Reykjavík city council has passed a resolution calling for the city to apply for the nomination of Green City in 2012 or 2013, Vísir reports. Reykjavík city council notes that the city’s use of renewable energy has already attracted global attention, so they believe the town could be a contender for the nomination.
Still, the city does have a long way to go before it could be considered “green” by any stretch of the imagination. At least 50% of city land is devoted to car traffic, in the form of roads and parking spaces, mass transit services have been scaled back, there are no downtown bike paths, and there are no public recycling bins next to trash cans downtown. Furthermore, air pollution created by dust kicked up by spiked tires continues to be a problem.
The European Union nominates a city every year for the position, in the
hopes of raising environmental awareness in urban areas. The Green City nomination is also awarded to encourage the nominated cities to become greener.