The Greenest City in the World

With a population of just under 800,000 people, Copenhagen, Denmark isn’t the largest city in the world, but it has been voted ‘the greenest’.

1) One major problem in most modern cities is cars. In Copenhagen there are hundreds of kilometres of bicycle lanes and over 60 percent of the locals use these daily. Having fewer cars on the roads means noise and pollution are reduced. Public transportation also relies heavily on solar power, electricity and liquified petroleum gas (LPG), which further reduces noise and pollution.

2) In 1972, Denmark became the first country in the world to introduce a law about recycling. Although the law was to recycle only 50 percent of food and drink packaging, it created a strong culture of recycling in Denmark. Nowadays, the citizens of Copenhagen recycle over 70 percent of all waste, and this number keeps increasing every year.

3) Burning fossil fuels is generally considered bad for the environment, and Denmark has moved away from traditional fuels. The majority of energy now comes from three main sources: huge offshore wind turbines, solar energy and biogas, which is a type of biofuel that comes from organic waste. With the shift to more contemporary energy sources, Copenhagen has greatly reduced its carbon footprint.

4) Copenhagen is a very picturesque city, but the buildings hide a cool secret. Buildings generally lose lots of energy from heating, cooling and lighting. So, in Copenhagen most buildings are fitted with modern heating systems and insulation as well as technologically superior windows and solar panels.