It seems to me that every city has an excuse for why it is not going green. Big business and governments alike complain that switching too fast to renewable energy sources will cause a sag in the already sagging economy, that reducing emissions by x-percent below some year’s levels is not possible, that environmentalists are asking for too much in too little time, etc. But from my perspective, cities located all around the world are showing the Debby-doubters that anything is possible, that carbon economies are backwards thinking, and that any transition is possible given only a few years time.
Gussing, Austria
Once a quiet and economically-challenged small town in Eastern Austria, Gussing is now an international model of how thinking green, and acting accordingly, can improve any city’s environment and economy. The city, once financially dependent upon agriculture and tourism from a single 12th century castle, fell into a depressed economic state when globalization took hold and the townspeople struggled to sell their goods. For Gussing, the decision to make a change came in 1992 when the city could no longer afford to pay its expensive electricity bill. At that time, its electricity was generated by petroleum. The local government demanded that all buildings cease the use of gasoline as an energy source,1 resulting in the construction of an energy plant that used wood (a local, renewable resource) to supply 27 homes with heat. From there, Gussing continued to update their primitive plant to eventually providing both heat and electricity to the entire town.2 (See how it works at: http://www.ficfb.at/renet_d.htm). Gussing then had built another plant, which converted local rapeseed into fuel for motor vehicles.3
Today, Gussing has cut its green house gas emissions to 93% below its 1995 levels, the highest decrease seen in the European Union, and possibly the highest worldwide.4 Wanting to protect its forests, the once-sleepy Austrian village uses scrap wood as fuel and has explored both solar and biofuel for future renewable energy projects. Gussing is now home to the European Centre of Renewable Energy and bustling with tourists and scientists interested in seeing a real example of how emission reductions and economic prosperity can go hand in hand.5
Portland, Oregon, USA
I know all you San Franciscans are heaving a heavy sigh right now, but after extensive research and cumulating piles of national surveys, Portland hits the top of the most environmentally-friendly US cities list, just passing San Fran by a nose. Popular Science—which based its research off a US Census and National Geographic eco-guide—found that Portland has all the makings of the most environmentally friendly city. Treehugger.com determined Portland to be the most bikeable city, thedailygreen.com placed it as one of the Top 10 Most Walkable cities in the world, and SustainLane voted Portland the most sustainable US city.
Portland has been successful in implementing green ideals because it started young, enforcing strict laws against massive urbanization in the 1970s, while supporting local farmers and emphasizing mass transit over individual automobile usage.6 And as of January 2009, the Portlan’s Bureau of Planning combined with its Bureau of Sustainability to become the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, further solidifying Portland’s efforts to always keep the environment a top priority when it comes to governmental affairs.7
Portland stays at the top of the Greeniacs® list, not only because a lot of other people say it should be there, but because it is ever conscious of its transformation. Often times a city’s expansion outgrows its emphasis on environmental affairs—finding a place for people to live often trumps the need for wetland space. But Portland is constantly striving to be the “20 minute city,” the town in which everything a person needs, either for work, fun, or groceries, be only a twenty minute walk from a citizen’s home. Who enforces this policy? The bureaucrats. As an Oregon paper said, they find it vital to your happiness.8 And I was beginning to think all politicians were about money and power…
Heidelberg, Germany
For every sustainable city, there are literally hundreds of ways that sustainability can be reached. For Heidelberg, basic budgeting and mathematics has led this European city to become an award-winning success story. Using hard science as its guide, in 1994 the mayor of Heidelberg decided that becoming environmentally neutral simply meant polluting less and using less resources. City planners went to work to maintain a healthy society of employed and prosperous citizens while still reducing the town’s footprint. Their eco-budget system managed to set caps on natural resource consumption and pollution, leading the city to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions 30% below its 1993 levels, nitrous oxide emissions 65% below 1986 levels, residual waste nearly by half of 1990 levels, and decreased drinking water consumption 12% from 1990. Heidelberg also received a Sustainable European City award in 2004. The city continues to improve its daily living conditions through its sensible yet simple budgeting techniques.9
Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador
Although relatively unknown, Bahía de Caraquez (which will now be referred to as just Bahía) has worked diligently on its own to become an eco-city and was the first city in the world to develop an organic shrimp farming practice.10 Bahía took social responsibility to set aside rainforest for preservation, created a city-wide organic recycling system, and implemented environmental education programs in its primary schools.11 (Even in Costa Rica, a country known for its eco-friendliness, most areas burn their garbage, as is the case in most undeveloped nations.12 ) The best part about Bahía is that in 1998 it was nearly destroyed by mudslides from vicious El Ninos. Wait, that sounded bad, the best part was that after these tragic events, the people of Bahía decided that since they had to rebuild their town, they might as well do it right, turning the village into an eco-traveler’s paradise.13
Bahía offers some of the most spectacular and interactive eco-tourism in the world. It has a world-renowned organic farm called Rio Muchacho, where visitors can volunteer their time as ranch hands in exchange for a bed and food. Visitors can even learn solar installation skills, where of course those final products will be put to good use as energy sources for the farm.14 In all of South America, Bahía de Caraquez is sure to offer some of the greenest tourism and the best examples of small town success.
Dongtan, China
Okay, you got me, this city hasn’t been built yet, BUT, that does not mean it won’t be skipped on our Top 5 list. In 2010, Dongtan will, hopefully, be built, and China will be forgiven for all of its pollution and daily coal plant building, etc. I am of course, being facetious, but this city will be spectacular nonetheless, and environmentalists everywhere are drooling over the possibilities of its greatness.
Dongtan is being built on the Chongming Island on the Yantze River, and if all goes well, it will be 100% carbon neutral. All buildings will be equipped with green roofs, and will be built as a unit of the marsh it lies upon, rather than clogging or disrupting the marsh as new construction typically does. Harnessing all of its energy from the wind, sun, and biofuels, the new Chinese city will cover less than half of the building site in order to leave the rest for agriculture or wetland preservation. All waste will be recycled in some way in order to eliminate the use of landfills, and human excrements will be processed and used for compost or energy. Like all good eco-cities, personal car use will be discouraged and citizens will be pushed to self commute on bike or foot, or to utilize the massive public transport infrastructure.15
Whether or not this Chinese city will succeed is unknown. But the least we can do is applaud this great Eastern nation for using the negative feedback it has been receiving and using it to create something entirely better than the western world has done, or at least we all hope so (or else I’ll be re-editing this list in 2011).
