
Nijmegen was the European Green Capital in 2018. We were the first city in the Netherlands with the year-long honour of bearing that title. Our predecessors include cities like Copenhagen, Bristol, Ljubljana, and Essen.
We achieved this award through years of hard work towards making things greener and more sustainable. By “we”, we mean the entire city and its surroundings. “We” includes both young and old, participating in large and small initiatives.
The title of Sustainable Capital of Europe is an initiative by the European Commission to reward cities that strongly promote ecological, social, and economic sustainability. The Committee awards this prize annually to a European city at the forefront of environmental friendliness, circular economy, and sustainable waste management. With this initiative, they want to stimulate local organisations to be more engaged in sustainability.

Celebrate!
The Green Capital title was celebrated by Nijmegen in a big way. We have shown the Netherlands and Europe that it is possible and how to achieve it. We invested in clean energy, smart mobility, and a greener living environment as well as more sustainable business and technological innovations.
The people of Nijmegen mainly experienced Green Capital through several highlights, such as the Wondertuin, the Spiegelwaal concert, King Willem-Alexander’s visit, Mobility Week, and Green Friday. A lot of inhabitants also participated in the activities of the Green Capital Challenges. There was debating, philosophising, music making, dancing, eating, and enjoyment.