Sustainable energy concepts for municipalities and regions are becoming increasingly important. In fact, these concepts are often mandatory to apply for funding opportunities on the federal level as well as in the Baden-Württemberg region in Germany.

This is also true at EU level, with the Covenant of Mayors, which provides channels to access funding for the implementation of sustainable energy actions. Within the framework of the EU project Sustainable NOW nine partner cities in Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Bulgaria and Italy have developed sustainable local energy action plans over the last three years. Experienced cities as well as city networks, including the ICLEI European Secretariat, and technical project partners have supported “learning cities” in developing their own plans. Tips concerning CO₂ monitoring and financing were given, an internet tool for successful energy measures was established and experiences were exchanged in direct encounters through partner visits in the different cities.

In the framework of the final project meeting in Ludwigsburg, all municipalities, local authorities, policy makers and other stakeholders in the area of energy were invited to learn more about energy strategies at the EU, federal and local levels. Through an interactive format, the experiences of the project partners of Sustainable NOW provided information and valuable advice for municipalities and local authorities seeking to develop their own sustainable energy action plans.