At least 110 million
people are adversely affected by noise from
Europe’s busiest roads alone. People need
to escape this pollution and access quiet
places to work, relax and live a healthy
life. Such ‘quiet areas’ should be protected
under EU legislation, but how does this
work in practice?
When we think about
noise pollution, we often think about loud
music or a neighbour’s barking dog. But
in most cases, the real health problems
are caused by long-term exposure to noise
from road traffic, railways, airports or
industry.
Hans Bruyninckx, EEA
Executive Director
A quiet area is not
necessarily silent, but rather one that
is undisturbed by unwanted or harmful sound
created by human activities, according to
the 2002 Environmental Noise Directive.
Indeed, some types of noise such as the
sound of running water or birdsong are usually
perceived as enjoyable. This means that
it may not be possible to define a quiet
area by just measuring decibels.
A new European Environment
Agency (EEA) report, ‘Good practice guide
on quiet areas’, provides guidance and recommendations
for authorities who need to identify and
maintain these places. Its publication marks
International Noise Awareness Day, 30 April
2014.
Hans Bruyninckx, EEA
Executive Director, said: “When we think
about noise pollution, we often think about
loud music or a neighbour’s barking dog.
But in most cases, the real health problems
are caused by long-term exposure to noise
from road traffic, railways, airports or
industry. Quiet areas are important because
they can provide respite from noise, ultimately
improving quality of life.”
Different solutions
for different places
There are many different
interpretations of what a quiet area means
in practice, and how they should be preserved.
This is understandable – an appropriate
scheme in one place may not suit another
location. The report provides an overview
of quiet area measures across Europe. For
example:
In Dublin, Ireland,
the City Council combined noise modelling
and measurement to identify long term average
noise levels below the levels that harm
health, subsequently designating and protecting
eight quiet areas in the city;
In Oslo, Norway, authorities asked ‘key
persons’ with knowledge of potential areas
and mapped noise to identify 14 areas of
quiet that are easily accessible by local
people;
A slightly different approach was taken
in Tallinn, Estonia, where many different
criteria were used to identify recreational
areas in with low average levels of long-term
noise. Elsewhere, the scheme also aims to
protect rural areas undisturbed by noise
from traffic, industry or recreational activities.
The European Soundscape
Award 2014 - open for applications
Another approach to
the problem of noise is the idea of soundscapes,
creating healthier and quieter environments.
The European Soundscape Award 2014 aims
to draw attention to the most innovative
product, campaign, innovation or scheme
solving a noise problem.
The award is a joint
initiative of the European Environment Agency
(EEA) and the Noise Abatement Societies
of the Netherlands and UK. The deadline
for submissions is 18th August 2014. More
information.
Coming up
Later in 2014, the European
Environment Agency will publish its first
Europe-wide noise assessment report. It
will draw on data from Member States, highlighting
the main sources of noise in Europe as well
as its impacts on health and the environment.
+ More
Environmental innovation
award - winners announced
Winners of this year's
European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme
(EMAS) Awards have been announced by the
European Commission. The six winning organisations
were selected by an independent jury for
innovating to improve their environmental
performance.
The European Eco-Management
and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is a management
tool for organisations aiming to improve
their environmental performance and communicate
their environmental achievements. The theme
of the 2014 Awards is "Effective eco-innovations
supporting improvements in environmental
performance".
The winning companies
showed a wide range of different ideas,
from making barbecue briquettes from olive
stones (VAS. & EK. KOTTARIDI G.P., Greece)
to developing cleaning processes which use
minimal water and energy (HR Björkmans
Entrémattor AB, Sweden). Sächsische
Bildungsgesellschaft Dresden mbH, Germany,
won a prize for its use of the EMAS principles
as a basis for training students, while
Austrian engineering firm Voestalpine VAE
was recognised for its energy policy and
recycling schemes.
In the public sector,
two bodies won awards. Aeropuerto de Menorca,
Spain, has cut its environmental impact
by reusing waste water and automating its
lighting and temperature control systems.
German federal environment agency Umweltbundesamt
also won an award for building the first
zero-energy public building in Germany,
which already fulfils legal requirements
for new buildings due to come into force
in 2019.
The European Environment
Agency also uses EMAS to continuously improve
its environmental performance.
