141 32,390 29,256
80,000 34,558 31,665
45,038
47,538 48,667
46,389
70,000 51,824
48,738 69%
66% 68%
55% 57% 59% 60% 60% 63%
52%
60,000 residual waste, bulk rubbish, sorting remnants 46%
42% 60,458
42% 58,063
50,000 37% 53,424 58,711
37%
50,702
36% 48,227 48,600 49,190 47,660 47,878
40,000 29%
44,240
25%
37,184
30,000 31,996
27,505 28,921
20,000 25,873
19,621
16,856
10,000
Paper, glass, lightweight materials, metal scrap, electronics scrap, wood, biological wastes, garden waste
0
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
In 2009, each citizen produced per capita only 124 kilograms of house waste and bulk rub-
bish, compared to the countrywide average of 143 kg per inhabitant in 2008.
50
Waste incineration today is environmentally friendly and efficient
The waste incineration technology used by TREA Breisgau adheres to the most recent envi-
ronmental standards, integrating security, economy and ecology with modern technology.
To ensure that the prescribed limits are not exceeded, exhaust gas is discharged through a
four-level purification system. Consequently, the present amount of the facility’s exhaust
gas has fallen below half of the prescribed limit. The service area of the disposal facility com-
prises approximately 1.3 million residents.
TREA Breisgau has the capacity to thermally process 150,000 tons of domestic and commer-
cial waste per year, of which 29,000 to 52,000 tons have been already contracted and re-
served until 2030 by the city Freiburg. TREA is therefore crucial for the secure and reliable
disposal of the city’s waste.
Output of residual waste from private households, 2000 until 2009
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
31,650
28,892
27,804
15,000
25,744
24,445
23,366
22,571
21,750
21,406
21,394
10,000
5,000
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
According to German legislation, as of 2005 waste must first be treated before it is disposed
of. Thus in Freiburg, residues of domestic and commercial waste are thermally treated at the
Thermal Residual Waste Treatment and Power Production Plant (TREA Breisgau). The slurry
that is produced during incineration serves as sealant for the municipal landfill Eichelbuck,
which was shut down in May 2005. TREA Breisgau represents a close cooperation between
Freiburg and its rural districts, with the aim to establish long-term, environmentally friend-
ly, economical and regional disposal of waste.
5.2. Waste: Raw Material with Future Perspective
Awareness of rising energy prices and limited natural resources has caused a shift in atti-
tude among large parts of society: Waste is no longer perceived as ‘garbage that must be
disposed’ but more and more as an energy source and secondary raw material. Waste is not
just a source of material but also increasingly a source of energy for modern incineration and
biogas facilities. This not only lowers the dependency on imported raw materials, but addi-
tionally reduces CO2 emissions. It is thus an active contribution to climate protection and
thereby to the climate-political goals of Freiburg.
Freiburg exploits its waste energetically as far as possible. The heat that is produced during
the incineration of residual waste is further used to generate electricity, which is fed into
the grid supplying 25,000 households. To increase TREA’s efficiency, business establishments
are intensively promoted for the industrial park Breisgau, where they are directly supplied
with waste heat that is produced on-site.
Biogas, which is produced during the fermentation of organic waste, is used to generate elec-
tricity. For nearly 10 years, Freiburg has been separately collecting organic waste to ferment
Aerial view of Eichelbuck and obtain compost. The energetic recycling of organic waste is based on a cogeneration sys-
landfill tem, which currently supplies more than 3,000 households with electricity.
Gas from the former landfill Eichelbuck is used for the heat and electricity supply of Freiburg’s
Landwasser district, in addition to providing heat to a processing plant for food waste. Af-
ter shutting down the landfill on 31 Mai 2005 and sealing it in 2008, the amount of landfill
gas was noticeably reduced. To continue providing the district Landwasser with eco-friend-
ly electricity and heat, landfill gas will in future be refined with gas from the fermentation
of bio-organic wastes, supplied by the company Remondis BKF GmbH. With the increase in
calorific value, Landwasser’s cogeneration unit will supply more than 4,900 households with
electricity and 1200 families with heat.
So far, Freiburg’s waste management has reconciled itself to the growing importance of waste
Sealing measures as a raw material and energy source. It is therefore an indispensable component of the city’s
sustainable development and contributes to the protection of resources and climate.
O Contact:
Eigenbetrieb Abfallwirtschaft Freiburg (EAF)
Talstraße 4 || 79102 Freiburg im Breisgau
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 61 54 || Fax 07 61 / 2 01 - 61 99
umweltschutzamt@stadt.freiburg.de || www.freiburg.de
Abfallwirtschaft und Stadtreinigung Freiburg GmbH

Hermann-Mitsch-Str. 26 || 79108 Freiburg im Breisgau
Tel. 07 61 / 7 67 07 - 40 || Fax 07 61 / 7 67 07 - 88
info@abfallwirtschaft-freiburg.de || www.abfallwirtschaft-freiburg.de
52
6. Future Markets are Green:
Environmental Management and Research
6.1. Sustainability and Quality of Life:
Driving forces of qualitative growth
„The markets of the future are green“. This prediction by the Club of Rome holds true as the
market for innovative environmental products, technologies and services features a special
dynamic. Environmental and climate protection are creators of employment. In 2008 the Unit-
ed Nations Environment Program (UNEP) published the study „Global Trends in Sustainable
Energy Investment“ which estimates that the global investments for renewable energies
amount to 94 billion Euro, 60 percent higher than in the year 2006. In 2020, Germany will
have more jobs in the environmental technology sector than in the automobile industry.
A Profile of Freiburg’s Environmental and Solar Economy
Groundbreaking and dynamic: Freiburg is not one of the most dynamic cities in Germany by
chance. Freiburg embarked very early on on the strategy of becoming a “city of science“ by
advancing its natural and applied sciences at the Albert-Ludwig-University of Freiburg and
by establishing industry-oriented research institutions, such as the Fraunhofer Institute for
Solar Energy and numerous technology-oriented enterprises. This future-oriented location-
al policy has paid off: in 2009 Freiburg achieved the highest increment in number of inhab-
itants and socially insured employment in the state of Baden Württemberg.
Dye solar module at the
With the promotion of innovative growth sectors such as solar technology and environmen- Fraunhofer ISE, manufactured
tal engineering, the city has gained new investments and jobs for Freiburg. Freiburg’s through screen-printing and
„Green City“ stands for sustainability, dynamics, and future viability. It illustrates that an permanently sealed by edge-
ecological and an economic stance are not in conflict, but instead safeguards and guaran- fusing Photo: Fraunhofer ISE
tees the development of the city as a business location.
According to a study published by Capital magazine in 2009, cities that are well positioned
in research, knowledge and the international network are predicted to have good econom-
ic perspectives. In this ranking Freiburg occupies place 5 in Germany. Moreover, the study
indicates that knowledge is increasingly becoming an economic factor, while promoting fu-
ture-oriented technologies and growth.
500 kW CPV- Power Plant Unit in Puertollano, Spain. Photo: Concentrix solar
The Environmental and Solar Industries as leading Growth Sectors
The environmental and solar industry is a crucial, leading growth sector in Freiburg. Given
its cross-sectoral character it is key to the development of economic structures in the region.
The environmental and solar industry contributes to the profile, identity and innovation of
Freiburg and its surrounding regions Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald and Emmendingen. The
sector:
• comprises 2,000 enterprises in the region,
• generates approximately 650 million Euro per year,
Matrix Transfer Unit • offers 12,000 jobs – thereby providing jobs to 3 percent of the working population,
Photo: Somont GmbH, Im Brunnenfeld 8,
• is an outstanding image factor for the region.
79224 Umkirch, www.somont.com
The local environmental and solar industry offers excellent market opportunities and per-
spectives to a range of small, middle and large businesses, freelancers, and the self-em-
ployed. Characteristically, its employment is spread over nearly all the economic sectors.
The profile of the environmental and solar industry is shaped by single enterprises that ex-
cel in specific expertise and are pioneers in the development and use of environmental and
technical innovations. Particularly the areas of research and development are considered
driving forces of the development in the sector. Private and state-owned science centres
function as a crystallisation core, around which a dense network is gradually developed con-
sisting of manufacturers, public services, craftsmen, architectural and engineering compa-
nies, information centres, agencies and associations.
Growth Cluster Green City: Goals and Measures for Business Development
Beginning of the 90's, Freiburg Economic, Tourism and Marketing (FWTM) business develop-
ment recognised the environmental and solar industry as a strategic field of action, observ-
ing and developing the sector’s rapid development. Today, sustainable site development and
innovative environmental technologies that are „Made in Freiburg“ have become export hits
Regional Cluster
on the global market.
For opening up national and international market potentials, the numerous small and mid-
dle-sized enterprises from the manufacturing industry, trade and commerce, together with
service providers, depend on the support from an active network and professional cluster
management. The establishment of a cluster management office at the FWTM will strength-
en Freiburg and Baden Württemberg’s role as trendsetter regardless of increasing site and
subsidy competition. The thematic network of excellence should encompass the solar in-
dustry’s scientific and industrial core to develop into an innovative growth cluster called “En-
vironment and Solar Economy Region Freiburg - Green City“. This recognised by all the re-
gional actors as a shared task and mutual development strategy.
Solar Info Centre GmbH Photo: Albert Josef Schmidt
54
6.2. Trade Fairs, Conventions and Events: In Freiburg and the World
Photovoltaic roof systems on Freiburg trade fair. Photo: Solar factory AG, Freiburg
Meeting Place for the Sector
Freiburg has established itself as a national and international meeting place of the environ-
mental and solar scene. FWTM organises and supports numerous trade fairs and congresses
that revolve around the topics energy and sustainability.
Each year the Solar Summit Convention Freiburg, which has been organised by the trade fair
Munich and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Systems since 2008, brings together in the Black
Forest’s capital city leaders from science, economy, and politics. Each year for the past 6 years,
Germany’s leading event for deep geothermal energy, the International Geothermal confer-
ence, has taken place in Freiburg. Freiburg has also established the trade fair ‘Buildings. En-
ergy.Technology (GET)’, which addresses both private and commercial builders through an in-
novative concept which involves all aspects of energy saving in buildings.
The conference Local Renewables Freiburg presents and discusses strategies for the local-po-
litical implementation of the energy transition in municipalities and communities around the
world. Freiburg additionally hosted the first educational conference on renewable energies
in 2009, which is a platform for educators with the aim to establish renewable energies in
the national curriculum and materials.
Success Story Intersolar
Munich, San Francisco, Hyderabad
The international trade fair Intersolar is the world’s largest trade fair for solar technology. It
focuses on the areas of photovoltaic, solar thermal energy and solar building. Since it start-
ed in 2000, Intersolar has established itself among manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers,
and service providers as the leading international industry trade fair.
After eight exceptionally successful years, Intersolar moved form Freiburg to the newly con-
structed halls of the Munich fair in 2008, while also leaping over the Atlantic to the Moscone
Center in San Francisco. After only two years in Munich, the exhibition area tripled to 104.000
square meters, closing its doors with a new record attendance of 60.000 visitors in 2009.
Within the first two years in its new location, Intersolar North America received 16.000 visi-
tors on an exhibition area of 25.000 square meters. Intersolar is now expanding to India and
China.
Expo 2010 in Shanghai

