Every year, Middelfart Municipality awards the Climate Baton to a resident, a group, a company or a project that makes an extraordinary effort for the field of climate change.
Middelfart Municipality wishes to be at the forefront in the field of climate change. Both in terms of climate change prevention and in terms of adapting to the climate of the future.
The purpose of the Climate Baton is to focus on the field of climate change in Middelfart Municipality, including providing inspiration for preventive initiatives and raising the awareness of individuals, companies, organisations, associations and authorities of the importance of climate adaptation. The Climate Baton will help to create an interest in and understanding of the development and implementation of new innovative, concrete climate projects.
The Climate Baton is awarded to projects that link climate concerns with learning, business growth and/or urban development. Candidates for the Climate Baton must work on new solutions in the field of climate change and may, for example, be found amongst the various partnership projects that are being worked on in Middelfart Municipality. The projects must focus on creating value in a broad sense (socially, economically and in relation to sustainability).
Every year, the city council gives the prize to a climate project.
The prize consists of a diploma and the Baton itself, a CNC-milled oak tree in stainless steel standing on an oak block. The Climate Baton is manufactured at Middelfart Produktionsskole/Trade School in a collaboration between the metalwork and woodwork shops.
A tree is chosen because it symbolises life. It is trees that convert nitrogen into oxygen and are thus the lungs of the earth.
The stability of the tree depends on it having strong roots. We need to set roots and create a strong foundation that the next generation of climate protectors can build on.
The trunk of the tree is a solid base, on which new shoots (ideas) can grow strong and set new seeds for new trees that can become a part of the struggle for a sustainable society.
The assessment is made by a jury consisting of:
- 2 city councillors
- The winner of last year's Climate Baton
- 1 representative from Middelfart Municipality business community
- 1 resident (candidates are found via advertisement in the local paper/on the website)
- 1 municipal employee
Winners Climate Baton 2021
The Climate Baton of 2021 was awarded to Middelfart Gymnasium & HF (the local high school in the city of Middelfart) for its efforts in creating greater awareness of the environment, climate and nature among both employees and students. Among other things, through a very active environmental committee. The school has worked to spread carpooling, reduce energy consumption, create wild nature on the school grounds and is happy to share its experiences and knowledge with other schools. Twice the high school has hosted the Youth Stage at the Klimafolkemødet (the People's Climate Festival), which has been live streamed to high schools throughout the country.
The prize 'Climate Fighter of the year' was awarded to Bent Vistisen. Mr. Vistisen is an electric car enthusiast and is a local expert in his field and happily makes his knowledge available to citizens, businesses and Middelfart Municipality. One that has played a major role is the electrification of Middelfart Municipality.
Winners Climate Baton 2020
Middelfart Municipality's 2020 Climate Baton was awarded to the the project 'Sol over Brenderup'.
A project which frames and exemplifies the collaborations that Middelfart Municipality is constantly seeking to fulfill its climate ambitions. Sol over Brenderup has a vision of making the town of Brenderup CO2-neutral in the long term and has, on its own initiative, built a solar park of 20,000 square meters that will be able to produce green electricity, which corresponds to 1/3 of the electricity consumption in Brenderup. A result of close cooperation between citizens and private residents.
The prize of Climate Fighter og the Year was awarded to Linda Frølund Hansen - a person who not only leads by example - but also inspires others.
Linda Frølund Hansen considers the climate in everything she does. She is the initiator of meetings in the transition café, participates in the climate debate both as organizer and debater. And she inspires others to a more sustainable lifestyle through 'The Sustainable Calendar'.