Copenhagen Comparisons-Green Transportation

Copenhagen, Denmark prides itself on being a “green city,” on that is environmentally friendly and on its way to being sustainable. This is not hard to believe seeing as how nearly every attraction in and around the city is accessible by foot, it may be a long walk, but you can find your way from point A to point B by walking on pedestrian friendly streets and paths. Compared to other cities that we visited I would say that Copenhagen was probably the most tourist friendly city, however, Stockholm is fast approaching. One thing that I did notice more so in Copenhagen is that there are more bikes than any other form of transportation, or at least it seems that way. In Oslo, we took the tram or bus system everywhere we went, and while I did see a lot of pedestrians on the city streets, it did not seem as accessible as Copenhagen; also, I did not see bikes nearly as often as I did in other Scandinavian cities. In Iceland, our hostel was a bit outside of the main streets and proved to be quite the hike from the bus depot; however, it seemed that driving was more popular than any other mode of transportation. With all of this being said, one thing is for certain, Scandinavia is blowing the United States right out of the water when it comes to public transportation and conscience mode of transportation…we definitely stand to learn a lot. –Kory Bonnell

Green Living in Stockholm

It was actually quite interesting to see that environmental awareness is something that is more of a way of life then a trend, like we have here in the United States. Being someone who loves both environmental politics and sustainable design, I found it very refreshing to find that many places, not just our specific hotels were “green” and on the right path towards bettering our environment. The hostels and hotels that we stayed in were picked for the specific reasoning that they were “environmentally friendly,” but if you were to have seen the everyday stores, restaurants, and tourist attractions, you would; too, see that “green living” is a way of life. On one of my trips to “Old Town” I came across this little jewelry story…I instantly fell in love with it…the store was filled with the brightest, craziest looking pieces of jewelry I had seen. I think I spent a little too much there, for the fact that the boys immediately left the store and sat outside for what I am sure seemed like an eternity. After starting a conversation with the store owner, she started telling me about how all of the glass that is used in her jewelry is recycled, melted, and then re-hand blown into the pieces that she makes. This sparked my interest even more, and I shared with her why I was on the trip and my interests in the environment and design. She shared with me the layout of her store and how pretty much everything, aside from the other manufactured knick knacks that she sells, was environmentally conscience. From the lighting, to the fixtures, all they way down to the floor, this woman had turned an old store into an environmentally friendly boutique that not only looks spunky, but sells some pretty sweet jewelry too! She told me that I would be surprised to find how many people actually remodel or design their homes using sustainable materials and products. This is definitely a stop I will make again, when I find my way back to Stockholm.-Kory Bonnell

Nobel Museum-Oslo Norway

While in Norway we got the chance to tour the Nobel Peace Prize Center. Alfred Nobel established the Nobel Prizes, the Peace prize is just one of five, however, it is the only prize that is decided by and given in Norway. The rest of the Nobel Prizes are awarded by and in Stockholm, Sweden. The Nobel Peace Prize is presented and awarded every year on the 10th of December by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. My favorite part of the center was the “Garden of Laureates.” It consisted of aisles of frames containing the pictures and biographies of all Nobel Peace Prize recipients. It is here that you can find the likes and accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, Kofi Annan, and many more, but it was the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner that grasped me the most. Wangari Maathai became the 2004 Peace Prize Laureate for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy, and peace. Maathai is the founder of Kenya’s “Green Belt Movement,” it is an organization that promotes the planting of trees and other environmental concerning activities. She came in to much conflict with the Kenyan government, and after an unsuccessful run for the presidency in 1997; she finally was elected a spot in parliament in 2002 with 98% of the vote. As a model for both peace and the environment, Maathai not only exemplified what we had hoped to find on our trip, but for me, someone who is passionate about sustainable development, she has begun to pave a path that puts environmental issues at the peak of global awareness. –Kory Bonnell

