Colophon

Publisher:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

Responsible institution:
The Trade Council, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

Author:
Ole Frijs-Madsen (Editor in chief), Poul Kjar (Executive editor), Annemarie Zinck (Editor), Nigel Mander (English Editor)

Other contributors:
Rosendahls - Schultz Grafisk (Digital edition and Print), Gry Zierau, Umano (Design and layout), Bent Midstrup (Cover photo), Lars Chrois (Illustrations), Rikke Bech-Pedersen (Distribution), DG Media (Advertising)

Language:
English

URL:
http://www.netpublikationer.dk/um/10138/index.htm

ISSN:
1601-9776

Version:
1.0

Version/edition:
12-03-2010

Data formats:
html,htm,jpg,gif,pdf,css,js

Publisher category:
statslig

Copyright:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

Notes and other information:
Material contained in FOCUS Denmark does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Danish Trade Council or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, except where otherwise stated. Citations may be made without prior permission, provided the source is acknowledged.

Focus Denmark is printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper from Arctic Paper, Denmark. The wood that is used for making the paper comes from sustainable forestry, which meets all environmental, social and economic standards. The forest is independently inspected and assessed according to the principles and criteria approved by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Table Of Contents

Preface

IN BRIEF

• Worth knowing about
• Did you know...
• Flexible waste-to-energy technology
• New minister for climate and energy
• Insulin without injections
• Denmark in the news – The Capital of Cool
• Danes who made a difference
• Listening for a killer disease
• A new feature in the landscape – One does the job of twelve
• More on wind farms
• Podcasting from the Pole
• Bookmark Denmark
• Royal inauguration of joint venture in the Emirates

• Copenhagen passes the mega-congress test
• Leading the way in sustainable meetings
• Congresses in stately surroundings
• Direct to Denmark
• Into battle against boring meetings
• Hotel boom in Copenhagen

• Green energy from the deep blue sea
• Denmark’s leader in renewable energy
• Renewable energy Central Denmark Region
• Ready for the future’s supersize wind turbines

• The rapid rise of Danish cleantech
• Plant proteins could revolutionise water technology
• New technology can reduce air pollution in cities by 90 per cent
• Intelligent lighting control can save money and CO₂

• Mister Plasterboard
• Old plasterboard is worth its weight in gold
• The Danish waste management model
• FAMILY FRIENDLY FRAMEWORK
• The Danish sense of balance
• Space for both family life and career

• Denmark on home turf in South Africa

• Cycling with the whole world
• Mexico City’s mayor becomes Copenhagen biker
• New York City wins Danish cycling award

• Danish exports are faring surprisingly well

Preface

For two years in a row, Denmark has been voted the World’s Best Country for Business by Forbes, and in 2009 Denmark showed its value as a conference country by hosting two of the year’s most talked-about conferences, the UN Climate Change Conference COP15 and the IOC Congress.

Copenhagen has proved that the city is able to successfully hold very large international congresses and Denmark as a congress country has positioned itself on the world map.

Denmark has an efficient infrastructure, a high level of security and is a hub for some of the hottest subjects of today, such as cleantech, life science and urban development. In other words, Denmark not only offers the setting for international conferences, but can also contribute to the content.

Danish companies and research institutions have advanced far in sustainability. In the last 10 years, Danish cleantech companies have experienced tremendous growth. Wind technology and the use of biomass as an energy source have driven the development
of Danish energy and environment technology, and industry observers are in no doubt that it is the advantageous political framework conditions which have given Danish companies their leading position.

Also on the research side Denmark aims high. In 2009 an old shipyard was converted into what according to its founders is meant to become Europe’s leading innovation and research centre, Lindoe Offshore Renewables Center (LORC). The new centre has been founded by companies with a strong interest in renewable energy and offshore: Vestas Offshore, A.P.Møller-Mærsk, DONG Energy, Siemens Wind Power and Skykon are all represented on the board.

A completely different type of research is taking place in Qatar. The University of Copenhagen has been commissioned to undertake the archaeological excavation of the hidden harbour town, Al Zubara, the largest project of its kind ever awarded to a Danish humanities faculty.

All this you can read about in this issue of Focus Denmark, where we also take a closer look at the Danish company behind the green grass under the players’ feet at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa and at work-life balance in Denmark seen from the point of view of an Australian family.

Enjoy the read.

IN BRIEF

Worth knowing about

... as a point of contact for business or to add to your knowledge of what goes on in Denmark.

Focus Denmark now on denmark.dk

Articles from Focus Denmark magazine are now available on the official website of Denmark, denmark.dk. Simply move the mouse over Business Lounge on the main menu bar, and choose Focus Denmark from the drop-down menu.

Published quarterly, Focus Denmark magazine keeps you posted on Danish key competences in industry and research, the Danish economy and opportunities for investment, as well as covering political and cultural themes with importance for the Danish business sector.

What is the web address?

http://www.denmark.dk

Want to subscribe?

Just mail your name and address to: focusdenmark@um.dk

Did you know...

... that 52.6% of Denmark is arable land?

The corresponding figures for the other Nordic countries are Finland 6.5%, Sweden 5.9%, Norway 2.7% and Iceland 0.1%.

CIA World Fact Book

Flexible waste-to-energy technology

Every day in Denmark, tons of domestic waste are used as fuel in combined heat and power stations. But the waste that goes into the furnace inevitably contains glass and metal, which cannot be practically sorted from the combustible material. Until now that is.

Professional journal Ingeniøren reports that at Amager Forbrænding power station in Copenhagen, a new enzyme-based technology is being developed that can convert the organic material in domestic waste into an oil-like slurry, which then allows the glass and metal to be separated out and recycled instead of being lost as furnace slag.

The new process also provides a flexible renewable energy resource, as project leader Erik Ravn Schmidt explains: “The slurry can be fed into a gasifier to produce synthesis gas that can be used in a gas turbine, when there is a need to produce electricity. And when there isn’t a need to produce electricity, it can be used to make synthetic petrol. And biogas can also be produced, which can be stored for use as required.”

http://www.amfor.dk

New minister for climate and energy

Lykke Friis, who holds a Ph.D. in international politics and was previously prorector at Copenhagen University, is now Denmark’s Minister for Climate and Energy, replacing Connie Hedegaard who has been appointed European Commissioner for Climate Action in the European Commission. Apart from her Ph.D. from Copenhagen University, Lykke Friis has an M.A. in Political Science, also from Copenhagen University, and an MSc. Econ. from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Lykke Friis is known for her excellent analytical abilities and for her ability to explain complicated EU matters to the Danish people. She is also known for her great passion for German Bundesliga football.

Insulin without injections

Danish medico giant Novo Nordisk, the world leader in diabetes care, has embarked on clinical studies to test what could prove to be the Holy Grail of insulin therapy – namely an effective form of treatment that can be taken by mouth, thereby avoiding the unpleasant necessity of daily subcutaneous injections.

The main difficulty in creating an oral treatment is that insulin is a protein, which is destroyed by the acid environment of the stomach before it can be absorbed. Novo Nordisk aims to overcome this obstacle with an insulin analogue formulation using special technology developed by US company Merrion Pharmaceuticals.

After promising research and development work, Novo Nordisk has initiated the first Phase 1 clinical trial of the oral insulin treatment, codenamed NN1952. The trial involves both healthy volunteers and people with diabetes, and is designed to investigate the safety, tolerance and effect of the treatment. Results from the trial are expected to be reported in the first half of 2011.

http://www.novonordisk.com

Denmark in the news – The Capital of Cool

Two visits in quick succession from President Obama – for the IOC Congress and COP15 respectively – supplemented by a visit from talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, have worked wonders in raising awareness among Americans of Denmark’s capital city. And the word on the streets is: Copenhagen is cool, folks!

No less an organ than The New York Times has rated Copenhagen 5th in its recently published list of 31 places to go in 2010. The paper notes that while COP15 may not have managed to send a clear signal, the city hosting it certainly did. “The Danish capital has already emerged as one of the world’s greenest – and maybe coolest – cities,” it wrote, adding “Copenhageners don’t simply preach the progressive ethos, they live it.”

That ethos is instantly visible too. In Copenhagen, where cycle paths (that even have their own mini traffic lights) traverse the entire city, the bicycle has become more than an environmentally-friendly means of mass transport. It has become the new chic. And down at the harbour, the once festering waterway has been cleaned up so amazingly well that harbour swimming pools have become the city’s new summertime social magnets.

In times of economic uncertainty, basic social values and quality of life come very much to the fore, including when people pick travel destinations. So there is every indication that more than a few of the millions of NYT readers will be putting Denmark’s cool capital on their list of places to go see this year.

Danes who made a difference

Listening for a killer disease

In Denmark 20% of all deaths are caused by cardiac arrest due to coronary thrombosis, a condition caused by coronary artery disease, which a new company founded by Aalborg University and Danish healthcare company Coloplast aims to help diagnose with a novel listening device contained in a plaster applied to the patient’s chest.

A press release from Aalborg University states: “Blood vessel narrowing around the heart is a disorder which can afflict all of us without warning and with fatal consequences. This is the problem we are now addressing, and although the diagnosis method is still under development we hope to have the technology on the market in three to four years.”

The plaster uses advanced listening technology and a computer programme that can analyse heart sounds for early signs of coronary artery disease. The technique was invented by Aalborg University students Samuel Schmidt and Claus Graff, who initially used a digital stethoscope as a listening device. They were awarded the Medico Prize in 2007 for their idea.

A new feature in the landscape – One does the job of twelve

Near Avedøre Power Station in Copenhagen, the 12 old wind turbines that used to be there have been dismantled. In their place stand two of the biggest wind turbines in production today – the Siemens 3.6 MW model – each of which has the same capacity as the previous 12. Towering 151.5 metres (497 feet) above the ground and weighing 540 tons, they can together supply enough electricity to meet the demands of 5,000 households.

