The grass is not always greener for one Swedish island, which held an “ugliest lawn” competition in an effort to conserve water amid a record-setting drought in Europe.
The island of Gotland received a record-breaking number of visitors and residents last summer, the Guardian reported, pushing political officials to rethink their island’s water consumption.
Gotland’s water availability is set to decrease by 13.3% between 2021 and 2050, and demand will increase by more than 40% by 2045, according to Gotland’s OECD policy report for 2022.
HALF OF EUROPE IN DROUGHT IN VULNERABLE MOMENT OF ENERGY WAR WITH RUSSIA
“Climate change and increasing demand for water put further pressure to undertake new water infrastructure investments that can increase the quantity and quality of water,” the report states.
One of the main priority areas the island wants to tackle is water shortages that are currently limiting economic development and resulting in strict regulations for the island’s residents, the report adds.
Acting Marketing and Brand Manager Mimmi Gibson said to the Guardian that the contest was born from a recent regulation that prohibited islanders from watering their lawns. It will ask residents to be more mindful of water consumption and force them to think about ways to adapt to the current climate.
Marcus Norstromm won the competition for having “a really lousy lawn that lives up to all our expectations of Gotland’s ugliest lawn and has good conditions for a more sustainable improvement,” the jury said, per the Guardian.
In addition to the contest, information campaigns and closer cooperation with the hospitality industry have contributed to a lower water consumption rate, so much that competition judge Johan Gustafsson told the Washington Post that the irrigation ban will be lifted on Sept. 1.
Similarly, much of Sweden and Europe as a whole are experiencing the worst drought in 500 years, according to the Europe — August 2022 report from the European Drought Observatory.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Lack of precipitation and continuous heat waves stretching back as early as May are to blame for the drought, the report stated, and certain crops such as grain maize, soybeans, and sunflowers are the most affected.
The report said 43% of Europe, including most of Sweden and Gotland, are under a drought “warning” severity level and that 17% are in “alert” conditions. Sweden is considered under “stable severely dry conditions.”