Iceland-Our trip to Thingvellir National Park

Over 45 million years ago, Iceland was all mountains, consisting of the Appalachian Mountains and the Norwegian mountains. Then came the time, about 20 million years ago, that Iceland served as a land bridge between North America and Europe. It was at this time, and still somewhat today, that you can find three main landscapes; ice age glaciations, land bridge, and hot spots. Our tour guide for the day, Throstur Eysteinsson, explained to us how these events happened and how Iceland came to be. He also explained to us a lot about peacemaking and the environment. In Iceland between 20-30% of all power and energy is geothermal while the rest is made up of hydroelectric energy. He also explained to us how Iceland is trying to get back on the right track after ruining the landscapes for many years, massive soil erosion became a huge problem and ruined much of the forests and natural landscapes. As far as peacemaking, Eysteinsson brought us into Thingvellir National Park and showed us the site of the original Icelandic Parliament-which happens to be the oldest continuous parliament in the world. When it came time for Parliament to assemble, they came and camped on areas surrounding the “law rock.” The law rock is where they would gather around while the speaker would shout out the laws. The officials were elected and in order for everyone to hear the laws, they needed to be memorized and shouted by the speaker-it often took days to recite all of the laws. It was at this site where independence was declared from Denmark in 1944 and renewed again in 2000 with the celebration of 100 years of Christianity. National celebrations are still held here today. –Kory Bonnell

Denmark and the UN house

During our tour in Denmark we were graced with the honor of meeting with one of the UN representatives, Pasi Rajala. Rajala is one of the representatives of the UN peacemaking efforts. We met with him briefly and he told us some of the ways that the United Nations actually works. Although we did get a pretty good over view of the UN and what it does in Denmark, some specific examples that he mentioned that they work with are: human resources and "suggestions" for many parts of the third world countries striving to become more sustainable themselves. They work with many NGO's and non profit orginizations as well in order to get more volunteers and workers out in the feild. We also learned that Denmark (Copenhagen persicly) was to be the host of a new meeting soon that was to focus on green energy somewhat like the "Kyoto Protocal" confrence. One of the main thing that our meeting seemed to suggest was the fact of getting each person active in some sort of a cause. We, as students or recent grads, all have the oppritunity to make this world the way we want, it is just the actions that are needed to put forth the motion in making the world a better place for everyone in and of itself. It was interesting to get to think in a new way politicaly on this trip and by visiting this place, I think we all were more influenced to think about what we can actually be capable in our own lives as far as forming the future. It was a real eye opener... and who knows, maybe one day one of us will be working at this orginization in Scandinavia helping the world one step at a time.!




ERika Strom

Denmark - Ecological Farm

The National School of Ecological Farming focused on ecological cultivation, while Dyssekilde had ecological construction in it's building. the picture shows their meeting hall which has about a 1.5 feet of insulation and utilizes the skylights. We also saw houses of different nature. Clay, Brick, wood, cob, and cement were all different forms used. Some of the houses used seashells for foundation. Some insulated their roofs with dirt and had different plants and grasses to hold the dirt there. The town also had 6 windmills and had a comunity garden for vegetables. - Patrick Austinson

Sweden - Green Hotels

The first thing I noted at our swan labeled hotel is that the key card was not plastic but wood. The TVs had an on/off and a standby. Like other places we stayed the toilets had a large and small flush, to go along with the size of what you were flushing. The showers had two knobs, one controlled water flow and the other temperature. This fights the habits some have of increasing hot or cold instead of decreasing, which is a habit that will waste water. - Patrick Austinson

Norway - explorers

Norway has a long history of getting involved with other countries in political matters. Currently Norway is one of the loudest voices in matter of peace. The museums we went to showed Norway's history supports that. The most prominent is the Nobel Peace Museum. Our tout guide was very proud of Norway's leadership in that award. The Raftohuset in Bergen is an example of how even colleges there are getting involved. The Fram and Kon-Tiki are examples of Norwegians in history that have done research in areas that can better help our understanding of nature and how to better keep our industires green. And My favorite example is the hobby of hiking. The view from the mountian hike in Bergen as inspiring as it is beautiful.- Patrick Austinson

