Sustainability in Girona
From Guide to Girona
This page lists resources and tips for sustainable living in and around Girona. Also see Buying and selling second-hand in Girona.
Sustainable shops and markets[edit]
- Stalls at El Mercat del Lleo sell foods from nearby farms
- A Granel is a bulk food ("granel") shop where you can buy food without packaging. Carrer de la Rutlla, 41, 17002 Girona
- See Buying and selling second-hand in Girona for a list of second-hand shops and markets in Girona
Eco-concious cafes and restaurants[edit]
- Originem is a coffee shop with local products, no plastic, and low water usage. Carrer de la Força, 17004 Girona
- B-12 is a vegan restaurant. Carrer de les Hortes, 7, 17001 Girona
Environmental organisations in Girona[edit]
- Natus Girona is an environmental association in Girona. https://www.instagram.com/somnatus/
- Oficina per la Sostenbilitat (Carrer dels Ciutadans, 4, 17004 Girona) is a council service that helps raise awareness about the environment and supports Girona’s response to climate change. See https://web.girona.cat/oficinaperlasostenibilitat. What it offers:
- Advice and information on sustainability, the environment, grants, and energy transition.
- Educational resources to promote environmental awareness in Girona.
- GiroNat Office: answers to questions, information about the GiroNat project and the city’s natural areas, handling complaints, and encouraging public participation.
- Sustainable in Girona is a Facebook group for sharing events, swaps, eco-tips, and discussions around sustainable living. The group was created on 14 Aug 2022 by Maura van Dijk.
- The Sustainable Hub Girona is a WhatsApp group in Girona Buddies. It was created on 8 Feb 2025, also by Maura van Dijk.
- Girona has several litter pickup organisations, see Volunteering_in_Girona
- Departament de Territori, Habitatge i Transició ecològica ("Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition") is the government body in Catalonia responsible for sustainability. It used to be called the Departament de Territori i Sostenibilitat.
Free tap water from bars and restaurants[edit]
Since 2022, bars and restaurants in Spain must give you tap water for free if you ask for it. The specific law is artículo 18, section 3 of Ley 7/2022, de 8 de abril, de residuos y suelos contaminados para una economía circular[1]:
En los establecimientos del sector de la hostelería y restauración se tendrá que ofrecer siempre a los consumidores, clientes o usuarios de sus servicios, la posibilidad de consumo de agua no envasada de manera gratuita y complementaria a la oferta del mismo establecimiento.
English translation:
Establishments in the hospitality and catering sector must always offer consumers, clients, or users of their services the possibility of consuming non-bottled water, free of charge and as a complement to the establishment’s regular offerings.
This means if you ask for tap water (“agua del grifo”), restaurants must give you it for free. Restaurants can charge for filtered water, but only if they also make plain tap water available for free.
The law is intended to cut down on plastic waste, because water is nearly always sold in bottles in Spain.
Other[edit]
- Som Mobilitat is a car rental company that has six electric cars in Girona.
- The cost for a plastic bag in a supermarket is 15 cents, so bring your own bag
- At supermarket fish and meat counters, you can use your own Tupperware to avoid using plastic bags
- Check Workaway, HelpX, and WWOOF for local sustainability and regenerative farming projects that need volunteers. For example, see https://www.workaway.info/en/host/642279342226, https://www.workaway.info/en/host/498872285264, https://www.workaway.info/en/host/15553756734c, and https://www.workaway.info/es/host/149469534372
- The government will give you up to €10,000 back for buying an electric car[2]
- Girona has several insect hotels. which are wooden structures that provide shelter for beneficial insects.[3] They support biodiversity, provide refuge in winter for insects and small animals, and encourage pollination of flowers.
