Top 5 Green Cities
Due to global warming and issues happening to our planet today, more people are practicing eco living. I used to hear my parents telling me that whatever we do to our plane, be it good our bad it will always come back to us. Today 5 cities are progressively growing to be Green. From Greenniacs,
1. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans truly understood that no city, no matter how historic or accustomed to bad weather, could be victimized through its own attempt to control Mother Nature. The failure of the levees, which had held by the mighty Mississippi for decades, showed the whole world that man needs to work harmoniously with the environment instead of trying to control it. And New Orleans got the message loud and clear. Out of the ashes of Katrina is the vision of a city entirely sustainable and more succinct with its natural surroundings.
2. Los Angeles, California, USA
Los Angeles gets a lot of negative comments for their horrible levels of pollution and overpopulation of concrete but the times sure are a changin’. Not only did the city of angels get bumped down to the number two most polluted city in May 2008, sorry Pittsburgh, you reached the top,4 but the city’s re-elected Mayor is using all of his effort to implement renewable energy policies as well as to boost public transportation funding and use.
3. Kalmar, Sweden
This Northern European city has decided that enough is enough. Coal and oil are out and bio-fuels are in. With only a quarter of a million citizens, the small city has personally witnessed the effects of global climate change, and though many are excited for the warmer weather, citizens are aware that their method of energy consumption needs to change if they want to keep their reputation as a quaint, snowy city. Today, the region already gets 90% of its electricity and 65% of its total energy from renewables that include wind, hydro, and nuclear power. Though the spread-out city is highly dependent upon personal transportation, cars run on ethanol from Brazil as well as a biogas made from the timber companies’ extra woodchips and shavings. There are also a number of city wide initiatives including “green driving,” using energy-efficient light bulbs on streets, plus a maze of biking paths throughout the city.
4. New Songdo City, South Korea
South Korea isn’t a country known for anything environment-related, besides its breathtaking landscapes. But come 2018 the world will see the small island nation in a different light. In construction since 2004, South Korea has teamed up with private investors to build the Songdo International Business District, less formally known as New Songdo City.8 Large and unique metropolises such as New York, Sydney, and Venice were the inspiration for its innovative infrastructure. The idea is to build a city that centralizes businesses and homes to build a walkable and sustainable area.
5. Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar
Okay, so even though I’m blond, I know the difference between a national park and a city. However, Andasibe-Mantadia National Park (AMNP) is a prime example of how conservation can save a place from ecological collapse. Madagascar is a beautiful island nation off the coast of southeastern Africa, but like Easter Island which experienced the collapse of a civilization, Madagascar began to notice the extreme effects urbanization was having on its environment and it was close to a dreadful end. The thing about islands is that you start to notice when things are disappearing a lot faster than if you are on a mainland, it’s all about proportion. Seventy-percent of its native species are not found anywhere else in the world,10 and with ecotourism springing up everywhere, people began to realize that the country had a good opportunity to save itself and make some moolah while at it. The area around AMNP doesn’t have a lot of money, so when ecotourism came about, impoverished people got jobs. The government also gives half of all revenue from the national park to the local communities, which is a fabulous melding of social and environmental sustainability.
Despite everything this countries have found ways to help the environment. They started small in creating green environment, and now has been the top 5 cities to live a green lifestyle.
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