Sometimes when one travels, a creeping element of eco-guilt can taint the trip. Not so on a jaunt to friendly Copenhagen, sure to rule as the world’s first carbon neutral city as Denmark vows to entirely eschew fossil fuels by 2050. In this Nordic city by the sea, as well known for its Michelin-starred restaurants as its gourmet hot dogs and towering smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches), green initiatives and solutions reign as mainstays of everyday life. Whether you pedal a bike on one of the myriad 339-plus miles of bike paths and countless car-free bridges, stay in an eco-certified hotel (more than one-third of the city’s hotel rooms receive air-conditioning powered by water from Copenhagen Harbour), ride one of the harbor’s electric ferries or buses, nosh on organic food or take in a musical concert at the water-fueled Royal Danish Playhouse, ecological balance defines Copenhagen’s sustainable buzz.

© GULDSMEDEN HOTELS

Consider one pioneering hotel group, family-owned Guldsmeden Hotels. It weaves eco elements into all aspects of its properties including interior design, architecture, food management waste, fair trade, organic linens and specific green housekeeping procedures. Since saving water is one of its passions, Guldsmeden kits out rooms with orbital showers that reuse water by employing a form of NASA technology. Still providing a satisfying water pressure for washing, the showers stand out as just one way the hotel group proves luxury need not be forsaken to achieve eco- conscious goals.

Known as forward-thinking, design-savvy and outdoorsy, Copenhagen struts its stuff with eco-magnificent CopenHill, aka Amger Bakke, the city’s ingenious ski hill, built atop a waste-to-energy plant. Truly a paragon of multi-use architecture and clean energy effectiveness, the project manifests the city’s sustainable ethos, a way of living the populace gamely embraces — and all supported by the government. Residents of the city reap the clean benefits of offshore wind turbines, green wave traffic lights for cyclists (with digital countdowns), a district heating system that connects 98 percent of households, and an uber-clean harbor area so pristine that it boasts 10 designated swimming areas.

Ready to travel sustainably? Copenhagen beckons.