Climate CO2NTEST – Acceptance and impact of the competition in the Hanover region
The competition “Climate CO2NTEST” has the goal to support local and regional climate protection activities of cities and communities. It also encourages private households to practice climate-friendly behavior in everyday life. ISOE is evaluating the project on behalf of the Climate Protection Agency Hanover Region.
Research approach
In order to motivate the 21 municipalities as well as private households in the Hanover region of Germany to save energy, the Climate Protection Agency has developed a competition. After a three-year pilot phase it will serve as a model for other regions. The competition is flanked by a social scientific acceptance and impact analysis conducted by ISOE. The research team examines the citizens’ acceptance of the competition and how its attractiveness can be increased by communication activities on behalf of local authorities. The goal is to evaluate the contest’s impact as a tool for communicating environmental concerns to the general public.
First, the research team is developing an evaluation concept and is then carrying out surveys on the motivation of the participating households. The experiences of municipal representatives and their contribution to supporting the contest’s communication activities are also surveyed. Finally, participants who drop out of the contest are questioned in order to learn more about potential motivational constraints for participating in the competition. The survey results will help to optimize the climate-protective impact of the contest and to establish it as a model project for other regions.
Background
The “Climate CO2NTEST” initiated by the Climate Protection Agency Hanover Region is a multi-stage competition whose goal is to reduce the CO2-emissions of a city or municipality and its citizens through joint action. To begin with, the participating cities and municipalities in the Hanover region of Germany lined up behind five “disciplines” in 2013: solar energy, bio-energy (biogas and wood heating systems), wind energy, combined heat and power (CHP) and passive houses. The first round of the contest ended in November 2013, when the title “Climate Champion” was awarded. The winner was the community whose reported plants and planned projects contributed the most to protecting the climate. All citizens were invited to contribute and, for example, to list their solar power facility or passive house project. The non-profit Climate Protection Agency Hanover Region was the “referee”; the contest’s patron was Stephan Weil, the prime minister of the German state of Lower Saxony.
The ”Climate CO2NTEST” for private households is kicking off in the spring of 2014. For a good six months, citizens are invited to behave in a more climate-friendly way in everyday life. They will document their activities by means of a CO2 calculator. They will receive ongoing information and support from the Climate Protection Agency and the local authorities in the Hanover region who are involved. A “Climate Champion” will also be chosen here. There will be a second round of the “Climate CO2NTEST” in 2015.
Contracted by
Climate Protection Agency Hanover Region
Duration
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