One of the two wind turbines will be handed over to a cooperative in which 7,000 ordinary citizens have bought shares. The second wind turbine will deliver power to three Danish companies which have reserved the CO₂ free electricity for their use in the coming years.

More on wind farms

Aarsleff and Germany’s Bilfinger Berger GmbH have entered into a contract for the execution of the first phase of the London Array, world’s largest offshore wind farm.

The offshore wind farm will be built in the Thames estuary, approximately 20 kilometres off the coasts of Kent and Essex. London Array phase 1 has a total capacity of 630MW, with a total planned capacity for the project of 1000MW. Upon completion, the electricity generated by the London Array will supply enough power for around 750,000 homes – equivalent to a quarter of all the homes in London.

The project is being carried out by a consortium consisting of Denmark’s DONG Energy, Germany’s E.ON Climate & Renewables and the Masdar renewable energy initiative from Abu Dhabi.

The contract value is approximately DKK 3 billion and is thus Aarsleff’s biggest contract so far.

http://www.aarsleff.com

Podcasting from the Pole

There are many ways of contributing to the public debate on climate change. Some blog on the internet, some demonstrate
on the streets, and some find quite unique ways of making their voices heard. Like Morten Grundsøe and Jens Erik Nielsen, two Danes who set off on 1 December 2009 to trek on skis from the edge of the Antarctic to the South Pole, podcasting along the way on the need to reduce atmospheric CO₂ emissions. And on 29 December they reached their goal, in the second fastest time ever recorded.

The Big Ice South Pole expedition was special in that 33 year old Morten and 56 year old Jens Erik undertook the 950 km trip with no re-supply support. They were literally on their own, with only the weather and their willpower to decide whether
or not they reached the Pole. The trip crossed some of the most inhospitable terrain on Earth, but as it turned out, Morten and Jens Erik were more than equal to the challenge.

http://www.bigice.eu

Bookmark Denmark

If there’s an event in your interest area, why not bookmark it to attend? Denmark is a great place to visit!

Energy

ISOS-3 INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT ON OPV STABIlITY
19-23 april
Risø DTU, Roskilde

The third annual summit on OPV stability comprises a 2 day experimental roll-to-roll manufacturing OPV workshop, 1 day scientific conference with poster session and a 2 day summit with scientific discussions of the latest developments in OPV stability.

For more information visit: https://conferences.dtu.dk/conferenceDisplay.py?confId=35

Communication

CMC-2010 : CORPORATE AND MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS IN TIMES OF GROWTH AND CRISIS
21-23 april
Aarhus School of Business, Aarhus University

CMC is an annual event for academic researchers and educators as well as practitioners wishing to create and advance knowledge in the field of corporate and marketing communications.

For more information visit: http://www.asb.dk/article.aspx?pid=19544

Healthcare equipment and assistive technology

HEAlTH & REHAB 04-06 MAY
Bella Center, Copenhagen

Northern Europe’s largest exhibition for assistive technology products and services, healthcare and hospital equipment. Focus area: hospital, dementia, technology and active life.

For more information visit: http://www.health-rehab.com

Medical Technology

SCANDINAVIAN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE 26-27 MAY
Bella Center, Copenhagen

The conference is targeted at people with a professional interest in the healthcare system. A parallel trade fair showcases products and services from the medical technology industry relating to the theme Technological Solutions for Better Health.

For more information visit: http://www.scandmedtech.com

Royal inauguration of joint venture in the Emirates

In January 2010 HRH the Crown Prince of Denmark, Frederik and HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum inaugurated Empower-Logstor Insulated Pipes Systems (ELIPS), UAE’s largest pre-insulated pipe manufacturing facility, in Jebel Ali. The move signifies UAE’s drive towards diversification of economy in order to sustain growth.

ELIPS is a joint venture between Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (EMPOWER), UAE’s leading district cooling company and Danish company Logstor, the world’s largest manufacturer of pre-insulated pipes. The USD 25 million facility will cater to the requirements of district cooling services and oil and gas across the Middle East.

District cooling is over 50% more efficient than conventional air conditioning solutions; it also removes the heavy load on the electricity grid when demand for cooling is high. District cooling is the most eco-friendly air-conditioning technology in meeting the world’s CO₂ reduction targets.

Logstor has been serving the Gulf region since 1992 and is now marking its commitment to serve the region by establishing an anchored presence with the ELIPS factory.

http://www.logstor.com

Danish-led excavation in Qatar

For nearly 100 years, the fabled Qatari city of Al Zubara has lain hidden beneath a thick layer of sand. Now it will be uncovered. The University of Copenhagen has been commissioned to undertake the archaeological excavation, the largest project of its kind ever awarded to a Danish humanities faculty

By Anna Mogensen

Photo: Copenhagen University

The key to Qatar’s past lies hidden beneath a thick carpet of red desert sand. 700 years ago, the city of Al Zubara was the sheikdom’s trade centre and cultural epicentre. Today it is only the contours of the town that can be seen as soft undulations in the sand.

Located on the Arab Gulf, Al Zubara was an enterprising trading town. Ships called into port there from the Far East and Europe, laden with porcelain and exotic goods. Merchants busily bought and sold, and goods were loaded onto camel caravans which took them to the desert states in the Gulf.

But almost 100 years ago, Al Zubara was abandoned. No one knows why, and since then the desert sands have been allowed to drift in over the harbour and the houses, and bury an important piece of cultural history. But now Al Zubara and its Islamic past will be dug up from the desert.

The Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies at the University of Copenhagen has been commissioned to undertake the appealing task of heading the important archaeological excavations over the next 10 years. The university has employed thirty archaeologists from around the world as well as an army of practical helpers, who will be engaged in excavating the hidden harbour town.

Photo: Copenhagen University

Basic research is the driving force

To the University of Copenhagen, the multimillion contract that has been entered with the Qatar Museum Authority is naturally a financial plus on its account. But to the international team of archaeologists, the opportunity to conduct basic research is worth far more than money.

“It is a politically defined task, and the political purpose is to gain access to the story [of Al Zubara] in order to describe, legitimise and position itself in the present. But as researchers we have no political agenda. We are exclusively driven by a profound interest in basic research,” explains Ingolf Thuesen, head of the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies at the University of Copenhagen, and the man who finalised the giant contract with the Qatar Museum Authority.

During the 10 year contract period, the Danish-led excavation will map the historical communities in the area around northern Qatar during the last 1000-1500 years. The eventual aim is to make Al Zubara an archaeological park with a view to it becoming listed as a UNESCO World Culture Heritage Site.

Photo: Copenhagen University

Focus on Islamic archaeology

The head of the research is in no doubt as to what qualifies the University of Copenhagen for the prestigious international project – Danish expertise in Islamic archaeology.

The University of Copenhagen became one of the world leaders in this field somewhat by chance. The Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies has long recognised the equal importance of following in the footsteps of both Muhammad and Jesus. But for many years, research nevertheless focused more on biblical times. If Islamic culture appeared on the agenda, it was the history of art – fine decorations and mosaics – that received attention and not the traces of everyday life that the archaeologists unearthed.

“In the department we have built a sub-discipline in archaeology which comprises the Islamic periods in the Middle East – from the earliest Islam essentially up to the present day. It is a discipline which is found in very few places. There has been a tendency to push the top layers away to get directly down to biblical history, but as researchers we have an interest in the layers that lie on top of the biblical period”, explains Ingolf Thuesen.

In the mid 1990s, the University of Copenhagen gained support from the David’s Foundation to establish a professorship in Islamic archaeology.

“We applied to the David’s Foundation to fund a professorship to build up a scientific discipline. If we had not received the money I do not think that we would have become a leader in this field. The money went to a professorship in Islamic art and archaeology – archaeology as number two, when it couldn’t be avoided,” smiles Ingolf Thuesen, and adds:

“If we are going to achieve full understanding of what we are formed of, we need to include both recent and distant history. We are now giving greater priority to recent history.”

Long tradition for Danish research

The Danish explorer Carsten Niebuhr (1733-1815) and the archaeologist P.V. Glob (1911-85) have both helped to build Danish goodwill in the Arab countries, on which a good slice of the contract with the University of Copenhagen rests.

Carsten Niebuhr made his expedition ?The Arabian Journey” in 1761-67 in the Middle East, Africa and India. He is recognised for empathising with the everyday lives of different nations, with an equal share of scientific interest and ordinary human curiosity. He was thus one of the very few explorers who set forth unburdened by a colonialist view of strangers, and he made a positive impression in the region by becoming part of the societies he encountered and doing as the locals did.

Professor P.V. Glob created a solid foundation for the Danish tradition in Islamic archaeology. In the 1950s, he headed archaeological excavations primarily in Bahrain with trips to Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. As with Niebuhr, it was also crucial to Glob to be open to every research opportunity without for example viewing biblical antiquity preferentially in relation to the Islamic past.

Knowledge bridges cultures

The forthcoming excavation at Al Zubara is not just an interesting research project for the University of Copenhagen and a marker for cultural heritage and identity for the Qataris. Al Zubara will be a concrete example of how knowledge leads to fruitful dialogue, opines Ingolf Thuesen.

“As an academic I think knowledge is the answer to most things. The more we know about others, the more easily we can understand them. But it is an almost impossible educational task, so the way forward is through projects where we collaborate on creating something,” he says and, regarding the collaboration with the Qataris, adds:

“It is not about agreeing on what the right creed is or to smooth things over at dialogue meetings, but about building a bridge to each other through specific tasks.”

Everyone comes from Al Zubara

During the next decade, the archaeologists will not only brush the sand off Al Zubara’s history and cultural heritage. A collective point of origin will emerge from the sand, since almost all Qataris can trace their ancestors back to Al Zubara.

