Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke honored the city of Erlangen as a "multiple winner" on October 8 in Berlin. Mayor Florian Janik accepted the award for outstanding commitment to the use of recycled paper with the Blue Angel in the city administration.
Saving over 12.7 million liters of water and around 2.9 million kilowatt hours of energy
For five years now, Erlangen has been a top performer in the Paper Atlas city competition organized by the Initiative Pro Recycling Paper (IPR). This year, a total of 99 large and medium-sized cities took part with an average recycling paper quota of 90 percent. Erlangen consistently uses 100 percent Blue Angel paper in its administration, schools and in-house print shop. This makes an important contribution to climate and resource protection. Compared to virgin fiber paper, the city has saved over 12.7 million liters of water and around 2.9 million kilowatt hours of energy over the past five years. The water saved is equivalent to the daily consumption of more than 105,000 people. The energy saved could cover the annual electricity requirements of around 820 three-person households.
Marc Gebauer, spokesman for the IPR, praises the commitment: "The city of Erlangen is a pioneer in the use of recycled paper with the Blue Angel and thus achieves measurable ecological savings. By making its sustainable paper procurement transparent in the Paper Atlas, the city of Erlangen is also encouraging other municipalities to follow suit."
Photo: BMUV/Annette Riedl; from left to right: Marc Gebauer, Mayor Florian Janik and Minister Steffi Lemke