While each local government implements carbon-neutral policies in a competitive manner, Changwon City, which was the first to proclaim itself a “hydrogen city,” is reaping the benefits of public-private collaboration one by one.
Bonglim Humansia Apartment Complex 1, Uichang-gu, Changwon-si, is a symbol of carbon-neutrality and voluntary greenhouse gas reduction. Cho Eun-sun, the head of the Housing Happiness Center, who started an office in May 2018, is the focus of the carbon reduction drive at this apartment, which housed 806 households in 2011.
When Changwon City designated itself a “special city for the hydrogen industry” in November of the same year, Center Director Cho made the complex carbon neutral and actively participated in legislative initiatives such as conducting a resident contest. In addition to lowering one ton of carbon, ongoing efforts have included fostering EM bacteria, segregating clear plastic bottles, and recycling milk cartons to share toilet paper with neighbors.
Simultaneously, it has become standard procedure to collect waste cooking oil discarded by tenants and hand-craft natural soap with the older inhabitants of the complex, which is then distributed to each family. As a result of its widespread awareness of carbon-neutral living practices, this apartment was awarded the Minister of Environment Award at the ‘2021 Carbon Neutral Contest,’ hosted by the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the Korea Climate and Environment Network on the 6th at the Mapo-gu Cultural Storage Base. Twelve teams, including Sejong The Sharp Central City Apartments, were chosen as the Minister of Environment Award (Encouragement Award) from the 20 teams that received documents and passed the preliminary examination by 100 teams, including institutions, local governments, businesses, and private organizations.
The Minister of Environment of Gyeongsangnam-do gave the Grand Prize to Gimhae Daycare Center and Cheongju Technopolis Apartment. Changwon City also provides incentives for residents to participate actively in carbon neutrality through the carbon point system. It stated on the 7th that it will provide a 320 million won incentive to 34,717 families that saved more than 5% of energy, water, and municipal gas among households participating in the carbon point system by deposit or green card in the first half of this year.
The Changwon City Carbon Point System has 108,000 homes or 25% of the preceding generation. Changwon is one of Korea’s fastest-growing local governments as it transitions to a hydrogen-based energy civilization that replaces fossil fuels. It has demonstrated remarkable performance since launching the first hydrogen city bus service in Korea in June 2019, delivering over 1,000 hydrogen vehicles and operating six hydrogen charging stations, including Sarim, which was finished on the 8th.
On June 9, Changwon City and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power signed an MOU for a green new deal and carbon-neutral collaborative development at the hydrogen energy circulation system demonstration complex in Seongju-dong, and participated in the regional win-win distributed fuel cell power generating project are engaged in doing.
