Samso Island: Green Nirvana?

27 Nov 2009, 1:42 pm   -   Source: SBS
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Until 1997, Samso was entirely dependent on oil and coal. Now 100 per cent of its electricity comes from wind power. (Getty Images)

Until 1997, Samso was entirely dependent on oil and coal. Now 100 per cent of its electricity comes from wind power. (Getty Images)

SBS' Dateline travelled to Samso Island, in Denmark, to find out how the so-called 'Isle of plenty' manages to be carbon neutral.

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SBS' Dateline program travelled to Samso Island, in Denmark, to find out how the so-called 'Isle of plenty' manages to be carbon neutral. 

WATCH DATELINE'S EPISODE ON SAMSO

In 1997, Samsø won a government competition to become a model renewable energy community.

At the time Samsø was entirely dependent on oil and coal, both of which it imported from the mainland. 

Now 100 per cent of its electricity comes from wind power.

Soren Hermansen, from the Samso Energy Academy, explains how such a shift was possible.

"The driving force of this was not to tell people we will cut down the CO2, but talk about the daily cost, the household economy," he told Dateline.

"You should think local and act local, and forget about the global.

"Because, I mean, we live in a community in a world of communication. If somebody living in an apartment building is doing something significant, that will be spread all over the world in no time," Mr Hermansen said.

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Your Comments

Re: Mrs

George - from Perth, 2 years ago

Stephn, Erik is a troll; he's only saying those things to get a rise out of you.

It's Not Critical

Abu Nilargo - from sydney, 2 years ago

I don't recycle I do want I want

Mrs

Stephn - from Brisbane, 2 years ago

Why is it YOUR 200Ha of native forest. Almost all have contributed.. By leaving your self indulgent comment with your computer you are contributing more than some [of the plague] will ever get the opportunity to. I have faith that in the long run we will turn, even if we are slow learners.

friend

jo - from melbourne, 3 years ago

burning wood is not carbon neutral

Mr.

Erik - from Tecoma, 3 years ago

My 200 Ha of native forest and small plantations make me carbon neutral too. Heating with biomass (10 cubic metres of wood this year) also eliminates black balloons. I'm vegan and drive my car only twice per week, and kept the first for 21 yrs, the current one is 10 yrs old. We all must be carbon neutral if we don't want to follow the example of Venus. Still, the demise of the human plague would benefit the planet, and merely be natural selection dealing with slow learners.

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