Is Lisbon a sustainable destination?

You might be asking yourself, how could a capital in a developed country be environmentally friendly? The answer lies in a lot of effort and careful planning, which netted Lisbon the 2020 European Green Capital Award given by the European Commission. If you want to visit any city on your borderless ecological experience in Europe, definitely go for a few months living in Lisbon.

In about ten years, Lisbon has dramatically reduced its water and energy consumption while reducing the CO2 emission by half, all during a financial crisis. But that’s not all; the ecologically minded Lisbon is always looking into the future for new ways of innovating itself. It has expanded its public transport, supports locals in cycling, and much more. It’s to the point that more than 90% of people live within 300 m of a public transport station.

But that’s not all. The city has dramatically expanded its green spaces, giving the city a much more natural atmosphere. It has installed countless electric vehicle charging points. Lastly, it continuously takes steps to use urban planning to counteract some of the effects of climate change that are already visible in Lisbon, such as drought, flooding, etc.

The increase in green spaces creates natural reservoirs of water that can either evaporate during droughts or take in water during floods. In short, Lisbon is constantly thinking of new ways to be more ecologically friendly and, as such, should be on your list of sustainable destinations.

One thing is for the city to take steps towards sustainability; the other is our actions. Things like using public transport and sorting out your rubbish are no-brainers and can be done in just about any other city. But Lisbon has unique opportunities for its ecologically minded visitors. One way to be more sustainable is changing your diet to vegetarianism or veganism.

Lisbon has tons of great places to go as a vegetarian or vegan - places like Ao 26, Vegan Junkies, or Jardim dos Sentidos. There are also quite a few sustainable accommodation options. Especially when it comes to hotels, Lisbon has many that take the call for environmental sustainability seriously. For example, the Inspira Santa Marta Hotel tries to lessen its carbon footprint by carefully managing its everyday tasks.

There’s also the NEYA Lisboa Hotel which extends its sustainable goals from ecological to social and economic. Lastly, there are loads to do in Lisbon, which is exciting and ecologically friendly. Lisbon is a historic city and as such has many sights that are begging to be discovered. You can walk to the Castelo de São Jorge with its scenic view of the city, visit the

Torre de Belém from the 16th century, or Museu Nacional does Azulejo, dedicated to the unique Portuguese art of decorative tilework. These are just a few of the dozens of places that will get you closer to the city’s history while being sustainable.