Copenhagen

Denmark

 What better way to be greeted by Denmark than with environmentally sustainable windmills!

This view is from atop an "Ecohouse" which uses solar heating among other good stuff.

This layout is typical in Copenhagen: a square of apartments with a courtyard in the center, complete with greenery, playgrounds, picnic tables, and a recycling center in the center. Right in the middle of the city, we couldn't even hear the traffic outside the walls.
Here is an inside view of one of those courtyard recycling centers. They have bins for just about everything, and clear labels right there on what can and cannot be put in the bins.

Here is an example which combines interesting architecture with passive solar heating.

Placing big, south-facing windows on a building lets the warm sun heat up a room -- instead of an environmentally damaging heating system.
This is an apartment building allowing city-dwellers to practice their green thumb right at home, while beautifying their environment. You can see how people enjoy this feature: the plants are thriving and all look well-cared-for.
This big mural truly represents this city filled with many bicycle riders.
Folkets Hus was once an abondoned building taken over by squatters. The government finally allowed the people to settle there, and they took pride in their environment by fixing up the house and creating a playground in the neighboring empty lot (see following pictures).
This is an interesting swing creating out of fallen tree -- artistic and playful.
Here is the model of a playground designed by students and being built by unemployed youth. We got to walk around the site a bit and we all want to go back to play in the completed version!
In the park mentioned above, some townspeople have turned this damaged elm tree into something for children to climb on.
In another of Copenhagen's parks (they have many), there are some demonstration gardens, one of which displayed this poster on permaculture -- an environmentally sustainable way to garden.
Here is a beautiful view of one of the demonstration gardens.

 

 

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