Eco in Norway: Earth Hour

Earth Hour, the 26th of March , 20.30 pm to 21.30 pm.

Earth Hour is probably the easiest communication about the climate for everyday people to remember, and that is why it became a world wide hit. "Turn off the light for one hour", and do not forget there are more things that give energy and that the earth needs attention just as much. Because this is a lot more than an energy saving campaign, because actually that is not the main case at all (and misunderstood/ not communicated). This is a global message put simple. The most simple action one can do, and one can remember. To attract people to its cause. To save energy is just one part of the solution, but not at all the part that contributes to an alternative. Like creativity. No one tells you what to do, but what to not do. Turning off the light is the symbolistic meaning - and this, is probably a lot deeper than just the simple outward message that they deliver.

Inside this message, there is probably a full potential of waking up some brain cells to understand ourselves and our nature of lazyness! We`ve become lazy , also because of the easy transport of energy that is in the technology age. What to do when nobody helps you with electricity-supply? oh gosh, we`re stuck! :) No, we`re not at all stuck.  Because it is too easy, to just turn off the light and forget where you are. Yes, it is dark , but you live on a living planet. Full of energy. Full of creativity. And most of it still untouched. Their website had an application where people could subscribe and tell what you spent the hour doing, and suddenly one could see that there is a global conscious mind after all.

I came to participate in this event through WWF-Norway, which is a global organization with local contributors. Working together with another organization in Norway, called Gronn Hverdag this time, showed and proved that co-operation in the green field is essential for attracting people at the same goal, and also that the actions are common by all after all. No one is a king or a queen in the name of the big mother earth.

It was good for me to join some active ones in Norway finally, after meeting so many danes and swedish and german with solutions that we`ve just seen a rough outline of in Norway so far. But I`ve learned that things are happening in my country step by step and I am proud of it (the country) more than anyone could imagine after all I`ve been saying, just because what I see in Norway that lies in the future is a lot of the same beauty that only the chinese seem to discover here. They wouldn`t care about electric cables in the Hardanger Fjord! The fjord is way too beautiful to them! What to do instead is to prepare for local electricity in much larger scale than what Norway is able to do at the moment. Preparing is the nature that we lack of, in the positive and the negative sence on the same time. The nature of Norway is quite monoistic, but to grow up is about preparing for your adulthood, on the same time the playfulness from childhood should not be forgotten. The union of these is to discover the possibilities of the imaginative nature. And this is, what Norway still needs. An imaginative nature on the same level as the World Cup Ski Championships on national broadcast and especially in the heart of Oslo.

Childrens` future; touching and feeling the melting ice bear.

WWF Staff on top of the Plaza hotel with the panorama view over Oslo

Eco in Denmark: Copenhagen eco city

I'm in Copenhagen. Because of the ecovillage development, unfortunately city developers think that the bunch of conscious consumers are moving out of the city and that there is no need for green market in the biggest cities. That is wrong. Green implementation can be done anywhere, and eco cities are starting to see the light - with China as a frontier so far (ShannonMay's projects etc). In Scandinavia, the leading eco city is by far Copenhagen. These few days of mine here, just confirms this by walking the streets. Above is an english presentation video and here are some great articles in norwegian language from norwegian tourist information centres about Copenhagen eco city:
Budstikka.no - "øko-Køben" (in norwegian)
http://www.visitkoebenhavn.no/content/turist-norsk/se_og_gjore/inspirasjon/gronne_kobenhavn/en_miljobevisst_by

Eco in Denmark: Motivation campaigns everywhere

The danish people, from private institutes and businesses -to governmental plans, are very good at public attitude campaigns through posters,products labels and commercials about global changes and personal growth, which we do not have this much in Norway.

It came as a shock to me to discover how well organized this informal arts-campaign works all over the region! In norwegian stores, the most common bag is a plastic bag when you buy something.

In a danish store, the most common bag is a recycled bag, and it is for the same amount of cost as a backwards-plastic bag in Norway, just alittle less than 1 DKK/1 NOK almost. Whereas recycled bags in Norways would cost 1,70 DKK/NOK almost and bags of other material than plastic - about 17 DKK/NOK.
I will post some examples of the messages printed. Even on the Coke bottle, which is made of recycled plant material by the way, one has a message. 

 And every train has a garbage bag with message, as well as every station has a poster with one. Shops and retails have recommended products with HUGE signs "Ecological" on the front row in the stores, and not hidden in the back of the store. I can name examples: Superbest, Super Brugsen, Lidl, and also the smaller ones.

CORE VALUES IN CULTURE: Without glorifying the danish people as one, it is something special of danish cultural spirit to do information like this, and few people complain about the informal arts because the individuals of danes have something rare in common; to develope common ground at the bottom-up philosophy. As it is not only governmental information, it shows that private businesses care just as much about core values of the people as any rural person does.

The danish people are very proud people of their core and stable social culture, so they keep feeding it to their citizens. If things like this happened in Norway, I think people would immediately start saying there are some few leaders trying to put an idealistic view into some peoples' minds. Instead in Denmark, it is a part of their culture to motivate and engage people in social core values.