Eleven islands in the North Sea are signed up to participate in an experiment to test green living, with the purpose of being self-sustaining without harm to the environment. The islands belong to six different countries, which include: Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Britain and Sweden.
The experiment, entitled The Cradle to Cradle Island Project, will be testing various green innovations. These innovations range from water usage to special paint. The European Union has donated $4.5 million for the first four-years and the project will be monitored by Friesland, a northern Dutch province.
The eleven islands will all experiment with various different innovations. The islands have a total of 50,000 residents, with more residents during summer months due to tourism.
The innovations will include: electric vehicles (including regular vehicles but also scooters and recharging stations), household purification systems for water (even including human waste) and desalination systems.
Microorganisms in paint (for inside usage) to clean the air is an innovative idea that is going to be tested as well. Akin to the paint experiment, project managers hope to use cement on external walls that are capable of removing particulates from the atmosphere.
Some islands will be tapping energy from waves, whereas others will be testing electricity production by mixing fresh and salt water together. The project managers hope to make the islands almost self-sustaining by 2030.
