Top 10 Green Countries

10. Colombia (EPI: 76.8)

Despite its relatively small size, Colombia is the second most biologically diverse country on earth, home to about 10 percent of the world’s species. This biodiversity results from Colombia's varied ecosystems—from the rich tropical rainforest to the coastal cloud forests to the open savannas. Recently, the Colombian government has taken steps to make the country more eco-friendly.

Colombia has created a rainforest reserve for the protection of medicinal plants. The Orito Ingi-Ande Medicinal Flora Sanctuary includes more than 26,000 acres of biologically rich tropical rainforest ranging in altitude from approximately 2,300 to 11,000 feet above sea level. Members of local indigenous communities combined their extensive knowledge of medicinal plants with cutting-edge technology to determine the placement and extent of the reserve.

Architects in Colombia have also begun to use bamboo, which is unique in that it is strong in both tension and compression, to build structures.