North Sea islands aim for self-sustainability

Heard of the Cradle to Cradle Island Project? We hadn’t yet either, but it’s a pretty innovative undertaking just being launched by 11 islands in the North Sea.

The goal is to make all 11 islands — representing six different European nations — entirely self-sustaining by the year 2030. That includes being able to produce all the energy they need locally, and generating essentially zero waste.

The “cradle to cradle” concept, a phrase first coined in the 1970s, seeks to model human endeavours after natural ones, in which resources are not only used efficiently but recycled or reused in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.

So which islands are embarking upon the North Sea initiative? They range from several of Britain’s Shetland Islands to the Netherlands’  Texel and Ameland islands. Other nations taking part in the project include Denmark, Germany, Norway and Sweden. Leading the helm will be officials from Friesland, a northern province of the Netherlands.

The first phase of the Cradle to Cradle Island Project is being supported by €3.5 million in funding from the EU.