Iceland - Signs of peace

Iceland had a few signs of involvement in peace. The earliest sign we were shown on our tour of the golden circle. Throstur Eysteinsson, our guide, showed us the location of the peace negotiations by the early settlers. He also pointed out the first location of the Icelandic Parliament. Iceland also showed interest in peace when it chose to become christian. Mr. Eysteinsson explained this when he told us about the meeting where their leader spent a few days in his tent with some women and came out with the decision to have Iceland not fight for it's right to be pagan, but submit to becoming Christians. - Patrick Austinson

Denmark: House of Organic inspiration

While we were in Denmark we visited the House of Organic Inspiration, which was full of ecological and green technology. Right away our guide had an amazing out-going personality which brought a new light and interest into the subject of "green". She was very passionate about the environment and everything the house stood for. As began our tour inside the house, we were greated with the first stop of the natural toilet room. The toilet consisted of a place for liquids... and then a bag for solid waste. It was difforent at first to see but made sence in the end on how they would take and compost the waste later on. just another interesting take on how one can conserve more. This house also consisted of a multitude of ways of heating and cooling the area such as hydro as well as solar panal heating and electricity use. The walls were shown and made naturally with layers in order to trap in more heat as well as to cool in the summer. It was interesting because this house even had a fountain going from the top level and trickled down a spiral of rocks until it was to ground level. This was because of the fact that although it was rain water, the energy that it would produce flowing down the rocks, would help provide it with enouph energy to help replenish the soils around the house making the plants more nutriant. Around the roof of the house they had planted many difforent plants in order to help trap the air and toxins that had been let out by the random glues and paints that the kids might have used in their crafts earlier that day. The soils help trap and reuse these toxins so they do not go back into the atmosphere as strong. There were many intersting aspects to this house. I am not sure if I personally could live in something like this but there were a lot of good ideas and inspererational ideas that it gave off that many people could use in their every day house that are both moder and eco friendly.




Erika Strom

comparissons between the hostels and hotels

This is a view from the Dan Hostel in Denmark.

During our travels throughout Scandinavia we had a chance to experience a veriety of places. As our trip had the thinking of "Green", our hostels and hotels were supposed to be mostly ecoaware with the swan ecological label. We fist stayed in the Reykjavik city Hostel which in an earlier post was stated to have the ecolabel which helped us see the more concious efforts of Iceland. While traveling to Bergen, we stayed in the Thon hotel which also had the eco labels. This hotel, I felt, did not show as many signs as being actually "green" because of the fact that it was a bit more "luxorious" compared to our first hostel experience. In Oslo, we stayed at the Oslo hostel outside of town which really didnt help with the "eco friendly" tour by us because of the fact we did have to ride public transportation back and forth all the time to hostel instead of walking if we were right downtown. The efforts in this hostel were not made as clear for it being an ecofriendly hostel as well because of the fact of not seeing the actual eco labels on indivual things such as soaps or toiletpaper. In Norway though there were many concious efforts that could be seen to keep the environment and more eco awareness is still prevelent. While we were in Sweden we stayed at the Scandic hotel, which had great recycling efforts as well as energy efficiant lighting. One example of this was that when entering the room, you would have to put your key in a slot in order for the lights to go on, and then when you left you would take it out of the slot. This way, no lights get left on by accident waisting more unessisary electricity.

Fridtjof Nansen and the Arctic exploration Museums

While in Oslo we had the opportunity to visit some of the many exploration museums as well as the Nobel Peace prize museum. One of the people that stuck out to me while at these two places was Fridtjof Nansen, one of the most known explorers, scientists, and diplomat in Norway's history. Nansen won the Nobel Peace prize in 1922 for helping organize during WW1 a place and acceptance for refuge Russians at the time. He also created the Nansen passport which helped these refugees and it was recogognized by at least 52 countries. Nansen's involvment was not only in this peace role but also in the polar explorations to the arcitic. There is a museum in Oslo exhibiting the actual boat "The Fram" that was taken by Nansen and his crew across the polar seas. I liked this museum the best I think because I have personally been interested in polar expeditions both involving scandinavia as well as others such as the Franklin failed expidition. These explorations throughout the North and South have been a hard accomplishment for the ones who have come out successful. During these expiditions, many experaments and scientific research was done in order to better the understanding of the future of wildlife, diseases, as well as the way the body reacts. Nansen was known for his participation and findings as one of the first to come up with the neuron theory.

