Green Travel in Europe
February 8, 2010 | Krista Stryker
Eco travel is possible in Europe
With climate change becoming recognized almost unanimously worldwide, eco travel – or environmentally friendly travel – is becoming a popular alternative to the more consumer-based travel of the past. And while much of the green travel industry is based in traditionally warmer countries like Costa Rica and New Zealand, that doesn’t mean you can’t be environmentally conscious during your travels in Europe.
In fact, the Economist Intelligence Unit in Europe just released the European Green City Index, which names the top 30 greenest cities in Europe. The following cities placed in the top five: Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Vienna, and Amsterdam. Major hubs Paris and London were further down on the list, placing 11th and 12th place.
The study evaluated the environmental performance of 30 leading cities from 30 European countries as well as their commitment to reducing their environmental impact. The following factors were considered when deciding who made the cut: C02 emissions, energy, buildings, transportation, water, air quality, waste/land use and environmental governance.
Since I happen to be environmentally minded, I was pretty pleased to see Amsterdam (where I’ve lived for a year and a half now) ranked in the top five. My new hometown scored number one in the categories of water and waste/land use, and placed second in transportation. But I can think of a few areas where the city could use improvement – sidewalk cleanup (anyone who has ever been to Amsterdam has stepped in dog poop at some point in their trip!) and a better recycling program (I’ve yet to find recycle bins for anything other than glass and paper).
And though all these cities have a long way to go before they can be considered true green travel destinations, it is nice to think that just by traveling around Europe you are doing your part to help the environment.
See the full results of the European Green City Index study here.