During the Shanghai Expo, which started on 1. May 2010, Freiburg will be in the limelight of
the world public for 186 days along with 250 nations and international organisations and 55
cities, including Seoul, Milan, Moscow, Vancouver and Hong Kong. Unique to the Shanghai
Expo is the „UBPA - Urban Best Practice Area“, in which exhibitors can present projects ac-
cording to the motto „Better City - Better Lives“. Freiburg is the only city in the state of
Baden-Württemberg, which will participate in the Shanghai EXPO 2010. The participation in
this event is a unique opportunity to present the city and the entire region, with its eco-
nomic location and innovative products and ideas, to an estimated 70 million visitors and
international media.
Photo: FWTM (Daniel Schoenen)
Given its economic and political importance for Freiburg and the region, the presentation
will focus on the topics sustainable urban development, energy efficient building, research
and science.
O Contact:
Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co KG
Regional Cluster Freiburg Green City || Uwe Ladenburger, Natalie Kern
Umwelt- und Solarwirtschaft
Tel. 07 61 / 3 88 18 79
greencity-cluster@fwtm.freiburg.de || www.greencity-cluster.de
56
7. Experiencing Sustainability: The world visits Freiburg
Freiburg’s path to achieving sustainability is efficient, innovative, economical, successful, eco-
logically exemplary and socially balanced. It reconciles sustainability, economic dynamics, ex-
perience and vision, scientific excellence, quality of life and the art of living to form a com-
mon goal. Freiburg “Green City“ has become a success model throughout Germany and Europe,
owing its success to its citizens, who identify and support the region’s economical, political
and urban development. The growing interest in Germany and abroad reflects the great im-
portance and high appreciation of this practical, sustainable development.
7.1. Specialist tourism

Specialist tourism has continuously increased in the past years, as Freiburg received 25.000
specialist tourists in 2009 alone. Specialist tourists are student groups, city planners, build-
ing contractors, energy service providers, as well as leading international politicians and del-
egates, who travel far to experience the Freiburg model.
Foto: FWTM
Visitor Management in Freiburg Green City
Each year Freiburg’s commitment for environmental protection attracts a rising number of
delegates from inland and abroad. With the „Green City Office“, which is part of the inter-
national contacts department, the city Freiburg has established together with the Freiburg
Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH (FWTM) a central point of contact for specialist visitors.
In cooperation with external service providers, the Green City Office provides specialist vis-
itors information on sustainability projects in Freiburg and provides them with individual-
ly customised visitor schedules. Moreover, contact is established between companies and en-
terprises to facilitate exchange of experience and economic co-operation.
7.2. Learning through International Exchange

International Cooperation, Networks and Partner Cities
In view of its interest for continuous exchange of experience, Freiburg has joined various in-
ternational city-oriented organisations. The International Council for Local Environment Ini-
tiatives ICLEI established its European office in Freiburg. The city belongs to Energy-Cités,
which is a European city network that aims for active, eco-friendly energy politics. Freiburg
is also member of the Climate Alliance, a union of 1500 European cities and municipalities,
which share the common coal of protecting climate and rain forests. This goal is put into
practice by means of developing and implementing climate strategies for energy and traffic,
and public education on rain forests protection and banning tropical timber from predato-
ry exploitation.
Freiburg has also entered the Covenant of Mayors with the obligation to perform EU climate
protection goals on a local scale.
Freiburg maintains nine city partnerships in Europe, the USA and Asia, along with environ-
mental cooperation with cities such as Seoul and Tel Aviv. Following contacts on numerous
occasions with groups, associations, churches, schools, and individual districts, also at the
political level, these contacts reflected an increasing interest in the subjects environment,
energy and renewable energies and a willingness to develop goals and solutions.
Environmental co-operation has been particularly successful with the partner cities Padua,
Besançon and Isfahan. Based on the prototype in Freiburg, Padua established a Solar Info
Centre for public information on renewable energies, along with a partnership agreement
between the city’s chambers of crafts for an exchange in specialised trade. A new joint ven-
ture facilitates economic co-operation between companies from Padua and Freiburg. In Sep-
tember 2009, an additional declaration to the partnership agreement was signed with Be-
sançon for a continuous co-operation in the field of sustainable energy policy. Freiburg and
Besançon take turns in organising joint seminars on this topic. The city partnership with Is-
fahan features among others a co-operation in the field of research and teaching. The Cen-
tre for Renewable Energies at the University of Freiburg has made possible the establishment
of a renewable energy course at the University of Isfahan.
Internationally Respected
Given its successful and sustainable environmental policy, Freiburg has a good internation-
al reputation. This is indicated by the numerous cities and organisations from abroad that
seek cooperation possibilities with the city. Agreements for co-operation in the field of sus-
tainable, environmental policies and urban planning have already been established with
the Korean cities Seoul, Pyeongtaek and Suncheon. Freiburg also maintains relations to the
South Korean Multifunctional Administrative City Construction Agency (MACCA), which organ-
ises and implements the construction of the new administrative and commercial city Sejong,
100 kilometres south of Seoul (for 500,000 inhabitants). With this agency, Freiburg has
reached agreements for local companies to receive on-site commissions.
In co-operation with the Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), Freiburg has
launched a city network with the cities of Podgorica, Sarajevo, Skopje and Zagreb for a con-
tinuous exchange in the field of renewable energies. During joint workshops, goals and pos-
sible solutions are developed.
O Contact:
Petra Heß
Department International Contacts - Green City Office
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 10 25
greencity@stadt.freiburg.de
58
Photo: FWTM
2. Nature:
Our City's Capital
60
1. Forestry 59
Landscape and Nature Conservation in Freiburg 63
3. Public Parks, Green Lifeblood of the City 69
4. Protecting a Treasure: Soil Preservation in Freiburg 72
5. Water in Freiburg 75
6. Air Quality Management in Freiburg 80
1. Forestry
1.1. City Forest - Function, Value and Recreational Area
While other cities have parks, Freiburg owns an entire forest. Beginning at the outskirt are-
as of the city, the lush greenery extends from the Rhine plains to the Schauinsland moun-
tain, reaching a height of 1,284 meters. Residential neighbourhoods such as Günterstal,
Wiehre, Littenweiler and Kappel are nestled in the wooded hills of the Black Forest, while
the elongated, wooded foothills Schlierberg, Lorettoberg und Brombergkopf stretch far into
Photo: Berthold Vath

the city.
The city forest is regarded as the municipal “green lungs“ of Freiburg and the most impor-
tant recreational area near the city, with approximately 4 million visitors annually. The Frei-
burg communal forest covers an area of 6,400 hectares (43 percent of the territory), some of
which is privately owned. With an area of 5,139 hectares however, Freiburg owns the largest
communal forest in Germany.
Given its unique geographical location, Freiburg’s city forest is shaped by two very different
ecosystems: While the Black Forest slopes east of the city are covered with mixed coniferous
mountain forest (Bergwald), the lowlands exhibit pristine, deciduous riverside woodlands,
the so-called moss forests (Mooswald).
Share of tree species in Freiburg’s city forest Mountain forest Riverside woodlands
ha
700
600
500
400
680.7
586.5
300
179.3
569.3
140.5
428.7
425
392.4
368.7
200
209.3
222.8
195.7
199.9
59.5
196.6
100
4.1
0
Bu Fi Ta sNb Dgl BAh Ei sLb Er REi Es
Bu (Beech), Fi (Spruce), Ta (Fir), sNb (other conifers), Dgl (Douglas fir), BAh (Sycamore),
Ei (Oak), sLb (other deciduous trees), Er (Alder), REi (Red Oak), Es (Ash)
2. Nature: Our City's Capital 61

Its location in the foothills of the Black Forest, its natural abundance (with 90% of the area
covered as a natural conservation area, 49 percent as Natura 2000-area and 15% designa-
ted as biotope) and excellent infrastructure (with 450 kilometres of forest paths, sports, ad-
venture and instructional trails, barbecue and playground areas, look-out towers, and la-
kes) make the forest a key element in the Freiburg tourism experience.
Recreation compatible with the forest’s biosphere
As an important habitat for particularly rare and fragile plants and animals and as popular
recreational destinations for thousands of city dwellers, conflicts of interest between leisu-
re and species protection are common to Freiburg’s forests. The forest office has successful-
ly reconciled recreation and environmental protection by guiding forest visitors through a
network of selected paths, which enable visitors to enjoy nature without causing damage.
Tourist activities are restricted to areas with low priority for nature protection. In the case of
mountain biking, for example, authorised cycle tracks prevent bikers from cycling on nar-
row paths in protected areas. Mat grass meadows in Schauinsland are protected through an
elaborated system of hiking paths for nearly every level of enthusiast.
As part of the last major, interconnected floodplain forest of the Upper Rhine, Freiburg’s moss
Photo: Municipal Forest Office Freiburg
forests and to some extent its mountain forest belong to the network of protected areas la-
beled Natura 2000. These forest areas are managed in a way which stays close to nature to
preserve its natural heritage for future generations. Various patches are even purposefully
excluded from management, to enable a particular high diversity of species and structures.
Freiburg citizens are devoted to „their“ forest: The idea of privatising parts of the forest du-
ring times of low budget led to a storm of civil protest. Even from an economic perspective
the sale of its green silverware would have been short-sighted as controlled felling of
32,500 m3 of timber from city-owned forest annually makes a profit of two million Euro.
However, as an ecosystem, the forest can only be preserved and further developed if eco-
nomic and ecological management work hand in hand. Using wood from the city forest to
build nursery schools and apartment buildings not only saves natural resources and bud-
get, but also helps to safeguard jobs in the region.
62
Sustainability originates from the Forest
Photo: Municipal forest office Freiburg:

It is not by accident that the term “sustainability“ comes from the forestry sector. The forest is
a natural habitat for fauna and flora, and a recreation and leisure area for people. In the forest
wood is grown and produced as renewable raw material, groundwater is retained and the forest
itself is critical for climate protection. The term sustainability implies within this context that
forest management safeguards the protection and improvement of such resources.
Apart from its activities in timber production and sale, hunting management, and collabo-
ration during planning and construction proceedings, the Municipal Forest Office is increas-
ingly committed to eco-political and eco-educational tasks.
The Municipal Forestry Office supports private and public institutions committed to nature
Photo: Municipal forest office Freiburg:

and environmental education, organises its own pedagogical forestry events, guided tours,
and excursions, and also manages the Mundenhof deer park. To illustrate the success of its
approach: in 2005 numerous eco-tourists and experts from Europe and abroad visited the
Municipal Forest Biosphere Reserve. With the Forest Research Institute (FVA) or the Faculty of
Forestry and Environmental Sciences at the Albert-Ludwig-University, Freiburg is internatio-
nally known for forest expertise and considered a forestry centre of excellence.
Forest is of central Importance for Climate Protection
The forest is, after the ocean, the most important carbon sink to capture CO2, and thus of
central significance in climate protection. Sustainable forest management serves to absorb
and store CO2 and to increase the storage capacity of forests. Storage of CO2 however is only
effective if a maximal share of the forest can grow and expand. Provided that domestic wood
is prioritised for supply, sustainable and nature-oriented forest management contributes to
the storage of CO2 and - due to the products that are manufactured from harvested wood -
to the reduction of CO2 emissions.
For this reason, Freiburg has long engaged in sustainable forestry, on the local, national and
international arena:
Since 1999, the Forestry Office has been certified as the first forestry operation in Baden-
Württemberg that complied with the guidelines of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and
is therefore permitted to market timber using this eco-label. As such, high standards apply
to the management of the forest, such as refraining from clear-cutting, the use of pestici-
des and insecticides, or certain forestry practices harmful to the soil, such as the wide-sca-
le use of vehicles that compact the forest soil that literally took thousands of years to form. © FSC