After several years of forward-looking development activities and modern state building, Qatar is now, like many other emirate states, turning to its historical past to search for its cultural origin and identity.

“It is really a major archaeological venture, both for Qatar and the entire Gulf Region,” said Faisal Abdullah Al Naimi, head of the archaeological department at the Qatar Museum Authority to Danish newspaper Politiken, when the contract for the excavation work was announced at the end of November 2009. “Here in Qatar we all feel that we come from Al Zubara, although the city no longer exists. We have great respect for the Danish archaeologists. They came here 50 years ago, they worked without comfort or proper accommodation,” he said.

Faisal Abdullah Al Naimi was born and grew up in the area and belongs to the Naimi tribe, one of the two tribes who live in Qatar.

Theme – Conference in Denmark

Copenhagen passes the mega-congress test

As host of both the UN Climate Change Conference COP15 and the IOC Congress in 2009, Copenhagen has proved that the city is able to successfully hold very large international congresses. Bella Center was the venue for both events, and the director of the Nordic region’s largest congress centre looks forward to hosting more large-scale events in Copenhagen

By Jan Aagaard

To be the venue for the UN Climate Change Conference COP15, attended by heads of state and government, politicians, civil servants, journalists and NGOs from 193 countries, is no mean feat.

But after 13 hectic days in December 2009, where a total of 170,000 people walked in and out of the doors of Bella Center in Copenhagen, the director of the Nordic region’s largest congress centre looks back with satisfaction on the successful execution of the massive event.

”COP15 was the largest international summit ever outside the UN in New York, and with the exception of the long queues outside the congress centre, which the UN has lamented and taken full responsibility for, the practical execution was perfect,” says Arne Bang Michelson, managing director of Bella Center.

Efficient infrastructure

”With COP15 we have proved that Copenhagen is able to successfully host very large congresses, just as we did with the IOC Congress earlier in 2009,” says Arne Bang Mikkelsen.

One of the great benefits of placing congresses in Copenhagen that he points to is the highly efficient infrastructure. Environmentally friendly public transport such as the Metro and local rail links take you from Copenhagen Airport to Bella Center in just 7 minutes, and from Bella Center to the city centre in only 8 minutes. Few other destinations can match that.

The great challenge for Bella Center was not the actual size of COP15 but the length of the event, which meant that the congress centre had to function day and night for two solid weeks.

A particular challenge was to create optimal and manageable logistics with meeting rooms, office facilities, restaurants and lounge areas for servicing the needs of everyone from presidents of world superpowers to young activists.

Add to that the provision of meals for tens of thousands of people from all over the world, served with due consideration for religion and culture, as well as the massive security measures that an event of such magnitude requires.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose Rio as the 2016 Summer Olympic city after a final round battle in Copenhagen.
Photo: Scanpix

Preparation is the key to success

”The success of the event was due to the extremely thorough preparation over the last 2½ years, carried out together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We had a common objective of setting the bar high, and we succeeded in setting new standards in relation to sustainable international congresses,” says Arne Bang Mikkelsen.

For Bella Center, prioritising sustainability led to a EUR 1.7 million investment in energy-saving measures, which has resulted in the centre reducing its CO₂ emissions by 20 per cent compared to the 2007 level.

New congress hotel on the way

After a busy and satisfying 2009, Bella Center is looking ahead. The director thinks that the successes with COP15 and the IOC Congress can help to attract more large congresses and conferences to Copenhagen, for example in the climate and environment area.

He also sees new opportunities for Bella Center from summer 2011, when a new 4 star hotel with 814 rooms as well as restaurants, bars and meeting facilities in direct affiliation with the congress centre will be completed.

”It has long been a wish to have a hotel as an integrated part of Bella Center. Now we are not only getting a hotel, but the Nordic region’s largest hotel. We will be one of Europe’s largest congress centres and place ourselves in the senior league on the international congress market,” says Arne Bang Mikkelsen.

Leading the way in sustainable meetings

Copenhagen is Europe’s greenest city, and as host of the recent UN Climate Change Conference it has helped set new standards. COP15 officially became the world’s first sustainable international political summit. Now the ambition is to make Copenhagen the world’s leading city in sustainable congresses and conferences

By Jan Aagaard

One of the first things that tourists, business travellers and congress delegates notice in Copenhagen is the large number of cyclists. For most visitors it is an unusual sight in a modern, western metropolis. There are bicycles everywhere in Copenhagen, and with good reason: eight out of ten Copenhageners own a bicycle, and a large number of the city’s inhabitants cycle to and from work or studies every day.

Cycling is a quick, easy and safe way of getting around in Copenhagen, where there are 350 km of cycle paths, and in many places also special traffic lights for cyclists. Tourists have also embraced the two-wheeled means of transport, with a quarter of them using the free city bicycles or seeing the city on a guided cycling trip.

Cyclists are one of the elements that make Copenhagen the greenest metropolis in Europe, as was recently documented in the European Green City Index analysis.

It compares Europe’s major cities in eight areas, including CO₂ emissions, transport and air quality, and ranks Copenhagen right at the top.

Few of the attendees at the UN Climate Change Conference COP15, held in Copenhagen in December 2009, probably had time to experience the city on a bicycle. But even so, the 30,000 politicians, civil servants, reporters and NGOs who flocked in from 193 countries could hardly have been in any doubt that they were visiting a major city that leads the field in the climate and environment area. Copenhagen has set the target of becoming the world’s first CO₂ neutral capital by 2025, and now also has the ambition to become the world leader in sustainable meetings.

Green hotels and green transport

On the descent into Copenhagen Airport, delegates probably saw some of the massive wind turbines which collectively account for no less than 20 percent of Denmark’s electricity production. And from the airport, most were whisked into the city centre in a matter of minutes by the relatively new Metro or by electric trains.

The likelihood that the guests checked in at a special environmentally friendly hotel is also high because today more than half of the city’s hotels are certified according to an acknowledged environmental assessment scheme, which means that they save for example on water, electricity, air conditioning and chemicals.

The city’s newest hotel, the 4-star Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers, has been certified according to the international ”Green Key” standard and is CO₂ neutral, since the hotel’s energy comes from renewable energy sources such as high tech solar panels on the facades, while the building is cooled and heated from an underground water reservoir.

The sustainable summit

The green ambitions of Denmark and Copenhagen are also increasingly asserting themselves in the congress area. The planning and implementation of the climate conference in Copenhagen set new standards for international conferences and meant that COP15 could be officially certified as the world’s first sustainable political summit.

“With 126 Heads of State and Government and more than 30,000 participants, COP15 was one of the largest summits the world has ever seen. As organizers we are therefore particularly proud that it also became the first summit ever to be certified as a sustainable event,“ says Svend Olling, Head of COP15 Logistics in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

According to tourist organisation Wonderful Copenhagen, the certification has had a catalysing effect on the Copenhagen meetings industry, which is now presenting a range of products and services that are far greener than they were before COP15.

Against this background, Wonderful Copenhagen is focusing on attracting more congresses on climate, environment and sustainability to the Danish capital.

”COP15 can help pave the way for even more green meetings and congresses
in Copenhagen. We have established our name and have become known for a case that everyone acknowledges the importance of,” says managing director Lars Bernhard Jørgensen, Wonderful Copenhagen.

”Not only can we offer the setting, we can also contribute to content. Danish companies and research institutions have advanced far in sustainability and their strengths comprise areas such as clean-tech, life science and urban development,” says Lars Bernhard Jørgensen.

Globe on Copenhagen Town Hall Square Denmark during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December 2009.
Photo: Scanpix

Congresses in stately surroundings

Denmark is a country with a long history and a rich cultural life, which is reflected in the meeting and conference sector. In both the capital and across the country, there are many unconventional meeting facilities – from castles and manor houses to museums and theatres.

In Copenhagen you can for example hire the whole or sections of the Royal Danish Theatre’s Old Stage for conferences or other events. The theatre has existed for 250 years and you can sense the presence of history with voluptuous golden angels, imposing chandeliers and painted ceilings. The event can be combined with a theatre performance.

The former naval base Holmen in Copenhagen harbour is the location of one of the latest cultural institutions in Denmark, the Opera. It was inaugurated in 2005 and is one of the most prominent opera houses in the world. The main auditorium with space for up to 1,700 people can be hired for large conferences, with the option of using the Opera’s spacious foyer for dinner events.

Kronborg Castle at Elsinore (Helsingør), located at the entrance to the Øresund north of Copenhagen, is world-renowned from Shakespeare’s play ”Hamlet” and is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its splendid architecture, Kronborg is one of Northern Europe’s most significant Renaissance castles. It was built to demonstrate Denmark’s power and wealth, and life in the castle was lavishly luxurious. Today this unique setting is available for private events.

Aalborg in northern Denmark is known for its large congress and cultural centre, where events for up to 2,500 participants are held. But the city can also provide more unconventional facilities. On the harbour front, the new Utzon Centre pays tribute to Danish architect Jørn Utzon, forever remembered as the creator of Sydney Opera House. Utzon grew up in Aalborg and it was at the harbour that he found the inspiration for his masterpiece. The centre has its own gourmet restaurant, and can house both conferences and events.

South of Aalborg, in Denmark’s second city of Aarhus, private events can be held at the spectacular ARoS art gallery , which opened in 2004. With its nine floors, it is one of Northern Europe’s largest art galleries and contains world class art. The city’s modern concert hall also functions as the setting for many events and in its main auditorium alone, there are more than 1,500 seats. The Scandinavian Congress Center is located right next door, and has space for 2,400 people.

Odense, the home town of the immortal Hans Christian Andersen – located just one hour from Copenhagen by train or car – also offers modern congress facilities. Odense Congress Center can handle events with up to 5,000 participants including provision of food, and has its own hotel.

