There are many different ways to create a sustainable lifestyle, but sometimes where you live can make living sustainably a bit more complicated. Of course, there are ways around this, but here are the best sustainable cities to live in and the reasons why they are sustainable! All these cities are so beautiful, and if you decide that you don’t want to live in a completely different city, any of these cities are definitely worth the visit!
Reykjavik, Iceland
With 135,422 people, this beautiful Icelandic city makes regular adaptive changes in being environmentally conscious and incorporating a more sustainable lifestyle. By 2040, Reykjavik plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by promoting walking, cycling, and introducing hydrogen buses for public transport.
Vancouver, Canada
Canada is well-known as a haven of sorts, a land where everyone is genuinely kind and compassionate. Vancouver is surrounded by gorgeous forests, mountains, and the vast ocean. This charming city introduced the “Greenest City Initiative,” which enabled realistic goals that could be accomplished within the next few years. Out of all the cities in North America, Vancouver produces the least greenhouse gasses, and there is an abundance of sustainable companies and grocery stores.
Capetown, South Africa
A city where surfers go to ride the most incredible waves? Yes. But, Capetown is also highly environmentally conscious, and here’s why. Capetown is always looking for new and innovative ways to conserve energy which led to the installation of wind farms in 2008. By building these wind farms, their original goal was to get 10% of the city’s energy from renewable resources by 2020, easily obtained by technological advances. This city has also invested money into safe-cycle routes to promote a more idealistic outdoor lifestyle.
San Francisco, California
Good ole’ San Francisco. San Francisco is also a hotspot for sustainable living, home to the Giants and the Warriors and home to nearly 900,000 people. San Francisco has a vast knowledge of the global plastic waste issue, so 77% of municipal waste is recycled. This explains why plastic bags are banned in most grocery stores, and paper straws are the norm for restaurants and cafes.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen has reached number one on the list of the most sustainable cities worldwide. By 2025, this city is set to become the very first CO2-neutral city because the culture of cycling around the city is more normalized than actually owning a car. Only about 29% of residents of Copenhagen own a vehicle, and 88% of the total food sales are produced by organic organizations.
Whether for vacation or to move to these cities, these unique cities bring outstanding and innovative ideas to create more sustainable lifestyles. Attacking global environmental issues doesn’t seem so lonely when we Reimagine Waste together.
Sources:
https://meetinreykjavik.is/green-reykjavik/
https://www.greencitytimes.com/vancouver/
https://glcn-on-sp.org/cities/cape-town/
https://sfenvironment.org/designing-a-smarter-more-sustainable-san-francisco
