Lectures and sightseeing

1 Nature in the city – the Ellidaárdalur valley. Lecture and sightseeing.
2 Grasagardurinn in Laugardalur. Sightseeing.
3 Fuel from landfills to vehicles. Lecture and sightseeing.

Local Agenda 21: Developing Reykjavík (Shaping Reykjavík). A project in accordance with the ideology of Local Agenda 21 on sustainable society with the extensive participation of interested parties and residents. Residents were invited to submit their own ideas on how city authorities should go about creating a sustainable society. The ideas were used to formulate the city’s policy on environmental matters and sustainable development. The residents’ consultation was carried out on the Internet and was a great success. Environmental indicators measure the city’s success rate toward developing a sustainable society. Reykjavík has used these indicators in recent years to assist in the analysis of urgent issues and policy formulation in environmental matters.
Learn more about "Shaping Reykjavik" Reykjavík Local Agenda 21: policy formation towards a sustainable community in Reykjavik to 2015 by clicking here.

Nature is near at hand in Reykjavík, and one does not have to go far to be a part of it. The Ellidaárdalur valley runs through the city and is one of the most popular areas for outdoor recreation in Reykjavík – not many cities can boast of a salmon river running through their centre! It is the policy of the City of Reykjavík to maintain the natural diversity of the city’s ecosystem. These include ice-age remnants, glacier-scraped boulders and a bird sanctuary practically in the city centre. The City of Reykjavík operates a botanical garden (Grasagardurinn), although it is unusual for municipalities to be responsible for such operation. Its role is the collection, maintenance and registration of Icelandic and foreign flora. The majority of those interested in gardening are keen visitors to the Grasagardur, which is open year-round, and admittance is free of charge. During the summer, the garden hosts educational and cultural events for the public and a coffee shop is run by private party.

The City of Reykjavík, in partnership with municipalities in the area, operates a waste management firm which is responsible for the receipt and treatment of waste materials from residents and companies. The firm (SORPA) has, since its establishment, endeavoured to find new and environmentally friendly ways to utilise waste products.

One of SORPA’s most interesting environmental projects is the collection of landfill gas which forms where waste material is buried. The landfill gas which forms is used in two ways, on the one hand to produce electricity, and on the other, for use as vehicle fuel. In this way, the city saves considerably on imported fossil fuel, which again leads to decreased emissions of greenhouse gasses. As of March 2006, there are approximately 50 vehicles in the Reykjavík metropolitan area running on methane. The majority of these vehicles have bi-fuel engines which can run on both methane and petrol. The newest additions are two buses in the Reykjavík metropolitan area, a waste truck and a container truck. “Biogas” is used in many places for electricity and heat production and as vehicle fuel. However, the SORPA project is unique, as it uses landfill gas for vehicles and there are no known examples of such use in Europe.