Melbourne is generally perceived as a fairly eco-conscious city – many of us locals love op shopping, vego restaurants and cycling around the city. But our sustainable ways of living go far beyond alternative milk choices, as proven by Melbourne being named in the top ten most sustainable cities in the world. We love to see it.
Tripadvisor announced the most sustainable destinations in the world as part of its Traveller’s Choice Awards, partnering with the Global Destination Sustainability Movement to look closely at the sustainability efforts of hotels, restaurants and experiences within the GDSM’s top 100 destinations. Melbourne ranked sixth in the world and was the only Australian city to gain a mention on the eco-friendly list. Danish capital Copenhagen took the top spot as the most sustainable destination, known for its plentiful green spaces and widespread cycling culture. Most of the destinations on the top ten list were European cities, with Stockholm in Sweden, Bordeaux in France and Helsinki in Finland rounding out the top four, followed by Singapore.
According to Tripadvisor, the rankings were based on the GDSM's assessment of more than 100 destinations, based on a detailed set of criteria. The main areas cities were assessed on were environmental factors, like the destination’s climate change commitments and use of renewable energy, social progressiveness factors such as societal inclusiveness and personal safety, the destination’s sustainability commitments by airports, hotels, restaurants in the destination and sustainability management factors, like sustainability strategies.
The travel website then used sustainability key words and phrases to identify more than 300,000 relevant user-written reviews over a 12-month period and worked out which destination had the most reviews praising its sustainability. It sounds like quite a rigorous process, so Melburnians should be proud that our city made the cut.
These are the most sustainable destinations in the world, according to Tripadvisor
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Bordeaux, France
- Helsinki, Finland
- Singapore
- Melbourne, Australia
- Oslo, Norway
- Brussels, Belgium
- Galway, Ireland
- Belfast, UK
If you're looking for more ways to live sustainably in Melbourne, at Time Out we're here to help. Take a look at this list of sustainable Melbourne fashion stores or our guide on where to buy eco-friendly and ethical gifts.