From: Chicago Tribune Published March 3, 2009 09:20 AM
KALMAR, Sweden — Though a fraction of Chicago's size, this industrial
city in southeast Sweden has plenty of similarities with it, including a
long, snowy winter and a football team the town's crazy about. The city of 60,000—and its surrounding 12-town region, with a
quarter-million people—has traded in most of its oil, gas and electric
furnaces for community "district heat," produced at plants that burn sawdust
and wood waste left by timber companies. Hydropower, nuclear power and
windmills now provide more than 90 percent of the region's electricity. Just as important, the switch from oil and gas is helping slash fuel bills and preserve jobs in a worldwide economic downturn. And despite dramatic drops in fossil fuel consumption, residents say nobody has been forced to give up the car or huddle around the dining table wearing three sweaters to stay warm. Article Continues: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-sweden-carbonfree_goeringmar03,0,3023238.story
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