Your next congress destination

• Copenhagen is the world’s 9th most popular congress city.
  (Source: UIA 2008)
• For two years in a row, Denmark has been voted the World’s Best Country for Business.
  (Source: Forbes Best Countries for Business rankings 2009)
• For two years in a row, Denmark has been chosen as the world’s best IT nation in competition with 127 other countries.
  (Source: World Economic Forum, 2009)
• Denmark is the world’s second most peaceful country.
  (Source: Global Peace Index, 2008 and 2009)
• Copenhagen is the cleanest city in Europe.
  (Source: Survey among readers of Trip Advisors, 2009)
• Copenhagen has the world’s third best infrastructure.
  (Source: Mercer’s 2009 Quality of Living survey)
• Copenhagen’s restaurants currently boast a record total of 14 Michelin stars, which is more than cities such as Rome, Berlin, Vienna and Madrid.
  (Source: The Michelin Red Guide 2009)
• Copenhagen has a highly educated workforce and a labour productivity among the highest in the world.
  (Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2009)
• Copenhagen is the world’s most liveable city and is ’designed for living’.
  (Source: Monocle magazine, Top 25 Most Liveable Cities, 2008)

Direct to Denmark

The gateway to Denmark and the Scandinavian countries is the efficient and well-connected Copenhagen Airport

By Jan Aagaard

Photo: Copenhagen Airports

It is easy to get to and from Denmark. Thanks to Copenhagen Airport, which is not only Scandinavia’s largest but also an important hub for air traffic in Northern Europe, Copenhagen is favoured with more flights than the population of the city and region suggests.

From Copenhagen Airport, which has several times been judged Europe’s best and most efficient airport in recent years, there are direct connections to about 110 destinations – including 15 outside Europe.

Even at a difficult time for international aviation, Copenhagen Airport has succeeded in establishing new routes and attracting new airlines. Last year, two of Europe’s leading budget airlines – Norwegian and transavia.com – set up bases at the airport and created a number of new routes to European destinations in particular.

Several new airlines have heralded their arrival this year, including Air Canada which will start daily direct flights between Toronto and Copenhagen, while Qatar Airways is setting up a new route to and from Doha in the Middle East with four weekly departures.

Delta, which is already flying between Copenhagen and Atlanta, will establish a new route between Copenhagen and New York – a destination which is also operated by SAS and Continental. In addition, other airlines will establish new routes to various European destinations during the year – including Lyon and Cologne.

Copenhagen Airport has its own rail and Metro stations and is thus directly connected with the well-functioning infrastructure in Copenhagen and the Øresund Region. The trip from the airport to the centre of Copenhagen takes only 12 minutes by rail or Metro, while Malmø in Sweden is just 20 minutes away via the Øresund Bridge.

From the airport there are also connections to the rest of Denmark, as well as direct access to the rail and motorway network, which also connects Copenhagen with Sweden.

Into battle against boring meetings

Away with dull meetings! That is the slogan of Meetovation, a range of innovative meeting concepts which Denmark’s national tourism organisation, VisitDenmark, has developed in collaboration with experts from the Danish meetings sector.

Educational research has shown that lectures and presentations are just about the worst way of learning – especially in a modern knowledge society where employees are used to working in teams, sharing knowledge, discussing issues and forming opinions.

Even so, most congresses, conferences and meetings are still based on conventional one-way communication. Meetovation is attempting to break with this habit by using specific tools and concepts that together form five common meeting elements. The key rules for all Meetovation concepts are: Participation, flexibility, responsibility, evaluation and relocation.

The concepts prepare the ground for creating a different meeting experience, involving the attendees and using the physical setting in a flexible and creative way.

On http://www.meetovation.dk, organisers can choose from a wide range of meeting concepts – for example ”Sales & Communication” or ”Motivation & Information” – offered by hotels and conference centres across the whole of Denmark.

The Comwell hotel chain for example offers the Easy MeetingBox concept, which involves a toolkit with various tools and instructions which can stimulate creativity and innovation. The kit comprises elements such as ”rubber brains”, picture cards and role cards, and practical elements such as post-it notes, sticky tags and a meeting bell.

Included in the concept is a dialogue with Comwell’s MeetingDesigners who will tailor a proposal for a meeting programme and instruct the organiser in using the Easy MeetingBox.

Hotel boom in Copenhagen

Copenhagen offers everything from modern 5-star hotels with their own conference rooms to small, cosy boutique hotels in the historic centre, and these days the city is seeing a boom in the supply of hotels and congress facilities.

In 2009 alone, Copenhagen gained four new hotels with a total of 1,600 rooms. And in the coming years, a further 1,400 new hotel rooms will be added to the existing capacity.

2009 saw the opening of a new and unconventional conference centre, CPH Conference, where each floor has been designed to resemble a different Copenhagen city district in order to give guests a special experience. The centre, which is part of DGI byen, a gathering point for sport and culture in Copenhagen, emphasises playful and social elements in the events. Nintendo Wii consoles are available in the breaks, and the basement has been fitted out with 16 new bowling alleys.

Denmark’s first floating hotel, CPH LIVING, was one of the innovative features in the hotel sector in 2009. With just 12 rooms on a houseboat in the city centre, it offers unconventional surroundings and an amazing view over the harbour and the medieval part of the city.

At the other end of the scale in terms of size is the new CABINN Metro with 710 rooms – a 2-star hotel designed by the renowned architect Daniel Libeskind and located in Ørestad, a new district of great architectural dynamism just a few minutes from the city centre. In Ørestad, the new Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers with 366 rooms and conference facilities were also added in 2009.

Tivoli Congress Center is a new hotel and congress complex close to the city centre. It has been developed in close collaboration with the fabled Danish amusement park Tivoli, and also encompasses product packages and events.

When fully developed, the new congress facilities will have space for 4,000 guests – with 2,500 people in the largest hall. While these facilities are planned to open in late summer 2010, the centre’s first hotel was inaugurated in 2009 – Wakeup Copenhagen, a modern budget price hotel with 510 rooms. The 4-star theme hotel, Tivoli Hotel, with 402 rooms, will also open in 2010.

In 2011 another impressive congress hotel will open in Copenhagen, where the Nordic region’s largest congress centre, Bella Center, is expanding with the Nordic region’s largest hotel. Bella Hotel will have 814 rooms including 115 suites, three restaurants, two bars, 32 meeting rooms, and a spa and fitness centre. The new hotel will have a significant architectural expression with two 76.5 metre high towers, which have a staggered arrangement so that each appears to ”look over the shoulder” of the other. With a slope of 15 degrees, the two towers will lean more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The hotel is expected to be inaugurated during summer 2011.

THEME – RENEWABLE ENERGY

Denmark’s leader in renewable energy

The Central Denmark Region covers close to 30 per cent of its energy needs with renewable energy. This is probably a world record, if hydropower is not included

By Morten Andersen

Photo: Region Midtjylland

The people of the province of Jutland are generally not so talkative, but they certainly get things done. So it is perhaps not surprising that the Central Denmark Region leads Denmark – if not the world – in renewable energy. Two thirds of Danish environmental and energy technology exports come from this region. And the region covers nearly 30 percent of its energy needs from renewable energy.

“We will reach 30 percent within a few years. So I believe that we will reach our new goal of 50 percent in 2025,” says Henrik Brask Pedersen, head of Environment, Technology and Infrastructure.

It is characteristic of the region’s efforts in renewable energy, that its success is spread across many different forms of energy. Besides the classic Danish use of wind, the Central Denmark Region is making its mark in biodiesel, biogas, solar heating, district heating and hydrogen.

Typically it is local companies and enthusiasts who have pulled the load. But they have also had a framework to work in, says Henrik Brask Pedersen: “In 2006, we adopted a new business strategy that mainly focuses on energy and environment. And this was before all the talk about Denmark hosting the UN climate summit. It was something we did because we could see that in our region there were already many jobs in the area. So it was an obvious area to target.”

Renewable energy Central Denmark Region

Classic Danish wind power in the Central Denmark Region is represented by Siemens Wind Power in Brande and Vestas Wind Systems in Lem, Randers, Ringkøbing, Viborg, Aarhus and Hammel. Spain’s Gamesa and India’s Suzlon are also represented in the region with development departments. And the largest test centre for wind turbines, Høvsøre, is in the region. The centre is operated by Risø DTU under the Technical University of Denmark.

1. In Herning Research park, which is part of Aarhus University, lies Denmark’s first test centre for hydrogen technologies. It is involved in the development and rollout of fuelling facilities, so that in a few years’ time it will be possible to tank up a hydrogen car throughout Jutland. These will include large mowers and other vehicles where the absence of noise and pollution make it attractive to use hydrogen as a fuel.

2. District heating is already a relatively climate-friendly form of energy because it uses waste heat from power plants. In Brædstrup they have gone a step further by utilizing solar energy as a basis for district heating. “The plant has recently achieved the highest honour - it has been built out of Lego bricks in Legoland,” notes Henrik Brask Pedersen with a smile.

Photo: Region Midtjylland

3. South of Horsens is the world’s first plant producing 2nd generation biodiesel. This means that instead of producing biodiesel from food (1st generation), it is made from waste – in this case offal from abattoirs. In Denmark’s second largest city Aarhus a demonstration project is under way, where all gasoline stations supply their customers with diesel blended with 5% biodiesel.

Photo: Region Midtjylland

4. In Foulum near Viborg is one of the world’s largest test plants for biogas. In addition to traditional gasification of slurry from pig production, innovative projects are under way – for example using biomass cut from a in the interests of water flow, as feedstock. In that way, nature conservation and renewable energy form a synthesis. The project also provides residues that can be used as fertilizer on fields.

