(above: images from 3 parks and gardens visited today)
It is not quite as famous as Copenhagen or Stockholm for its green credentials, but Paris holds its own as one of the greenest among the large cities of Europe. Siemen’s “Green City Index’ which ranks cities according to a range of indicators including levels of carbon dioxide emmissions, buildings, energy and water governance places Paris as the second greenest large city on the continent – after Berlin. In overall terms, it ranks 10th with an aggregate score of close to 73 out of a potential 100 points. (The Green City Index is interesting in itself, click here)
Now, whether the methodology is sound is another issue. Suffice it to say that the ranking is based on a series of 16 quantitative indicators, publicly available statistics where applicable and is executed under the auspices of the Economist Intelligence Unit.
I am not sure to what degree the green spaces in the Greater Paris region – which is in fact what ranks 10th in Europe for its greeness – actually contributes to mitigating the effects of greenhouse gases. But, the tens of parks and gardens throughout the city certainly make for a good quality of life and contribute to some degree to the city’s green credentials.
Today I did my bit to participate in what Paris has to offer in terms of green spaces and environmental friendliness. At different points of the day I walked through, jogged or met someone in at least three of the cities many, many parks.
The following link to the city of Paris’ website gives a list of the cities several parks and gardens: click here.
As the weather warms up and spring fills the air, I look forward to actively supporting Paris’ environmental friendliness through visitng her parks and gardens. So far, this appearss to be going well – three parks in one day. That is not too shabby a record.
Anon's Paris 