In this week’s blog, the featured country will be Denmark. Among the countries
which joined together to found the United Nations, Denmark is considered one of
the most sustainable countries globally (World Atlas, 2020). Currently, Denmark
implements 9 of the 17 sustainable development goals throughout the country, in
addition to being the home to an island which is 100% sustainable, operating
off of renewable energy, solar, and wind power (World Atlas, 2020).
In
addition to the 100% sustainable island in Denmark, the country puts quite a
bit of focus on responsible consumption and production, especially in the case
of energy sources. Upwards of 30 percent of the energy used in Denmark comes
from renewable sources, such as wind, bioenergy, solar, and geothermal energies
(Denmark.dk, n/d). Surprisingly, a vast majority of the renewable energy in
Denmark is sourced from bioenergy, or energy which comes from organic material
(biomass), such as manure, animal fats, and straw, with wind energy providing
support in the background (Denmark.dk, n/d).
Along
with the innovation in renewable energy sources, Denmark also encourages the responsible
consumption and production of food. According to an article by the State of
Green (2018), a large reason for the almost one-third of food wasted or lost is
caused by a lack of consumer knowledge. Included among the solutions for this
issue are stores in Denmark having “stop food waste” areas with food that is
close to expiration available for purchase at a greatly discounted price (State
of Green, 2018). Additionally, there is an app that pairs customers with
bakeries and restaurants near closing time, that allows for foods to be
purchased at a discounted price, rather than wasted (State of Green, 2018).
The above-mentioned efforts of sustainability hardly delves into the number of sustainable practices used throughout Denmark,
making it rather unsurprising that this country is a global leader in
sustainability. Luckily, Denmark has many partners that encourage the use of
sustainable development goals throughout several countries and provides resources to do so. Hopefully, other
countries will use the sustainability practices of Denmark as guidance in furthering sustainability practices globally.
References
Denmark.dk.
(n/d). Pioneers in clean energy. https://denmark.dk/innovation-and-design/clean-energy
State
of Green. (August, 2018). New BCG report: companies can help reduce food loss
and waste dramatically. https://stateofgreen.com/en/partners/state-of-green/news/new-bcg-report-companies-can-help-reduce-food-loss-and-waste-dramatically/
World
Atlas. (August, 2020). The world’s most sustainable countries.
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-world-s-most-sustainable-countries.html.
Hello Eleanor,
ReplyDeleteI liked your post and I haven’t really looked into the 12th goal of the SDGs. You did a great job explaining what responsibilities Denmark is facing regarding consumption and production. It is good to see that Denmark is using renewable and bioenergy resources to produce energy for their country. I find it interesting that energy can be produced from animal fat and straw that a nation can use to power things. I like the app concept that lets you know closing times for restaurants and bakeries that give discounted prices for food so that they aren’t thrown away. I enjoyed reading your post and you did a great job bringing awareness to Denmark's goal to achieve the 12th goal of the SDGs.
Good afternoon Eleanor,
ReplyDeleteFirstly I want to say I loved reading your post and it had some many interesting facts about Denmark. I was shocked to learn that Denmark even has a whole island that is completely sustainable. That blows my mind and I wish more areas were like that. I also loved how marking down the food prices for foods from restaurants that are closing for the night so they do not throw out wasted food.
Hi Eleanor,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your blog post, as it had many interesting facts about Denmark that I didn't know about in the first place. I wish more areas of the world could follow Denmark's footsteps. The app concept of letting you know which restaurants and bakeries give discounted prices for food to prevent massive amounts of food waste is a really cool concept and really helpful, especially for those who want discounted food.
Hi Eleanor,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog on Denmark and I was very happy to know how this country has used natural and renewable resources as energy resources. The idea of the app for selling leftover food at discounted prices is absolutely brilliant and I feel that other countries should take this initiative as well! I never knew Denmark was so forward thinking in every aspect, and you did a very good job explaining that in your blog.