Creating Sustainable Cities

Summary

This video, sponsored by the Nick Moune Foundation, explores key aspects of sustainable cities, highlighting their crucial role in combating environmental challenges. With urban populations expected to rise, cities like Gothenburg, Portland, Vienna, Copenhagen, Zurich, and Helsinki are leading the way by improving public transport, promoting cycling, creating green spaces, utilizing renewable energy, and encouraging local food production. San Francisco also stands out for its waste management initiatives, including recycling and a ban on single-use plastic bags. The video showcases how these cities are setting global examples in sustainability, inspiring a greener future for all.

Takeaways

• 🌿 Cities are crucial in our modern lives and are expected to house up to 68% of the world's population by 2050, necessitating sustainable development.
• 🚌 Gothenburg, Sweden, is committed to green transport with 65% of its transport options using renewable energy sources and 200 electric buses serving the city.
• 🚲 Portland, Oregon, has over 250 miles of bike paths and a high percentage of city workers commuting via bike, carpool, or public transport, making it a leader in sustainable commuting.
• 🌳 Vienna, Austria, prioritizes green spaces, dedicating 50% of the city to parks, forests, and agricultural land, and hosts 135 farmers markets annually to promote local produce.
• 🏡 Copenhagen, Denmark, utilizes a district heating system that captures excess heat from electricity production for 90% of households, showcasing smart energy use.
• ❄ Zurich, Switzerland, has stringent carbon emission restrictions, resulting in 80% of the city's energy coming from renewable sources.
• 🌾 Helsinki, Finland, has a tradition of urban farming with allotments and is pushing for carbon-neutral urban farming initiatives, such as rooftop gardens.
• 🚮 San Francisco, US, has implemented strong waste management policies, achieving a 77% recycling rate and being the first US city to ban single-use plastic bags.
• 🌱 The script emphasizes the importance of creating eco-conscious living spaces to combat the challenges of growing urban populations and environmental impact.
• 🌍 The video highlights cities that are setting global examples in sustainability, encouraging the adoption of greener policies worldwide.

Q & A

What inspired the creation of this follow-up video on sustainable cities?

The overwhelming response to the first sustainable cities video inspired the creation of this follow-up video.

What percentage of people are expected to live in cities by 2050?

Up to 68% of people are expected to live in cities by 2050.

What are the five key topics covered in this video about sustainable cities?

The five key topics covered are transport, green spaces, food production, energy, and waste.

How does Gothenburg in Sweden contribute to sustainable transport?

Gothenburg boasts a transport system with 65% of its options using energy from renewable sources, including electric buses, ferries, and refuse trucks.

What is significant about Portland, Oregon's transportation system?

Portland has over 250 miles of bike paths, and 25% of city workers commute by bike, carpool, or public transport, with 8% using cycling as their main transport method.

How does Vienna, Austria, promote green spaces in the city?

Vienna dedicates 50% of the city to green spaces, including 2000 parks and agricultural land, and hosts 135 farmers markets annually to promote local food production.

What innovative energy system is used in Copenhagen, Denmark?

Copenhagen uses a district heating system that captures excess heat from electricity production to heat 90% of households, along with a district cooling system that uses cold water from the harbor.

How has Zurich, Switzerland, addressed its carbon footprint and energy efficiency?

Zurich has tight restrictions on carbon emissions, resulting in 80% of the city's energy coming from renewable sources.

What urban farming practices are popular in Helsinki, Finland?

Helsinki has a heritage of urban farming with allotments for residents, rooftop farming, and sac gardens using old industrial sacks for growing crops.

What waste management initiatives has San Francisco implemented?

San Francisco has bold public policies and educational initiatives that allow the city to divert 77% of its waste stream from landfill, including banning single-use plastic bags.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Sustainable Cities: Transforming Urban Life

This video, sponsored by the Nick Moune Foundation, explores the critical elements that contribute to a city's sustainability. With the global population expected to urbanize significantly by 2050, the video discusses the urgent need for societal changes to create eco-conscious living spaces. It highlights the importance of sustainable transport, green spaces, energy, food production, and waste management. Cities like Gothenburg, Portland, Vienna, Copenhagen, and Zurich are showcased for their innovative approaches to public transport, renewable energy, and promoting green living. The video emphasizes the collective effort required to combat environmental challenges and create a greener future.

05:00

🚴‍♂️ Green Transport and Urban Farming: The Future of Sustainable Cities

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of sustainable urban development, focusing on green transport and urban farming. It highlights Gothenburg's commitment to renewable energy in public transport, including electric buses and ferries, and Portland's extensive bike paths that encourage eco-friendly commuting. The paragraph also discusses the importance of green spaces in cities like Vienna, which dedicates 50% of its area to parks and promotes local food markets. Additionally, it touches on the global energy and food challenges, emphasizing the need for sustainable urban farming practices like those in Helsinki, and waste management solutions exemplified by San Francisco's recycling initiatives and bans on single-use plastics. The paragraph concludes by encouraging viewers to adopt sustainable policies to reduce our environmental impact and create a better world.

