It Is Not Easy Being Green

...but these cities sure do try

The following cities have not yet received laurels of praise on golden plaques. They have, however, all taken notable steps towards improving their residents' quality of life by working with, rather than against, nature.


Reykjavik, Iceland
Goal: Cleanest City in Europe

Reykjavik, Iceland may be more earth-friendly than the public thought. Drawing its heat from only renewable geothermal and hydropower sources, and hydrogen buses roam its streets. Reykjavik's current goal is to become entirely fossil-fuel free by 2050. But all this commitment to the environment is not limited to its residents - Reykjavik's mayor has pledged to make Reykjavik the cleanest city in Europe.


Vancouver, Canada
A City Running on Renewable Energy Sources

Vancouver's environmental successes are on the admirable side of the spectrum. Ninety percent of the city's power is drawn from renewable sources.
Its current project is charting a course to use wind, solar, wave and tidal energy to significantly reduce fossil-fuel use. Vancouver has even created a 100-year plan for sustainability. Vancouver's future could not look any greener.


Portland, Oregon
The Early Bird in CO2 Emission Reduction

This "City of Roses" was the first city in the US to adopt a plan to reduce CO2 emissions, targeting a total reduction of about twenty-six percent. With 92,000 acres of green space and 74 miles of running, biking, and hiking trails, Portland's approach to space has made it an exemplary for our other forty-nine states.


Malmo, Sweden
Set on Becoming an Eco-City

Historically known as the "City of Parks" due to its extensive open land, Malmo is the quintessential city for sustainable urban development. Malmo officially committed itself to becoming an ekostaden (Swedish for 'eco-city') in 1998. Its Environmental Programme is currently set to decrease greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2012, develop an environmentally adapted transport system by 2010, and dramatically increase conservation of natural resources.


Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
World's First Completely Green City

Abu Dhabi will be the world's very first completely green (environmentally-friendly) city, scheduled for completion by late 2009. Last January the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, Masdar, launched a $5 billion initiative for its creation. The development is quite beautiful: It aims to achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions and zero waste, with plans to invest $350 million in generation of solar energy. Abu Dhabi may very well be setting the standard for the planning of our world's future cities! And that is a marvelous milestone.


Curitiba, Brazil
A City Full of Open, Green Space

Pollution-free air is perhaps the best change this city's dwellers enjoy. Curitiba's Transit (BST) serves seventy percent of commuters, resulting in one of the lowest rates of ambient pollution in Brazil. Beyond congestion-free streets, the city possesses over 580 square feet of open green space

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