In recent years, the inhabitants of Gran Canaria have developed a high degree of awareness of the environment and the natural world. Saving water, one of the island's scarces resources, has become an example to follow.

This results from water supply problems due to the lack of rain during previous decades. Furthermore, the islanders have found solutions to these problems and their ideas are being exported all over the world.

They have extensive know-how on the desalination of sea water and various methods to generate energy for this process have been applied, such as using wind power for small desalination plants.

During the process of desalination Gran Canaria uses the widest variety of technology and manpower in the world.

Gran Canaria has itself a high natural potential to generate electricity from renewable sources such as the wind and the sun. As such, it has a wide base of knowledge and know-how on the installation and maintenance of plants using renewable sources of energy.

Gran Canaria has also tackled the problem of recycling and utilisation of urban solid waste which has been well received not only by the citizens but also by public administration through their policies on waste management such as 'clean points', centres where previously separated waste is collected to be re-used or disposed of.