Go on a sustainable holiday on Bornholm

Bornholm is Europe’s most sustainable island

In April 2020, the EU named the island Bornholm Europe’s most sustainable energy island, which also has the most ambitious and sustainable energy development. The award recognizes that Bornholm had already begun to end the use of coal and oil at an early stage. Despite limited economic resources, it also honours the island’s establishment of sustainable energy sources, such as photovoltaic cells, windmills, and biomass. Furthermore, The award acknowledges that Bornholm has invested in long-distance heating and other innovative technologies. All this resulted in an efficient and reduced use of energy and large cuts in CO2 emissions.

Bright Green Island: What makes Bornholm a green and sustainable island?

For many years, Bornholm has been a front-runner in Denmark regarding green solutions. Professionals from all over the world travel to the green island in the middle of the Baltic Sea to see and hear about the → Bright Green Island strategy, which, among other things, consists of testing small versions of prototypes of smart and sustainable energy solutions. One of the newest actions was by the local waste incineration plant BOFA – they announced that → all waste on the island is going to be recycled within a few years.

Baltic Energy Island

By 2030, offshore wind farms generating three gigawatts of power will link Denmark, Sweden, and Germany through Bornholm Island in the Baltic Sea. With a potential total capacity of up to 93 gigawatts, these wind farms will provide electricity to residences and businesses. Additionally, through power-to-x technology, the generated electricity will be converted into hydrogen, facilitating the production of green fuels for the transportation industry. Read more about Baltic Energy Island here.

How do you get a sustainable holiday on Bornholm – and how can you participate in getting one?

You do no need to feel guilty when choosing Bornholm as your holiday destination. Travel to Bornholm all year by bus, train and ferry. If you decide to travel by plane, the Danish airline → DAT plants trees as 110% compensation for their CO2-discharge. The fast ferries of Bornholmslinjen use shore power facilities at the harbour in Rønne during longer stayovers.

Sustainable food consists of ecological and local ingredients.

Buying ecological and local foods is also sustainable. Inspired by the new Nordic Food Culture, several restaurants and eateries on Bornholm only serve local and ecological ingredients and food from producers on the island – where quality is equal with nature, animal welfare and climate awareness. 

Green Restaurants and hotels on Bornholm

Being a Green Restaurant means that the hotels and restaurants meet special environmental requirements concerning the building and food preparation. A Green Restaurant certification makes it easier for you to find sustainable eateries. A number of hotels and restaurants on Bornholm are certified as green restaurants. You can find them here.

Shopping can be sustainable

Do you like shopping? On Bornholm, you have a uniquely rich selection of local arts and crafts, clothes and textiles, foods, wooden hand art, furniture etc. Often you can visit the place where things get made and meet the producers and see how high-quality products are produced.

Sustainable Bottom Line Bornholm

One of the front runners within green tourism buildings is → Hotel GSH in Rønne. The hotel with its focus on sustainable holistic solutions is a role model in Europe. Also, Guesthouses, hostels and camping sites on Bornholm do something in particular in order to be able to offer sustainable accommodation, for instance within the project → Bæredygtig Bundlinje Bornholm.

Rent an electric car on Bornholm …

There are several places where you can rent an electric car. And since 2020 there are have been added additional charging facilities. Several actions within the Bright Green Island strategy also help on the tourists’ climate footprint, as the increasing harvest of renewable energy.

… or park your car and use a bicycle or bus

The island’s size combined with the good bus connections, bike and hiking trails makes it easy for you to park your car and reduce your CO2 emissions. Instead of a car ride, you can discover beautiful nature on a hike, a bicycle tour or something else.

This also counts as a sustainable holiday

Activities on Bornholm are – besides the historic sites – typically related to nature, cultural experiences and outdoor sports. Therefore a vacation on Bornholm counts better on the green bill, than a vacation in a large city or in a holiday resort.

→ Here are some more suggestions for a sustainable holiday on Bornholm by the blogger couple “The Travelbook”

5 quick facts on why Bornholm is a green and sustainable island:

• Under normal circumstances → all energy on Bornholm is produced on sun, wind and biomass – and therefore CO2 neutral
• On Bornholm you have installed three times more solar cell power per inhabitant, than in the rest of the country
• In 2018, half of the Bornholm households were connected to long-distance heating based on wood chips and straw
• Bornholm has the best and most tasty drinking water in Denmark → see more here (in Danish)
• Bornholm will be unfossiliferous by 2040. Bornholms Regionskommune (the island’s municipality) just has agreed on a new energy policy and a strategy on how to reach that goal → see more here (in Danish).