Sustainability in Iceland

Reykjavik, Iceland, is the worlds most sustainable city and 100% of Iceland's electricity comes from the renewable energy source, produced by heat from volcanic activity under the surface and the force from the magnificent cascading waterfalls, Zac Efron and his travel buddy, Darin, see first hand how these incredible natural and renewable forces are harnessed and used for power. 

The city of Reykjavik won the Nordic Nature and Environment Prize in 2014 and the city is now in sixth place on the Global Destination Sustainability Index. Also, the city has put forward a climate policy paper with an action plan where goals are established for a carbon-neutral city by 2040. Imagine visiting Iceland in 2040, knowing that the country will be the most sustainable friendly country in the world, how great would that feel? 

The world's largest geothermal heating system is located in the Icelandic capital and it has been growing and improving since it opened in 1930. 90% of the housing in Iceland is geothermally heated, 9% with electricity and 1% with oil. 

There are many benefits of geothermal activity such as less pollution, less emission of greenhouse gases, health benefits, cleaner air and comfortable warmth indoors. The health benefits associated with geothermal energy is soothing sore joints, swollen muscles and stiff limbs in warm thermal pools. Every community in Iceland has easy access to warm geothermal swimming pools and many hotels have their own spas and hot tubs.  

Iceland's fruit and vegetables are grown in greenhouses heated geo-thermally and illuminated by hydroelectricity. There is even a banana plantation in Iceland and is one of the biggest in Europe. Bees are imported to fertilise the plants, as are insects that help to limit the number of parasites that might risk causing damage. 

If you'd like to visit Reykjavik yourself, check our all our latest Reykjavik city break offers on the Iceland Holidays website here.