Freiburg’s Forest Conventions
Forestry goals and management are developed in Freiburg through an open dialogue with
federations, associations, interest groups, and the municipal council. In 2001 the “Freiburg
Forest Convention“ was adopted – the first action of its kind at municipal level. Through this
convention Freiburg recognised its ecological, economical and social responsibilities for su-
stainable forest management as an ongoing programme. The forest conventions were last
updated in the beginning of 2010.
WaldHaus Freiburg
In October 2008 an innovative centre for education, competency and information on forest
and sustainability issues was established with the name WaldHaus. Supported by a foun-
dation of the same name and planned and implemented by the Forest Office, its purpose is
to inform the public on the multi-functional capacities of forest ecosystems and to promo-
te wood as a renewable, climate-neutral material and energy source.
Photo: WaldHaus Freiburg

O Contact:
Forstamt || Günterstalstraße 71 || 79100 Freiburg im Breisgau
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 62 13
forstamt@stadt.freiburg.de
64
Landscape and Nature Conservation in Freiburg
Featuring all of its characteristics, Freiburg is considered a small replica of a large city. This
is also observable in the surrounding nature of Freiburg: Regardless of its small size (153 squa-
re kilometres), Freiburg’s natural surroundings exhibit an extraordinarily high diversity of
species.
The city area extends over four natural units, namely the “Markgräfler Rhine Valley“, the
“Freiburg Bucht“, the “Middle Black Forest Valley“ and the „Upper Black Forest“. The city
area of Freiburg therefore exhibits various sites and habitats in altitudes between 200 and
1300 meters above sea level, with species that range from Mediterranean to highly moun-
tainous.
Share of protected areas compared with urban district area 2009
Protected areas 5%
NSG and LSG with NATURA
2000-Status 45%
Settlement/
Traffic area 31%
Protected landscape areas

Forests and pastures (without legal
(LSG) 46%
protection status) 18%
2.1. The Schauinsland: Nature Reserve and Popular Recreation Area

The Schauinsland Mountain is known for its peculiarly shaped wind-bent beeches and so-cal-
led “Weidbuchen“, which are solitary trees on high pastures. It is among the highest peaks of
the Black Forest, reaching an altitude of 1,284 meters.
“Weidbuchen“ are gnarled trees that have resulted from the type of pasture farming typical to
these regions for centuries. As an example of the interaction between strong mountain winds
and damage caused by game animals; they represent important features of the cultural land-
scape in Freiburg. Nowadays cultural landscapes such as these are highly endangered, as this
form of pasture farming is costly and not sufficiently profitable.
Even so the Schauinsland remains a multifaceted and diverse cultural landscape and a unique
sanctuary to more than 120 endangered animal and plants. Distinctive features in the Schauins-
land are the high-mountainous mat grass pastures, one of the rare pastures in Germany, which
are only found in areas that are managed in a nature-oriented way and without fertiliser. De-
spite that they are poor in nutrients, meagre meadows are home to extremely rare and en-
dangered plant species. Nevertheless they belong to the habitats that are most severely en-
dangered in the Schauinsland. Another hallmark of the Schauinsland are the rare high
mountainous plant species, such as the Swiss dandelion or the Alpine Blue Sow thistle, which
is actually a subalpine floristic feature.

The Schauinsland is endowed with a remarkable fauna. While the common stonechat and
the ring ouzel are common to the region, three-toed woodpeckers and capercaillie have be-
come rare, despite the city’s dedicated biotope management. Efforts are also underway to
permanent resettle the shy lynx, the largest cat species in Europe. Observed on a more fre-
quent scale are the numerous Alpine Chamoises, which were released in the mountain forests
in the 1930’s.

Abundant Natural Treasure and Popular Destination
Given its biodiversity and variety of landscapes, the Schauinsland was declared a protected
landscape in 1939 and in 2002 nature reserve and part of the EU-wide network of nature
protection areas. With its natural trademarks and touristic activities, it is also one of the most
popular excursion destinations in the region. Many paths lead to the Schauinsland, inclu-
ding narrow mountain paths, broad forest roads and the asphalted and winding Schauins-
land Highway. All paths are steep and all have their hidden charm, but the most elegant way
is probably by cable car. Each year since 1930, 200,000 persons depart from Horben Cable-
way Station to enjoy the beautiful view from Freiburg’s Schauinsland. Once at the peak, vi-
sitors are chauffeured from Hofsgrund to the amusement park “Steinwasenpark“ via com-
fortable and newly furnished shuttle buses. Both the cableway and shuttle buses belong to
the label “Bergwelt-Schauinsland“, which was established in 2001 with the purpose to con-
nect all touristic activities on Schauinsland.
The “Mountain-Experience-World“ therefore offers a wide range of activities comprising slo-

pes with lifts for tobogganing and skiing, cross-country skiing trails, cycle routes for moun-
tain bikes and hiking trails. Art, cultural and historical recreation include guided tours
Photo: VAG
through the exhibitions mines, which are testimony of the silver and zinc mining activities
that go as far back as to the Middle Ages.
66
Consolidating Nature Protection and Recreation
With over half a million tourists seeking recreation each year, conflicts of interest are com-
mon to the Schauinsland.
Damage caused by recreation is particularly visible near the observation tower, where ero-
sion has exposed parts of the bare rock. In the past mat grass pastures have also been se-
verely damaged, recovering only slowly due to the exposure to stress and extreme climate
conditions. Further sources of damage are agriculture, hunting and forestry.
Given these conditions, the Schauinsland nature reserve is strictly controlled and regulated to

enable nature protection as well as recreation. Such regulations ensure that hikers and bicyc-
lists use only authorised paths, that most rocks are prohibited for climbing, that dogs are put
on a leash, and that no plants are picking. Apart from restrictions, information is provided by
illustrated charts and voluntary rangers and an attractive concept of paths offer visitors an en-
vironmentally friendly way of enjoying Freiburg’s mountain. In terms of agriculture and forestry,
the maintenance and development plan for the area, NATURA 2000, established in 2008, ser-
ves as a guideline for the sustainable conservation of flora and fauna.

2.2. The Tuniberg: Premier Wine Region with Mediterranean Flair
Located at the western outskirts of the “Freiburger Bucht“, the Tuniberg forms an interesting
contrast to the higher altitudes.
The Tuniberg is among the warmest and sunniest regions in Germany and is known for its
Burgundy-style wine growing, which dates back to the time of the Romans. Overshadowing
the Rhine Plain by barely 120 metres, it is actually more an elevation than a mountain. The
loess-covered Tuniberg is considered exceptional particularly due to its Mediterranean cli-
mate. It offers dry-warm locations with nutrient-poor grasslands and open rock formations
with various habitat structures, such as narrow passes and dry walls. Up to 1990, wine gro-
wing was subject to rationalisation and mechanisation with the associated use of heavily-
polluting pesticides.
New Approach to Natural Resources
In the past few years handling of natural resources on the Tuniberg has changed profound-
ly. With the realisation that sooner or later overexploitation of natural resources leads to an
economical dead end, wine makers from the Tuniberg shifted - with support from the En-
vironmental Protection Office - towards an environmentally friendly wine growing regime.
This collaboration eventually led to an extensive biotope network being planned, which now
is being gradually realised. Since the mid 1990’s, the Landscaping and Civil Engineering aut-
Photo: Roland Klink
horities have successfully carried out individual measures for maintaining the hillside land-
scape and restructuring dry walls. Recent assessments have shown a successful stabilisati-
on of heavily endangered populations (western green lizard, common wall lizard, smooth
snake), of specially protected bird species (stonechat, red-backed shrike) and of numerous
endangered insects (butterflies, bees).
To inform visitors about Weinberg’s rare flora and fauna, the Environmental Protection Of-
fice, together with the respective city districts and winemaking cooperatives, plan to esta-
blish theme trails. Furthermore, it is planned to declare the southern slopes of the Tuniberg
a landscape conservation area.
Photo: Roland Klink
68
2.3. Nature Reserve Freiburg Rieselfeld:
Discover Biodiversity Enfolding a New Urban Quarter
Rieselfeld owns its name to the city’s wastewater, which was sprinkled onto large areas in
the western part of the city for more than 100 years. During that time a spectrum of species
developed, ranging from water-bound as well as thermophile species. Parallel to the poli-
tical decision of establishing a new neighbourhood in the eastern part of Rieselfeld, the we-
stern part of Rieselfeld was declared nature protection area in 1995. At a very early stage, the
Environmental Protection Office started to establish a concept for the protection and deve-
lopment of the existing habitats, which has now been realised fifteen years later.
Plenty of tasks however remain, such as the continuous maintenance of habitats, which has
been taken over by two agricultural organisations. Today the nature reserve “Freiburger Rie-
selfeld“ offers a real-life mosaic consisting of meadows, fields and pastures, dam walls cover-
ed with fruit trees, hedges, water ditches and ponds. In combination with the adjacent moist
forest areas, this nature reserve is of considerable importance for the protection of birds. It is
home to white storks, stonechats, whinchat and red-backed shrike.
As natural habitat to the large copper butterfly, the insect fauna of Rieselfeld is also of consi-
derable value. The importance of Rieselfeld for the protection of species was endorsed by the
decision to declare Riesefeld part of the EU-wide network of nature protection areas.
To prevent conflicts with the new bordering neighbourhood and to popularise the considera-
Photo: Juergen Trautner
tion of flora and fauna, adventure paths playfully inform residents about the nature reserve.
Furthermore, visitors are guided through the nature reserve with a sign-posted trail system.
The Department of Environmental Protection is particularly proud of the commitment from lo-
cal residents, who maintain the habitat and participate as voluntary rangers to enable a con-
tinuous protection of the nature reserve.

