Strovolos in south Nicosia has entered as a candidate for the 2016 European Green Leaf Awards.
Next year marks the second round of the European Green Leaf Award, which seeks to recognise the progress made by Europe’s smaller cities towards innovative green solutions.
Other cities that have entered the Green Leaf Awards are Kardzhali in Bulgaria, Galway in Ireland and Serres in Greece.
Much is being done by local authorities and citizens to improve their environment and many others can learn from the best practices they have developed.
Green Leaf applications will be assessed on the basis of six criteria, including climate change and energy performance, mobility, biodiversity and land use, quality of air and the acoustic environment, waste management and green economy, water and wastewater management.
There is also a 2018 European Green Capital Award to which a total of 17 European cities have announced there candidacy.
The European Green Capital Award, now in its ninth year, pays tribute to European cities where innovation has taken hold; it recognises cutting-edge, environmentally-friendly urban living. European Green Capital Award winners set higher standards in sustainable urban development, listening to what their citizens want and pioneering innovative solutions to attract investment.
To date, eight cities have been awarded the title of European Green Capital since its inception in 2010. Stockholm, Sweden won the inaugural title, followed by Hamburg, Germany in 2011, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain in 2012, Nantes, France in 2013 and Copenhagen, Denmark in 2014. The current holder for 2015 is Bristol, UK. Ljubljana, Slovenia will hold the title for 2016 and will pass it to Essen, Germany for 2017.
As for Green Leaf, the joint winners of the 2015 Award were Mollet del Vallès, Spain and Torres Vedras, Portugal.
