The year 2010 was established as the inaugural year for awarding the title of “European Green Capital,” and eligible European Union countries were encouraged to enter their most environmentally conscious cities in a contest to select the awardees for both 2010 and 2011 simultaneously. The award serves to acknowledge work already being done at the municipal level to make environmental stewardship an integral part of urban planning and to provide an incentive for cities to intensify their efforts to improve the quality of life in the urban habitat. Thirty-five European cities vied for the title European Green Capital, and after the first round of elimination, Copenhagen, Denmark, was on the short list of eight finalists.