Green Swedes: "The Greenest City in Europe" Defies the Crisis

This July, Sweden assumes the rotating presidency of the European Union. Topping the agenda during its six-month term will be fighting climate change. Many are pushing for deeper cuts than the EU's current target of reducing CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020. The Swedish town of Växjö is much more ambitious. It's already cut emissions by one third compared to 1993 levels, and aims to bring them down by half by 2010 - with a long-term goal of being wholly independent of fossil fuels. Instead Växjö is tapping into a renewable resource right on its doorstep: the forest, which provides vast amounts of biomass fuel for heating. But does fighting climate change pay off during times of economic crisis? MADE IN GERMANY visits three green businesses in Växjö to find out. A biomass powerplant that provides heat to 90% of the town's homes, a family-run sawmill with innovative offshoots, and a housebuilder specializing in the latest passively heated homes. Now their business models face their first big test. Grit Hofmann reports.

DW-World | June 2, 2009

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