A hydrogen powered iceland

Iceland is looking to become the only country in the world that generates 100% of all its electricity via completely renewable energy weather is be by hydro power, wind power, solar power and there are a few more as well including geothermal energy represented by the Blue Lagoon that we visited. At the moment they supply 89% of all the energy needed and are looking into becoming a hydrogen economy. Iceland is the first country in the world to create an economy generated through industries fueled by renewable energy, and there is still a large amount of untapped hydroelectric energy in Iceland. In 2002 it was estimated that Iceland only generated 17% of the total harness able hydroelectric energy in the country. -Nick Kruger

The Stockholm City Hall

The Stockholm city hall is the place where the Nobel Prize banquet is held every year and is also one of Stockholm’s major attractions. Ragnar Ostberg was the architect who created the Rodhuset in Stockholm, but in order to get the job he had to win a contest for the design of the city hall. One of his competitors Carl Westman was asked instead to create the Stockholm courthouse. While the city hall was designed by Ostberg, he also used some of the elements of Westman’s design for the huset which included the tower. Ostberg was never really satisfied with what he was doing so he constantly was changing his plans and ideas along the way. For example, the room in which the Nobel prize banquet is held is called the blue hall, but Ostberg abandoned the idea of the blue glazed tiles for that room along with the idea of painting the brick portion blue.
-Nick Kruger june 8th, 2009

Denmark - climate change being dealt with

While in Denmark our group met with a UN representative. One of the UNs largest tasks right now is fighting climate change. This climate change is worse in many developing countries and that is the focus for the United Nations. It can create droughts and changes in rainfall patterns which results in food shortages, it helps to melt glaciers which results in flooding and rivers drying up. Even the United States is not immune, if the snow in California’s high sierras melts, cities like LA would be vulnerable to water shortages. All these disastrous outcomes and many more can and will occur if we don’t do something drastic soon. The United Nations is focusing on making the world aware of the climate change and helping reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we put into the air. It focuses on reducing these gases in the developed countries though because the third world countries don’t produce that much gas, “the poorest 1 billion people is around 3 percent of the world’s total carbon footprint.” The United Nations is trying to get developing countries to cut greenhouse gases by 20 percent by the year 2050 and the developed countries to cut emissions by 80 percent by 2050, all this is necessary to have sustainable emissions by the end of the 21st century.

Nick Kruger, june 8th 2009

Ecological Farming

The Sogn Jord- og Hagebruksskule, a national center for organic agriculture, is located in Aurland, Norway. It was the first Norwegian agricultural school to fully convert to organic methods of production. This school, with a two year program, has been functioning since 1987 and both citizens of Norway and international students can participate in the program. There is a large emphasis on practical farming skills, including horticulture, agriculture, and the business behind these. There is also a focus on the mechanical parts of the equipment that is used. There are many animals on the farm, including sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, and horses. There are also many vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs that are produced organically. Also on this site are several Viking burial mounds which are protected.
Visiting this farm allows people to see the concern that the teachers have for the environment. There is a lot of work and study that goes in to managing the farms and making sure that the soil is well taken care of. This farm is another example of how Scandinavians are working to practice the idea of sustainable living and are willing to share their findings with others in hopes allow brighter futures for those to come.

Pictures and Text by Erin Josephson

June 8th, 2009

Norway saving the environment

Going to Norway was a very fun experience; I got to learn a lot about Norwegian culture including their policies dealing with nature. Norwegians are very ecological and have many little things help keep the world clean. For example when you flush a toilet you can save water by pressing one button over another. They also save on plastic products and waste by recycling and reusing their bottles; they pay a kroner for every bottle you recycle and they reuse those bottles many many times. One of the biggest things they do is use public transportation; they have trains, ferries, a bus system and a tram system, and even when they aren’t using these methods of transportations many of them choose to walk or bike instead of driving a car. Most families only own one or maybe two cars compared to the United States citizens where they have one or maybe two cars per person.

