Friday, December 07, 2007

Samsø: The Danish Renewable Energy Island

Machynlleth - my home town - last week achieved recognition by the Transition Towns initiative.

Transition Towns, Cities, Villages and Islands are aiming to adapt to the twin challenges of Peak Oil and Climate Change.

In fact it will be the whole Dyfi Valley that does this, an area of many enevironmental types, from upland, through forests, farmland and coastal areas, including a UN recoognsed bosphere. It has an approx. 5000 population.

Last night at a meeting we saw a video about Samsø, The Danish Renewable Energy Island - which by next March will be self-sufficient in energy from sustainable sources.

It was very inspiring. Residents including farmers and the elderly installed solar panels and insulation, not for economic benefit but because it was "the right thing to do".

They got to a point where they were trying to outdo their neighbours in green features on their homes.

They are just ordinary people who recognise the sense in what they're doing.

I can't find the video online, but here's another.

Perhaps this is a more objective, although ideological, report on the island, which throws light on more of the real problems they faced:

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