Keywords

💡Sustainable Cities

Sustainable Cities refer to urban areas that are designed to minimize negative environmental impacts by managing and using resources efficiently while maintaining the well-being of their inhabitants. In the video's theme, sustainable cities are crucial as they aim to combat issues like overpopulation, resource scarcity, and carbon emissions. Examples include Gothenburg with its renewable energy-powered public transport and Copenhagen's district heating system.

💡Carbon Emissions

Carbon Emissions are the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, primarily a result of burning fossil fuels. The video discusses the importance of reducing carbon emissions as cities are major contributors, generating increasing levels of these pollutants. Reducing emissions is tied to the creation of eco-conscious living spaces and the adoption of renewable energy sources.

💡Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy is energy derived from natural resources that are replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat. The script highlights cities like Gothenburg, where 65% of transport options use energy from renewable sources, showcasing the shift towards cleaner and more sustainable power.

💡Public Transport

Public Transport encompasses various modes of transport that are available for use by the general public, including buses, trains, trams, and ferries. The video emphasizes the importance of developing sustainable public transport options to reduce reliance on private vehicles and decrease carbon emissions, as seen in Gothenburg's diverse and eco-friendly transport system.

💡Green Spaces

Green Spaces are areas of land that are covered with plants, trees, and other vegetation. They are vital for improving air quality, providing habitats for wildlife, and offering recreational areas for city dwellers. Vienna is highlighted in the video for dedicating 50% of its area to green spaces, including parks, forests, and agricultural land.

💡Bicycle Commuting

Bicycle Commuting is the practice of riding a bicycle to and from one's place of work or study. The video mentions Portland, Oregon, where 25% of city workers commute by bike, carpool, or public transport, emphasizing the role of cycling as a sustainable and healthy mode of transport.

💡District Heating

District Heating is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location to multiple buildings in a city. Copenhagen is praised in the video for its large and successful district heating system, which captures excess heat from electricity production and delivers it to 90% of households, contributing to energy efficiency and sustainability.

💡Urban Farming

Urban Farming is the practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around urban areas. The video discusses Helsinki's urban farming heritage with allotments and the recent trend of rooftop and sac gardens, which contribute to local food production and sustainability.

💡Waste Management

Waste Management involves the collection, transport, disposal, recycling, and monitoring of waste materials. San Francisco is highlighted for its bold public policy and educational initiatives, which have led to a 77% recycling rate and a ban on single-use plastic bags, demonstrating effective waste management strategies.

💡Sustainable Policies

Sustainable Policies are guidelines or strategies implemented by governments or organizations to promote sustainability. The video encourages the adoption of greener and more sustainable policies in cities worldwide to reduce our impact on the planet, efficiently use resources, and create a better world.

Highlights

The video is a follow-up to a previous sustainable cities video due to an overwhelming response.

By 2050, 68% of the world's population is expected to live in cities, which will require 80% of global resources and generate high carbon emissions.

Creating eco-conscious living spaces is a global challenge as cities expand.

Some cities have already taken significant steps towards a greener future.

The video will cover five key topics: transport, green spaces, food production, energy, and waste.

Gothenburg, Sweden, is improving public transport with 65% of options using renewable energy sources and 200 electric buses.

Portland, Oregon, has over 250 miles of bike paths, with 25% of city workers commuting by bike, carpool, or public transport.

Amsterdam and Copenhagen are known for sustainable transport options, but more details are in a previous video.

Vienna, Austria, ensures residents have access to high-quality green and open spaces, with 50% of the city dedicated to this.

Copenhagen uses a district heating system, capturing excess heat from electricity production for 90% of households.

Zurich, Switzerland, has 80% of its energy from renewable sources due to strict carbon emission restrictions.

Helsinki, Finland, encourages urban farming with allotments and a push for carbon-neutral practices like rooftop gardens.

San Francisco has policies that divert 1.6 million tons of waste from landfill and recycles 77% of its waste stream.

San Francisco was the first U.S. city to ban single-use plastic bags.

The video encourages viewers to comment on any key sustainable cities not mentioned and to like for more videos.