By: Nick Kruger, June 7th 2009

ecotourism in Iceland

This is a picture that shows part of the landscape along the coast of Reykjavik.
This picture we can see the Blue Lagoon spa and in the background there are steam stacks that are part of the geothermal plant behind the spa.

Iceland is a country that is eco-aware. There are many opportunities that lie within the boundaries to encourage green solutions to the everyday life. While the economy in Iceland may be at a standstill, the country is still adimant about trying to keep their income from travelers both profitable as well as eco friendly. Some examples of this we have seen on our trip by staying in green hostel in the capitol of Reykjavik. The hostel was considered to be green by the official swan eco label of the scandinavian countries. Some specific examples in our rooms were small contrabutions such as eco friendly soap, water conserving showers, as well as sheets of toilet paper instead of the rolls to help consumers use less. On a more larger level, Iceland has a very unique history as well as landscape that intrique many travelers. The volcanic lanscape brings in a variety of difforent sights for travelers to see and experience such as one of only a few active geisers in the world "Geysir", the Blue Lagoon natural hotspring spas, along with mountainering adventures and other sort of outdoor activites. One of multi resources that Iceland can get out of the natural hot springs is also the use of geothermal power to help run the city. Hiking, horseback riding, kayaking, fishing and also whale watching are many of the popular other attractions that one can see and participate when they come to Iceland. Unfortunatly for our group we were unable to whale watch on account of the ever changing windy weather of Iceland. We did make do with site seeing around the town and meeting some friends and enjoying the culture along the coast. As we traveled we did take public transportation or walked around the city which also helped us participate in the more "eco friendly" tourism of the scandinavians.

Bergen, Norway

The enviroment in Norway has gone through different changes through the last few years. Norway has deceided to forcus on cutting their carbon foot print by inforcing stronger regulations on cars and businesses. Since Norway has a great public transportation system this has helped to cut down the carbon admissions. Their transportion system consists of trains, boats, buses, and the metro. Not many people own cars either becuase it is hard to find parking and they are expensive to own. Designing homes that are enviormental freindly that include solar panels and differnt types of enviromental freindly materials. The homes are also small and more pratical than the ones that we build in the United States. Not only is Norway worried about the enviroment there but also all over the world. Recently they have taken great interest in Russia and the enviromental changes that have occured in the Artic regions. The have also worked with the United Nations in helping third world countires try to cut their carbon emssions as well.

By: Brittany Bruer, June of 2009

Denmark: Christiania

Christiania is located in the middle of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was established by a group of hippies in 1971 from what was once a military area. The neighborhood has around 850 residents and takes up around 85 acres of land. The relationship between Christiania and the Denmark government has gone through many different trials. There was a law that was established in 1989 called the Christiania Law. The law made Christiania a “free state”, it also gave land that was part of Christiania from the city council to the state, the land that they state got is now governed by the state. The trade of cannabis has occurred since the start of Christiania until 2004 when authorities stop tolerating it. Since then there has been many raids business and home and has caused bad relations between the residents and the authorities. The town is known to the residents as staden or the town and fristaden or the free town. The majority of the residents are artist and hippies. Some rules that the residents have established are no sealing, violence, knives, bulletproof vests, and hard drugs. They also have their own flag that is red with three yellow discs representing the dots in the “I”s in “Christiania”.

Brittany Bruer, June of 2009

Stockholm, Sweden: City Hall

The idea of building a new city hall in Sweden was decided in 1907 when a contest was held to decide who would be the architect for the building. The winner of the contest was Ragnar Ostberg. The construction of the city hall was started in 1911 and was finally completed in 1923. The building was inaugurated on the 23th of June 1923, exactly 400 years after Gustav Vasa arrival in Stockholm. The city hall contains some very impressive design features. The Blue hall is one of the most impressive rooms in city hall. Here the banquet is held after the Nobel Prize award ceremony. It was built to represent a court yard and has straight walls and arcades in order to demonstrate this. Original the blue hall was meant to have blue glazed tiles covering the walls however once Ostberg saw how the red brick look in the hall he decided not to use the blue tile but to keep the red brick instead, this is how the hall got its name. Located in the Blue Hall is an organ that contains 10, 270 pipes which makes it Scandinavia largest organ. Another impressive room in the city hall is the Golden Hall. It is located just above the Blue Hall. The Golden Hall consists of 18 million tiles that make of a verity of different mosaics and resembles an Egyptian place hall. The City hall is not just a tourist attraction but also serves a purpose. In the hall around 200 politicians and civil servants have their offices.