2.4. The Mooswald: Landscape Preservation and
Multifunction Forest in an Urban Agglomeration
Mooswald, which was once an impenetrable bog forest, has developed into a cultural forest
with supporting functions. During the Middle Ages it was used for pig breeding and served as
an important source of lumber and firewood. Today its use is restricted to forestry.
Yet from a natural perspective, the 44 square kilometres of forest reveals another important
Photo: LUBW Photo Archive, Dannenmayer H.
function: Mooswald offers a variety of forest habitats worth protecting, namely the lowland
forests consisting of alders, ashes and willows and the mid-European oak-hornbeam forest.
These forest habitats are home to numerous endangered species and last but not least serve
as important recreational areas for Freiburg’s citizens.
In the decades following the Second World War, the city of Freiburg extended westwards,
occupying around 100 hectares of Mooswald. To prevent the forest from further declining,
Mooswald was announced landscape conservation area in 1997. As such, it was included in
the European system for protected areas NATURA 2000, due to its importance as a habitat for
rare species such as stag beetles, the great capricorn beetle, Bechstein's bat, and the large
mouse-eared bat. With the occurrence of the rare middle spotted woodpecker and other
woodpecker species, Mooswald was additionally declared an FFH protected area and Euro-
pean bird sanctuary.
O Contact:
Umweltschutzamt
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 61 20
70
3. Public Parks, Green Lifeblood of the City
Freiburg has gained recognition for being a ‘Green City’ also because of its numerous green
spaces. It exhibits a variety of green areas: parks, landscape conservation reserves, nature
reserves, garden plots, playgrounds for children, and cemeteries. These green areas impro-
ve the microclimate and are habitats for animals and plants. They offer leisure and recrea-
tion and are meeting points in neighbourhoods. In other words, they are crucial for the high
quality of life in Freiburg.
The city has been maintaining its public parks according to principles that are close to na-
ture. For example, pesticides are not used and only indigenous trees and shrubs are plan-
ted. Changing the frequency of lawn mowing has markedly revived the biodiversity in the
meadows.
Recreational and Playing Area
Although parks are the most noticeable forms of green areas, cemeteries also contribute an
important element to the city structure.
Children and teenagers, however, appreciate playgrounds and ball game courts. The Blin-
kert study, which was written by the sociologist Baldo Blinkert and published in 1993, was a
milestone in the design and development of playgrounds. Today the study still serves as a
guideline for the maintenance and design of playgrounds in Freiburg.
On behalf of the City of Freiburg, the study assessed the impact of open spaces on the qua-
lity of life and the development of children. With support from the Institute for Sociology at
the University of Freiburg, 4,000 children and parents were questioned and observed, dia-
ries evaluated, and neighbourhoods explored. Based on the study’s suggestions for quali-
ty-rich open spaces, Freiburg developed -together with parents, children, educators and
teachers- a new and nature-oriented concept for playgrounds.
Of the 152 open spaces in Freiburg, 36 playgrounds were rebuilt and 28 newly constructed
according to this concept. The idea of involving residents throughout the restructuring pro-
cess has been positively acknowledged. The city Freiburg currently owns 28 city playgrounds
with soccer fields and 19 ball game courts. This infrastructure is far from covering the needs
of children and young people, but marks the progress of an ongoing development.
n Info
The Centaurus Publishing House issued the results from the “Blinkert Study“ in 1996
with the title „Open Spaces for Children in Cities. An investigation commissioned by
the city of Freiburg“

The Colour of City Life
Trees serve as creative elements in the city. In Freiburg streets and tramways are adorned
with over 25,000 trees, with 350 to 400 trees replanted or newly planted each year.
A local attraction for all age groups is the city-owned animal enclosure Mundenhof, situa-
ted in the western part of Freiburg. Besides practicing agriculture on open spaces in the na-
ture reserve Rieselfeld, Mundenhof is a popular destination for children and school groups
who partake in the environmental education project “KonTiKi“ (Contact-Animal-Child).
Public Gardens in Freiburg
Freiburg would not look the same without all its parks and green spaces. These are found
near the neighbourhood Seepark on a 34 hectare terrain of the former state garden show,
or near the densely populated neighbourhood Weingarten in the 40 hectare Dietenbach Park.
The town centre offers at least a few green patches, such as the three-hectare city park, the
Colombi Park and the historic cemetery.
With the development of the new neighbourhoods Rieselfeld and Vauban, green space plan-
ning was gradually realised to provide residents with recreational areas near their homes.
The new neighbourhood Rieselfeld offers its residents the recreational areas “Grünkeil“ (2
hectares) and “Mittlere Graben“, whereas the neighbourhood Vauban is shaped by the rows
of old trees that stand on five newly established green spaces between the housing rows.
Large Garden Plots
Particularly in densely populated areas, garden plots or allotments play an important role
Photo: Garden and Public Works Services in Freiburg
as they uphold a personal relationship with nature and augment the quality of life. Freiburg
owns 3,273 garden plots on 88 hectares, which are governed by 12 associations. Although the
Garden and Public Works Service lease out an additional 297 gardens plots, the demand for
garden plots in Freiburg remains high. In 2009, the Garden and Public Works service recei-
ved 550 applications for garden plots.
O Kontakt:
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 46 01 || Fax: 07 61 / 2 01 - 46 99
gut@stadt.freiburg.de || www.freiburg.de
72
4. Protecting a Treasure: Soil Preservation in Freiburg
4.1. Soil Preservation as a Part of Environmental Policy
Soil has long been undervalued. This was also the case in the environmental protection
movement, which was more concerned with protecting the valuable resources water and air
instead of dealing with soil. If it was considered at all, then mostly only indirectly as a pollu-
tant passage for groundwater or as a source of undefined water pollutants.
Yet soils are of extreme importance:

• they are the basis of life and provide living space for humans, plants and animals;
• they decompose and transform materials, including pollutants;
• they store and filter water;
• they provide the grounds for economic exploitation, settlements, traffic and recreation;
• they are the basis of productivity for agriculture and forestry, horticulture and
extraction of raw materials;
• they are the foundation of human cultural development, they are witnesses of
former times and display evidence of historical processes.
Soil is therefore a resource of its own, and as such should be protected. The state Baden-
Württemberg laid the foundation with a state law on soil preservation in 1991 and estab-
lished a Soil Protection Department. According to the Federal Soil Protection Law established
on 17. March 1998, soil is now controlled and regulated at the national level. Soil protection
is mainly concerned with the natural balance of land use interests, avoidance of soil dam-
age, and precautions against long-term risks.
Soil Condition Report – Inventory of Soils
The Soil Status Report of the Freiburg Region of 2004 documents existing and new environ-
mental pollution in the soil and groundwater. It has helped to address developing threats re-
garding soil acidification, sealing, erosion and land use. Areas with vulnerable and polluted
soil were identified, precautionary measures and hazard prevention recommended and land
reclamation proposed.

Register for Polluted Areas
In 1991, Freiburg started to register suspected undeclared polluted sites within the city boun-
dary. The most recent search activity for such sites took place in 2006. So far, the Environ-
mental Protection Office has registered, systematically evaluated, safeguarded, and where
necessary reclaimed more than 1,790 abandoned polluted sites. The register data can be used
to assist real-estate owners and planners to prevent exposure to pollution risks.
Besides soils, polluted areas and contamination (for instance through leaking oil) are also a
threat to the groundwater, through which toxic substances can enter the food cycle and cau-
se damage to human health.
The term ‘polluted areas’ is very broad, and encompasses former landfill sites, fallow land
for the treatment or storage of waste, and former industrial sites contaminated with envi-
ronmentally hazardous substances. Such areas are inspected, secured and restored if neces-
sary. The Department of Environmental Protection should be informed about declared as well
as suspected polluted sites to ensure that necessary measures are taken.
Take the case of Kappler Tal, Freiburg’s eastern district: Soils were contaminated with heavy
metals from historical mining activities. For centuries ore was mined in the Schauinsland
area. Due to the weathering and leaching of materials, the soils in Kappler Tal were sever-
ely contaminated with heavy metals. As these can pose a severe health risk in high concen-
trations, soils in Kappler Tal were examined on numerous occasions during the past 2 years
to precisely demarcate the potentially polluted area.
Despite no signs of acute risk, the city administration has launched a series of precautiona-
ry measures to lower the intake of lead and cadmium through soils and plants for health
reasons. Residents of Kappler Tal were also given recommendations, such as the replace-
ment of soils on playgrounds, and relevant information on the preparation and use of land
for crops or gardening.
n Further information
on this topic can be found at www.freiburg.de/bodenschutz
74
Pollutants burden the Soil and City Budget
„Contaminated sites“ have always been -and still are to some extent- a great challenge for
the city Freiburg. As owner and cause, the city must bear the responsibility for the costly ef-
fort associated with the removal of contaminated sites.
Freiburg has been confronted with various minor legacies along with three large contami-
nated sites: the former sewage treatment plant North, the former gas plant in Klara Street,
and the former waste deposit/animal cadaver utilisation plant.
Decontamination is a highly expensive procedure. In the case of the former gas plant site,
costs for decontamination amounted to 8.4 million Euro, of which 2.1 million Euro were con-
tributed by the city. Decontamination costs of the former landfill Silbergrube were as high
as one million Euro, not considering the long-term treatment of groundwater. Nowadays
such areas are used as commercial areas, playgrounds or forests.
Economic Land Use Protects the Soil
Turn old into new: Recycling applies not only to crude materials, but also to previously de-
veloped land. Sealed surfaces represent a serious ecological threat as they hinder the soil in
performing its natural functions.
For a long time, economic land use has thus been a priority in Freiburg’s settlement deve-
lopment plans. Recycling of previously developed land is given absolute priority in Freiburg.
The newest neighbourhoods in Freiburg, Rieselfeld and Vauban, are good examples of how
pre-used areas can be resuscitated. With the KOMREG project (www.komreg.de), the city Frei-
burg has compiled, together with ten surrounding municipalities, a communal land ma-
nagement plan for the region. Furthermore, it has noticeably reduced its building land in
the Land Use Plan for 2020.
The former site of the company Stolberger Zinc AG in the Kappel district provided possibili-
ties for further land recycling. Once used for washing ore, the entire area and its the ground-
water are contaminated with heavy metals. After decontamination, the city plans to use the
former contaminated sites for the construction of new dwellings.
O Contact:
Umweltschutzamt
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 61 68

5. Water in Freiburg
Water is the most important element in the story of mankind, symbolising vitality, purifica-
tion and life on earth. Water provides dry land with rain and is crucial for the existence of
animals and plants. Human beings use water to cleanse themselves, they drink it and even-
tually they pollute it.
Water ought to be protected - not only on a global scale but also locally in cities such as Frei-
burg.
There are many institutions responsible for the protection of water, among them the envi-
ronmental protection bureau and the municipal water supply and sanitation authority,
which controls the disposal of wastewater and operates flood control reservoirs. badenova
Photo: badenova
safeguards the drinking water supply in the city and is thus partly responsible for the pro-
tection and supervision of groundwater and water protected areas. Streams of the 1st or-
der, such as the Dreisam River, are maintained and flood protected by the state Baden-Würt-
temberg, whereas smaller waterways are the responsibility of the garden and public works
service.
5.1. Groundwater Must be Preserved

The natural water supply for Freiburg is the annual amount of usable freshwater that remains
from the atmospheric water cycle. It depends on topographic conditions and distribution of
precipitation within the city boundaries, and serves as a supply of surface and groundwater.
In Freiburg the yearly average rainfall varies from less than 700 mm on the plain (Munzingen)
to more than 2000 mm on the Black Forest ridges.
Given its underground gravel aquifers, the Freiburger Bucht is endowed with large groundwa-
ter reservoirs, which are accessible through wells. During the 1970’s, soaring water demands
and extensive use caused groundwater levels to fall. This led to adverse effects on various land-
scapes surrounding Freiburg, such as the moss forests.
Although Freiburg does not rate as an industrial location, more than half of the groundwater
withdrawal from the Freiburger Bucht is supplied to the city area. Possible water savings should
therefore be examined with a special focus on this area.
Photo: FWTM, Karl-Heinz Raach
76
Allowing Water Levels to rise
To prevent a further decline in water levels, the water authority in Freiburg has launched
various measures: Use of groundwater was heavily restricted in the city area and the Freibur-
ger Bucht, and additional rainwater retention areas were constructed throughout the city. With
the promotion of the economical use of water and groundwater recharge in Mooswald, wa-
ter authorities were able to partially restore the initial groundwater condition in the Freibur-
ger Bucht. Although these measures have already shown positive effects on animal and plant
species, groundwater levels like those prior to 1970 have not yet been achieved.
It was also shown, however, that clean surface water and a protective surface layer above
the groundwater are insufficient to ensure a high quality of groundwater. This results from
several factors, including pollution caused by industry, trade and settlements and contami-
nation caused through agriculture.
Protection of Groundwater guarantees Drinking Water Supply
The protection of groundwater in Freiburg is obstructed by two unfavourable conditions: The

soil underneath the city boundaries is particularly permeable and the area is intensively used
for agriculture. This allows for nitrate and pesticide residuals to easily contaminate the
groundwater. Preventative concepts have been developed by the regional water utility,
badenova, together with the city administration and the surrounding municipalities. To
effectively reduce the use of nitrate-containing fertilisers and pesticides, badenova insisted
on the participation of local farmers.
For many decades sources of drinking water have been sustainably managed and protected
from impurities to ensure the outstanding quality of drinking water supplied to Freiburg.
Preventative water protection is therefore the highest priority for badenova. The utility per-
ceives itself as “water keeper“, a role that looks to the future and which has emerged from
the underlying responsibility towards future generations.
This role also entails informing the public about the dangers and risks to groundwater sup-
plies. For a long time it was not clear that the inappropriate disposal of medication can lead
Photo: badenova
to chemicals entering the water cycle via the sewage system and sewage treatment plants,
thereby leading to a contamination of drinking water. A joint research project by badenova
and the Institute for Environmental Medicine and Hospital Hygiene of the Freiburg Univer-
sity Clinic examined the risk potential of groundwater that is contaminated with medicine
from toilet flushing. The study concluded that hospitals were not the principal source of
medicine contamination in the water environment, but rather the medicine chests in pri-
vate households and the occasional disposal of medicine via toilet flushing. badenova has
thus issued a free educational brochure, which was developed with the support of the waste
and cleaning authorities, Wastewater Alliance Breisgauer Bucht, the University Clinic Freiburg
and the National Association of Doctors and Pharmacists. The success has been overwhelm-
ing- 6,000 brochures were quickly out of stock and had to be reprinted.

