Greenest and Sustainable Cities: London

London is home to some amazing scenery, astounding street art, historic monuments, not to mention the most ever-green parks. Londoners have become a lot more environmentally conscious in the 21st century given the prevailing environmental issues such as global warming. London is gearing up to be one of the greenest and most sustainable cities on earth.

As a tourist, it’s important to engage in activities that don’t degrade the environment as well as the pocket. While in London, you don’t have to break the bank to have a good time. There are plenty of tourist sites that are free of charge or even join a free tour in London. Walking tours are precisely very popular in London as one gets to kill two birds with one stone; conserve the environment and view London on proximity.

The city has put measures in place to ensure environmental conservation, for instance, encouraging its people to use bikes as a means of commute instead of vehicles to reduce emissions. The green movement is seen everywhere as there is a park in every neighborhood. The parks are a good way to conserve the environment, grow trees that ensure clean air. Here are some examples of how London is one of the greenest and sustainable cities in the world.

• ST JAMES’S PARK

St. James’s Park was the first park to ever be open to the public in 1532 and is arguably the finest of London’s parks. The park is close to Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace and the Palace of Westminster. It was originally designed with a lake where the king could swim at and weaving paths where the royals could take strolls in. There is a playground furnished with swings, sandboxes and climbing areas where children can enjoy themselves. The park has a wide range of residents birds; pelicans, mallards just to name but a few. St James’s Park is an excellent spot and a great source of information in matters regarding conservation to the children visiting the park.

• GREENWICH PARK

Greenwich Park is located on top of a hill and is one of London’s oldest enclosed Royal Park. It covers 183 acres and is home to a small herd of fallow and red deer. Tourists can enjoy an amazing view of the river Thames and central London from the park. The park’s main attraction is the Royal observatory where the Greenwich mean time is. The prime meridian which simply means zero degrees longitude runs straight through the park. Tourists are fascinated with this as they can straddle the line between east and west. Down the hill is the National Maritime Museum that showcases the story of Britain. The museum stores treasures such as the coat Lord Nelson wore during the battle of Trafalgar.

• VICTORIA PARK

Victoria Park is the most historic and oldest parks in London opened in 1845, covering an area of 213 acres. It has the highest number of visits approximately 9 million a year. It quickly became a people’s park stemming from being the only green space near Eastend London which is home to plenty of working-class families. The park provides recreational space and improves public health to Londoners. It also borders the London Borough of Hackney on the north and stretches from the River Thames along the Regents Canal and through Mile End Park. Facilities that can be found in the park include a boating lake, children’s playgrounds, sports playgrounds and an array of restaurants, cafes and boutique shopping.

• ARCHBISHOP’S PARK

Archbishop’s park was once part of the Bishop of Carlisle’s land opened to the public since 1901 and today it’s one of London’s largest green spaces. It’s located just behind the Lambeth Palace, central London. Various facilities have been added over the years to make this area what it is today. These facilities include a garden area, football pitches, tennis courts and a playground with swings and sandboxes. The best thing about this park is that it’s completely cut off from the streets so the children are free to roam around. The most intriguing thing to note is that the north end of the garden is dedicated to Octavia Hill, a popular social campaigner on matters of better housing and access to open spaces for the disadvantaged and poor.

• HYDE PARK

Hyde Park is the largest park in the world covering an area of 350 acres. it’s home to several historical monuments such as the Serpentine Bridge, Archives statue, Diana memorial fountain and the jo of life fountain. The park has over 4000 trees, a large lake and a bunch of flower gardens. The park has held some notable concerts one being the rolling stones in 1969 and 2013. Winter Wonderland event is also held here from November to January with Christmas-themed rides and market stalls. A tourist would be interested to learn that the marble arch at the northeast corner of the park was to be the statue of King George IV but he died before it was complete. The area is now known as the Speakers’ corner where public debates and speeches are held.

With much more effort added to the ones above, London is truly one of the greenest and sustainable cities in the world.