By: Brittany Bruer, June of 2009

Oslo, Norway: Vigeland’s Sculpture Park

Vigeland's Sculpture Park is one of the highlights in Oslo, Norway. Gustav Vigeland constructed 192 sculptures that are all life size without the assistance of anyone else that are located throughout the park in which is especially designed for them. The park contains many different focal points these include the Fountain, the Monolith, the Bridge and many others. The main entrance of the park is though a giant wrought iron gate that includes designs of the human form on them. The bridge is lined with 58 bronze sculptures that portray the human form in the different stages of life and the relationships between people man and woman, adult and child. The Fountain is the main focal point of the park. It is also the earliest sculpture in the park. The center of the fountain has six giants that hold up the top of the fountain where water falls from it like a curtain. The giants represent the different stages of life that men go though by including life’s troubles and hardships. The most famous part of the park is the Monolith and the Monolith Plateau. The Monolith Plateau surrounds the Monolith and contains 36 groups of sculptures that depict the circle of life. The relationship between man and woman, family and old age is shown. In the beginning the statues are more basic however as time when on the statues became more detailed. At the very top of the plateau the Monolith is located. The column is 46 feet high and is carved out of a single block of stone. There is a verity of interpretations of what the column stands for. These include: man’s resurrections, the struggle for existence, man’s yearning for spiritual sphere, and the transcendence of everyday life. The last main sight in the park is the Wheel of Life. It is composed of figures swirling in an eternal circle to depict the circle of life.

By: Brittany Bruer, June of 2009

Iceland: The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon is part of the many natural wonders of Iceland. It is located about 39 km from Reykjavik and about 13 km from the Keflavik International Airport. Since the hot spring is so close to the airport it makes a great place for travelers that have a long lay over to go and relax. The Blue Lagoon is part of a lava formation that occurred thousands of years ago. The temperature stays around 104 degrees Fahrenheit; however it is warmer in certain places than others. Thanks to the lava formation the waters are rich in a verity of minerals such as silica and sulfur. These minerals can be vital in helping patients that surfer from certain type of skin diseases such as psoriasis, eczema and common rashes. The minerals are said to take away the sting and itchiness of the rash and reduce the redness and bumps of them. In part because of the wonderful healing power the geothermal spa has, it has really boosted Iceland’s tourism industry.

By: Brittany Bruer, June of 2006

Green Copenhagen

Biking through Copenhagen was an interesting experience. When we started, it was a nice day for biking, but it soon turned to rain which lasted much of our tour, allowing us to witness the city of Copenhagen in a different light. It was way for us to experience the conditions that others, who use bikes for their main form of transportation, deal with on a regular basis. Mike, our tour guide, helped us to see Copenhagen while staying off of the main tourist trails. Along with the rain, we also got to ride through the Copenhagen Marathon, with more than 10,000 participants.
There is a goal that has been set by politicians in Copenhagen to make it the world’s leading bicycle city by 2015. Already, 36 percent of all people in Copenhagen use bikes as their mode of transportation around the city. With the fact that the United Nations Climate Summit in 2009 will be held in the city, the city of Copenhagen has decided to take a leading position in the fight against global warming. In a city where one can see as many bikes as cars during “rush hour,” it is easy for one to realize that its citizens are well aware of the global warming crisis, the possible effects that it could have on our world, and that they are doing their part to reduce their impact on the environment.