Quarry ponds
Quarry ponds, which result from gravel mining, are a popular destination for leisure and can
be an enrichment for the landscape. In some quarry ponds such as the Opfinger See, gravel
mining is still common, giving the water its misty appearance. As opposed to natural lakes,
quarry ponds have neither aboveground inflow nor outflow- their water is fed entirely from
groundwater.
Quarry ponds are thus extremely delicate. After some years fresh groundwater inflow dis-
continues, allowing quarry ponds to become nutrient traps. Most quarry ponds in Freiburg
are only slightly to moderately polluted, with the exception of the Flückiger See, Opfinger
See and Waltershofener See.
Quarry ponds are continuously supplied with nutrients by way of inflowing groundwater, wa-
ter birds, bathers, precipitation, and direct inflow from the shore area, all of which trigger
biological processes. Because over time the inflow of nutrients exceeds its outflow, quarry
ponds are gradually enriched with nutrients. This natural aging process is called eutrophi-
cation.
The inflow of nutrients in Flückiger See was first suspected to originate from a nearby gravel
pit. Although this was not confirmed by very extensive examinations, various smaller mea-
sures by the city authorities and residents have since improved water quality.
Given that the Opfinger See and Waltershofener See are located directly at the outflow area of
the former Freiburg Rieselfeld, groundwater that reaches both lakes is highly rich in nutrients.
The Waltershofener See is among the most highly polluted quarry ponds in the state of Baden-
Württemberg. As in the Opfinger See the inflow of nutrientcontaminated groundwater occurs
only in the northern part, the southern part will be separated by the construction of an un-
derwater gravel dam. While the southern part of the lake will serve as a recreational area for
bathers, the northern part will be declared nature protection area with low water quality re-
quirements. In future, the city will continue to observe its lakes and to inform its citizens about
the water quality on an ongoing basis.
78
5.2. From Trickle to Flood: Flood Protection and Urban Development
Although the Brugga in Freiburg is known for its peacefully streaming waters, it can turn in-
to a wild and incalculable torrent during flooding. Particularly during thawing, Black Forest
streams develop devastating force. Hölderlebach, which normally flows peacefully through
Freiburg, can develop into a wild torrent shortly after heavy rainfall. In the past, this has re-
peatedly caused severe high water damage in the central and lower part of the neighbour-
hood Wiehre.
A danger foreseen is half avoided.
At least the harmful risks posed by the Hölderle stream have now been averted. To relieve the
Hölderle stream during rainfall and to avoid flood risks, the city constructed a water retention
reservoir in 2008 with a storage capacity of 18.000 cubic meters and worth 630,000 Euro.
This is only one example of the many measures that were taken to reduce flood risks in Frei-
burg. The growing potential of extreme storms and heavy rainfall due to climate change ma-
ke flood protection an ever-increasing priority.
According to European Water Framework Directive, flood hazard maps must be prepared for
especially endangered areas by 2012 at the latest; if at all, buildings may be erected in poten-
tial flood hazard areas only if strict conditions have been fulfilled. In Freiburg, flood-prone are-
as were already delineated within the scope of the land use plan for 2020. New construction,
renovations and the expansion of rainwater retention basins help to safeguard potentially
threatened settlement areas.
Higher Precipitation, higher Flood Risk- so what?
Rains are anticipated to become more frequent and severe in future. According to the study
„Climate Change in southern Germany“ published in 2008, future winters will show lower
snowfall with higher temperatures and rainfall. Future summers will feature many hot days,
along with an increased risk of extreme weather conditions such as flooding and persisting
droughts.
With this knowledge, the city authorities in Freiburg have increased the passages for design
overflow rates in flowing waters (the overflow is the share of rainfall that is drained off
through streams and rivers). The city has thus taken measures for flood control and preven-
tion. Flood and rain retention basins are frequently checked, redeveloped and extended if
necessary.

Flood Control requires Joint Action
As member of the Flood Alliance Catchment Area Dreisam/Elz, Freiburg shares the view that
ideal flood control must allow for the involvement of adjoining regions.
Nature-friendly Design of Running Waters
While water problems differ among member states in the European Union, a EU Water Frame-
work Directive was inaugurated in 2000, with the aim to standardise the legal framework for
water policy in Europe.
The purpose of this directive, which has now become a national law, is to protect groundwa-
ter and to restore the ecological function of surface waters. The required water inventory has
shown that surface waters in Freiburg exhibit clear signs of incumbent deficit. Freiburg has re-
instituted a good ecological balance by establishing riverbank protection strips or reconstruc-
ting the riverbed. Older weirs in the Dreisam River were replaced by so-called rough ground
ramps, thus allowing fish to migrate upstream.
However, low water levels continue to be a problem, particularly during summer months. Low
water levels relate to the catchment area as well as to the amounts of rainwater discharged
along rivers and streams. Interventions in existing water systems must therefore anticipate pos-
sible effects on the groundwater.
Rainwater – too valuable to drain
Unlike in the past, rainwater no longer infiltrates the ground, but instead is drains off along
roofs, roads and the public spaces into the sewage system. In view of its function as a na-
tural water filter, infiltration of rainwater into the soil is of utmost importance. Allowing rain-
water to penetrate the soil replenishes ground as well surface waters, and unburdens the
sewage system.
Rainwater infiltration is thus the easiest and cheapest way of protecting groundwater. Cen-
tralised and decentralised infiltration of rainwater has thus become a standard feature in
the neighbourhoods Vauban, Rieselfeld, Neue Messe, Alter Messplatz and Wiehre-Bahnhof.
O Contact:
Umweltschutzamt
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 61 61
80
6. Air Quality Management in Freiburg
While in Germany emissions have been substantially lowered in the last few years, air
quality - particularly in urban areas - remains poor. In Freiburg public attention is paid
particularly to the high ozone pollution during summer, and high traffic emissions.
6.1. Ozone
Given its ambivalent characteristics, ozone (O3) has been occupying experts since the mid
80’s. Although ozone is needed in the upper stratosphere to protect humans and plants from
ultraviolet rays, it is highly harmful near ground level and an irritant gas. Ozone in the up-
per stratosphere is often damaged through fluorocarbon emissions, which cause so-called
ozone holes. Harmful ozone is generated during intense solar irradiation in summer by oxy-
gen in the air, nitrogen oxides from traffic and volatile hydrocarbons. The ozone can pose a
severe health risk, particularly for sensitive persons - approximately 20 percent of the po-
pulation.
As early as the 1990s, Freiburg recorded emissions in a registry and developed an air-qua-
lity plan. It was also the first city in Germany to initiate an ozone phone-in line (07 61/7 75
55) to inform citizens and surrounding municipalities on whether the threshold of 180µg ozo-
ne per m3 air has been reached. This phone-in line is available to residents from May to
September and provides information on current ozone pollution, peak values, and possible
ozone warnings.
The long-term target value for ozone has been in place since 2004 at 120 µg per m3 air (hig-
hest 8-hour mean value of ozone concentration during one day). This targeted value should
be exceeded no more than 25 times per year and starting from the 1. January 2010 should be
complied with as strictly as possible.
There are signs that in future peak values of ozone will lessen during summer given the suc-
cessful reduction of hydrocarbons, however a holistic solution to this recurring problem can
only be provided on a national and European level.
n Information ozone telephone
Tel. 07 61 / 7 75 55

6.2. City Traffic Emissions
Analogue to the global trend, exhaust emissions from traffic have steadily increased in Frei-
burg during the past few years. Despite extensive efforts through traffic and environmental
policies, the air in Freiburg remains polluted by fine-particle dust and nitrogen oxides.
For an accurate measurement of traffic emissions, Freiburg has erected two measuring sta-
tions on Schwarzwald and Zähringer Streets. Additionally, measurements are taken at the
station Freiburg-Mitte near the Technischen Rathaus. They are part of the 60-station air-
quality monitoring network in the state of Baden Württemberg.
In these locations nitrogen dioxide emissions are comparatively high. In the Schwarzwald
Street for instance, the yearly average of nitrogen dioxide exceeds by far the threshold limit
of 40µg per m³ air. The threshold limit for fine-particle dust was exceeded only once, in the
year 2006.
Weather conditions can also contribute to higher emission levels. Temperature inversions du-
ring winter months prevent air from circulating; hence pollutants are accumulated in the
cold air layer.
6.3. Air Quality Protection Plan for Freiburg

With nitrogen dioxide and fine-particle dust concentrations either constantly or occasional-
ly above the threshold limit on the highways B31 and B3, an Air Pollution Control Action Plan
was developed by the Freiburg regional council and the city of Freiburg. Starting from 2010,
the action plan obliges particular the traffic sectors to conform to its legally binding thres-
hold limit for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and gives persons affected the legal right to adequate
compensation.
This action plan was applied to Freiburg on 1 January 2010, with a general ban for pollutant
group 1 vehicles and further plans to introduce, on 1 January 2012, a driving ban for pollu-
tant group 2 vehicles in the “Environmental Zone Freiburg“.
According to the Action Plan, in the medium term the city and the region will continue to
exceed the allowed threshold values for nitrogen dioxides (NO2) regardless of traffic manage-
ment actions. The only noticeable reduction of emissions would be through the constructi-
on of a city tunnel, where EU limits would still be exceeded.
82
Incentives for Refitting
With the Air Protection Action Plan and the designated environmental zone, the city Frei-
burgB 3 aims to create incentives for environmentally friendly motor vehicles. Refitted or mo-
dified exhaust systems on automobiles can contribute noticeably to the lowering of actual
emission of exhaust gas from traffic. However, in the long-term more ambitious standards
for traffic emissions are needed on a European and federal level.
B3
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525
Prevention for the Future
Besides legal measures, long-term planning and conceptual approaches are key to environ-
mental precautions and air protection. Even measures on a communal level offer significant
potential without introducing formal responsibilities.
For more than 20 years, the city has pursued concepts of sustainability for traffic manage-
ment, power supply and air protection. Its land-use plan for 2020 has developed innovati-
ve ideas to lower traffic emissions through intelligent settlement policies: offering more li-
ving space in the city area, developing city districts, constructing settlements along the
tramway and suburban railway tracks, or building new cycle paths.
For over 20 years the “Energy Supply Concept“ has been a solid basis for the reduction of lo-
cal emissions in Freiburg. It comprises recommendations for emission control, energy savings,
the use of renewable energies, and measures for energy efficient technologies within the
context of an integrated urban planning.
Emission control applies also to the industry: throughout the past 15 years emissions from
industrial plants and businesses have been noticeably reduced through modification and
updating of technologies. This is not least because of urban policy, which has provided for
the best possible framework for such innovations.
O Contact:
Umweltschutzamt || Talstraße 4 || 79102 Freiburg im Breisgau
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 61 43 || umweltschutzamt@stadt.freiburg.de