5. The CO₂ neutral island of Samsø. The island with its approx. 5,000 inhabitants has received much publicity in the international press in recent years. An offshore wind farm produces more electricity than the island uses. The surplus more than offsets the island’s consumption of fossil fuels like heating oil and gasoline. And on land, use is made of solar heating, biofuels and wind turbines.

THEME – DANISH ClEANTECH

The rapid rise of Danish cleantech

Over the last 10 years, exports of Danish cleantech have grown at three times the rate of total exports. Denmark is known primarily for wind and biomass, but other areas such as water purification, air pollution control and intelligent energy solutions are also developing rapidly

By Anne Klejsgård Hansen

The Danish government has given massive support to wind energy development since the 1990s. Today, Denmark has a flourishing wind energy industry, which includes the world’s leading wind turbine manufacturer Vestas.

The market for cleantech has taken off like a rocket in recent years and, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global investments in the energy industry will total USD 26-36 trillion by 2030, despite the failure to reach an international climate agreement in Copenhagen. Energy and environment companies will be forced to rely on a wide range of technologies in order to keep up with demand.

“The demand for cleantech will grow, the two main growth parameters being energy supply and energy security. There are currently 6.8 billion people in the world, but that number will, according to UN and The World Bank, increase to 9 billion in 2050. This will put pressure on both energy resources and energy efficiency. At the same time, the need for energy security and supply security will force many countries to make themselves less dependent on fossil fuels,” says Anders Stouge, director of the Danish Energy Industries Federation, Denmark’s largest trade organisation for energy technology companies.

In the last 10 years, Danish cleantech companies have experienced tremendous growth, with cleantech exports growing at three times the rate of total exports during this period. Exports of energy technology reached EUR 8.6 billion in 2008, making Denmark the leading EU country in exports of energy technology as a proportion of total exports.

The Trade Council is keeping a close eye on developments and has noted, that exports of Danish energy technology are growing significantly even on markets where Danish exports are otherwise experiencing hard times.

“Europe is still the most important market for Danish energy technology, but in 2008 we saw an 11% increase in energy technology exports to North America, which is otherwise considered a difficult market,” says Claus Hermansen, team leader for energy and environment at The Trade Council.

Political commitment

Wind technology and the use of biomass as an energy source have driven the development of Danish energy and environment technology, and industry observers are in no doubt that it is the political framework conditions which have given Danish companies their leading position.

“In the 1980s and 1990s we saw a strong political commitment to wind energy, where we quickly established a domestic market and interplay between producers, authorities and knowledge institutions. This made it attractive for Danish companies to get involved in wind energy, and it is one of the main reasons why the world’s leading wind turbine manufacturer and a number of the leading suppliers to the industry are Danish,” says Anders Stouge, who also points to technology for the use of biomass as an energy source as a significant growth area. Around 13 per cent of Denmark’s energy consumption is currently generated from biomass.

He suggests that the strict political demands for greater use of renewable energy such as wind and bioenergy have provided the impulse for technological development, and have thus created a showcase for Danish cleantech. This has resulted in many other countries looking at Denmark’s achievements in this area.

Cleantech – a global growth market

Since 1995 exports of climate and energy technology have grown more than three times faster than total Danish exports.

In the mid 1990s, climate & energy technology accounted for 5 per cent of total Danish exports.

In 2008 exports of climate & energy technology from Denmark totalled DKK 64 billion (EUR 8.6 billion), 11 per cent of total exports.

Source: Danish Energy Industries Federation

Multiple solutions needed

Wind and biomass will remain some of the key energy and environmental technologies for Danish companies. But for Denmark to maintain its impressive export figures, it is vital that we invest in a broad range of technologies, opines Anders Stouge.

“In the shorter term, growth will continue to be driven by known technologies, but in the longer term it is essential to increasingly include unproven technologies in areas such as water, air and solar. Many of the new technologies have a development horizon of 20 years or more, so it is vital that companies think ahead in terms of their research and development,” says Anders Stouge.

He expects that wind technology and technology for exploiting biomass as an energy source will continue to show massive growth, but that other areas will also play a major role.

“We have strong competences in using energy in more intelligent ways, and in transporting and storing renewable energy. This know-how can be really important because the increasing demand for energy and the global demand for more renewable energy will greatly influence the way we use energy,” says Anders Stouge.

His counterpart at the Danish federation of environmental technology companies, Jørn Jespersen, is convinced that the growing demand for energy and increased global regulation of the sector will accelerate its development. He sees water and air especially as two significant growth areas.

“Globally, there is huge market potential in the water area. For while oil can be replaced by other forms of energy when it runs out, there is nothing that can replace pure water. To me, that makes it the most interesting area of all,” says Jørn Jespersen.

He also suggests that rising levels of air pollution - especially in cities - will make air technology increasingly important, and so the demand for it will increase.

The Danish energy industry aims to improve its long-term growth opportunities through outsourcing, new products and R&D

Source: DI market survey data for Q4 2009 and data from the Danish Energy Industries Federation.
Question: Which internal focus areas are the most important for improving your company's growth opportunities in the long term?

Plant proteins could revolutionise water technology

Is it really possible to purify water of everything else but water molecules by simply pouring it through a filter?

The answer, according to Danish water company AQUAporin, is yes.

“By simulating one of nature’s own proteins, the aquaporins, we have created a membrane that can purify water without the use of chemicals,” explains CEO Peter Holm. “The aquaporins sit in plant cell walls and ensure that only water molecules penetrate the membrane. It is this capacity we try to imitate.”

AQUAporin started four years ago as a small research company, but large capital injections from both domestic and international investors and institutions such as NASA has given the company a considerable boost.

“There is no doubt that this area really has blockbuster potential,” says Peter Holme, who today heads a workforce of more than 20 people.

According to Holme, the global market for ultra-pure water is currently estimated to be worth DKK 20 billion (EUR 2.7 billion), while membrane filtration for the purification of seawater is estimated to have a market value of around DKK 50 billion (EUR 6.7 billion).

Two primary markets

Ultra-pure water already exists today and is widely used in laboratories around the world. But creating it involves a highly energy-demanding chemical process, and with a price of around DKK 1,000 (EUR 134) per litre, there is great interest in an alternative to chemically produced water.

AQUAporin is initially focusing on two primary markets: ultra-pure water for laboratories, and the cleaning of fluids for use in space.

The latter resulted in NASA being added to AQUAporin’s reference list. “The contact was established in 2008, and NASA sees great prospects for our technology,” explains Peter Holme.

AQUAporin’s technology is of considerable interest to NASA because it allows astronauts to pass their urine through the filter and get a glass of pure water out of it, which they can mix with a sachet of protein powder to produce their next meal.

“At the same time NASA can save a lot of money. Each litre of fluid that is sent into space costs more than DKK 100,000 (EUR 13,435), so minimizing the amount of fluid is very good business for them – even if they have to pay a relatively high price for our filters,” says Peter Holme.

NASA is among the companies and institutions which will be field-testing AQUAporin filters next year. In the longer term Peter Holme expects that AQUAporin filters can also be used for the desalination of seawater, where the potential is forecast to be enormous.

http://www.aquaporin.dk

New technology can reduce air pollution in cities by 90 per cent

Giant snorting trucks, gas guzzling buses and a rapidly growing car population in recent years have caused massive air pollution problems in the world’s major cities, but a new technology from the Danish company Grundfos NoNox is ready to clear the fumes away.

The company has developed a high-tech dosing pump that can reduce the level of toxic nitrogen oxides emitted by diesel engines by up to 90 per cent. And expectations are high.

“There is huge interest in the technology, and with the ever increasing regulation of pollution from transport, the market for this type of technology will grow significantly,” says Jens Lübeck Johansen, CEO of Grundfos NoNox.

And he has great faith in the future. “There is no doubt that demand will increase significantly over time. In Europe, the Euronorm regulation which limits the climate and environment impact of cars is already strict, and the US is close on the heels of the Europeans,” says Jens Lübeck Johansen, who adds that countries like China, India and Russia are also preparing to embark on stricter regulation of the sector.

Grundfos NoNox is already collaborating with some of the world’s largest engine manufacturers such as Cummins, FAW and Tatra.

High technology and know-how

The dosing pump is the result of many years of intensive work by some of Denmark’s most talented engineers. Work on the dosing pump started around 2000, but it was not until 2006 that Grundfos NoNox was established as an independent company.

“We were formerly a part of Grundfos New Business Unit (Grundfos is one of Denmark’s largest companies, Ed.), but when it became clear in 2006 that there was a very large market potential for the technology, we separated out as an independent company,” explains Jens Lübeck Johansen.

The function of the pump is to dose urea accurately and continuously into the diesel engine’s exhaust under varying loads. The urea converts NOx to harmless water and nitrogen in the catalytic converter.

“The dosing pump is designed so that it can be used both for new engines and for retrofitting existing vehicles. But primarily it is used in the development of new engines, and I would reckon that well over 90 per cent of our sales go directly to engine manufacturers,” explains Jens Lübeck Johansen.

He estimates that if stricter global rules are introduced in this area, 3 million dosing pumps will be needed annually.

The technology has won Grundfos NoNox the Danish EU environmental award.

http://www.grundfos.com/NoNox

Intelligent lighting control can save money and CO₂

The energy bill is one of the weightiest items in any municipal budget. But by controlling lighting in a more intelligent way, both the electricity bill and the municipality’s CO₂ footprint can be significantly reduced.

The Danish company Amplex specialises in intelligent street lighting. Its AmpLight system can reduce energy consumption for street lighting in an average city by up to 40 percent. This is important from both the economic and CO₂ footprint perspective, since street lighting typically accounts for a third of a city’s total energy budget.

“There are huge savings to be made, both in economic and environmental terms. And we find that the cities which make use of the system are very satisfied and quickly recoup their investment,” says Nønne Holm Carlsen, communications director at Amplex.

