The Isle of Wight council has set its sails for greener waters. It wants to use tidal power for the mainland's energy needs and turn cow waste into bus fuel. Other ideas floating about include converting roads into bike lanes, offering free power to electric vehicles and making the buildings and homes energy efficient.

The council hopes these changes will improve the island's economy. The island attracts 2.7 million visitors a year and one in four jobs is tourism-related. But the island has the second lowest wages in the UK, nearly half its residents are over 50 and more than a quarter of its residents are on benefits.

I haven't seen too many initiatives in which the reason for going eco friendly is mostly financial. This island wants to make money. Whereas most people see going green as quite costly, this island sees efforts to protect the environment as a big old pot of gold. It will be interesting to follow its progress, because if it does profit off the green changes, it could be a prototype for other tourist-bound destinations.