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Towns and Cities, Growing Greener
Horst aan de Maas is situated in the north of the Limburg Province, the southernmost province of the Netherlands. The biggest municipality in the Limburg Province in terms of surface area, Horst aan de Maas covers a total surface area of 19,192 ha with 42,000 inhabitants. Its vast landscape is home to residential villages nestled in breath-taking nature as well as ample space for economic activity in large-scale agricultural and commercial areas. In Horst aan de Maas, pride in tradition thrives alongside ambitious plans for the future.
Horst aan de Maas at a Glance
A Newly United MunicipalityModern day Horst aan de Maas is the result
of two rounds of enlargements. In 2001,
three municipalities, Broekhuizen, Horst and
Grubbenvorst, merged together, adjoining the
river Maas and thereby getting its current name.
The second round welcomed the municipality
of Sevenum and the villages Meerlo, Tienray
and Swolgen in 2010, thus creating Horst aan
de Maas as we know it today. The relatively new
municipality consists of sixteen urban cores
with their own identity, resulting in a unified yet
diverse community.
‘Enterprising by Nature’Horst aan de Maas prides itself as being an
enterprising, active and united municipality
where many of its initiatives are derived by
citizens. It is no surprise the municipality’s
slogan is ‘Enterprising by Nature’. Horst aan de
Maas is also known for its modern agriculture,
horticulture and tourism. For instance, 33% of
all mushrooms, 80% of all roses and 50% of
all blueberries produced in the Netherlands
originate from the municipality. Thousands of
tourists visit Horst aan de Maas every year for
nature holidays, to visit its idyllic villages and
the equestrian centre De Peelbergen.
Horst aan de Maas is known for agriculture and tourism, with visitors coming to take in the city’s nature and surrounding villages.
Horst aan de Maas’s landscape is home to residential villages nestled in breathtaking nature as well as ample agricultural and commercial areas.
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Images left and right ©Horst aan de Maas Municipality
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Horst aan de Maas, a Green CityClimate Change and Energy Performance The glass-horticulture sector represents
42% of energy consumption in the municipality
and thus a concerted effort has been made to
make the sector more sustainable through the
use of renewable heat, or geothermics. As a
result, Horst aan de Maas is the first place in
the South of the Netherlands to successfully
apply geothermics to the glass-horticulture
industry; leading to a 95% decrease in
CO2 emissions in pepper cultivation, which
consequently means that this sector hardly
depends on fossil fuels anymore.
Sustainable Urban MobilityThe municipality has an extensive bicycle and
public transport network and has taken a wide
range of actions to encourage cycling, shared
transport and electric vehicles. The city involves
its citizens in the effort to transition away from a
car dependent culture, for instance through the
Trendsportal initiative, which provides a platform
for residents and transport professionals to
discuss the future of mobility in the city.
Nature, Biodiversity and Sustainable Land UseGiven Horst aan de Maas’s strong agricultural
roots, the municipality encourages farmers
to research how to produce sustainably and
how to withstand any effects of climate change
on production. For instance, Horst aan de
Maas encourages farmers to collect their
own water and to sow a mixture of flowers
on their farm’s borders.
Air QualityHorst aan de Maas has implemented various
initiatives to improve the municipality’s air
quality. As livestock farming is one of the largest
sources of air pollution, the municipality repaired
and dismantled industrial buildings and farms.
This resulted in a consistent decrease in air
pollution in the municipality. Horst aan de Maas
also undertook a study into intensive livestock
farming and air quality to understand their
exact health effects to improve the air quality
for its citizens.
• Participated in Floriade in 2012, the largest
horticulture expo in the world
• Won the Dutch Waste Separation Award
three times in the past five years
• Produces the lowest amount of residual
waste per person in the Netherlands
• Reduced CO2 emissions by 264 kg per
inhabitant, compared to 151 kg in the
rest of the Netherlands in 2014
• Is home to the Greenport Bikeway, HadM’s
first bicycle highways with about 30 kms
of bike paths
• 81% of inhabitants are 300m away from
a green public space
• 60 red-listed species living in the region
are protected by the municipality
• Won 1st Bee-friendly Municipality title in the
Limburg Province
Spotlight on Horst aan de Maas
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Horst aan de Maas is the first place in the South of the Netherlands to successfully apply geothermics to its largest industry, the glass-horticulture industry.
Fifty percent of Horst aan de Maas’s City Hall is run on solar energy, serving as an example to its citizens.
The Ooijen-Wanssum area is being remodelled to widen the River Maas with extra dikes to decrease the water level by 35 centimetres.
Brightbox is a pioneering farming initiative which produces food without actual farmland or daylight.
Waste and Circular EconomyHorst aan de Maas launched an innovative, more
sustainable and efficient waste system after
extensive consultation with stakeholders. This
new system resulted in a waste decrease of
150kg per inhabitant since implementation and
an increase in waste recycling from 69% to 96%
between 2012 and 2015.
