Jump way ahead to the heady future of 2043, where the inaugural celebrations are underway for the new Thorium Reactor complex in sunny downtown Nuuk. For obvious reasons, the local state-owned energy behemoth Nukissiorfiit sees the need to diversify away from hydroelectric sources. The so-called “water-rush” was good while it lasted, but now that the glacier is dwindled down to nothing, the nation is sorting out its priorities.

With the 25th anniversary of independence fast approaching, the new facility can serve as a pilot program for developing the freshly available lands between the rock-strewn coasts and the largest fresh water lake in the world. Greenland’s hospitable immigration policy graciously accepts displaced peoples from the world’s former coastlines. These refugees have the opportunity to test out the most cutting edge eco-domiciles, from the tiniest of tiny houses to the tallest of vertical forests.

The discovery of rich Thorium deposits within the Greenlandic plate made the Kasuutta facility a no-brainer. The shrubbery-laden façades operate as a carbon sink as well as oxygen emitters. They also serve to insulate and regulate the temperature of the interiors, eliminating the need for unsightly HVAC units. As an added bonus, the perennials and groundcover on the rooves and balconies look very pretty.

The Kielsen Arboretum is the tallest greenhouse ever constructed. The 10-story structure has the equivalent greenery of 20 square kilometers of forest and undergrowth. Guests can travel through its large aperture by way of two corkscrews on the Vekoma Inverted/Sit-Down rollercoaster “Entanglement”, designed as a diversion for the diligent reactor workers and their families. The complex is freely open to the public, however, and is fast becoming a Mecca for advocates of eco-design worldwide.