Many Danish cities are already using the system, and at current Danish electricity prices the investment is recouped in about a year. The ROI period depends on electricity prices in a given country, but according to Amplex they have not yet seen it extend beyond 3-4 years.

The system centrally regulates street lighting according to embedded criteria that suit varying needs, and can reduce power consumption by up to 40 percent without the townspeople even noticing it.

Great interest from abroad

In just eight years, Amplex has developed from a small business project in a basement in the university town of Aarhus, to a company which now has an impressive client portfolio.

“We are seeing great interest from abroad, where we are engaged in a number of countries such as China, USA, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Indonesia,” explains Nønne Holm Carlsen.

She draws attention to the fact that if the system were introduced globally, it could make a big difference from the climate perspective.

“If all streetlights in the world used Amplex Energy Savings Mode at off-peak traffic hours, carbon emissions would decrease by the same as the annual carbon footprint of Russia,” she says.

Amplex has recently signed a collaboration agreement with US concern Boeing on a system for intelligent control of street lighting, which can reduce energy consumption in major US cities by 25 to 35 per cent.

The idea is that the combination of Amplex technology and Boeing Energy Solutions’ experience in sales, procurement and project management will enable the two companies to offer customised energy-saving solutions to US cities.

http://www.amplex.dk

RECYCLING PLASTERBOARD

Mister Plasterboard

Henrik Lund-Nielsen has always been interested in recycling. By making plasterboard waste usable, he solves a climate problem at the same time

By Morten Andersen

Photo: Gypsum Recycling

“I don’t see myself as an environmental saviour. But I am certainly resource-oriented!”

Henrik Lund-Nielsen is wearing a shirt and tie, his appearance indicating that the director of Gypsum Recycling considers it a thing of the past to associate recycling with long hair and knitted sweaters. Since it was founded in 2001, his company has achieved international success with sales in UK, USA, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Holland, Belgium and Switzerland, in addition to a leading position on the Danish domestic market.

“I am an economist by training, and previously had management jobs in the furniture sector and related industries. But I have always had an interest in recycling. What drives me is the belief that things have a value,” explains Henrik Lund-Nielsen.

Gypsum Recycling has developed a system that recycles plaster from plasterboard. It makes an otherwise wasted resource not only usable again, but also provides a considerable benefit for the climate.

Worldwide, it is estimated that around 15 million tons of plaster waste are produced every year. Gases produced by the plaster waste, along with other landfill waste, generate around 3-5% of combined global greenhouse gas emissions. In comparison, the global aviation industry generates about 2% of the emissions.

“Unfortunately, it is normally only the energy and transport sectors that attract attention in relation to climate. But waste in disposal sites also contributes a lot to the greenhouse effect, so we can really make a positive impact on climate change by recycling more. Politicians are starting to realise this, but there is still far from enough attention being paid to it,” says the director.

Although he doesn’t see himself as an environmental saviour, Henrik Lund-Nielsen took a significant financial risk when he put his own money into the company:

“A company of this type will always make a loss in the early years. I invested because there was an element of the environment in the company’s foundation. I have no doubt that the environment will remain in focus in the long term.”

Old plasterboard is worth its weight in gold

The Danish waste management model is designed to maximise recycling. Gypsum Recycling is one of the international success stories in this area

By Morten Andersen

Gypsum Recycling employee with recovered plaster for recycling. The separated nails and paper are also recycled.
Photo: Zann and Pinkerton, Gypsum Recycling

Gypsum Recycling has developed a system that strips the plasterboard of its paper cladding and grinds the plaster to a powder of almost the same quality as virgin plaster. To be precise, the finished product is 99% as pure as ordinary plaster. This is easily good enough for making new plasterboard that is comparable to all the others, and is evidenced by the fact that the world’s five biggest manufacturers of plasterboard – Lafarge, BPB, USG, National Gypsum and Knauf – all buy the product.

In Denmark, the majority of the country’s 200 or so municipal recycling centres are customers of Gypsum Recycling, and today 20-25% of the plaster used domestically comes from recycling. The company’s director Henrik Lund-Nielsen cannot help but smile when he reveals a sales trick:

“Many municipalities are initially a bit sceptical and have difficulty believing that they have so much plaster waste that it can pay to be one of our customers. So we offer them a free three month trial period. That gives them time to discover how much plaster they actually have, and after that they can’t do without us. It never fails.”

Double climate benefit

Although the municipalities pay for delivering their plaster waste for recycling, it is cheaper for them than taking it to a waste disposal site. At the same time, Gypsum Recycling’s solution delivers a double benefit for the climate. Firstly, it takes less energy to use plaster that has already been produced than to manufacture virgin plaster. And secondly, it avoids the climate-damaging effect of dumping plasterboard at a waste disposal site. The paper cladding of plasterboard encourages the formation in waste disposal sites of methane, a greenhouse gas which is 20 times more potent than CO₂.

In fairness, it should be added to the equation that the collection and processing at Gypsum Recycling requires energy and produces CO₂. But the net result is that the atmosphere is saved the equivalent of 0.2 tons of CO₂ for each ton of plaster waste sent for recycling rather than to the disposal site.

“This climate benefit gives our customers certificates, and I can tell you that they are very happy to have them. This is especially the case for recycling centres, which are the key elements in getting the system to work. It is they who do the sorting of waste, so their motivation is crucial,” says Henrik Lund-Nielsen.

Avoiding toxic hydrogen sulphide

In countries like Denmark, where incineration plays a major role in waste management, there is an extra benefit to recycling plaster. It is only the paper cladding, which comprises around 10% of plasterboard, which can be combusted. The other 90% will become furnace slag if plasterboard is mixed with other waste and put in the incinerator.

“It is not only a massive waste of resources but also an environmental problem when the plaster comes in for incineration. Every municipality can see this,” says Henrik Lund-Nielsen.

The municipalities receive all the waste from private households. And since virtually every municipality agrees that plaster should be recycled, today over 80% of plasterboard waste from private homes goes for recycling. The overall proportion of plasterboard waste recycled in the country is however only 50-60%. Businesses have been a bit slower in joining in, but they are now beginning to come on board.

In countries where plasterboard is deposited at waste disposal sites where it is mixed in with household waste, another more serious environmental problem arises. Plaster contains large amounts of sulphur which normally remains chemically bound as sulphate. But microorganisms from the household waste can liberate the sulphur, which leads to the formation of the toxic gas hydrogen sulphide. The EU has therefore agreed that plaster waste will henceforth be deposited separately at waste disposal sites, which makes recycling an obvious thing to do.

Britain takes the lead

Measured in tons, Denmark is still the biggest market for Gypsum Recycling, but the new EU rules will alter that picture, foresees Henrik Lund-Nielsen.

“Britain is the first country which has adopted the EU directive into its own legislation. At the same time it has imposed special taxes on disposal at waste dumps, and these taxes will increase significantly in the coming years. I noticed that Prime Minister Gordon Brown referred to the environmental issue when the tax was announced. I expect that Britain will soon become our biggest market, and that other countries will follow when they introduce the EU rules.”

The Danish waste management model

64% of the waste Denmark produces is recycled, a very high percentage in an international context.

Waste should preferably be recycled. If this is not feasible, waste should be incinerated so that at least some energy can be obtained from it. Only when it is not feasible – for example because the waste is not combustible, or because incineration would create insurmountable environmental problems – is the waste taken to a disposal site.

This is the waste management hierarchy that has operated for many years in Denmark, where currently 64% of all waste is recycled.

The Danish waste management model works through a combination of traditional legislation and economic instruments in the form of taxes and fees. Dumping waste is the most expensive solution, incineration is cheaper, and recycling is free. Moreover, there are taxes on packaging, plastic bags and disposable table-ware, as well as on nickel-cadmium batteries.

Citizens don’t actually pay when they take waste to municipal recycling centres, but the municipalities’ costs are determined by which solutions are chosen. So citizens experience the costs through their tax bills. Businesses pay taxes and fees when they dispose of their waste.

For some types of packaging there are deposit schemes, for example packaging for beer and soft drinks.

Municipalities are allowed to charge fees to cover the cost of handling particular types of waste from businesses. In addition certain types of product – such as tyres and lead-containing batteries – are subject to special charges to finance collection and recycling.

FAMILY FRIENDLY FRAMEWORK

Photo: Scanpix

The Danish sense of balance

Flexible working hours, child care guarantees and the opportunity to work from home when the kids are sick; these are just some of the ingredients in the special balance between family life and work which has become Denmark’s trademark for foreigners working in the country

By Annemette Schultz Jørgensen

More and more surveys show that Danes are the happiest people in the world. There are several explanations for this, some of which point to Danish democracy while others point to economic wealth and social equality. But if you ask those with expert knowledge of the labour market and ’work life balance’, there is little doubt.

Attractive welfare services and flexible working arrangements, combined with a management style that gives employees space to prioritise their private lives, make Denmark one of the best countries at creating a good balance between family life and work. A balance which enables both men and women to pursue their careers without compromising the desire to have a family. As a result, almost as many women as men choose to work – and this at a time when an increasing number of children are being born.

Births in denmark in the period 1999 to 2008

Childcare and maternity

”Denmark has some quite unique welfare services and labour market rules which make it possible to have both a meaningful job and also prioritise private life, especially if you are a family with small children. So there are good opportunities to create a healthy balance between family life and work in Denmark,” says Helle Holt, senior researcher at SFI, the Danish National Centre for Social Research.

She explains that one of the special things about Denmark is the opportunity for full-time childcare, which applies to all children from six months of age right up to fourth grade, where they can be looked after in the afternoon after school. At the same time, Denmark has 12 months’ maternity leave, which also comprises leave for the child’s father if he should wish it. This enables parents to look after their child during infancy while maintaining the connection with the labour market. In addition both public sector workplaces and an increasing number of private companies pay full salary for a part or the whole of the maternity leave, which puts less pressure on the domestic economy for parents with small children.

