A wonderful year as a European Green Leaf municipality

When we were preparing to take part in the European Green Leaf Award, we saw just how far ahead Winterswijk, and especially the people of Winterswijk, are in the field of sustainability. Our landscape is unique, we even give lessons on sustainability at primary schools and from our own sustainability centre, we tackle issues regarding energy, climate and sustainability together with residents, entrepreneurs and organisations which a which are distinctive, according to the acclaimed jury report.

Promoting sustainability

Having been European Green Leaf Award winners for almost a year now, our pride in our beautiful municipality has only grown. Together with you, the Winterswijk municipality looks back on a great year, in which we encouraged not only our own residents but also other municipalities throughout Europe to do more about sustainability. We were able to explain all over Europe what we do in Winterswijk and why it makes us proud.

A selection of our activities

We doubled the Green Leaf prize money with our own funds, expanded our international network and gave away hundreds of rainwater tanks and compost bins. All over Europe, we held presentations about the European Green Leaf Award, in as many as five languages! We invested almost 50,000 euros in residents' sustainability initiatives, and together with municipalities near Winterswijk in the Achterhoek region, we are the first UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) region in the Netherlands. The absolute highlight was our two-day international sustainability congress in October. Promoting the Award requires time, money, and attention. It requires commitment from an inspired team and effort from all Winterswijkers, but in return, it gives back so much energy and inspiration!

Thank you for everyone's commitment, together we gave a fantastic showcase in Europe. It was an unforgettable experience. With the end of the Green Leaf year, our efforts do not end; the Winterswijk municipality continues to cooperate with our residents towards a sustainable municipality and therefore contribute to a sustainable world. The next step is for us to use the SDGs as building blocks for our budget. I hope to greet you in Winterswijk soon. 

Mayor Joris Bengevoord - Mayor of Winterswijk