Going Green: The top green countries

The United States is slowly starting to embrace shades of green, but a large part of the world is far ahead. 

Sources: The Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/21/top-10-green-countries-ph_n_241867.html, The Richest.com, http://www.therichest.com/expensive-lifestyle/location/the-10-most-green-countries-in-the-world/

Tied for first place is Germany and Iceland.

Germany 1

In spite of its cloudy weather, Germany has more than half of the world’s solar-power generating capacity and has invested over $14 billion in green technology last year. In fact, one of its towns - Vauban – has gone almost entirely car free!

 

Iceland 1

Iceland is the top green destination in the world today. The country’s

breathtaking nature aside, the people of Iceland have made remarkable progress in implementing

green energy policies.  For instance, geothermal is widely used to generate electricity, while

heating needs have been taken care of by use of hydrogen. 

The country's main energy source is renewable energy (geothermal and hydrogen) which

accounts to over 82% of the total energy used.  The country is working towards being 100% green

energy energy efficient.  Above all, Iceland's policies encourage things like recycling, use of

eco fuel, use of green products, minimal driving among a host of other eco friendly measures.

Norway 2

Has the world's largest solar production plant. Also they are planning on becoming carbon neutral by 2030, not 2050 as originally expected.

 

Tuvalu 3

This tiny island nation of 12,000 people has promised plans to fuel its entire economy by renewable sources by 2020. Already sinking because of rising seas caused by global warming, Tuvalu hopes to replace all fossil fuels by solar and wind power.

 

 

Switzerland 4

Switzerland seems to have topped at least two environmental lists by U.S. universities to beat out 146 other countries for its green charm. Switzerland also charges for its water and waste management services and has a severe environmental tax. This leads to some of the world's lowest levels of air and water pollution.

 

Sweden 5
The country has said that it plans on being fossil fuel free by 2020. Sweden already primarily runs on nuclear or hydroelectric power and they use ethanol and animal waste to power automobiles. Apparently, they are also trying to develop "wave power''' which converts into four times as much energy as solar power in the same amount of time.

 

Finland 6

The forests in Finland are growing faster than they get destroyed. Plus the country has extremely high quality of air and low levels of water pollution. Finland is also among the world's largest exporters of wind-power technology.

 

Denmark 7

The country has the world's first profitable offshore wind park. Denmark also became independent of fossil fuel imports in 1973. Today, Denmark has the world's greatest ratio of wind power in its energy mix.

 

France 8

Seventy eight percent of France's energy is nuclear power reducing nitrogen oxide and other hazardous emissions by 70 percent. The French government is also ambitious of 54 million tons of saved C02 by 2010.

 

Australia 9

A town in Australia has banned bottle water and the federal government is giving out $300 million to fund clean energy initiatives.  

 

Costa Rica 10

COSTA RICA: Costa Rica: The country is run by hydroelectric power in 80 percent of the country. Also, five percent of the world's biodiversity is contained in this one country and a quarter of the nation is devoted to park preservation.

 

Tied with Costa Rica are Colombia and Austria:

 

Colombia 10

At number 10 in the EPI index is Colombia, a South American country that has

made great steps in implementing green energy solutions. Reeling from the effects of deforestation, Colombia picked itself up and has made crucial steps in ensuring that it does not repeat the same environmental mistakes it did. Some of the changes that the country made in promoting environmental conservation include using bamboo for construction project instead of steel; promoting the use of eco-friendly products; fighting deforestation; and allocation of national parks to save endemic species.

 

Austria 10

  Austria has, over the years, implemented green energy policies to great

success. The country's latest green policy involves collaborating with the Czech Republic to create eco-friendly gardens along the borderline of the two countries. Some of the floras cultivated in this noble initiative include; herbs, fruits, trees, flowers etc. No pesticides are used in the general maintenance of the garden.

 

Cool, Clear Water, Randy Travis