Stockholm, Sweden is, unquestionably, a leader in sustainable development for municipalities. In Sweden, environmental and social responsibility are hallmarks of a stable and prosperous economy. One measure: 90% of the 523 kilograms of waste (or 655,000 metric tons) generated annually per person is used for energy to heat homes and businesses or is composted for bio fuel or is recycled.
A photo taken on a day off infers ‘Which way to sustainability?’ Signpost. Husarö, Stockholm archipelago
Meanwhile, Copenhagen, Denmark is successfully integrating sustainability, with industry awards to prove their success (they were just named the European Green Capital 2014, beating 17 other cities).
The successes seen in Scandinavia are an example of cities ‘getting it right’ by balancing the needs of people and economy.
What if there was a convenient list of all the cities getting it right? What if we could develop such a list that would save meeting planning time by identifying cities where sustainable events come easy? As it happens, such a list can exist. Here’s one opinion of cities getting it right (and a few powerful event destination cities that, thus far.. not so much):
Cities getting it right by helping sustainable event planners (a non-exhaustive list)
2. Whistler, BC
3. Amsterdam, the Netherlands see also RAI
Unsung heroes: Cities doing heavy lifting for sustainability that you might not know about
1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, importantly, this amazing report
2. Gothenburg, Sweden and here (They’re friends, yes, but they merit attention. Nobody is doing more)
Opportunity for Leadership: Cities too quiet in promoting sustainable practices
1. Vienna, Austria
2. Paris, France
3. Barcelona, Spain
4. Beijing, China
5. Sydney, Australia
In my day to day work here, we’re actively developing what is already a very cool site focused on providing planners a simple way to find cities which are ‘sustainable event friendly’. Check it out here and then share your thoughts on what cities are missing, either from my lists above or from the list of scored cities on the Best Places to Meet Green site.
Reblogged this on Cleantech Solutions.