Best Green Places for Living

Depending on how green a city is the quality of life may differ based on many other variations. Ideally, every city, and especially every big city would be as green as possible. Unfortunately, most big cities are overrun by cars and industrialization, and very little is done to combat pollution. This inevitably leads to entire cities that contribute to the very real and present issue of global warming. So, with that in mind, let’s find out what are some of the best and greenest places for living around the world.

Green Cities Around the World 

Despite generally not doing nearly as much about combating global warming as they could, there are still quite some green cities in the United States. These cities are perfect to live in if you care about the environment on a personal level and obviously if you can actually afford it. 

Chicago has many public parks and has been named one of the greenest cities in the US for a number of years. About 70% of the city space is green-certified thus making for a particularly very enjoyable stay in spring and fall. Portland, Oregon, has been environmentally aware for many decades. A very bike-friendly city, Portland even has policies directed toward keeping buildings and the city overall as green as possible. Seattle is one of the most beautiful cities in America and that’s in no small part due to its greenery. There is a conscious effort to keep the city eco-friendly. Seattle additionally recycles and composts about 60% of its waste. If you enjoy nature, evergreen forests, and spending a lot of time outside then this city is for you. 

On the other hand, Europe has many cities that satisfy the green standards. There is an active effort in trying to make some of the biggest cities in Europe as green as possible. Ljubljana in Slovenia is possibly the number one greenest city on the continent. With lots of biking opportunities for locals and tourists alike, the city concentrates a lot on not letting outsiders ruin the greenery. Moreover, cities within Finland, Sweden, and Denmark are obviously fairly aware of the need to stay green. Helsinki, Stockholm, and Copenhagen are all great places to live in, although much more expensive than other smaller cities. 

Greenest Country 

Switzerland has implemented a green economy and has done wonders to try and stay ahead of the global warming problem. The country has long-term plans and is trying to keep getting greener and greener each year. The Swiss citizens enjoy a certain boost in their health just by not living in polluted spaces. Recycling is also very important to almost every citizen personally, and the green environment is kept safe through laws. That’s perhaps the biggest key here because laws in regards to saving the environment and fighting greenhouse emissions are not that common. 

Switzerland is constantly on top of every list that looks at and ranks green places. So, if greenery and the environment is something that concerns you, the best country choice for you is clear — if it’s within the realm of financial possibilities.

It’s important to not forget that there are places that are putting in real effort to try and stay green. Despite the rough times that the world is going through — with so many issues through the destruction of forests and the continuous use of greenhouse emissions — there are those trying to actively improve the world.

Photo: JaySi/Shutterstock

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