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

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