Pictures and Text by Erin Josephson

Skogskyrkogården (Woodland Cemetery)

The Woodland Cemetery, which located in Southern Stockholm, reflects development of architecture from national romantic style to mature functionalism. It was formed because of an international competition to design a new cemetery and construction began in 1917 and was completed in 1920. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and displays a connection between life, death, and the environment. The architects used the natural landscape and created an extraordinary environment, full of tranquility, which had an influence on how other cemeteries were designed throughout the world.
When one enters the cemetery, there is an immediate sense of peacefulness that lasts throughout the whole experience. They are surrounded by different landscapes throughout the cemetery. There are flowers in some places, open spaces, tall trees, and meditating areas. This is important for the grieving people who visit the sites where their loved ones are buried because it is almost certain that they have a peaceful resting place. These surroundings bring people closer to nature, while giving them a peaceful feeling while they are in the cemetery that they can take with them when they leave.

Pictures and Text by Erin Josephson

17.mai in Oslo

As a child growing up in a Norwegian family, with grandparents who were members of Sons of Norway, 17.mai has been a Norwegian celebration that I have been aware of since a young age and also had the opportunity to celebrate. This was brought to a new level, however, when I had the opportunity to take part in the celebration in Oslo.
After working on learning the Norwegian language and culture for over 12 years, it was exciting for me to see the pride that Norwegians have for their country. I was overwhelmed with the sense of nationalism they project on this day.
As we got off the tram and walked up Karl Johans Gate toward the palace of the royal family, we saw marching bands, groups performing native dances, and people, young and old, wearing their bunads. It was particularly enjoyable for me to see the children dressed in their native costumes.
The 17th of May is an official holiday which is celebrated each year. The Constitution of Norway was signed at Eidsvoll in 1814 on this day. Today, there is a parade which processes along the palace, so that the people of the country can wave at the royal family, who stand on a balcony overlooking the parade.
17.mai is an opportunity for Norwegians (both living in Norway and with Norwegian ancestry) to display their pride in their country. Their national anthem begins with the (translated from Norsk to English) line, “Yes, we love this land.” This love is instilled at a young age and continues throughout their lives.

Environment and Forestry in Iceland

The environment is very important to Icelanders, as they focus on sustainability and management of natural resources for their everyday lives. Their main exports include fish and seafood, so this brings not only concern for the environment, but the economy, as well. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Iceland, “Icelandic waters are among the cleanest in the world.“ They work hard to keep their waters clean because their lives and prosperity depend on it.
As we witnessed on our tours of Iceland, they are also taking large measures to decrease the effects of erosion because there has been a significant loss of vegetation. This is largely due to farmers allowing their sheep to over-graze, but the windy climate in Iceland also plays a large role. Today, Icelanders are constantly working to stop and even overturn the effects that erosion has had on their terrain.
Afforestation is also a main concern for Icelanders. When Iceland was first settled, about 25% of the country was considered forest. Today, only a little over 1% of Iceland is composed of forests. This began to change in the beginning of the 20th century, however, when coniferous trees were planted on the sides of mountains and in valleys that are out of the wind. Today, those trees are almost ready to be harvested and others are constantly being planted. We witnessed these forests on our light hike which showed us the new vegetation and trees, as well a beautiful view of Iceland. This allowed us to see the importance of the continuing efforts that are making a huge difference in Iceland’s landscape.

Photos and Text by Erin Josephson

Danmark....A Peaceful History?

Danish History begins thousands of years ago, much like the rest of the world, but the history that matters to our subjects comes much more recently. The most famous period in Danish History comes from the Viking era, about 800-1100 A.C.E., where the Vikings attacked, raided, colonized, and explored much of Europe, Asia, and North America. Denmark then evolved into the most powerful of the Nordic monarchies, over Sweden and Norway, controlling nearly all of Northern Europe. In the 1300's Denmark formed the Kalamar Union with Norway and Sweden, which essentially made all three equal in the governing process, but eventually the Danish King rose above them all claiming sole authority over all three kingdoms. But following Sweden's forceful departure from the Union, Denmark and Sweden fought many wars. During the Napoleonic Wars they were pitted against each other, with Sweden taking England's side and Denmark taking France's side. Sweden ended up winning the war over Denmark and recieved Norway as its prize. After the Napoleonic wars Denmark disappeared from the international scene as a major power, instead focusing on itself and reforms it needed in its own country. In the 20th century Denmark followed a new path, one of peace and remained neutral in both World Wars, despite being invaded in World War II by the Germans. since their liberation Denmark has been focused on peacemaking throughout the world lending aid to those countries most in need, especially in Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa. Denamrk was also one of the founding members of the United Nations and NATO, testament to its commitment to Peace. It joined the European Union in 1973 and continues to pursue peacemaking operations in some of the most volatile regions of the world including: Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Eithiopia, Korea, Bosnia, Cyprus, Croatia, and Kosovo.

