Iceland: 5 sustainable projects

Iceland. The land of ice and fire. The green island not only has a breathtakingly beautiful landscape, but is also known for being the pioneer in sustainability. That is why environmental protection is very important in Iceland, which is also visible in the many sustainable projects.

Sustainable tourism

While many countries are cutting funding for tourism in Corona times, the island is investing in infrastructure development. The new projects focus in particular on environmental protection and are intended to help promote tourism while reducing the industry's ecological footprint. For example, alternatives to busy roads are to be created. In order to disentangle mass tourism, the country is relying heavily on the expansion of the low season. Tourists coming to the island should travel longer and slower if possible. In this way, undiscovered places can be explored and marveled at with a local guide. By opening up these new places, Iceland should show itself from a new side.

Since 2020, cruise ships that use polluting heavy fuel oil have been banned from docking in ports. Many Icelandic tour operators are increasingly switching to electric vehicles to reduce CO2 emissions. The country also has its own sustainability seal. This allows tourists to see whether tourism service providers are environmentally conscious. In the capital, there is the "Green Eco Steps" project, this way travelers can use public transport for free with the Reykjavik City Card.

Sustainable architecture

Basalt Architects' FABRIC concept is a sustainable architecture project in Reykjavik. FABRIC will contribute to the better, greener and healthier city, creating a center for health, wellness and sustainable lifestyles. The building mixes residential communities, shared offices, public spaces, services and retail on a total of eight floors. Emphasis will be placed on reducing energy demand from the greenhouses. Biodiversity is an important part and will be the lifeline of the building. This means creating planted corridors, walls and roofs, greenhouses and a winter garden.

When FABRIC is completed, it will be a beacon for sustainable design in architecture.

Seeds - Volunteering for Iceland

Seeds is a learning camp in the capital city of Iceland. The camp allows participants to share and learn about global and local issues. The main purpose of the project is to learn more about different aspects of environmental and sustainability issues through a selection of workshops, discussion sessions and visits. Topics can be, for example, renewable energy, food waste or veganism. The camp teaches tourists to travel and consume in a more environmentally conscious way.

VAXA

The company VAXA grows microalgae for aquaculture, fish feed and as a food supplement for humans, for example as a meat substitute. Production runs on 100 percent renewable energy. Which makes the microalgae CO2-negative. It also stands out from the competition with very minimal fresh water and land consumption. The biosafety indoor facility ensures a safe and clean growing environment with no risk of contamination. That means no ballast from environmental pollutants and free from pathogens, pesticides and antibiotics.

CARBFIX

A new technology that captures Co2 and embeds it in stone, does it exist? Yes there is!

Carbfix dissolves climate-damaging carbon dioxide gases with other untreated natural gases in water in order to permanently store them in the rock of the earth as chemically stable minerals. However, this will only be financially viable in a few years' time, because the project is still in the development stage. When it is, the company expects storage to be cheaper than buying CO2 certificates. This would mean that it would be an incentive to stop blowing CO2 into the air and instead sell it to the green island.

You want to see Iceland with your own eyes and feel unique? Then take a look at our Iceland trip and experience the breathtaking nature and the powerful forces of nature from the island up close.

Still looking for travel inspiration? Then check out our Instagram account Triplegend over!