10 Reasons Bristol is one of the Cleanest Cities to Live in

10 Reasons Bristol is one of the Cleanest Cities to Live In European Green Capital 2015 Yep, we're starting with the big one. Named as Europe's Green Capital for this year, Bristol's been acknowledged as one of the most environmentally conscious cities on an entire continent. That's pretty big bragging rights, so no wonder we won't stop going on about it (see: all those busesì). 1 Here we are! Water Water Everywhere 2 Undoubtedly one of the reasons we got our European accolades, water's always played a pretty integral role in the city's existence, ever since the city centre was one of the busiest ports in the country. The trading ships might have transforměd into ferries or bars on boats, but every Bristolian still flocks to the riverside, and we take good care of our water, consistently scoring highly on water quality. Parklife 3 Along with our wonderful water, we've got some great green spaces that contributed to our toppling our age old Southwest rival, Brighton and Hove, way back in 2008 on the Sustainable Cities Index. We've all got our favourite parks in the city, (any Brandon Hill fans out there?) and the city does its best to keep them nice and clean. Cycle City You only have to look outside to see how cycling mad the city of Bristol is. We were the first Cycling City in the whole country, and the first bit of the National Cycle Network was built here. Of course, cycling is one of the cleanest ways to travel, and it sure seems like a great idea at the top of Park Street but maybe not such a good call coming back up. 4 Recycling Rates Hot Air Balloons 5 6 Bristol has one of the highest recycling rates for any city in the UK, and we're pretty proud of that. You won't find much that can't be reused or recycled in our home town, and it's a way of not just keeping the city clean without city dumps, but also cutting down emissions to keep everything clean. We admit this one's a little tenuous, but our balloon buddies are a pretty big deal in Bristol, so they've got to get some sort of a mention! opane, the gas that hot air balloons use, actually burns a lot cleaner than other types of fuel, and the balloons are a pretty efficient form of transport, seeing as they can go pretty far without that much fuel. So maybe if we switched every car for a hot air balloon we'd Plus be an even cleaner city! Getting around Whether it's by bus or train, Bristolians can get around the city with ease thanks to our public transport network. And with charities like Sustrans launching their Good Transport Plan for Bristol, things should only get better! 7 Super sustainable stuff It's hard to imagine anywhere else in the UK putting such emphasis on education in sustainability. Whether it's the My green City initiative or Your Green Future, the city is absolutely full of different ways to learn how to make the world even cleaner and greener. 8 Bristol Businesses Bristol Pound All over the city, the beating business heart of Bristol is getting entirely behind keeping the city, and the world, cleaner and One of our favourite things about Bristol is its plucky sense of independence, and nothing says that more than the existence of our very own currency. And in a huge confluence of environmentally sound goodness, the 100% renewable energy company Good Energy has announced at Bristol's Big Green Week, the UK's annual festival of environmental 9 10 greener. Whether it's Business Green Week putting the "fun" into the "functional" side of going green, or the Big Čommuting Challenge calling business people to try alternative forms of transport, Bristol businesses are involved in ensuring the city's glittering reputation. ideas, that they will become the world's first energy company to accept a local currency. Chalk that up as a win for the city. ..And of course, us! Although we're not cocky enough to rate ourselves alongside these big reasons, we like to think we do our bit in keeping the city clean and, through partnership with FRANK water, the future green. Sources Find us on... www.facebook.com/GleemClean http://bristolgreencapital.org/ http://www.brstolwater.co.uk/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ http://www.sustrans.org.uk/ http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ http://www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk/ http://visitbristol.co.uk/ http://bristolpound.org/ http://biggreenweek.com/ f UK @GleemClean Gleem powered by Piktochart make information beautiful