Five Incredibly Green Cities

Many cities around the world are going green these days, but there are five that have simply outdone the rest. These five cities have very small carbon footprints, have great recycling programs, and use reusable energy in unique and creative ways.

Freiburg, a city in Germany, has been a leader in green community living for quite some time. The city’s central area was actually rebuilt to be green after it was destroyed during World War II. Yes, the city has been green-focused since WWII! Freiburg has a car-free area, a solar village, and more.

Portland, Oregon, in the United States is the first city to be named a platinum-level bicycle community. The city also makes great use of renewable energy, recycling, and mass transportation systems. Portland is a great city for those looking to integrate being green with their lifestyle.

Another city in the US, Austin, Texas, is working very hard to reduce the amount of fossil fuel used. They’ve mandated home energy audits to help people increase the efficiency of their homes, and they focus on locally grown foods and farmer’s markets. Austin also holds several green festivals designed to teach people how to be more eco-friendly.

Zermatt, a town in Switzerland, has become a huge tourist destination. However, you won’t find cars in the town. Streets are for pedestrians and bikes only, and large loads are actually hauled through town on hand carts and small electric carts. If you want anything larger than that, you must have a special permit.

Finally, Montreal, in Quebec, Canada, regulates carbon emissions, has implemented the Bixi bike sharing project, and more. The city is one of the leaders in being green, and many other cities look to Montreal as their guide in reducing waste and recycling.

UK Bans Construction of New Coal Power Plants That Do Not Feature Carbon Capture

In a move to reduce the overall carbon emissions in the UK, the British government has passed new regulations that will require new coal power plants to include carbon capture and storage. If the plants do not incorporate carbon capture and storage into their design, they will not be approved for construction. While this sounds like it will keep unclean coal burning plants from being built, the reality is that it probably won’t really deter new coal power plants. As groups like Cleantech point out, it’s only a really small step in the right direction.

Why is this? Well, the regulations state that carbon capture and storage is required for 400 MW of output from all new coal plants. By 2025, the regulations will have expanded to cover 100% of all emissions. However, the reason why this isn’t as good of a deal as it seems is because the 100% requirement in 2025 will only be in effect if the technology to capture all emissions actually exists at that point. That’s a pretty big loophole.

The biggest problem is that the funds to develop this technology just aren’t there yet. What may happen is that coal plants will “do their best” in dealing with carbon emissions, but since they can simply say that they don’t have the technology to capture all emissions, they can’t be held responsible for actually upholding the regulations. Banning the building of plants that don’t at least try to capture and store is something, but with this loophole in the regulations, it simply isn’t enough to truly cut out all carbon emissions in the UK.