Transcripts

this video was kindly sponsored by the

nick mourne foundation after the

overwhelming response we got from our

first sustainable cities video it was

suggested that we should create a

follow-up video to dive deeper into the

key aspects that make a city sustainable

so that is exactly what we'll be doing

in this video

cities are the hubs of our modern lives

providing homes workplaces educational

systems and the infrastructure to

support large communities of people

however as the world's population

continues to grow up to 68 of people are

expected to live in cities by 2050

requiring 80 of global resources and

generating ever-increasing levels of

carbon emissions in order to combat

these issues we need to make societal

changes on a near unimaginable scale

creating eco-conscious living spaces

across the world's ever-expanding cities

is a challenge facing countries across

the globe but with sustainability

becoming increasingly important in

modern life some cities have already

undertaken huge steps towards creating a

greener future

and in this video we are going to show

you the sustainable cities which are

making the biggest impact

welcome back to going green today's

video is going to be broken down into

five key topics covering transport green

spaces food production energy and waste

and for each of these topics we'll be

sharing with you some of the cities that

are making the largest changes

as populations continue to grow

cities must also continue to adapt and

transform their transport systems

creating access to affordable and

sustainable public transport options and

creating safer spaces for cyclists

gothenburg in sweden is a great example

of a city that is dedicated to improving

its public transport and creating a wave

of green options

boasting travel by buses trains trams

and boats 65 of the city's transport

options use energy from renewable

sources with 200 electric buses serving

34 different routes across the city as

well as electric ferries gothenburg has

also introduced electric refuse trucks

helping to not only cut down on

emissions but also lower noise pollution

allowing for less restrictive collection

times and hopefully creating a cleaner

city for all another great example of a

city promoting green transport is

portland oregon in the united states

with over 250 miles of bike paths 25 of

city workers commute by bike carpool or

public transport with eight percent of

the population using cycling as their

main transport method the highest level

of bicycle commuters in any american

city amsterdam and copenhagen are also

notoriously known for their sustainable

transport options but you can learn more

about these two cities in our previous

sustainable cities video

with high amounts of pollutants being

generated daily in city centres it is

vital that we find a way to improve our

air quality

by providing green spaces such as parks

ponds and woodlands the plant life

introduced can absorb carbon from the

air turning it back into oxygen and

refreshing our air quality green spaces

also provide a habitat for wildlife

leading to more biodiversity within the

city as well as creating therapeutic

spaces for the community and improving

mental health vienna austria is leading

the way for green spaces in cities

ensuring its residents the right to high

quality green and open space that will

be maintained in the future fifty

percent of the city is dedicated to this

belief and this green space is spread

across 2000 parks as well as forest and

agricultural land vienna additionally

hosts 135 farmers markets every year

selling food and produce from the

surrounding areas helping residents to

cut their carbon footprint by purchasing

locally sourced ingredients

globally cities consume three-quarters

of the world's energy and are

responsible for eighty percent of

greenhouse gas emissions the scale and

rate of this consumption is a major

challenge for both existing and

developing cities but luckily many

locations around the globe are adapting

and developing new inventive ways to

create their energy supply in denmark

the city of copenhagen is leading the

way using its energy supply in smart and

sustainable ways and it's home to the

world's largest and most successful

district heating system the system works

by capturing the excess heat from

electricity production which is then

distributed through a network of pipes

delivering the heat to 90 of households

within copenhagen additionally they have

also introduced district cooling using a

similar system that uses the cold water

of the harbour to chill the water that

is then delivered to its customers

zurich switzerland has also taken strong

measures to reduce its carbon footprint

and focus on energy efficiency

the city has introduced tight

restrictions on its carbon emissions and

as a result 80 percent of the energy

utilized by the city comes from

renewable sources

by the year 2050 the world will need to

produce twice as much food whilst

reducing greenhouse gas emissions by

two-thirds to combat the rapid

population growth in order to do this

cities must find new ways to feed their

citizens focusing on local sustainably

grown food helsinki finland has a rich

heritage of urban farming with

allotments dotted across the city some

of which dating back as early as 1918.

these allotments can be leased out to

residents and the walking paths that run

through them are designated to public

parkland more recently however there's

been a push for more carbon neutral

urban farming with residents taking up

growing crops on rooftops or even in

so-called sac gardens creating small

farming spaces with old industrial sacks

every day the world produces more than

3.5 million tons of plastic and other

waste which has a direct impact on the

health of people and the environment

to ensure the health of our planet we

need to invest and adopt appropriate

waste management technologies which can

help communities to improve their

recycling systems and prevent waste from

ending up in landfill the city of san

francisco in the us has introduced bold

public policy and educational

initiatives

allowing them to divert 1.6 million tons

of waste from landfill recycling an

incredible 77 of their waste stream

it was also the first city in the u.s to

introduce a ban on single-use plastic

bags

ultimately the city hopes to continue

this push for sustainability by

recycling composting and reusing more so

that nothing ends up in landfill

these cities continue to set a global

example as growing numbers of

governments and people adopt greener

more sustainable policies for their

cities we can truly begin to reduce our

impact on the planet efficiently use the

resources we have and create a better

world for us all

let us know down in the comments below

if you think we missed out any key

sustainable cities be sure to give us a

thumbs up if you'd like to see more

videos like this from us

thank you for watching and we'll see you

in the next one

you