Hamburg, a green giant

The Hamburg metropolitan area has 4.3 million inhabitants; of these, 1.8 million live in the city center.

 

Hamburg European Green City 2011 is a large industrial center with the same environmental challenges that face other European cities.

Hamburg is running all aspects of European environmental policy, starting with climate protection and continuing for improving air quality, water management, and nature conservation.

The intelligent use of natural resources and an innovative policy of responsible growth has helped turn this green city in an example of best environmental practices. Hamburg has set ambitious goals for the future: for example, reducing CO2 emissions by 40% by 2020 and by 80% by 2050, compared to the objective of the European Union, more modest reduction of 20% 2020.

Hamburg emphasizes its 11,657 kilometers of bus lines, with 10,426 stops that have used 656 million passengers used public transport in 2009.

99% of residents have public transport links within 300 meters from their homes

A significant partnership program, called Business for resource protection, has already carried out about a thousand projects. Its aim is to encourage voluntary investment among enterprises in energy efficiency improvements and use of resources. For every euro invested by the local government, participating companies contribute another ten. Thus, it has aroused high total private investment of 146 million Euros, with a municipal contribution of 15 million Euros. Together, the companies currently save 134,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year.

 

CO2 emissions have been cut by 15% (1990-2006)

200,000 have been installed energy saving light bulbs installed in 400 public buildings, save 3.4 million Euros in electricity per year. Hamburg ECO-Partnership, a joint venture between local government and the commercial sector, encourages companies to go beyond mandatory requirements and adopt additional measures to protect the environment.

Hamburg is surprisingly green in comparison to most cities of comparable size: 16.7% of its urban space is occupied by forests and green and recreational areas. Water covers 8% of the territory and contributes very significantly to the leisure of the city form. The terraces and walks to the edge of watercourses are nice outdoor proposals for residents while ferry lines the River Elbe serve the needs of mobility of workers and tourists.

 

Hamburg has 4,700 hectares of forest, more than a hundred years ago

Public parks, recreation areas and forests occupy 16.8% of the municipality. Every week, a million people use them for leisure activities and 89% of the population lives less than 300 meters from a park.

The aim of the policy landscape planning of the city is to connect parks, leisure areas and sports, playgrounds for children and even cemeteries, so that it is possible to cross the city center to the outskirts, on foot or by bicycle, without contact with the road traffic. The green network is also key to the connectivity of wildlife habitats because it facilitates the free movement of different species.

Hamburg - The 2011 European Green Capital by carpalcheerful

What is the best time to visit Costa Rica

I must have heard this question hundreds of times and I think it has a simple answer.

I sincerely believe that there is no categorically best time to visit the country since the year there are things to consider depending on certain variables to decide to travel, if fortunate to choose date have, to Costa Rica .

The first thing to consider is that we are talking about a tropical country and therefore there are two very different stations that are the "rainy season" and the "dry season" or as they say in Costa Rica, the "winter" and "summer" (although they call the opposite of what geographically correct), covering about six months each. The rainy season runs from May to November and the dry season from November to May, more or less . "More or less" it means that the seasons do not change fixed date but sometimes come earlier and some later, but always around those dates.

And that mean rainy season? Does bad? Rains all day? No, normally. The temperature is more or less the same throughout the year, and the typical day of rainy season a radiant sun at dawn, which ends clouding completely and starts to rain around noon or 14:00 until luce end of the day, which usually cleared to enjoy an evening of sun and clouds (this in Guanacaste is a truly marvelous spectacle). There are days of rain all day, but it is not normal.

Should go prepared for rain if traveling during the rainy season, but I have never recommended dismissing the trip at that time by rain, unless it is intended to make a trip sun and beach exclusively, in which case, rather it should change the destiny ...

Another thing to take into account is the different seasons of the hotels. Almost all hotels in Costa Rica working 3 seasons: low, high and peak, with significantly different price. The PICO season are Christmas and Easter, where the occupation is usually close to 100%, so you should book early and prepare a good budget. The low season is usually around the months of May, June, September, October and November and the traditional peak season was December (except Christmas), January, February, March and April (except Easter) although the increase in tourism Europe traveling in the northern hemisphere summer has meant that, currently, the hotels consider the summer months as well as geographical high season, so the high season now includes July and August.

 

There are other things to consider for planning a trip to Costa Rica, such as seasons turtle nesting, if you have special interest in attending this show, bird migration, if you are fond advanced to "birding" or "bird watching", the time to stop humpback whales in Corcovado  Anyway.

I cannot resist commenting my favorite time, recommended only friends until now, to travel to Costa Rica: late November-early December. What is so special?, Since the off-season meets in the housings (cheap prices), the entry of the dry season (usually rains less or nothing) and it takes 6 months in a row raining and the country is green and beautiful, for that reason. It also has a natural truly remarkable coincidence, is that you can attend the birth of green turtles in Tortuguero (after 2 months of incubation) and leatherback nesting in the Pacific. A spectacular double session, truly recommended. *

* I once traveled in this time with a group of friends and family for the country, which I argued above. Well, it rained every day, which became a recurring joke throughout the trip. Anyway, things tropical.