Tivoli -- June 26, 2009

A Disney could learn a lot from a Tivoli.  Tivoli was built in 1843, and it is about the same size now as it was then, approximately two square miles. There are 26 rides and other amusements, so it is very compact, but there are beautiful little gardens around just about every corner. The rides range from small ferris wheels for young children to mightily scary drops and coasters for the brave at heart. What you won't find at Tivoli is a lot of space between attractions or trash. One of the most environmentally friendly initiatives in Tivoli is the cup (beaker) system. You put in your money for a beverage, and you keep the cup.  At the end of the evening, you can put the cup back in one of the automatic kiosks and receive your five kroner deposit back -- a no waste system. Each cup is used an average of five times (except mine, which I kept).

Tivoli is environmentally friendly in other ways too.  Tivoli developed specially-designed eco-lamps that use 5 and 15-watt bulbs, and the approximately 30,000 bulbs used annually are recycled. Waste from the park is sorted for recycling, and food waste from the many restaurants is used to create biogas.

Having just been to Disney last October, and can tell you that Tivoli is a far different experience.  Of course, Tivoli is much, much, much smaller. You can pretty much do and see it all in one day. And, of course, everyone is speaking Danish. But it also has an Old World charm that I have experienced at no other amusement park that I have ever visited.