When we started this business, I had a little niggle in my head… The draw of Valenica to me as a city to live in, is that it hasn’t been saturated with tourism and it still has very Spanish vibes to it, (rather than Madrid or Barcelona for example). So in moving here and opening up a guesthouse, and encouraging people to visit Valencia, it seemed counter intuitive. This is something I have always felt with travel, I love going to the unexplored places, the places where you feel immersed in the culture and traditions, getting off the beaten path, rather than just being another tourist. Yet by being there,in this business, I’m surely the increasing the problem…?
So, when I found out that Valencia has been on the rise to be the greenest and most sustainable city IN THE WORLD, I felt super proud to call the city home, especially when I read more about its research and action into sustainability, carbon footprint and environmental impact. I’ll outline these now…
Valencia has become the first city in the world to measure its own tourism carbon footprint in order to reduce the impact of tourism to guarantee sustainability
In addition to this, Valencia is on its way to achieve ZERO environmental impact by the year 2025!
The city has also been recognised by the UN (United Nations) as a smart city, being the FIRST in Europe and the THIRD in the world, that has now the certificates that confirm the use of technology, ensuring the execution of the UN’s sustainable development goal
But how does it do all this? By being on its way to make public transport totally electric, boosting renewable sources, promoting the consumption of local products and (from personal opinion) making electricity so bloody expensive everyone lives by candle light!!
Cycling here is highly encouraged, with 150km of bike lanes around the city which makes it faster to move around than by using the buses or metro. We have teamed with DO You Bike to offer our guests a discount off bike hire as we know this is the quickest, healthiest and most environmentally friendly way (except walking of course) to travel the city, with the added bonus that when its super hot in summer, a gentle cycle will give you a nice breeze!
So, when you choose to visit Valencia, you can come in the safe knowledge that the only footprints you will be leaving, will be on the expansive, sandy beaches!
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