3. Man and the
Environment
84
1. Participation 85
2. Learning with all senses - Environmental Education in Freiburg 88
3. Freiburg participates- Citizen’s Commitment
to the Environment 98
1. Participation
1.1. The Agenda 21
Agenda 21 is an action plan for the 21st century, which was drafted by the United Nations (UN)
and signed by more than 170 governments. The action plan emphasises the importance of
communities and local citizens to participate in the process of developing a sustainable fu-
ture. Together with the city administration, residents in Freiburg have thus established over-
all concepts, strategies and goals for a „Sustainable Freiburg“ while equally considering eco-
logical, economical and social aspects.
n Ecological approach
„Freiburg and its surrounding regions will reduce to a reasonable level and through
a goal-oriented urban and regional development the use of resources and the im-
pact of our way of life on human health and on the environment. Future generati-
ons should continue to have access to the natural abundance of resources, water,
energy, air, soil, biodiversity, animal and plants and to a healthy climate. We will
therefore align our economic and work activities, our mobility, our consumption and
other aspects of our way of life to the avoidance of environmental impacts. We par-
ticularly support a careful use of energy, water and resources and the use of rene-
wable energy and materials.“
Source: Excerpt from the mission statement of Freiburg’s Agenda 21
Aalborg Commitments and the Sustainability Council
Sustainability affects everyone and as such can only be achieved through joint efforts. In
2004, the Aalborg Commitments were adopted at the Aalborg Plus 10 follow-up conference.
The co-operation between citizens, Agenda 21 groups and the municipal administration re-
ceived new a impulse through the Aalborg Commitments.
Within the implementation of the Aalborg Commitments, after one year communities are ob-
liged to present various sustainability concepts, political responsibilities and current tasks;
after the two years citizens and social groups must define goals and time frames. These goals
should comply with the Aalborg Commitments and ensure regular controls.
3. Man and Environment 85

The Sustainability Council is aimed at bundling innovation potentials, bringing together opi-
nion-leaders and disseminators of sustainable concepts and advising the municipal coun-
cil and administration on how to implement the Aalborg Commitments. The Sustainability
Council compiled 60 goals over 12 topics all of which were adopted by the municipal coun-
cil on 14 July 2009. These goals include:
n Ten goals for a sustainable development in the city Freiburg

Freiburg’s Sustainability Council
Photo: R. Buhl • Involve residents in the decision-making process of urban politics
• Protect citizens from harmful affects of traffic accidents, airborne pollutants
and noise
• Use local research potentials to modernise the regional economy through the
qualitative and cooperative transfer of knowledge
• Alleviate poverty, create and promote jobs and employment opportunities,
prevent social exclusion
• Guarantee all residents – particularly the ones with low and average
income- affordable and appropriate housing
• Reinforce public transport and promote pedestrian and bicycle traffic
• Reinforce and develop educational offerings
• Promote, together with all actors, energy efficiency, energy savings and
renewable energy sources with the aim to achieve 100% energy self-sufficiency
• Restrict land use in the Freiburg region
• Consider culture as a driving factor for the environment, the settlement of
scientific institutions and business enterprises –culture is part of a sustainable
economy
Thinking globally, acting locally Photo: P. Preuß
All 60 goals can be found at www.agenda21-buero-freiburg.de
86
Projects in Freiburg
To achieve the goals, concrete measures and projects must be tackled. Under the umbrella
of Freiburg’s Local Agenda 21, dozens of projects and initiative groups worked on the appli-
cation of the global sustainability concept to local practice. With the application of more than
60 projects from Freiburg and the surrounding region, Freiburg received the Agenda 21 re-
cognition award from the state Baden-Württemberg in 2008. The following will provide ex-
amples of such prize-winning projects:
One World Days and One World Forum

In 2004 committed citizens initiated the ‘One World Forum’. The forum organised several
educational projects on the subject ‘One World’, and coordinated, together with the city, as-
sociations and citizens the ‘One World Days’. It additionally calls attention to fair trade with
the marketing of Freinica coffee from Nicaragua.
Saturday-Forum
The award-winning Saturday-Forum Regio Freiburg of ECOtrinova e.V was established in 2006.
It organises well-attended lectures, discussions and sightseeing tours in the field of energy,
climate protection and sustainable development each Saturday. Excursions to innovative pro-
jects are regularly fully booked.
Photo: G. Loeser
Sun-Energy-Paths
The project Sun-Energy-Paths of ECOtrinona e.V. established the first two cross-border sun-
energy-paths for climate protection, education and tourism. Associations and activists de-
veloped, in both German and French, two Rhine-crossing and 80 km long paths in the Euro
district Region Freiburg / Centre et Sud Alsace. At some 48 stations, aspects of renewable ener-
gies, energy saving and intelligent use of energy are introduced and explained.
On-site Energy Consulting

Within the project ‘On-site Energy counselling and Climate Protection’, experts and trained
volunteers inform and motivate the public on energy efficiency, energy saving, and climate
protection. During campaigns, residents and selected households are informed and consul-
ted about energy saving measures. Local consultations are additionally offered at the Info-
Punkt “Climate-Environment“ in the Agenda 21 office, Schwarzwaldstraße 78d.
Engagement for Sustainability
Freiburg offers various examples on how citizens form groups and local initiatives to achieve
future-viable development for the environment, renewable energy sources and social projects.
In the future, Freiburg will focus on creating even more possibilities to demonstrate how use-
ful and inspiring active citizenship can be.
O Contact:
Agenda 21 – Büro Freiburg || Schwarzwaldstr. 78 d
79117 Freiburg im Breisgau || Zentrum Oberwiehre, Ost-Eingang
dietrich.limberger@stadt.freiburg.de || www.agenda21-buero-freiburg.de

2. Learning with All Senses –
Environmental Education in Freiburg
“You see only what you know, and you protect only what you are familiar with.“ Environ-
ment and nature protection must be experienced in the shape of concrete objects and of-
fer a tangible and understandable experience if it is to be successful. Environmental edu-
cation commences in kindergarten and elementary schools. Freiburg’s bureau for schools and
educations (ASB) has in the past initiated a range of high-quality and continuous environ-
mental activities in schools and educational institutions.
2.1. Environmental Activities in Schools

Environmental activities in schools can only be successful with the support and cooperation
of the board of education. In Freiburg the School and Education Bureau (ASB) has demonstra-
ted its commitment for the environment: In 2003 and 2004 it was awarded the prize for
“Schulträger 21“ by the German Society for Environmental Education (DGU) for its exemplary
dedication to environmental education in schools and communication in the sense of
Agenda 21.
ASB’s environmental commitment extends to a wide variety of areas, including traditional

environmental areas such as waste avoidance, energy and water savings, but also to con-
temporary areas such as a healthy diet as an inherent aspect of environmental education.
Appropriate Equipment/Facilities
Civic engagement begins as an idea, but often requires appropriate technical equipment for
its realisation. In Freiburg a large number of primary schools received the experimental kits
‘NAWILINO’, which educates school children about natural sciences and environment. As of
2010, primary schools in Freiburg plan to extend such measures and initiate research cor-
ners, in which school children are given the possibility to experience nature. Green stan-
dards are also conveyed to schoolchildren through environment friendly facilities, such as
photocopying machines of the ecolabel ‘Blue Angel’ and the obligation to use only recycled
paper or paper from sustainable forestry. School furniture is selected based on durability and
easy repair and if necessary, disposed and recycled through swap shops. The use of tropical
wood from rain forests is prohibited in schools. With support from badenova, chemicals, pol-
lutants or hazardous waste that are produced in schools are sorted and disposed in an en-
vironmentally compatible manner.
In cooperation with the vocational school Richard-Fehrenbach, the commission for schools
and education has also established a solar tower, a solar education path and a water wheel
to convey knowledge on solar and hydro energy.
88
Science-Net
Available since July 2007, teachers, school students and other interested parties can use this
internet portal to get an overview of more than 260 curricular and extracurricular environ-
mental education offerings from 60 providers. The Internet Platform presents learning sites
for the topics environment/sustainability/natural sciences, and is geared especially towards
teachers in search of excursions, short trips and educational projects that complete and en-
rich their school lessons. The Portal is financially maintained by the department for schools
and education. www.sciencenet-freiburg.de
Diverse Learning Opportunities – Multimedia Shows and Competitions
The department for schools and education offers financial and spatial support to teaching units,
such as the multi-vision show ‘In the Spirit of Water’. Organized by the Society for Environment
and Social Learning, it examines the complexity of water in view of its ecological functions re-
garding water pollution, flood control, salinisation as well as dealing with political aspects, such
as water conflicts, privatisation of water supply, etc. Additional support is provided to the ‘Cli-
mate and Energy’ show, which informs about the circumstances of climate change, energy pro-
duction and the possibilities for future energy supply.
Environmental education in schools is also comprised of numerous competitions, which aim for
concrete improvements in the area of climate change. The department for schools and educa-
tion has thus issued a program for non-investment related energy savings titled Fifty/Fifty (see
page 44), in which schools are allowed to keep 50 percent of the savings that are achieved
through energy efficiency measures. Schools in Freiburg can also take part in the ‘Climate & Co’
competition, which was developed by Zeitbildverlag and the German BP AG, and which aims to
improve the balance of CO2 emissions in schools. Creative ideas for environmental protection are
promoted by the competition „S’Cooltour“, which is supported by the German Association of Ci-
ties and Towns and the Federal Environmental Office.
The Environmental Award from the city Freiburg, established in 2001, in which businesses, en-
vironmental groups and school classes participate, has also raised great interest. In 2009 the
German-French Gymnasium and the Wentzinger School were awarded the Second Place, each
worth 700 Euro, for their projects “Installing a Solar System“ and “Energy Spokesperson“. Both
these projects encourage students to actively engage in energy saving and renewable energies
in their school, as well as to demonstrate responsibility in the use of energy.
For achieving environmental education as comprehensively as possible, the ASB encourages par-
ticipation in school activities carried out by external institutions, such as the WaldHaus (see pa-
ge 95) and Freiburg’s Eco-station. Further external organisations that support environmental
education in schools are the “Bachpaten“ and “Freiburg packt an“ campaigns (see page 98).
Additionally, Freiburg’s Waste Management and city authorities distribute a guideline for envi-
ronmental education in schools titled “Waste, but no rubbish“- in addition to handing out free
and reusable lunch boxes for school starters.

