Residents can Influence The Environmental and Resource Policy

Working towards new goals

“Hafnarfjörður is a municipality for all of us and therefore it is important that residents are allowed to contribute. Perhaps there are good ideas among residents that we should put into practice,” says Guðmundur Elíasson, the environmental and utilities manager of Hafnarfjörður and one of the authors of the town’s updated Environmental and Natrual Resource Policy.

A portal for ideas has been opened on the Improved Hafnarfjörður (Betri Hafnarfjörður) website. Residents are encouraged to have their say before January the 27th. Authors of the report are Guðbjörg Oddný Jónasdóttir chairman, Helga Björg Loftsdóttir, Jón Atli Magnússon, Hildur Rós Guðbjargardóttir, Íris Lind Sæmundsdóttir, Ragna Halldórsdóttir and Guðmundur. The objective of The Environmental and Natural Resources Policy is to ensure that all residents of Hafnarfjörður have a healthy and safe environment for life, play and work. It should be taken into account in all the municipality’s activities.

“The changes sharpen where the responsibility for its implementation lies at any given time,” he says. The updated policy is also in line with the situation as it is in the municipality today. “The climate policy has now become part of the environment and natural resources policy. That is the biggest change from the previous policy,” Guðmundur says.

Among the things that were improved since the last policy:

• Improvements were made to snow removal, street sweeping and de-icing
• Emphasis on public transport increased along with an increase in walking and cycling paths
• The municipality of Hafnarfjörður is now carbon offsetting its operations in collaboration with the Iceland Carbon Fund
• The goal was that the condition of Hellisgerði would be greatly improved before the park celebrated it´s 100th birthday, which was a success
• Electric charging stations at the town’s institutions were installed and contributed to the increase in the number of electric charging stations in the municipality

Guðmundur points out that in the updated policy, you can find an action list in over thirty items at the bottom of the document, divided into categories: “It makes it easier for the heads of the projects that fall under them to follow up on them.” He says it is necessary to update policies regularly. “It has to be a living policy, always revised and improved.”

“The goal is, that 2-3 times a year the policy will be reviewed at department head meetings and there information will be provided on where matters stand and how the department managers have managed to follow up on the projects being implemented.” The Environmental and Natural Resources Policy was based on the overall policy of Hafnarfjörður, which was approved on the 6th of April 2022, and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

• Open the policy here
• Improved Hafnarfjörður