Flexible working hours

Workindenmark recruits and maintains foreign labour and has gained experience with foreigners’ opinions of Denmark regarding the creation of a healthy balance between family life and work. Recruitment consultant Heidi Ås says that the views foreigners have are generally formed in relation to labour market conditions prevailing in their native country. Besides childcare and maternity leave opportunities, it is often the flexibility of the labour market that matters.

”In Denmark we have a high degree of flexibility at work. In many places you do not have to go to work at a certain time, as long as you keep track of how many hours you work. At the same time many have the opportunity to work from home from time to time, while the law also gives employees the right to stay at home on full pay on the first day of a child’s illness. It is quite unique and makes it easier for family and job to hang together,” says Heidi Ås.

Another positive factor she mentions is the 37 hour Danish working week, which is short compared to many other countries. Combined with a minimum five weeks’ holiday for all wage earners, this makes it possible to get something meaningful out of your spare time in Denmark. Heidi Ås also points to the modern Danish management style which manifests itself in flat hierarchies. There is only a short distance from top to bottom in Danish workplaces, and great importance is attached to opportunities for influence and consideration of the individual.

Focus on the person

”What strikes many foreigners when they come to Denmark to work is the open and modern style of management. There is a great acceptance that employees are people, not machines. One can rise quickly through the ranks and shape a career if that is what you want. At the same time there is great understanding for those who want time and space for family life. So the opportunities for shorter working hours are also good in Denmark,” says Heidi Ås.

The statistics tell their own story. The occupational rate among women is 88 per cent, while for men it is 94 percent. At the same time, the birth rate is increasing; in 2008 more children were born in Denmark than in each of the previous six years.

”In Denmark, we have created a framework that enables both parents to work and pursue their ambitions without affecting their desire to have a family. In many other countries this is not possible, and often means that women must choose between having a career and having children. In Denmark they can go hand in hand, and that is unique seen in an international context,” concludes Helle Holt.

Space for both family life and career

For the Binning family from Australia, there is no doubt that the long holidays and the opportunity for both parents to pursue their careers are definite advantages of living in Denmark – thanks to Denmark’s childcare facilities and family-friendly management style

By Annemette Schultz Jørgensen

Photo: Annemette Schultz Jørgensen

”Coming to Denmark has really kick-started my career as a doctor. You only have to work a 37 hour week here, which makes it a lot easier as a doctor to combine your career with a fulfilling family life. In Australia I had to work double the hours as a full-time doctor, and that you cannot do when you have small children,” says 42 year old Susan Binning. She is one of the Australian family of four, which also comprises husband Philip Binning, 43, and their children Charlotte, 10, and Alexander, 6.

They left Newcastle in Australia in 2004, when the children were age 4 and 1 respectively, to realise the dream of trying to live and work somewhere else in the world for a period of time. The choice fell on Denmark, where Phillip Binning was offered an ideal position as lecturer in groundwater research at the Technical University of Denmark north of Copenhagen. When the family arrived in Denmark, it was uncertain how long they would stay here, but six years later there is no sign of them checking out. And there are several reasons for that. Both Philip and Susan Binning are well started on their careers, the children are doing exceptionally well in their Danish school, social networks have been established, and all four now speak Danish fluently.

A healthy working culture

”Before we came to Copenhagen, I never took the full four weeks’ holiday that I was entitled to in Australia, because you simply work more there. In Denmark we both have six weeks paid holiday, and you are expected to take it. It’s fantastic for family life to be together for so many weeks of the year,” says Philip Binning, who initially had to get used to taking time off, because he feared it would have a negative impact on his career. Today he has learnt that prioritising family life is a core element of Danish working culture, and something that Danish managers actually encourage.

”Danish employers strongly prioritise family life. My boss frequently makes it clear at our meetings that we must remember to have time off. This is something I have never experienced anywhere else in the world. It helps create a healthy working culture, which also gives you space for life outside work,” he says, and his wife nods in agreement. Susan Binning also thinks that one of the things which has made a big difference to her as a mother of two small children, is the Danish childcare scheme. Not only is full-time care offered, but it is also expected that the offer is accepted.

Occupational rate (2008):

Source: Statistics Denmark

More time for family life

”In Denmark everyone has their children looked after five days a week. It makes a difference for women particularly, because it enables us to have an active career at the same time as having small children. In Australia you feel you are a bad mother if you have your children looked after all week. But here it is expected. And although I perhaps would have wanted more time with the children when they were small, I am now really happy that I got my career up and running,” says Susan Binning, who adds that full-time child daycare institutions in Denmark should not be thought of as 24 hour-a-day facilities. In contrast to Australia, where child care facilities first close between 6 PM and 7 PM, child care facilities in Denmark close at 5 PM which means that one also has a family life together in the afternoons.

”Here people leave work in the afternoon to fetch the children, which means that you get more time together as a family. I really like that,” she says, and also highlights the Danish after-school care scheme as something special. In Australia the school day ends at 3.30 PM, when most children go home. So many parents have to arrange for grandparents or babysitters to fetch the children, because they cannot leave work early.

”In Denmark the school day is shorter, but on the other hand there is after-school care for the children during the afternoon. It creates a lot more peace in our family, and that is nice,” she says, and is supplemented by her husband who says that when the family first arrived in Denmark, he was surprised by another difference in the school system. Namely that Danish schoolchildren start school at a later age and also have a shorter school day.

Number of children in danish daycare centres (2008):

Source: Statistics Denmark

Danish competitiveness

”I was really sceptical to begin with but have since learnt that in Denmark, first priority is given to forming children’s social competences so they are more mature and ready to learn when they start school. The same social focus runs right through the education system, which I can clearly see since I have dealings with PhD students in my job. They are far more independent and creative than I have seen in other places. I think it is exactly this social focus which makes Denmark really competitive,” says Philip Binning.

Both he and Susan agree however that the difference between life in Denmark and life in Australia is not black and white. And while life in Denmark is preferable in most ways as a family with growing children, there are also things about home that they miss – for example the more open and relaxed Australian social conventions with neighbours and friends. And sometimes also the climate in Newcastle, which is several degrees warmer than in Denmark. On the other hand they also agree that it is difficult to be dissatisfied with life in the Danish capital when December comes around, and the Christmas music on the radio is ´dreaming of a white Christmas´ as the snowflakes settle like a soft quilt over the Danish landscape.

WORLD CUP GRASS

Denmark on home turf in South Africa

Coaches, players and fans demand a lot where the turf on a football pitch is concerned. A Danish company is supplying the turf for the FIFA Word Cup in South Africa, and it is something of an art to produce a playing surface that can handle all the action

By Henrik Nordskilde

On a late November day in 2009 jubilation erupted at the headquarters of the Danish company DLF-Trifolium in Roskilde to the west of Copenhagen. The news that the company had won the contract to supply the turf for the upcoming FIFA World Cup spread like wildfire around the building. The result of much preparatory work, the task is one that players and coaches will appreciate if the blades of grass can handle the important task they face: to maintain their beautiful green colour, and spring straight back up after they have been trodden on.

The former Danish national team player Henrik Larsen is in no doubt about the value of a pitch where players can rely on the ball not suddenly veering off course.

”The condition of the pitch is vital to the game. Naturally it will depend on how the team wants to play, but if you are going to have decent football, the pitch is important. If the tactic is to play a tight passing game rather than booting long balls upfield, it creates risks if the pitch is bad. If the ball hits a divot and bounces off a player’s shin so that it runs straight to an opponent, it can be dangerous. Many goals have been scored from this kind of situation,” says Henrik Larsen.

He played in Denmark, Italy, England and Germany, was in the team when Denmark won the European Championship in 1992, and has since worked as a coach both in Denmark and for the Faroese national team.

Spectators at a football match can sometimes see the players walking casually around the pitch before changing into their
kit and starting their warming-up routines. Part of the ’ritual’ is to enable the players to check out their workplace for the next couple of hours. During his playing career, Henrik Larsen did this pre-match walk many times.

”Before the match you check on whether you need long or short studs on your boots. You need to be sure that you won’t slip. And you examine whether the pitch is wet or lumpy. Pitches can vary a lot from place to place. When I played in Italy, we didn’t have particularly good practice pitches, but I have for example visited Arsenal in Premier League, where they had extremely good practice pitches. I think there is generally more focus on this now.”

DLF-Trifolium

Employs around 650 people and has test stations/subsidiaries in the Netherlands, USA, Germany, Britain, Russia, China, Czech Republic, New Zealand, France and South America. At the test stations, the grass seed is sown in plots of 1 square metre, and growth is monitored. The company has a 50 per cent share of the European market and a 20 per cent share of the world market. Customers cover several segments: agriculture, hobby, lawns and professional grass surfaces, including for sport. It takes 12-13 years to develop a new grass variety, where species are cross-bred and tested until the grass has the right properties.

Grass seed goes to ’training camp’

For the organisers of the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the pitch will certainly be a focus area. The playing surface is like the referee: it attracts most attention when it is not all right. So there must be nothing about the pitches at the 10 stadiums which will be used during the FIFA World Cup, that one can point a finger at. The grass must be hard-wearing enough for playing football and look good to the spectators and the hundreds of millions of viewers who will follow the 64 matches on TV – from the opening match on 11 June between South Africa and Mexico until the final on 11 July.

But these are tough conditions for the grass which will have to cope with thousands of studded steps, tussles and tackles. Some of the pitches are in shadow for a large part of the day, while others get the sun, and there can be great climatic differences in South Africa, where some parts of the country have night frost in June and July. The grass will have to handle all these challenges.