Healthy Diet is part of Environmental Education
Environmental education not only happens in the head, but also through the stomach. The
city of Freiburg has thus launched awareness campaigns on healthy eating in schools. These
include a range of activities that are gathered under the title ‘The Smart Eaters: Staying fit
by eating right’. Under this common umbrella, the city joined forces with the Sarah-Wiener
Foundation, which trains multipliers to offer healthy cooking courses in schools.
Further partners of ‘The Smart Eaters’ include the AOK health insurance, which offer the
projects ‘Science Kids’ and ‘Tiger Kids’, along with project days on healthy nutrition. Addi-
tionally, the concept “Bio for kids“, which is implemented by the Eco-station on behalf of
the city, offers schoolchildren and teenagers the opportunity to visit nearby farms and to
plant vegetable and herbal gardens on school grounds. If desired, the Eco-station can also
be used for additional project days for school classes.
Further projects and information on healthy nutrition can be found under

www.freiburg.de/besseresser
Healthy school- Freiburg’s Pilot Schemes for Healthy Nutrition
Not only scientists are convinced that water is the most important food: Water governs many
body processes, it stimulates concentration and performance, and it is free from calories. In
the coming years drinking fountains worth 350.000 Euro are planned in Freiburg’s schools
to improve children’s drinking behaviour. So far, badenova and the city of Freiburg have in-
stalled 30 fountains.
Improvements are also noticeable in the Wentzinger School canteen, which was arranged
and furnished with the help of students and which offers a variety of organically grown food-
stuffs from the region.
With the aim to achieve a 50% share of organic food in all Freiburg schools by 2014, badenova
financed through its Innovation Fund a pilot project for the distribution of apples during lunch
breaks beginning in 2009.
90
The commission for schools and education is supported by a host of advisors, such as the
‘Healthy Diet’ Council with its 20 members, the Freiburg Food Culture Association, the Pota-
to House Freiburg, the Adult Education Centre, Slow Food e.V., Convivium Freiburg as well as
the Country Women’s Association - Freiburg District. This advisory body comes together on-
ce a year to develop a broad range of new ideas and proposals for healthy nutrition.
Diversifying School Yards
Exercise is everything: In 1998 the city Freiburg started to remodel schoolyards to create a
more child- and activity-friendly environment. While the city provides for the financial, or-
ganisational and content-related support, the concept for the redesign is developed by the
department for schools and education, the garden and civil engineering office, schools, buil-
ding management and the children’s office.
Photo: Department for Schools and Education

Complying with children’s needs during lunch breaks and increased daylong care are para-
mount to the redesign of schoolyards. As an alternative to concrete pavements, schoolchil-
dren can let off steam on slides, hanging ropes, trunks for balancing, spider-shaped clim-
bing frames, etc. For newly built schoolyards such ideas are already taken into account during
planning.
Several schools in Freiburg take part in the state project ‘Primary Schools with Educational
Focus on Sports and Exercise’. These schools ensure that their weekly schedule incorporates
at least 200 minutes of sport and exercise through sports during lessons, breaks and at of-
fers from local sports clubs.
Solar Prize for the Anne-Frank School
As part of a contest by the Freiburg’s Chamber of Crafts, the Anne-Frank School was awarded a
Photovoltaic system in February 2008. Given its sun-poor location however, the school accep-
ted the Trade Academy’s offer to install the system free of charge and operate it from their mo-
re suitable roof in the district Landwasser.
Over a period of 20 years, the annual earnings from the PV system will be disbursed to the An-
ne-Frank School for various school projects. Which school projects in the area of climate pro-
tection and energy will be financed is decided by so-called energy saving detectives from the
Anne-Frank-School.
O Contact:
Amt für Schule und Bildung
asb@stadt.freiburg.de

2.2. Extracurricular Activities for Young and Old
There is a host of extracurricular environmental education opportunities available under ci-
ty guidance. For example, the Forestry Office maintains Nature Adventure and Instructional
Forest Trails, offers guided tours and project days for school classes, and supports privately-
organised Forest Kindergartens offering playful access to the forest as an ecosystem by pro-
viding both locations and forest-educational knowledge.
Environmental Education in Freiburg’s Planetarium
Astronomers’ attention is usually directed skyward, far into the vastness of space, across the
history of the cosmos and far back to the big bang.
Freiburg’s planetarium inverts this perspective. It helps visitors to view planet Earth from a
new, cosmic point of view. With the knowledge that life on Earth evolved through a 13.6 bil-
lion year long success story, visitor’s amazement about the wonders of life and Earth elicits
a sense of responsibility for their own home planet.
In view of climate change, the planetarium offers the program “Back to the Hot Age“, which
tells, from the perspective of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, the entire climate history
of Earth. Its draws a admonitory conclusion: The human-induced increase of carbon dioxi-
de content in the Earth’s atmosphere causes a significant shift in climate patterns compa-
red to the past million years. With unprecedented speed life on Earth is moving towards the
next Hot Age. The only way out is the use of solar energy from the “Star Power Plant“ (anot-
her Eco-program offered by the planetarium), which is wastefully radiated on our doorstep.
Freiburg’s planetarium not only looks out to remote galaxies, but also sets its focus on pla-
net Earth and her biosphere, with subjects such as the hydrological cycle, the greenhouse
effect, or the significance of the sun in the supply of power. The developments of the Eco-
programs were generously supported by the German Federal Environment Foundation.
Photo: Freiburg’s planetarium
O Contact:
Planetarium
Bismarckallee 7 || 79098 Freiburg im Breisgau
info@planetarium-freiburg.de || www.planetarium-freiburg.de
92
City Library
Because coherent information is an indispensable feature of environmental education in

schools, Freiburg’s city library offer students accurate literature on energy topics and envi-
ronmental protection, along with courses for learning how (environmental relevant) infor-
mation can be obtained from multimedia.
Teachers from Freiburg’s elementary schools are offered a wide variety of media-packs re-
lating to the environment and nature containing books, cassettes and CD-ROMs. Adults ha-
ve access- even via internet- to literature on energy efficient building and healthy nutriti-
on. The Info-Point Europe offers additional information on European environmental
initiatives and laws.
O Contact:
Stadtbibliothek
Münsterplatz 17 || 79098 Freiburg im Breisgau
stadtbibliothek@stadt.freiburg.de || www.freiburg.de/stadtbibliothek
Excursions and Courses- Environmental Topics made tangible

through the Adult Education Centre
The Adult Education Centre holds the opinion that environmental education is part of gene-
ral education. Therefore it aims to convey a responsible attitude towards the environment
and natural resources. Presentations, seminars and excursions inform about the larger con-
text of environment, health, environmental politics and global dependencies, while also fo-
cussing on topics of local relevance, such as the disposal of waste, regional energy supply
and environmental toxins in Freiburg, along with practice-oriented instructions for a per-
sonal contact with the environment. Frequent program activities include instructions on how
to plan and build a solar system, as well as specific advice for home gardening. In the past
few years however, the audience’s interest has shifted towards a personal experience of na-
ture.
Ortenau and Markgräflerland are popular destinations for excursions as they facilitate a phy-
sical perception of nature and culture. With support from its local partners, the Adult Edu-
cation Centre thus acts as a focal point for information and competence on the responsible
use of natural resources.
O Contact:
Volkshochschule Freiburg e.V.
Rotteckring 12 || 79098 Freiburg im Breisgau
info@vhs-freiburg.de || www.vhs-freiburg.de

Mundenhof - Animal-Nature-Adventure Park
With its 38 hectares, the Mundenhof is home to 350 pets and farm animals from all over the
world. With its spacious meadows, pastures and fields, it offers children and adults an ide-
al place to relax and enjoy nature. The hilly landscape enables a panoramic view of the Black
Forest and the Kaiserstuhl region. In Mundenhof each open enclosure represents a country
or continent: From Europe (Alpacas, Mangaliza, Poitou donkeys) to North America (Steppe Bi-
sons), South America, Asia (Bactrian camels) and Africa (ostriches), with an exotic centre of
the park presenting bears, meerkats, long-tailed macaques and gibbons. An attraction very
different from the outdoor enclosure is the Aquarium, which belongs to the Aquariums As-
sociation Freiburg. It offers unique experiences, such as the observation of daily feedings
and guided tours through the enclosure (information under Tel.: 07 61/201-65 80). Besides
a restaurant and beergarden, there are several places that offer possibilities to have a pic-
nic or relax. Children can choose between two nature-related playgrounds and a large, ac-
cessible play dragon.
Unlike Zoos and amusement parks, Mundenhof is entrance free and charges only a parking
fee of 5 Euro. It is open 365 days a year and can be visited at any time.
Special features of the nature experience park are the seasonal festivals, which are organi-
sed by the nature education project KonTiKi. During the Christmas season, Mundenhof or-
ganises an oriental bazaar and the nativity play performed by 150 persons and 80 animals.
Further seasonal festivals include the spring festival, the midsummer fire and the pumpkin
festival in autumn.
O Contact:
Mundenhof Tier-Natur-Erlebnispark
Mundenhof 37 || 79111 Freiburg im Breisgau
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 65 80 || Fax 07 61 / 2 01 - 65 81
mundenhof@stadt.freiburg.de || www.freiburg.de/mundenhof
Photo: Mundenhof
94
WaldHaus Freiburg - Centre for Forests and Sustainability
The WaldHaus is the gateway to the many mysteries and secrets of the forest. In 2008, Wald-
Haus Freiburg was established as a new educational, information and competence centre,
with subjects relating to the forest and to sustainability.
Given its persistent role as an important ecosystem, supplier of raw material and popular
leisure and recreational area, humans have always felt emotionally attached to forests. Con-
sequently there exists a particularly high appreciation for wood as a raw material in the form
of furniture and interior constructions. If, however, forests are exploited or felled, many
people react with scepticism and condemnation, particularly urban residents.
WaldHaus Freiburg addresses this ambivalent attitude towards forests by providing informa-
tion and space for encounters. Its objective is to introduce the forest ecosystem with its mul-
tifunctional benefits for society, to sensitise to forest concerns, and to create awareness for
the sustainable use of forest resources. WaldHaus serves as a platform for education and
knowledge transfer, for the exchange of information and for the physical and practical ex-
perience of forests. It is meant to develop into a communicative doorway, a get-together for
young and old and a future workshop on “Forest and Sustainability“.
Doorway to a fascinating Habitat
Located at the fringes of the Black Forest, WaldHaus provides the means to discover and ex-
perience a natural forest environment. It is composed of a forest laboratory, seminar rooms
and café, in which it hosts exhibitions and film screenings on all aspects of forests and su-
stainability. Surrounding the WaldHaus are attractions such as the sculpture path ‘Forest-
People’ by the wood artist Thomas Rees, theme paths, and a tree nursery with over 1,200
different tree and bush species.
Photo: WaldHaus Freiburg

In its annual program, WaldHaus offers interested parties an extensive range of forest acti-
vities, such as thematic walks or work assignments in the forest, wood construction cour-
ses, guided bicycle tours, as well as lectures, concerts and presentations on contemporary
forest-related issues. A particular feature of the forest workshop is the creation of wood con-
structions with traditional tools such as ‘Schneidesel’ and drawing knives.

