If we talk about ecotourism, glasgow has become a benchmark for all those who want travel sustainably. In the Scottish city there is no lack restaurants, cafes and hotels committed to the environment and the fight against climate emergency.
Glasgow was during 14 days the center of global attention by hosting the United Nations summit on climate change (COP26) which brought together leaders from more than 200 countries. His choice was not accidental. Glasgow is the fourth city in the world and the first in United Kingdom in the Global Destination Sustainability Index and its great tourist offer with a sustainable seal proves it.
Ruthven Lane in Glasgow.
SLEEP WITH THE FOREST IN YOUR ROOM
Can you imagine enjoying the sounds and smells of the forest without leaving your hotel room while you relax with a CBD cocktail? This is possible in the luxurious hotel Kimpton Blythswood Squarewhere awaits you The Green Room, a room whose walls are covered with ivy, monstera and palm leaves , which purify the air while your senses are stimulated by the play list created specifically for this room with the sounds of the birds and the leaves of the trees recorded in the Blythswood Square Gardens.
The hotel manager, Mafalda Albuquerque , told us that the idea for this experience arose during the first confinement when “everyone was sick and tired of being at home, trapped in an atmosphere without nature”.
The room is a retreat in the center of the Scottish city where you will find other details that seek minimize the use of plastic and so they give guests wooden room keys and glass water bottles that are reusable. His latest bet has been the launch of the Iasg restaurant, which has a seafood and fish menu caught in the waters of Scotland in the most sustainable way possible.
The Green Chamber.
Another of the hotels that bets on green tourism in glasgow is the Maldron, which opened its doors this year. It is a four-star hotel in the center of the city, which is committed to reducing climate impact with the 'Living Green' initiative, whose three keywords are reduce, reuse and recycle.
ZERO CARBON FOOTPRINT WITH WALKING AND BIKE TOURS
Paul Stewart It's one of the guides of Invisible Cities, an organization that helps people who have been left homeless giving them the opportunity to work as tour guides. Wearing a navy blue cap that reads Marbella, Stweart greets us at McLennan Arch in Glasgow Green, the oldest park in the city.
He shows us emblematic places like Merchan City, Saltmarket and the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) while sharing with us curious stories of the city , which accompanies data on the situation of homeless people and social problems in the city.
Stewart says that this work gives them a voice because “when you stay on the street you are invisible”. And he adds, "What is more sustainable than giving a homeless person the opportunity to work?"
Another tour you can do is the street art by Walking Tours in Glasgow to learn the stories behind the murals and graffiti that take over entire walls of Glasgow buildings. Karen, our guide during the tour , she explains that "many of these jobs are a reflection of the working class, especially young people, who do not feel heard and express their feelings in the streets” . She tells us about some well-known artists such as sumg , which stands out for its realistic portraits, almost photographic, and the works of Rogue One.
Glaswegian Green.
And if what you prefer is to see Glasgow on two wheels, the ideal is the OVO bikes, which you will find scattered around different places in the city. Point the green route with stops at 12 sustainable businesses.
RESTAURANTS AND CAFES THAT SEEK TO MAKE A CLIMATE DIFFERENCE
Glasgow's gastronomic offer goes hand in hand with local products and zero waste. Examples of this are places like Stravaigin , in the West End, whose mantra is 'Think globally, eat locally'. Its menu is seasonal, with local products but with an international cuisine in which you can taste dishes with Indian, Arabian, Asian and of course Scottish flavours.
The chef says that he defines the menu according to what's in season and not what is fashionable in the gastronomic world and maintains constant communication with its suppliers, who tell it what products are best quality at that time.
For this restaurant it is important that the diner knows where the food comes from used in their menu, so on the menu you can read the name of the local farm, orchard or butcher shop with whom they work. And the wine list has also been based on being sustainable, with most of its vegan wines and cavas Sumarroca, a Catalan winery that has the certificate of organic vineyard.
Another highly recommended place is Drygate, which is very close to the cathedral and the Glasgow necropolis. It is a brewery and restaurant in an old box factory with your badge seven-cornered roof It is a reflection of the industrial past of the city that merges with the experimental elaboration of its beer inside.
Through its windows you can see how they make it and they have 23 different types of draft beer; six of them are always the same but the rest are changing. You can find options as diverse as beer peanut butter orinoco, ipas, and ales, They serve you in a glass of a third, half a pint, two thirds and a pint. Drygate is also committed to the circular economy and used grains to brew beer are sent to the Freedom Bakery to make bread.
One of the places that locals know best as an emblem of sustainability in Glasgow is Locavore. It is presented as an alternative to supermarkets to buy local, organic and sustainable food. It all started in 2013 when Founder Reuben delivered vegetable box orders on the south side of town. Now they have three orchards where they grow their own vegetables, four local and soon They will open their first store in Edinburgh.
Every day they prepare sandwiches, soups and salads to take away or enjoy in your cafe under the slogan 'Take chard' (pun on the English phrase 'take charge' which translates as taking charge and chard as chard). The concept is that people take responsibility and know where the food they eat comes from.
We close the gastronomic list with Gamba, a place of pilgrimage for lovers of Scottish fish and shellfish. It is located in a downtown basement and their menu changes every six weeks, offering fish obtained with sustainable and local practices such as smoked salmon from Marbury or halibut from the Isle of Gigha. It also has the stamp of the Association of Sustainable Restaurants and is the only fish restaurant in Glasgow to be listed on the Michelin Guide 2021.
SWG3, DANCE TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY
The SWG3 is a multi-purpose complex that features studios for artists, a television studio, a restaurant, the poetry club and a patio for concerts and outdoor events with capacity of 5,000 people, apart from covered areas to accommodate different types of artistic and social activities.
Its space of action will be extended with the opening of the Community Garden in which they hope to have local artists and a green space that residents and tourists can enjoy from spring 2022. In addition, soon they will also have the Yard Works Studio, a new area dedicated to graffiti and street art in the city.
But SWG3 has caught our attention above all because it has an ambitious plan to reach the carbon neutrality in 2025. One of its star proposals is the body heat , a state-of-the-art renewable heating and cooling system that transforms the body heat of people dancing on the dance floor into a source of energy to be used again. It will be the first time that this type of technology is used in Scotland and they hope to be able to put it into operation in early 2022.
If you want to know more things to do and visit in Glasgow, visit the People Make Glasgow website.