Education is a key to successful eco-communities in Sweden

At EkoPark, we learned that transporting by train is much more energy efficient (almost 1000 times more!) than by car, bus, or truck.

I have noticed in Sweden is that environmental education is everywhere. In Göteborg we toured the EcoCentrum, and in Strömstad we toured the EkoPark. Both are year-round educational facilities that help people understand what the local community is doing and educate about environmental issues on multiple levels – recycling, energy, transportation, etc. I think it’s a combination of the permanent visibility of these centers and the government financial support (which Swedes understand is their own money from their taxes) that makes these popular visiting places. I also see that the desire to continually improve the environment in innovative ways makes these places fun and interesting.

How far does your food or building materials travel? We learned at Ekocentrum.

In all community projects we've visited, educating the public has created the most successful projects. We should be sure to always include environmental education as part of our "green" efforts, both before and after our projects our finished!
Educating the public was a key step to promoting both economic development and preserving cultural heritage of 3,000 year old rock carvings in the Tanum area. Picture taken at the Vitlycke Museet.