-Ross

Stockholm-The Green Capital of the World

Stockholm was nominated by the EU in 2010 to be the "Green Capital" of Europe. The Reader's Digest found that Stockholm, out of 75 other major cities worldwide, was ranked first in the categories of "Greenest" and "Most Liveable" cities. Several factors went into the decisions as to the "Green-ness" of Stockholm. First is their top-notched public transportation system. Through several different means of transportation, the city of Stockholm has reduced its carbon footprint and created a very clean environment within the city by providing bus, train, ferry, tram, and bicycle transportation options to its population. Additionally, Stockholm has cracked down on pollution and worked to create sustanable development within the city. Hamarby Sjöstad is a section of Stockholm that has been set aside for sustainable development with a focus on renewable energy and environmentally friendly practices. The World can learn by Stockholm's example that with investment in clean technology and reduction of pollution a large vibrant city can replace the old polluting cities of the past. With the air cleaner, food healthier, and the technology greener, the population will most certainly be happier.

-Ross

Storting

The Storting is Norway's parliament and is the legislative body that dominates the states politics. Through this body many decision related to the environment and to peacemaking are made. With the sudden chaos in Sri Lanka, the Storting has made it a mission to try and bring peace to the region and its ongoing civil war. One question to readers should be: Why is Norway so interested in peace in Sri Lanka? Norway has contributed and still contributes to peace around the world. It takes an active role in the development of Afghanistan and its drive towards a representative democracy. It continues to be a player in the Israeli-Palestinian conflist following the Oslo Peace Accords. It plays an active role in humanitarian efforts in Asia and Africa. But why the focus on Sri Lanka, is it a desire for peace or is there somthing else at play?

Ecological Farming in Norway

Ecological farming is on the rise in Norway and is being expanded. Through government incentives farmers are recieving the resources necessary to transition their farm operations into a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable way. Through practices taught at the National School of Organic Agriculture and Horticulture in Aurland, Norway, future farmers are being taught new methods for raising livestock and harvesting crops. Some methods include using certain species of plants and trees as natural insectacides, acting as a host for an insect or animal to reduce or eliminate the threat of another to the crop. For example, by planting some certain trees next to crops, the trees act as a base for a certain , non-threatening and local, insect to eat and destroy harmful insects, this without the use of any harmful insecticides. Through methods like this and others, ecological farming will not only help farmers create sustainable operations, but also provide a cleaner and healthier product to the public at large, but it will take time to create this as a widespread lifestyle.

Icelandic Elections

Recently Iceland had its parliamentary elections, roughly a week before we arrived in Reykjavik. Given the recent economic collapse of the countries finances in October of 2008, the only issues of major discussion was economic recovery and the prospect of European Union membership. One week before the election the sitting interim Prime Minister, Johanna Sigurxardóttir of the Social Democratic Party, announced that if elected she would pursue EU membership and adoption of the Euro. The election results found that the Social Democrats and the Green party won the election by a wide margin removing the Independence party from power after 18 years in control. The new Prime Minister has already introduced legislation to the Althing, the Icelandic Parliament, to begin the process of application to the EU, and to join it by 2011. This being said, environmental issues have fallen astray from public view during this crisis and a focus on International politics with the EU in particular. Membership would have a large effect on the nations largest industry, fishing, and also force several restrictions on Iceland on issues such as Forestry management and banning the practice of commercialized whaling.