Climate Council

The Climate Council for Reith near Seefeld and Leutasch has developed four recommendations for politics. Central points include measures to reduce traffic on the Seefeld Plateau and the path to energy-efficient communities.

26 randomly selected citizens from Reith b.S. and Leutasch came together to form a Climate Council following a call from both municipalities. Over three days, the members of the Climate Council developed recommendations for local government policy. The focus was on the questions: How can we sustainably shape our living environment in Leutasch and Reith b. S.? And what do we want to achieve regarding climate, regional cycles, and mobility to maintain a high quality of life in the long term? Under the motto "Preserving and improving our quality of life in Leutasch and Reith," the Climate Council presented its results to mayors Georgios Chrysochoidis and Dominik Hiltpolt on Thursday. "I am happy to be part of the Climate Council; after all, it's about my future," said Florian, the youngest participant at 13 years old.

Carpool benches, school buses, and bike bridges
The results include 28 recommendations from four action areas: mobility, energy, ecological cleaning agents, and information and awareness-raising. The reduction of individual traffic is at the top of the Climate Council's list. To this end, the existing carpool app "ummadum" will be optimized, and additional carpool benches will be installed at the plateau. Furthermore, the Climate Council recommends the introduction of an early shuttle service from Reith to Seefeld for the students of MS Seefeld. Improved bike paths are also part of the solution for reducing motorized traffic. The construction of a bike and pedestrian bridge over the B177 in Krinz near the recycling center is a desired project of the Climate Council.

The path to energy-efficient municipalities
"Climate protection cannot succeed without an energy transition," the 26-member Climate Council for Reith and Leutasch agrees. Therefore, they recommend that their mayors become part of the e5 program for energy-efficient communities. The advantage of the program, coordinated by the Energy Agency of Tyrol, is a comprehensive action plan in many relevant areas. The Climate Council is already providing initial ideas: a sustainability and climate officer should be appointed by the municipalities to create the necessary framework conditions. The Climate Council also wishes for purchasing cooperatives for photovoltaic systems, assistance for funding applications from private individuals, or the introduction of renewable energy communities.

The Climate Council is organized by the Climate Alliance of Tyrol, and an independent moderation team from Participation Tyrol accompanies it. This week, a review meeting will take place with the mayors of Reith b.S. and Leutasch and the responsible municipal council members. "The members of the Climate Council have invested a lot of time and passion in developing the recommendations. Now it's up to the politicians to implement them as well as possible," said Maria Legner from the Climate Alliance of Tyrol. In addition to the Seefeld Plateau, there is also a regional Climate Council in the KLAR! region Kaunergrat, as well as in Wattens and Volders.

Photo: © Klima-Bündnis Tirol
Handing over the Climate Council's recommendations to mayors Georgios Chrysochoidis and Dominik Hiltpolt. 75 interested individuals and representatives of the municipal council were present at the public Climate Café in the Karwendelhalle.