This is a picture that shows part of the landscape along the coast of Reykjavik.
This picture we can see the Blue Lagoon spa and in the background there are steam stacks that are part of the geothermal plant behind the spa.Iceland is a country that is eco-aware. There are many opportunities that lie within the boundaries to encourage green solutions to the everyday life. While the economy in Iceland may be at a standstill, the country is still adimant about trying to keep their income from travelers both profitable as well as eco friendly. Some examples of this we have seen on our trip by staying in green hostel in the capitol of Reykjavik. The hostel was considered to be green by the official swan eco label of the scandinavian countries. Some specific examples in our rooms were small contrabutions such as eco friendly soap, water conserving showers, as well as sheets of toilet paper instead of the rolls to help consumers use less. On a more larger level, Iceland has a very unique history as well as landscape that intrique many travelers. The volcanic lanscape brings in a variety of difforent sights for travelers to see and experience such as one of only a few active geisers in the world "Geysir", the Blue Lagoon natural hotspring spas, along with mountainering adventures and other sort of outdoor activites. One of multi resources that Iceland can get out of the natural hot springs is also the use of geothermal power to help run the city. Hiking, horseback riding, kayaking, fishing and also whale watching are many of the popular other attractions that one can see and participate when they come to Iceland. Unfortunatly for our group we were unable to whale watch on account of the ever changing windy weather of Iceland. We did make do with site seeing around the town and meeting some friends and enjoying the culture along the coast. As we traveled we did take public transportation or walked around the city which also helped us participate in the more "eco friendly" tourism of the scandinavians.
This was by: Erika Strom
ReplyDeleteVirtually all of Iceland's electricity and heating comes from hydroelectric power and the geo-thermal water reserves that have been tapped from beneath the surface in the hot rock layers of this extraordinary land (www.bbc.com).
ReplyDeleteReykjavik boasts the largest, most sophisticated geothermal district heating system in the world. Over 90% of all homes and buildings in Iceland use thermal water for space heating. The nation also uses geothermal heating for a multitude of other purposes including snow melting, fish farming, spas and pools as well as for industrial purposes (www.articlesbase.com).
The effects of this are a cleaner environment, lower costs for consumers and industry, and a strong positive image for the nation.
The previous post was by Erin Josephson.
ReplyDeleteIceland is an overlooked and great destination for eco-tourism. Most people try to travel to third world countries with rain forests and reefs. These are fine but can also hurt those locations more than help, which is the purpose of eco--tourism. After a while eco-tourism become tourism. Iceland has eco resources that are harder to hurt. Whale watching, the blue lagoon, or a tour of the golden circle. All are eco-tourism, and all can be done without hurting the environment of the location. - Patrick Austinson
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