Sustainability as a catalyst for municipal strength

How can sustainable development be achieved in municipal practice? A tour of KOMMUNALE shows how cities and municipalities can tackle environmental and energy issues in concrete terms – while relying on strong networks. Eight stops, many ideas, and one common goal: shaping the future.

Written by Stefan Jablonka

Three men and one woman stand in front of a blue exhibition wall with the inscription “ENERGY · CLIMATE · ENVIRONMENT – MUNICIPALITIES TAKE ACTION. WE HELP.” On the left, a man in a blue T-shirt is holding a microphone and a sheet of paper. To his right are two men and a woman in business attire, including two men in suits and the woman in a dark skirt and yellow lanyard. In the background, a screen displays presentation content, and other exhibition stands and visitors can be seen.

It's just before 11 a.m. The foyer of Hall 10 at the exhibition center is bustling with activity as headsets are handed out and name tags are straightened. Among the visitors are several representatives from politics and administration, including Bavaria's Environment Minister Thorsten Glauber, who, like many others, stops for a moment to chat, shake hands, and pose for a quick group photo. Then the delegation sets off.

After just a few meters, it becomes clear that the tour is more than just an official engagement – it is networking in action. Representatives from local authorities and companies strike up conversations with each other, and dialogues about energy, climate, and resources spring up everywhere. This is hardly surprising, given the 624 exhibitors from ten different countries, three fully occupied exhibition halls, and an attractive supporting program. Germany's largest trade fair and congress for municipal needs presents itself as diverse and relevant.

“You leave KOMMUNALE with a tailwind and return to your community,” Glauber will say later. And indeed, those who visit the fair take away not only brochures, but also concrete ideas and contacts. Eight stations show how municipalities are putting sustainability into practice – five of them particularly impressively.

A man and a woman are standing next to a large model of a cityscape with miniature houses, streets, bridges, and trees. The man on the left is wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and tie, while the woman on the right is wearing a dark green blazer with a yellow lanyard. In the background, there are other exhibition stands, including a sign that reads “bayernwerk netz,” as well as several people. — Sustainability made tangible: models and concepts show how municipalities can shape the future.

1) PAULY GROUP – Nature as technology

The Pauly Group has been working on eco-technical systems for municipalities and special-purpose associations for decades. Its approach to sewage sludge treatment is radically simple: plant-based sewage treatment systems – known as reed bed systems – take over what would otherwise require energy-intensive technology. This saves energy, CO₂, and money. For many mayors, this sounds like a double win: lower operating costs and robust, low-maintenance systems. Between filter beds and diagrams, a lively discussion arises among the participants about the possible applications of such systems in urban and rural areas.

2) GODELMANN – Climate stone instead of heat island

A few meters further on, between concrete samples and large-format cityscapes, Godelmann presents the GDM.KLIMASTEIN – a paving stone that stores water, reflects heat, and filters pollutants. The entire range is a tangible sign of circular construction. Visitors examine the sample area with interest, while the managing director explains how the stone contributes to surface unsealing and the sponge city principle. The thought that accompanies many: Where can such solutions be implemented tomorrow without immediately starting a large-scale project?

3) CIMA – Heat planning with a roadmap

At the CIMA Beratung + Management GmbH stand, things get more theoretical, but no less relevant. Municipal heat planning – it sounds like paragraphs and tables, but it is the strategic core of the energy transition. Collecting data, thinking in terms of networks, ensuring social compatibility: CIMA provides the tools for this. The tour participants listen attentively, some of them noting down contact details and practical examples. For many, this is an important point: without a clear plan, subsidy programs and individual projects often come to nothing.

4) VERBUND Green Power – Energy as a joint project

We continue on to VERBUND Green Power Germany, where the energy transition is seen as a joint task. Participation models that allow citizens and municipalities to benefit from renewable energy plants are meeting with great interest. This is complemented by technologies such as battery storage, hydrogen electrolysis, and charging infrastructure from a single source. Here, too, there is an opportunity to talk to the company's experts about ongoing storage and charging projects in Bavaria.

5) Joint ministry stand – sustainability in action

The tour concludes at a stand that has become a symbol of the theme itself: The Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection,the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the State Agency for Energy and Climate Protection are presenting themselves here with a cross-agency trade fair appearance that sets standards in terms of sustainability – and this is already the third time in this constellation, as the head of the department for energy dialogue and communication at the Ministry of Economic Affairs explains. Under the motto "Municipalities act. We help," the three institutions show how government advice works when it is designed on an equal footing with the municipalities.

“We see ourselves as a neutral point of contact – especially for small municipalities that do not have their own experts for every topic,” explains the head of department. The services range from energy and climate advice to funding information and digital guidelines. Not only is the content sustainable, but also the form: the stand has a modular design and is reused at every KOMMUNALE trade fair; carpets, walls, and furniture are designed so that they can be used multiple times or repurposed for new functions. Paper is largely dispensed with, QR codes refer to digital information offerings, and advertising material is made of bioplastic or wood.

A group of several people are standing in a semicircle next to an exhibition stand with the inscription “N-ERGIE.” In the foreground, a man in a white shirt and jeans can be seen, apparently explaining something. The other people are mostly wearing business attire, some holding brochures or drinks. In the background are more exhibition stands, a table with brochures, and a large-format banner with a landscape motif. — Exchange on equal terms: Networks are the key to sustainable development in municipalities.

Important levers on the path to greater sustainability

The approximately 90-minute tour ends here. It shows that sustainability is not just a buzzword, but a system of materials, processes, and partnerships. From plant-based sewage sludge treatment and climate-active surfaces to strategic heat planning and community energy supply – important levers are emerging everywhere when they are connected with one another.

In conversation with participants, Glauber draws a personal conclusion that represents many voices: "Networks are extremely important. Topics such as digitalization, energy transition, climate protection, urban land-use planning, social issues in the community, or the new kindergarten—all of this is communicated here at KOMMUNALE. Only with a strong network can one prove oneself with this multitude of tasks. That's why KOMMUNALE is a trade fair that is needed – and rightly continues to grow."

The participants in the tour return their headsets and mingle with the audience in Hall 10 again. The networking continues – politics, business, and local authorities exchanging ideas, as has been the tradition at KOMMUNALE for years.

Author

Stefan Jablonka

Freelance journalist