Being based in Brighton, a lovely little cosmopolitan hub, there is a huge emphasis on environmental friendliness and it's something that we reflect in the Maria Allen ethos. These ideals got us thinking...just where are the most eco-friendly places to live!? So after our extensive research we bring you the low down on the top 10 most environmentally friendly cities to pitch your tent...
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1.) Copenhagen
With it's main mode of transport as the bicycle, it's no surprise that Copenhagen surpasses most cities in terms of eco-friendliness. With it's goal to be completely carbon-neutral by 2025, It's also been named as having the happiest citizens! Hooray for Copenhagen!
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2.) Amsterdam
This city actually has more bicycles than people, and is one of the most
bicycle-friendly cities in the world. It's compact and flat as well as having protected bike paths, racks and parking everywhere making cycle accessible for all.
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3.) Singapore
Singapore has been dubbed the greenest city in Asia and is a great example in how a huge city can deal with environmental issues.
After industrialisation brought along heavy pollution, Singapore created a Green Plan in 1992 to tackle clean water, clean air and clean land solutions. It aims to have zero waste in landfills by the mid 21st century.
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4.) Curitiba
This Brazilian city is surprisingly
one of the eco-friendliest cities in the world. It was one of the first ever cities to create a recycling initiative and has efficient public transport systems. On top of all this, they've planted more than 1 million trees around highways and motorways in the area.
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6.) Berlin
Berlin’s government has created an Environmental Zone in the core of the city, allowing only vehicles that have a sticker indicating that they meet certain emission standards.
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7.) Oslo
Yet another Scandinavian city in the top ten! This cities government has a 'Strategy for Sustainable Development' which includes a strict program to protect all of its natural surroundings. The Green Belt Boundary around Oslo protects wild areas from any future development.
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8.) Cape Town
The capital of South Africa is said to have the most green spaces on the continent, whilst
its target to become a zero-waste city within 20 years and carbon neutral by 2050, earning it's ranking in our top ten eco -friendly cities.
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9.) Helsinki
I think it's fair to say Scandinavia is doing pretty well in the eco-friendly race... Like many Scandinavian cities, the capital of Finland encourages bicycle use and public transport. The city has been working hard to be sustainable since the 50s with strict energy efficiency programmes.
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10.) Brighton!
Now, we may be biased, but our little city is taking huge leaps and bounds towards being one of the most eco friendly cities, with everyone playing their part to make this happen from restaurants and business owners to shops and individual residents. Our favourite eco friendly spots are SILO, the restaurant/ brewery/ bakery/ coffee house with a zero waste philosophy. Earth and Stars, dubbed the most eco-friendly pub in Brighton with the most delicious vegan food choices. And lastly, Earthship Brighton,
the Low Carbon Trust's first project and the first Earthship to be built in England, with a
focus on spreading a positive message of climate change education and helping people to modify their behaviour to live with a lighter carbon footprint.
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