Save Eco Destinations

Bicyclists and a bike counter in Malmo - photo by 2headedturtle

What a surprise – we’re again looking at Scandinavia! This post focuses on Malmö, the home of almost 300,000 Swedes in the southern province of Skane, Sweden.

Oh, Malmö, let me count the ways that you are green:

• Between 2008 and 2012, you are cutting your CO2 emissions by 25% (!), essentially giving the Kyoto Protocol the finger as you obscenely surpass the Protocol’s meager 5% goal
• You lead the way in green electricity practices
• You consist of eco-friendly neighborhoods that contain hundreds of smart energy homes!
• Western Harbour runs on 100% renewable energy (solar, wind, hydropower, and biofuels from organic waste)
• Your buildings are energy-efficient and were built with sustainable, recyclable materials
• Your streets encourage walking and cycling instead of driving – and it works: about 35% of the population travels by bike
• The restoration of Sege Park will power the neighborhood with solar (photovoltaics*), wind, and biofuels power
• Malmö, you renovate shipyards and industrial areas, transforming them into green residential communities
• Your district known as Augustenborg uses green roofing that reduces runoff and insulates buildings
• Augustenborg has the first-ever emissions-free electric steel trains (swank!)
• Another one for Augustenborg: more than a dozen recycling houses process 70% of collected waste

Brilliant.

The largest photovoltaic project in Scandinavia in Malmö's Sege Park

Malmö, oh, Malmö – your vibrant dedication, your grass-stained fingers, your cool, clean breath, your practical ingenuity – you are so wonderful I would give up certain sweets for you.

Oh, Malmö, with your canals, beaches, parks, and your harbor you remind me of the aesthetics of the Middle Ages and the distant future in spirit.

My love, oh, Malmö, is yours.

And I’m not the only one raving about this city: check out this BBC article on Sweden’s eco-awesomeness.

* What the hell are photovoltaics? I’m glad you asked. Why, they’re a solar energy technology. Photovoltaics cells transform solar light directly into electricity. Learn more here.

photo by AE Creations

I first started finding out about Vancouver because that’s where one of my favorite fiction authors, Douglas Coupland, resides.  But that’s besides the point.

Point: Vancouver’s so green it beats Reykjavík! Very impressive.

Here’s how Vancouver does it: 90% of its energy is currently renewable-mainly hydroelectric-and “feeds” its population of over half a million peeps. This makes it the global leader in hydroelectric energy.

It has a 100-year plan that aims to use emerging energy-efficient technologies for everything. (Note 1: Yeah, we’ll be dead by then, but if you’re into kids, think about them! They’ll benefit! Note 2: why 100 years? 2050′s far enough into the future! Not to mention the Maldives’ 2020 vow.)

Okay. More about its 100-year plan: It’s going for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to levels 20% lower than what it’d planned at the initial Kyoto Protocol agreements in 1990 (which it’d better, since now the outlook is grimmer-let’s hope others follow suit).

photo by Getty Images

You thought Portland was cool for its solar-powered parking meters? Well, it is. But Vancouver’s got solar-powered trash compactors! These babies hold 5 times the waste of regular trashcans, reducing the use of garbage trucks.

The Economist magazine named Vancouver the most livable city in the world, and evidently it is also a model, not just for Canada but for the world, for using renewable and clean energy sources for its power.

Next up: solar, wind, wave, and tidal-powered energy. Surf’s up!

(image courtesy of sapdesignguild.org)

Oh, Portland. Home to over half a million people, many vegan restaurants, amazing bands (RIP Sleater-Kinney), bikers, tree huggers, DIYers, and the like. (BTW, check out Havi Brooks, a Portland-based wonderful coach/yoga teacher/inspiration source galore/lots of etc.etc.)

Check it out: by 2010 (2010!!!) Portland will be so green it will supply 100% renewable energy. Had you heard of solar-powered parking meters? I hadn’t. Holy shit that’s amazing.

Of course, this green hub has always been innovative in its eco ways. Back in 1903 it was already trying to get other US cities to heart green spaces in urban areas, for instance. Three decades ago it replaced a 6-lane highway with a waterfront park. (Wow.) Today the city boasts 92,000 acres of green space plus 74 mi. of biking, hiking, and running trails. Portland protects 25 million acres of forest and farms.

More: Portland employs fuel cells that run on waste methane (maybe farms should get on this, since cattle produce so much methane it’s screwing up our planet-ahem, thought about going vegetarian lately?), a micro hydro facility in its drinking water system, and microturbines that run on, again, waste methane. Next time you’re feeling gassy, think about that! (If you’re the gassy type, maybe consider powering your house that way. If only, huh?)

Portland’s the first US city to implement a plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The city helped found the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign and has been touted as a green city for a long time.

50 of the city´s buildings meet or exceed the US Green Building Council’s sustainability standards. The city is pedestrian and bike-friendly (hear that, Florida, Los Angeles, etc. etc.??) About 25% of commuters ride their bikes to work. There is lots of green amidst the drab cement or urban life (hear that New York? Mexico DF? Detroit? Santiago? Sao Paulo? Etc. etc.?)

‘Nuff freaking said.

On Saturday, March 28 Greenpeace launched a month-long tour of Vermont in a solar truck called Rolling Sunlight.

The idea is to show how solar power can do everything nuclear power can-from heating chocolate to powering sound systems at events-but safely. The goal is to stop by farmer’s markets, colleges, artsy events, and such to engage Vermonters in a discussion about nuclear vs. renewable energy (i.e. solar).

Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor: A collapsed cooling tower spewing water that was supposed to cool the plant's reactor.

So why Vermont? Because its residents get to choose whether they want to shut down Vermont Yankee, Entergy’s aging nuclear reactor, and replace nuclear energy with local, cheap, clean and renewable solar power in their state. April’s the perfect time to take an eco trip to Vermont and support the project.

“Thirty years ago today, at Three Mile Island, we saw one of the worst nuclear disasters in history, and Pennsylvania is still seeing the effects of that radiation. The Public Oversight Panel’s report released last week detailed the extent that Entergy Nuclear management is neglecting maintenance and repair. We don’t want Vermont to be the next Three Mile Island. We have great renewable alternatives available to us that put Vermont’s safety first,” Ed Anthes from Nuclear Free Vermont by 2012 told Greenpeace.

The first stop was Brattleboro. Here’s the others –

Tentative Rolling Sunlight Tour Dates:

March 28 – Brattleboro (30th Anniversary of Three Mile Island)
April 1 – Middlebury
April 2 – University of Vermont
April 3 – Brattleboro
April 4 – Norwich
April 5 – Bennington
April 8 – Randolph
April 9 – South Burlington/Colchester
April 11 – Rutland
April 12 – Waitsfield
April 13 – Waterbury
April 16 – Barre
April 19 – Richmond
April 21 – St. Albans
April 22 – Burlington (Earth Day)
April 23 – Shelburne/Hinesburg
April 26 – Johnson/Morrisville (Anniversary of Chernobyl)
April 29 – Montpelier

If you’ll be making your way to Vermont this April and want to take part in this project, you can call Greenpeace for info at 800-326-0959.