Issued on: 06/01/2025 – 20:28Modified: 06/01/2025 – 20:30
2 min
Vilnius was named two years ago by the European Commission as the European Green Capital for 2025.
The jury praised the Lithuanian capital “for its strong commitment to sustainability while having a realistic and down to earth approach.”
It recognised its efforts in various areas, such as air quality, climate change adaptation, and biodiversity preservation.
Green city
Vilnius is a green city, with green areas covering 61 percent of its territory and a forest located right in the city center.
“Vilnius has its green crown, plantations that surround the city and can be seen from many places,” Lithuanian researcher Jekaterina Lavrinec told RFI.
“At the beginning of the 20th century, people still planted tree-lined avenues in Vilnius, which encouraged walking through the city,” she says.
“We are working to protect wildlife and plants in different areas, and our decision not to mow all the green spaces, as is commonly done, has been widely noticed,” adds Jurga Mikutiene, head of the green capital project in Vilnius.
A forest in the Vilnius region, Lithuania. © Getty Images – Marius Rimkevicius
Eco-friendly transport
The city has also narrowed some streets to make room for pedestrians and cyclists as one of the major concerns is improving urban mobility.
“Five years ago, the city limited car traffic in the city center. For me, this helped people realise that driving everywhere isn’t necessarily the best option,” says Silvestras Dikcius, a sustainable development trainer.
More than 100 kilometres of bicycle lanes now connect the various districts of Vilnius.
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Public transportation is also becoming increasingly eco-friendly.
“Trolleybuses are buses connected to an electrical grid via antennas. Now we have vehicles that charge their batteries while driving connected to the grid,” explains Jurga Mikutiene.
“They can be autonomous for a while, and as such, there are no CO2 emissions.”
The Neris River in Vilnius, Lithuania. © CC/Wikimedia
Less green spaces
However, the growing demand for new neighborhoods has led to the gradual loss of green spaces.
“[Buildings and constructions] are increasing in the city. This is due to the economic model. Mortgage rates are low, and demand is high,” says Jekaterina Lavrinec.
This year, as Vilnius holds the title of European Green Capital, the focus will be on communication and raising awareness about ecology.
And by 2030, Vilnius aims to become climate neutral by 2030, which means achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
(With AFP)
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Publish date : 2025-01-06 11:30:00
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