We the people of Bornholm want to be a sustainable, climate-friendly island community by 2035. We believe that a sustainable future for our island requires us to use and protect our common resources wisely and sustainably.
We call this approach Bright Green Island.
In order for our island to have a future for both residents and guests, it is important to find a sustainable and durable way to be an island community – a way that embraces Bornholmers, businesses, infrastructure and our many visitors.
And we are already well on our way.
The strategy
In 2008, the Regional Municipality of Bornholm decided that in 2025, we must be a 100% sustainable and CO2-neutral society, in which we only use sustainable and renewable energy.
Smart, green energy
Today, all the energy we produce on the island is fossil-free and harvested through wind, sun and biomass. The island's utility company, Bornholm's Energy and Utilities, can currently produce about 60 % of the islands energy needs. The rest is purchased from Sweden and sent to us via an underwater cable just south of Sweden. It is our ambition to increase production of fossil-free energy here on Bornholm to cover our consumption.
Bornholm's Energy and Utilities is also deeply vested into research on how to best use green energy, so that periods of peak energy consumption can be supplied by fossil-free power. We call the project EcoGrid 2.0 which includes 1,000 households participating in experiments that provide valuable information to researchers and the energy sector. The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) is one of the main partners in EcoGrid 2.0. We also share our knowledge with partners and guests from around the world when they visit us on Bornholm.
Sustainable production and consumption
Bright Green Island is also about what we consume and how we produce. Local companies are setting focus on their production and operational practices to see how they can implement more sustainability.
For example: energy renovation of buildings, development of new and more sustainable production methods, and the development of resource-utilizing solutions such as the reuse or recycling of waste from one production process for use in another.
Another key ingredient is awareness of how important it is to eat locally grown and produced foods. We have many renowned high quality foodproducts on the island: Bornholms Mosteri (juice and food from fruit pulp,) Hallegård butcher and Lehnsgaard rapsolie (produces rapeseed oils) are just a few of many examples of sustainable Bornholm food producing companies.
Local Eco-kitchens
Added to this is a significant prioritization of including organic, locally grown ingredients on the food trays in schools, care centers and governmental kitchens.
Last year (2016,) the Regional Municipality of Bornholm achieved its declared goal of 60% organic food in the municipalities' kitchens. The next goal is to have 40% locally produced food on the same plates in 2020.
Localised potential
Bright Green Island is also about how we wisely utilize our local potential. It is about opening up for the respectful use of our beautiful and unique nature in the form of outdoor activites and the optimal conditions for an active life and active vacation - well spieces with gastronimical experiences with local and organic ingredients.
The opportunity to stay and eat sustainably, when visting Bornholm, can be found under one roof at Hotel GSH (Green Solution House). Here, the renovation of the old Hotel Ryttergården is a good example of sustainable hotel operations.