The WaldHaus is however more than just a space for experiencing the forest. For students
from middle and high schools it is an extracurricular learning site, which offers half-day se-
minars on ‘forest and climate change’, ‘fascination wood’, ‘from the seedling to the raw ma-
terial wood’, and ‘forest rally’. School classes can either book these topics as all-day modu-
les and as projects lasting several days.
With its modern wooden structures, clear architectural design, high energy efficiency and
modern wood-based heating system, the WaldHaus itself is part of the educational program.
The WaldHaus can be booked as an exhibition and meeting space for private and business
events, including conferences, congresses and seminars.
O Contact:
Stiftung WaldHaus Freiburg
Wonnhaldestrasse 6 || 79100 Freiburg im Breisgau
Tel. 07 61 / 89 64 77 10
info@waldhaus-freiburg.de || www.waldhaus-freiburg.de
Sustainability as the Art of Living
Proposed by SolarRegion Freiburg, city authorities launched the innovative event series “Su-
stainability as the Art of Living“ in 2007. Rather than dealing with technical and political so-
lutions, the events will discuss cultural values that our daily lives adhere to: Where do we
want to live? How will our future lifestyles look like? Roughly twenty events are dedicated to
the themes ‘time’, ‘life’, ‘space’, ‘generation’ and ‘hearing’ in unusual locations and vario-
us formats.
The event series owes its success to the support from the Protestant Academy Baden, the Pro-
testant Adult Education Freiburg and the Catholic Academy of the Archdiocese Freiburg, as
well as to the involvement of numerous partners and institutions for individual events. Fi-
nancial support was provided by the Innovation fund from badenova AG & Co KG
Given the tremendous positive response among experts, the series will be continued in fu-
ture with additional topics.
O Contact:
Umweltschutzamt
Talstr.4 || 79102 Freiburg im Breisgau
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 61 46 || Fax 07 61 / 2 01 - 61 99
umweltschutzamt@stadt. freiburg.de
96
A Life-long Lesson on Sustainability
Adhering to the idea that education is a guarantee for a good future, the city of Freiburg has
instigated the project “Learning, Experiencing in Freiburg: LEIF“ in September 2009. Sup-
ported by the federal government, the project endeavours to develop extensive and com-
munal education management for a life-long learning. It is directed at residents of all ages
and will be applied to various educational areas.
With Freiburg’s strong emphasis and know-how on environment and sustainability, an im-
portant component of this project is the action field economy, technology, environment and
science (WTUW). In this newly established activity field, people can broaden their knowled-
ge on the ecological, economic, social and cultural contexts. Its main goal is sustainable com-
munity development, which supplies the needs of the present generations without jeopar-
dising the needs of future generations. To ensure that future generations are allowed to
satisfy their needs and to choose their own lifestyle, a four-leaved “Freiburg Sustainability
Cloverleaf“ was developed and established.
With partners such as the Eco-station Freiburg and WaldHaus Freiburg, a network on “Su-
stainability Learning“ was founded and established to link various actors more effectively.
O Contact:
Stadt Freiburg - Dezernat II
Projekt Lernen Erleben in Freiburg: LEIF || Aktionsfeld WTUW
Eschholzstr. 86 || 79115 Freiburg im Breisgau
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 23 91 oder 23 89

3. Involving Citizens in the Environment
Citizen involvement not only maintains the cohesion of society, but also acts as a framework
for individual dedication to societal tasks. The city of Freiburg understands itself as a com-
munity that provides opportunities and capacity for citizen involvement, that supports its
resident’s civil commitment, and that employs resources and competence for the city’s qua-
lity of life and development.
Diversity of Involvement
More than one quarter of Freiburg’s residents are active in civil programmes, whereas anot-
her quarter are in search of possibilities to engage. Citizen involvement applies to volunta-
ry activities in federations, associations, churches, beneficent and charitable institutions,
along with self-help groups, neighbourhood initiatives, representative interest groups and
interest groupings, or participation in urban planning.
It is plain to see that the broad range of civil action and creativity greatly contributes to Frei-
burg’s amiable urban character.
Civil involvement in the environment, nature and animal protection has a long tradition in
Freiburg and extends far beyond its city boundaries. Particularly in view of the rapid indu-
strial and societal change, involvement in environmental and nature protection can sensi-
tise inhabitants for the region’s underlying vitality, demand a responsible use of resources
and encourage consumer responsibility.
The city of Freiburg recognises that its environmental and nature conservation movement
has largely contributed to the city’s international and national prominence. Given that the
protection and support of our resources will be a crucial component in future, citizen invol-
vement in civic issues will continue to exist as an integral part of the city’s development.
O Contact:
Koordinationsstelle Bürgerschaftliches Engagement der Stadt Freiburg
Rathausplatz 2-4 || 79098 Freiburg im Breisgau
gerhard.rieger@stadt.freiburg.de
98
River and Stream Sponsorships (Bachpatenschaft)
Since 1986, Freiburg offers its residents the possibility to take responsibility for a part of the en-
Photo: Garden and Civil Engineering Office Freiburg

vironment by becoming a river and stream sponsor. There are presently around 50 groups from
Kindergartens, schools, associations and interested individuals who actively participate in this
initiative. In joint projects they can learn more about river ecosystems, while also taking part
in activities relating to species and nature protection. The initiative allocates high priority to
the ecological restoration of rivers and streams through sound education and the active su-
pervision of rivers and small waterways.
Members contribute to the restoration and the protection of biodiversity by protecting hole
breeders, amphibians, and dragonflies near flowing water, while controlling invasive neophy-
tes (plant species which are not indigenous to Germany). Equipment and the ‘Waterflea’ ve-
hicle are provided free by the Society for River sponsorship Freiburg e.V.
Freiburg participates
In 2003 the Garden and Civil Engineering Office launched the initiative “Freiburg Participates“,
in which residents can compile and realise project ideas that deal with city ecology. Annual
projects are initiated in which the main focus changes each year or adapts to new circumstan-
ces.
Current activities include mowing tallgrass, which is more costly than simple mulching tech-
niques, and controlling the spread of chestnut leaf-miners. Alternatively, Freiburg’s residents
can help control the illegally introduced Ambrosia plant, which represents a serious health risk
and causes strong allergic reactions. Residents can also contribute to “time-limited sponsor-
ships“ (1-2 years) for parks, playgrounds, historical cemeteries, traffic school or other civic ob-
jects.
O Contact:
Tel. 07 61 / 2 01 - 46 01 || Fax 07 61 / 2 01 - 46 99
gut@stadt.freiburg.de
www.bachpaten-freiburg.de || www.freiburg.de/freiburgpacktan
Photo: Garden and Civil Engineering Office Freiburg

Imprint
Published by
Stadt Freiburg im Breisgau
Responsible for Content

Dezernat für Umwelt, Schule, Bildung und Gebäudemanagement
Coordination
Ulrike Bockstahler und Stefan Bührer, Umweltschutzamt
Text
Patrick Kunkel
Editorial Staff
Martina Schickle, Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsreferat
Simone Hund, Giska Breyer, Dezernat für Umwelt, Schule, Bildung und Gebäudemanagement
Ulrike Bockstahler, Umweltschutzamt
Contributions
Abfallwirtschaft und Stadtreinigung Freiburg GmbH
(Waste Disposal Management Office)
Agenda 21 – Büro Freiburg (Agenda 21 – Bureau Freiburg )
Amt für Projektentwicklung und Stadterneuerung
(City Department of Urban Development and Construction)
Amt für Schule und Bildung mit Planetarium
(Department for Schools and Education and Planetarium)
badenova
Dezernat für Umwelt, Schule, Bildung und Gebäudemanagement
(Department for Environment, School, Education and Building Management)
Eigenbetrieb Abfallwirtschaft (Public Waste Disposal Management Office)
Eigenbetrieb Stadtentwässerung (Public Municipal Water Treatment Works)
Forstamt mit Mundenhof (The Forestry Office and Mundenhof)
Freiburger Verkehrs-AG (Freiburg Traffic AG)
Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co.KG
(Freiburg Economic Touristic and Trade Fair GmbH & Co.KG)
Garten- und Tiefbauamt (Gardening and Civil Engineering Office)
Gebäudemanagement Freiburg (Building Management Freiburg)
Referat für Internationale Kontakte (Department International Relations)
Stadtplanungsamt (Urban Planning Office)
Stiftung WaldHaus (Foundation WaldHaus)
Umweltschutzamt (Environmental Protection Office)
Volkshochschule (Adult Education Centre)
100
Layout, Design & Picture Desk
Graphikbuero GEBHARD|UHL, Freiburg
Graphics & Pictures

Umweltschutzamt and Graphikbuero GEBHARD|UHL, Freiburg (unless stated otherwise)
Photos Cover Page

(from left to right) FWTM, VAG, Forstamt Abt. Mundenhof, badenova (Christoph Weiler)
Translation
Intelligent Renewable Energy, Freiburg
Date
April 2011, 1st Edition
101

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Environmental Policy

I. Climate Protection and Sustainable Urban Development 6

2. Future-oriented Mobility: Freiburg's Transport Concept 19

3. Noise Management Action Plan 25

4. From Abandoning Nuclear Energy to a

6. Tomorrow's Markets are Green:

II. Nature: Our City's Capital 60

2. Biodiversity on a Small Scale:

3. Public Parks, Green Lifeblood of the City 71

4. Protecting a Treasure: Soil Preservation in Freiburg 73

6. Air Quality Management in Freiburg 81

III. Man and the Environment 84

2. Learning with All Senses: Environmental Education in Freiburg 88

3. Involving Citizens in the Environment 98

Freiburg local authorities see themselves as especially committed to he principle of sustain-

Dr. Dieter Salomon

Networked Biotropes - The “Biotopverbund“ protects biodiversity

Key Areas for Biodiversity

Well-Aired - Urban Green Spaces Promote a Good City Climate

1.2. Less Space, More Quality of Life!

Sustainable and Humane: Determining Appropriate Land Use Demand

Also new is the determination of exactly which inner-development potential remains in

Regular statistical analysis is used to validate this demand-driven urban development

Urbane, Compact City Structures

1.3. Environmental Protection through Sound Land Use Policies

Environmental Protection from Above - More Solar on Freiburg's Rooftops!

Photo: ENERGOSSA GmbH

Freiburg’s Youngest Residential Area - The Vauban Quarter

A Typical Example of Modern Inner-development

Strict Energy Standard

Nature Conservation in Western Rieselfeld

Sustainable Urban Development

2.1. Inseparable: Urban and Transport Planning

Extend Promote Promote Promote Limit

The Five Pillars of Freiburg Traffic Policy

2.2. Space for All: Integrated Transport Modes

The Pedestrian City - Transport Policy for Mobility on Foot

n Bike Path Map

Photo: Garten- und Tiefbauamt

The public transport system is an important component of transportation policy in Freiburg.

Freiburger Verkehrs AG – Development of Passenger Numbers 1980 - 2009

n In Motion for Freiburg: The VAG

In addition to the city of Freiburg, the adjacent municipalities of Umkirch, Merzhau-

The City by Car

Photo: Garten- und Tiefbauamt

3.2. A Concrete Set of Measures Against Noise

Photo: Leo Horlacher, © Archiv soziale Bewegungen

efficiency and renewable energy.

Climate protection strategy updated

The New Freiburg Climate Change Mitigation Target: 40% by 2030!

ENERGY SAVINGS RENEWABLE EFFICIENT

Climate Protection Concept – Interim Results

in 1,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent per year Energy Traffic

* –20% per person

When setting a future target it is important to monitor developments to determine if one is

Financing Programme for Energy Efficient Renovation

Photo: Ingo Schneider

Energieagentur Regio Freiburg GmbH

So what does this mean for the improvement of building standards

n Further information on the new Freiburg building

Beratungszentrum Bauen (BZB) im Technischen Rathaus

Photo: Freiburger Stadtbau GmbH

Solar rooftops of Freiburg

Regional environmentally-friendly electricity