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For three years in a row now, Gothenburg, Sweden has been called “the most sustainable city” in Europe, and now, the world. The land of Greta Thunberg, Sweden is eco-conscious and forward thinking when it comes to being aware of how we impact our wonderful Earth by having the privilege of living on it. Sweden is a global leader in the tourism-sustainability movement. While travel is unfortunately put on pause for the moment (and perhaps for the good of the atmosphere moreover), it’s always good to know who leads the world and why when it comes to sustainable living. Sustainable living will not go away: we must focus on climate change.

Policy, infrastructure, and lifestyle changes are the bedrock of sustainability. The European Commission has named Gothenburg its European Capital of Smart Tourism in 2020 for its ways of living. Namely, the city’s main transportation is accessible to everyone, its hotels do not use mini plastic shampoo bottles that create excessive plastic waste, and its hotels are sourcing electricity from wind turbines.

All of these things add up to a large impact on a city, which are globally scalable solutions. While countries may vary in their ability to implement eco-friendly policy quick enough, there is urgency and the urgency to do this should be our highest priority. Unfortunately, if we don’t prioritize the green movement, we won’t have anything left to prioritize in the future since all of our resources will be gone. Let us take a lesson from Miss Greta Thunberg and the city of Gothenburg.