Great Green Idea: Green Travel: The Greenest Countries

The Greenest Countries

Have you ever wondered what country is considered the greenest? Don't worry it not a contest but it is interesting to know which country is saving power and conserving energy at the high end of the measuring stick. The following statistics should be of notable interest.

Determination of a Green Country

How green can you get? The greenness of a country, so to speak, is determined by the Environmental Performance Index (EPI). The EPI is a method of "quantifying and numerically benchmarking" how the country adheres to its policy of environmental performance. EPI ranks 163 countries on 25 performance indicators. The perform indicators evaluate environmental health on the environmental burden of disease, ecosystem vitality-how air pollution effects ecosystems, productive natural resources and climate change. The EPI shows cross-country comparisons and gives a collective view of how the global community is faring as a whole. A score between 100 and 85 denotes a green seal of approval, thus representing the greenest countries.

Iceland

Drum roll please. According to the 2010 EPI scores the greenest country in the world is Iceland. How is that for green? Iceland received an overall score of 93.5 with an EPI ranking of 1. Iceland is a European island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean, with a population of 310,997.

Switzerland

Switzerland is located in Central Europe and ranked number 2 for the 2010 EPI, with a score of 89.1. Switzerland has a population of approximately 7,550,080.

Costa Rica

Costa Ricans are greening it up, coming in at number 3 with an EPI score of 86.4. Costa Rica is bordered by Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the east and south and is populated with 4,462,190 people. A tropical setting may contribute to Costa Rica's greenness, whatever the case may be, green thumbs to you, Costa Rica.

Sweden

Sweden, another European country made the list at number 4, with an EPI score of 86.0. Sweden is covered in green and dark luscious land and has a population of 9,148,090. Sweden is included among the many countries having the longest life expectancy. For this reason, Sweden definitely contributes to green living on a global scale.

Norway

Norway is located in Northern Europe along the western part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. It comes in at number 5 with an EPI score of 81.1. Norwegians populate the country at 4,709,150.

Other Countries

Other countries that follow close behind these top five countries are Mauritius, France, Austria, Cuba and Colombia. The 2010 EPI scores for this country are 81.1, 78.2, 78.1 and 76.8 consecutively. Both Austria and Cuba scored 78.1. For the full list of 2010 EPI scores visit www.epi.yale.edu.