The natural varieties of grass in South Africa are not suitable for the FIFA World Cup since they go into a dormant state during the South African winter and lose some of their green colour and wearability. So it has been a long and important process to find grass that suits both the climate and the demands of the FIFA World Cup. Suppliers from around the world have sent grass seed to a South African expert selected by FIFA. Since 2007, he has had the grass seed in a form of ’training camp’. The seed has been sown on small areas for the expert to assess which varieties best suit the conditions in South Africa. The process of perfecting something as seemingly mundane as grass demonstrates that there are big differences between grass surfaces, despite the fact that football pitches and golf courses look the same on TV.

”The varieties are chosen on the basis of which diseases they must withstand, the climate, wearability, and how fast they grow. We test them with a kind of football boot machine in the form of a roller that is pulled behind a tractor,” says Søren Halbye, sales and marketing director at DLF-Trifolium.

DLF-Trifolium’s competences in grass for professional sports pitches have come from experience gained with many sports arenas around the world, where the company has provided playing surfaces for golf, tennis and rugby as well as courses for horse racing. Some of the highest profile arenas are the home turf for the English Premier League clubs Manchester United, Chelsea and Aston Villa, the US baseball team Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Andrews golf course in Scotland.

Priceless marketing value

Football coaches expect a lot from a modern football pitch, as do other events that expose the turf to wear. So the job of a groundsman is not without its problems. The pitch at Denmark’s national stadium in Copenhagen has been criticised several times by coaches and players, and the groundsman of one of the sport’s big cathedrals, Wembley Stadium in London, has also learned that there is considerable focus on the grass when it is the playing surface of the world’s most popular sport. Since Wembley went through its difficult rebirth, where the GBP 750 million it cost to rebuild was higher than expected, the playing surface has been the target of criticism by, among others, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

The surface had became worn from all the concerts, races and other events which were necessary to recover the large investment, and the turf had to be replaced six times in the first two years after the rebuild. Because of the major focus on the grass and what is expected of the pitch, most football clubs around the world today employ professional staff to make sure that the pitch both looks good and can cope with the heavy fixture programme.

At Aston Villa Football Club in England, DLF-Trifolium has met a person who shares its professional passion for grass. The club’s groundsman Jonathan Calderwood looks after several practice pitches, which are frequently cut so that they resemble the home pitch of the next opponent. In that way, Aston Villa’s players can practice before an away match on a surface similar to the one they will experience at the opponent’s stadium. Naturally, there is also a practice pitch that corresponds to the pitch at Aston Villa’s own stadium. Once a year, the grass on each practice pitch is removed and reseeded to ensure fresh new turf for the players.

A dream partner for a manufacturer of grass seed, with huge PR value which is only exceeded by a FIFA World Cup. The financial details of the agreement is secret, but there can hardly be any doubt that the tournament in South Africa will have priceless marketing value for DLF-Trifolium.

”It’s very easy to explain to customers what you can do when you have gained such a project,” says Søren Halbye.

Although the grass seed comes from a Danish company the Danish players cannot count on grass being specially selected for Denmark’s style of play.

”The Danish team is in a way ’on home turf’, but it is no more than that.”

Laying a FIFa World cup pitch

In January and February, a mixture of grass seed was sown on the FIFA World Cup pitches to form the hard-wearing-foundation. In May and June, a single, rapid-growing grass variety will be sown which will ensure that the turf will look green and attractive for the start of the tournament. The Danish national team will be going to the FIFA World Cup for the fourth time, but it is the first time there will be Danish grass under the players’ feet.

DANISH CYCLING EMBASSY

Cycling with the whole world

Who do you turn to if you want to know more about Danish cycling culture? To the Cycling Embassy of Denmark, naturally

By Thorstein Andreassen

Denmark is known as one of the countries with the most cyclists. And international interest in Danish cycling culture has never been as great as now, when a number of factors are making cycling obviously the right thing to do: The climate is going to ruin. The roads are clogged with cars. Obesity issues are becoming weightier. All of these problems will diminish if more us get on our bikes.

“The bicycle is the healthy, quick and inexpensive alternative to the car that many countries are seeking. But it takes time and requires know-how to create a cycling culture in a country with few or no cyclists. We have the knowledge and the solutions that are sought, and with the new Cycling Embassy we are ready to export them,” says embassy secretary Lise Bjørg Pedersen, who is also political director at the Danish Cyclists Federation.

The primary aim of the Cycling Embassy is that overseas city planners, the press, politicians and NGOs with an interest in cycling can now refer to one place when seeking knowledge of Danish cycling solutions.

The Cycling Embassy of Denmark comprises a network of municipalities, private sector companies and interest organisations working to promote cycling both nationally and internationally. The members are experts in for example bicycle design and function, cycling infrastructure, cycle parking and cycling promotion campaigns. The Cycling Embassy as a whole thus reflects Danish expertise in virtually every aspect of cycling.

“We wanted to create a single, easy entrance point for other countries to the cycling nation of Denmark. Our reasoning was that by uniting across professional disciplines in the cycling area, we could ensure the best result,” says the embassy secretary.

Great international attention

The Cycling Embassy of Denmark was launched in May 2009 at a European conference on cycling, and right from the start it has been busy. The Embassy is receiving many enquiries from Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. South America is also beginning to show great interest in Danish cycling culture.

“We receive enquiries of many different kinds. It may be civil servants from the Polish Ministry of Transport who want to organise a study tour to Denmark that is devoted exclusively to cycling. Or it may be from Portuguese journalists who want to know if Danes also cycle during the winter,” explains Lise Bjørg Pedersen.

The UN Climate Change Conference in December 2009 gave an extra boost to making the Cycling Embassy of Denmark known around the world.

“The Embassy was completely overwhelmed by the international interest in Danish cycling culture. We were visited by delegations from Israel, USA, Scotland, the Netherlands, Mexico and many other countries, who wanted to take a closer look at cycling in Denmark,” says Lise Bjørg Pedersen.

Delegations comprised parliamentarians, NGOs, mayors and of course journalists, who wanted to know why the Danes cycle so much and what has been done to promote cycling in Denmark.

The cradle of Danish cycle culture

In the 1970s, motorways began to infiltrate many European cities. But in the Netherlands and Denmark, developments proceeded in a different direction. Major civil engineering projects were met with violent public demonstrations, and in Copenhagen the result was that politicians had to withdraw the plans and ’protect’ the inner city from major roads. It was a turning point. Politicians began prioritising cyclists and pedestrians to a much greater extent in the planning of urban transport.

“Copenhagen has managed to reduce the number of cars in the city centre from 319,000 in 2002 to 289,000 in 2008, and for this and other reasons we today have a cycling culture which many see as a source of good ideas,” says Lise Bjørg Pedersen.

37% of Copenhagen’s citizens cycle to and from work. The main reason why Danes cycle is because it is usually the quickest and easiest form of transport in the city. Studies also show that while they do not cycle for the sake of the climate, many see the positive effect on the climate as an important side benefit.

Copenhagen municipality has set the objective that 50% of its citizens will use a bicycle as their means of transport by 2015.

“It is an ambitious goal, even for Denmark. One can go far by improving cycle parking, widening cycle paths, improving commuter routes, running campaigns and working on the population groups who do not cycle regularly. But it will probably also be necessary to work more on limiting vehicular traffic in the long term, if the proportion of people using a bicycle is to be significantly increased.” says Lise Bjørg Pedersen.

Mexico City’s mayor becomes Copenhagen biker

During the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009, Mexico City’s mayor Marcelo Ebrard joined the Cycling Embassy of Denmark on a cycling tour of Copenhagen’s streets.

Along with the delegates, the mayor wanted to personally experience how quickly and easily people zip around the capital on two wheels. Cycle paths designed with a “green wave”, meaning that traffic lights are phased so at cycling speeds one never encounters a red light, and clear rules of the road specifically for cyclists such as raising a hand to indicate that one is about to stop – are things they had never seen before.

Mexico City’s mayor next to the bike counter on December 15, 2009. 2,998 is the number of bikers that had passed the sign that day. 1,666,862 is the total number of passing bikers since 1 May 2009.
Photo: Troels Heien, Monoline

New York City wins Danish cycling award

New York has learned from Danish cycling cities like Copenhagen and Odense, and has achieved big results in very little time. Around 350 kilometres of cycle paths have been made in a couple of years, and in just the last year the number of cyclists has risen by 26 per cent.

In recognition of this achievement, New York’s mayor Michael Bloomberg received an award for good leadership from the Cycling Embassy of Denmark when he was in Copenhagen in December last year.

“We actually just copied Copenhagen, so really it should be us giving the Danes a prize and not the other way round”, said Michael Bloomberg, when he received the award.

And there was actually a prize awarded, if not to the Danes as a nation, but to the Danish architects firm Gehl Architects, who masterminded some of the most notable cycle path projects in New York City. In October 2009 New York’s mayor for city planning handed over the prize to the architectural firm for its “exceptional contribution to the New York City Streetscape and the Public Realm”.

P, Ernie & Enzo by Kit Kjølhede Laursen http://www.kit-k.com

DANISH ECONOMY

just some of the subjects explored in the next issue of Focus Denmark, out 30 June :

e-GoVernmenT

Denmark is well advanced with digitalising the public sector. What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Next generation mobile telephony

Researchers at Aalborg University in Denmark, together with the Danish divisions of Infineon Technologies and Agilent Technologies, are developing competitive solutions for next generation mobile telephony.

Danes on the net

World Economic Forum surveys rank Denmark high in terms of E-readiness. Why are Danes so fond of the internet, and for what purposes do they use it?

Foreign companies

In Denmark Flexible Labour Market. Competitive Costs. Qualified Labour. Find out more about why international companies choose to establish a presence in Denmark.