Let's look at some cities that take environmentalism seriously ...
GREEN POWER TO THE PEOPLE
Cities
put an enormous strain on the environment: They use more than 75
percent of the world’s energy and release more than 75 percent of the
world’s carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the environment. More
than half the people on earth (over 3.5 billion) live in cities, and by
2050, that number is expected to reach 70 percent. The future could be
bleak: more lung disease from more pollution, increased global warming,
mountains of waste, and concrete everywhere. But the people who live in
the world’s greenest cities are pioneering a future that’s very
different.
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
Population: 1.2 million
How
green is it? Copenhagen has been addressing environmental issues for
decades. The result is that the water in its harbors and canals is so
clean that people actually swim in them. There are also more than 186
miles of bike paths in the metro area, and there are places where
residents and tourists can borrow bikes for free. (Really.) Some major
streets even have a “green wave” system so bike riders can speed through
intersections without stopping— they hit timed green lights the entire
way. The result is that nearly 55 percent of Copenhageners bike to work
or school.
The city is already filled with parks, but plans are
in the works to guarantee that by 2015 at least 90 percent of
Copenhagen’s population will be within walking distance of a park or
beach. About 20 percent of the city’s electric power comes from wind
turbines, hydroelectric power, and biomass (energy from organic matter
like wood, straw, and organic waste), but the goal is to stop using coal
altogether. The city is encouraging residents to buy electric-and
hydrogen-powered cars and is investing more than $ 900 billion so that,
by 2025, Copenhagen will have reduced its coal and oil pollution to
zero.
VANCOUVER, CANADA
Population: 603,000
How
green is it? Often called the greenest city in Canada, Vancouver has
more than 200 parks in a region that’s surrounded by spectacular
beaches, forests, and mountains. The city leads the world in the
production of hydropower, which supplies 90 percent of its electricity.
And one of Vancouver’s most famous innovations is the use of
solar-powered trash-compactor bins on public sidewalks: The bins can
hold five times the amount of conventional trash cans, so they need to
be emptied only once a week instead of every night, which saves on the
need to use the city’s gas-powered fleet of garbage trucks.
Vancouver
has also been adding new streetcar lines and bike lanes, and it has
constructed nearly 250 miles of “greenways,” special corridors for
pedestrians and cyclists that connect parks, nature reserves, historic
sites, neighborhoods, and shopping areas. And 40 percent of commuter and
tourist day trips in Vancouver involve walking, biking, or using public
transportation.
REYKJAVIK, ICELAND
Population: 120,000
How
green is it? In the 1970s Iceland relied on imported coal for 75
percent of its energy. Today all of its electricity is produced from
hydroelectric and geothermal power. The hydropower source is flowing
water from melting ice that turns turbines to make electricity. The
geothermal power uses the heat and steam of Iceland’s volcanoes to do
the same. The only fossil fuel the city uses is for its cars and fishing
fleets.
But Icelanders even consider that to be too much: To
get down to zero use of fossil fuels, Reykjavik is working on a
changeover to cars and ships fueled mainly by electricity and hydrogen.
In 2003 Shell opened its first hydrogen filling station in Reykjavik to
service hydrogen-powered public buses. By the mid-21st century, Iceland
plans to have most of its fishing fleet running on hydrogen and all of
its cars and buses powered by alternative fuels.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
Population: 805,000
How
green is it? San Francisco was the first city in the United States to
pass a mandatory recycling law, and the first to ban the use of plastic
bags. Meant to lessen the amount of garbage that goes into landfills,
those 2009 edicts have worked so well that San Franciscans now recycle
77 percent of their waste. (All that recycled garbage weighs about twice
as much as the Golden Gate Bridge!) New laws also mean cleaner air:
Public transportation runs on 20 percent biodiesel fuel (made from used
cooking oil), and a green taxi law has resulted in 92 percent of the
city’s cabs running on alternative fuels.
Even though it’s
famous for its fog, San Francisco has proved that solar can work in
overcast locales: The 60,000-square-foot solar system on the city’s
convention center generates enough electricity to power the entire
center during events, and 24,000 solar panels atop a reservoir provide
electricity for city buildings, including a hospital, the airport, and
police and fire stations.
CURITIBA, BRAZIL
Population: 3.5 million
How
green is it? Curitiba is the capital of the Paraná state in Brazil, and
despite facing severe poverty and overcrowding, it consistently wins
recognition as one of the most beautiful, livable, and green cities in
the world. In 1968 the city had less than 10 square feet of greenery per
person, but careful urban planning— minimizing urban sprawl, planting
trees, and protecting local forests— has turned that into 500 square
feet for each inhabitant. Curitiba now boasts 16 parks, 14 forests, and
more than 1,000 green public spaces.
Curitiba is also
internationally famous for its Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system.
Reliable and cheap, the BRT vehicles run as often as every 90 seconds in
dedicated bus lanes. Eighty percent of the residents use the buses—
that’s more than two million riders a day. Also famous for its garbage
disposal system, the city provides an alternative for low-income
families who don’t have garbage pickup: They can bring in bags of trash
or recycling, and exchange them for bus tickets, food, school supplies,
or toys. The result: A clean city where the poor live better and more
than 70 percent of the waste is recycled.
GREENSBURG, KANSAS
Population: 900
How
green is it? It’s not a big city, but the small town of Greensburg
embodies the spirit of environmentalism. In May 2007 a tornado
demolished 95 percent of the town. When the residents rebuilt, they
decided that their new buildings would meet internationally recognized
standards that would make their town as energy-efficient and
environmentally friendly as possible. The winds that once almost
destroyed the town now power a wind farm that provides electricity to
all of Greensburg’s homes and businesses. This incredible comeback has
made the town a center for environmental businesses and ecotourism, and
young residents who once vowed to go away to college and never come back
now say there’s no place like home. In 2011 Budget Travel magazine put
Greensburg on its top 10 list of the “Coolest Small Towns in America.”
And we think that’s pretty cool.
