Green Nirvana - Denmark

November 2009

Dubbed the land of plenty by green enthusiasts, the windswept Danish island of Samso has managed in recent years to reduce its carbon footprint by 170%. Can we all follow its lead?
My ideal is not to burn oil often and spoil the environment says Erik, one of the islands 4000 farmers. They all welcomed the move towards green energy with unexpected enthusiasm. Eriks heating and electricity are produced by solar panels while his tractor and car run on homemade rapeseed oil. For Soren Hermansen of Samsos Energy Academy, its people like Erik who make the greatest difference: You should think local and act local, and forget about the global. If somebody is doing something significant, that will be spread all over the world in no time. For Samso, this model certainly works: 75% of the islands heating comes from solar power and biomass systems. Renewable energy has enabled it to become self-sufficient and even to sell back electricity to the mainland. We produce 60%, 70% more than we need!

Produced by SBS, distributed by Journeyman Pictures