How the World's Most Famous Mouse is Saving a Village Hall
Forget your typical dry town hall meeting invitation. Residents in the Danish village of Fjelsted recently received a far more entertaining summons: an invitation to discuss energy savings, a local pond, and a cartoon mouse.
Instead of being bored by technical diagrams and lengthy reports, Fjelsted citizens were introduced to "Mickey Mouse"—the affectionate nickname for the village's new, pioneering aqua-thermal energy project supported by North Sea Interreg project #Waterwarmth.
This system will draw heat from the local pond via a heat pump, providing the local citizens' assembly house (village hall) with clean, green energy, replacing the old oil or gas boiler. One small installation, one huge step—and now, one great name that gets people talking.
Community and a Charge to Go Green
At the meeting, citizens also learned practical ways to save energy in their own homes and how modern heat pumps can be the perfect solution for phasing out old oil or gas boilers.
Jes Rønn Hansen, chairman of the political board at Middelfart Municipality, introduced the event and threw his full support behind the initiative. He emphasized the local council's commitment to helping citizens navigate energy choices—a helping hand perfectly symbolized by the "Mickey Mouse" project.
The meeting concluded with the formation of a citizen group. This group will now receive professional energy consultancy and explore options for collective action, ensuring Fjelsted continues to lead the way.
In Fjelsted, they didn't just get a new heating system—they got a new mascot and proof that even the smallest, most whimsical ideas can create significant, green change.