Kalmar was once one of the most important fortified towns in Sweden. Now the town of about 35,000 people on the Baltic Sea is a green travel destination. Kalmar has the usual site-seeing and cultural attractions.

Visitors to Kalmar should include a stop at the Kalmar castle with its well preserved fortifications, a walk through the old town with its well-worn cobblestone streets, and a visit to a few of the wonderful museums highlighting regional Viking history. Sampling the local cuisine is a must. All of this can be done with the knowledge that your carbon footprint while there will be minimal.

The reason: Kalmar and Kalmar County (total population of 236,000) have become pioneers in showing other municipalities how to successfully the dependence on fossil fuels while maintaining sustainable growth. Currently most electricity needs are supplied by wind or nuclear sources. Transportation is still dependent on fossil fuels, but less so than most regions. About 50% of all buses now run on biofuels. However, Kalmar has made a commitment to completely shun the use of fossil fuels by the year 2030. At that time, all the town’s energy will be derived from renewable energy sources. There will be no trace of fossil fuels anywhere in Kalmar.

The town is already moving strongly in that direction. Bicycle lanes are common and car dealers promote hybrid vehicles. In 2007 the energy company Kalmar Energi decided to invest in the Moskogen Power Plant. This will be a new biofuel-powered heat and power plant, producing 140 GWh of electricity and 360 GWh of district heating per year, all from renewable biofuel.

According to Lars Roth, the Swedish Embassy’s First Environment Secretary, “You can have laws. You can have economic stimulus packages to green your economy, but in the end it comes down to consumer choices, what each one of us decides to do in our daily lives.”

Forty years ago, Sweden – like the United States – was largely dependent on imported fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas. But in the 1970s, after oil supply interruptions and fuel-price shocks, Sweden gradually began to make the switch from petroleum imports to renewable fuels and nuclear energy with considerable success. Roth says 43 percent of total energy production is based on renewable sources. Nuclear provides additional amounts of energy that is considered clean in Sweden. “Almost 80 percent of our electricity production is based on either renewable or nuclear.”

Sweden’s per capita carbon emissions have fallen dramatically as well. Today, the average per capita carbon emission of Swedes is 7.4 metric tons of carbon, compared to an average of 23.5 metric tons for Americans.

What is the biggest factor this discrepancy? The United States still derives about half of its electricity from coal.

For getting to Kalmar, traveling via Copenhagen offers the advantage of a stop in this scenic, interesting Danish city. You will cross over the Oresund Bridge to Malmo, Sweden on your way to Kalmar. You can reach Malmo and continue on to Kalmar by train or car, according to your preference.

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