WaterHorst aan de Maas has implemented several
positive programmes for water management,
including sustainable and recreational measures
and climate adaptation measures against
flooding. Horst aan de Maas’s dedication to
disconnecting rainwater from sewers has
allowed citizens to use rainwater instead of
drinking water for their gardens, resulting in
6,000m² of rooftop water being permanently
disconnected from the sewage system.Image in the bottom right corner ©Paul Poels Fotografie All other images on two pages ©Horst aan de Maas Municipality
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Horst aan de Maas, European Green Leaf 2019To reflect the importance of collaboration for Horst aan de Maas and their history of active citizenship and entrepreneurship, Horst aan de Maas wants to engage citizens, companies and public authorities alike throughout their European Green Leaf 2019 year. Planned events and activities in 2019 will reflect the European Green Leaf topic areas, including mobility, nature, and transitioning from fossil fuels to sustainable energy, as well as promoting health and wellbeing.
Citizens at the Heart of a Sustainable SocietyAs part of Horst aan de Maas’s European
Green Leaf 2019 year, the municipality
plans on engaging and stimulating citizens
to get involved. They will be doing this by
supporting local sustainable initiatives like
EnergieKronenberg (citizens who aim to make
their village energy self sufficient by 2030) and
connecting European Green Leaf events with
existing local and citizen-led events, such as
‘800 years of Horst’ and the ‘Oud Limburgse
Schuttersfeest 2019’, in the hopes of stimulating
and supporting its citizens to drive even more
sustainable initiatives.
Sharing Environmental Best PracticeHorst aan de Maas has a long-term vision to
contribute to and leverage the European Green
Leaf network of cities. By working closely with
these green cities, Horst aan de Maas aims to
inspire as well as bring together local companies
and citizens to exchange experiences and
environmental best practices into the future.
Healthiest European RegionHorst aan de Maas is also endeavouring to
become the healthiest region in Europe in 2025.
This will require cooperation and collaboration
across an extensive network of businesses,
educational institutions and local citizens, who
brought the citizens’ initiative forward. Horst aan
de Maas plans on implementing a programme
of activities, such as a Health Café where local
companies and inhabitants meet and talk about
various topics, such as producing and eating
healthy food. For more information see the
website www.gezondsteregio2025.nl.
Citizens will be at the heart of Horst aan de Maas’s European Green Leaf 2019 year.
Becoming the Healthiest Region in Europe is a priority for Horst aan de Maas, ensuring citizens are involved and listened to.
• Galway
• Torres VedrasMollet del Vallès
European Green Leaf Award Winners Winnaars van de European Green Leaf Award
• Cornellà de Llobregat 2019
• Horst aan de Maas 2019
• Leuven 2018
• Växjö 2018
• Galway 2017
• Torres Vedras 2015/2016
• Mollet del Vallès 2015/2016
• Leuven
• Horst aan de Maas
• Växjö
Cornellà de Llobregat
ec.europa.eu/environment/europeangreenleaf
European Green Leaf AwardThe European Green Leaf Award is a
competition aimed at towns and cities
across Europe, with between 20,000 and up
to 100,000 inhabitants, which recognises a
city’s commitment to better environmental
outcomes. It is the partner competition of
the European Green Capital Award for cities
over 100,000 inhabitants. Horst aan de Maas
in the Netherlands and Cornellà de Llobregat
in Spain are the joint European Green Leaf
Award winners for 2019. In 2018, Leuven in
Belgium and Växjö in Sweden were the joint
European Green Leaf Award winners. The
Spanish city of Mollet del Vallès and the
Portuguese city of Torres Vedras were the
winners of the inaugural European Green Leaf
Award 2015/2016, followed by the Irish city
of Galway, who won the title in 2017.
The European Green Leaf and European Green
Capital Awards are initiatives of the European
Commission. To find more information about
the winners, how to apply for the Awards, how
the winners are selected, and for any other
questions, please visit our website below.
European Green Leaf AwardDe European Green Leaf Award is een wedstrijd
gericht op steden in heel Europa met tussen
de 20.000 en 100.000 inwoners, die de
inspanningen van gemeenten voor het milieu
erkent. De Eurepean Green Capital Award is
voor steden met meer dan 100.000 inwoners.
Horst aan de Maas in Nederland en Cornellà
de Llobregat in Spanje zijn de gezamenlijke
European Green Leaf Award winnaars 2019.
In 2018, waren Leuven in België en Växjö in
Zweden de gezamenlijke European Green Leaf
Award winnaars. De Spaanse stad Mollet del
Vallès en de Portugese stad Torres Vedras
waren de winnaars van de inaugurele European
Green Leaf 2015/2016, gevolgd door de Ierse
stad Galway, die de titel won in 2017.
De European Green Leaf en European Green
Capital Awards zijn initiatieven van de
Europese Commissie. Bezoek voor meer
informatie over de winnaars, hoe deel te
nemen aan de Awards, over hoe de winnaars
worden geselecteerd en voor eventuele
andere vragen onze onderstaande website.
Towns and Cities, Growing Greener
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2019
© European Union, 2019 Reuse is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.The reuse policy of European Commission documents is regulated by Decision 2011/833/EU (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, p. 39).For any use or reproduction of photos or other material that is not under the EU copyright, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holders.
cover image ©
Horst aan de M
aas Municipality
Print K
H-04-18-874-2M
-C
ISBN
978-92-79-96540-1 doi:10.2779/762309
KH
-04-18-874-2M-N
ISB
N 978-92-79-96541-8
doi:10.2779/9947
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