Eco in Denmark: Back in Copenhagen and leaving Friland

Look closer!.. reused spoons :)

What a big contrast! Coming from the middle-of-nowhere-still-everywhere Friland and to Copenhagen, even makes you able to tell the difference between thick and dusty air and fresh smell of sunflowers. I came to the central station yesterday, leaving my suitcase at my friend's house from previous studies, and noticed I was still wearing the dirty boots from gardening when I passed some of the high heelers at the station, and I wasn't even caring. How could I suddenly stop caring about such details? I guess I came from another world, another priority, another set of mind where things like saving Pakistan and creating sustainable solutions are alot more important than things that can easily break, like heels. But on the same time, I feel freedom walking in a crowded city. Not being anonymous, but being connected. Feeling connected, more to a thousand individuals than to a few isolated ones. And, ironically, those ladies walking in high heels just smiled easily back at me, and I smiled back at them, and we were just one mind - two different pair of shoes, one world. Still walking the same street.

Hmm.. they say that those ugly bricks creating an old street from the 30s were intended to be a woman's enemy, as they all had to dress in high heels and not moving as fast forward as those wearing boots, usually men. So that men could run the cities, and women could just decorate them. That is how city life was created. I believe in it, no feminism thrown in it. It was practical at the time. Practical for creating the industrial revolution and side by side, creating social values to fit into it. We forget, that our common habits in today's fashion is all part of industrial expansion only, but when cities expand in the green direction, one suddenly discovers a mixture of habits like boots, heels, barefoot, crocks, sandals, sneakers, and the back-friendly wellness-shoes with a round step (that everyone tired from working stress seem to wanna buy, ironically). But I love the variation. That one can be a farmer in the city, basically. One can transform this whole city, into a green city. The details only decorating this thought. ;)

"Create your world" - Friland:



Yellow field: Empty, but soon filled with new homes in Phase 3.



Caroline's square straw bale house

Einer's non-square wooden houses

Pop an isolation idea!

Eco in Denmark: The green sculpture at Aarhus Festival !

On September 4th, I went on daytrip to The Aarhus Festival, an annual celebration of the city and its growth and expansion in primarily cultural and social directions. Aarhus in Denmark is a city known for its cultural design, in which for instance norwegian city Drammen (one of my hometowns, and which has become very famous for its expansion in "city wellness" and moving from industrial city into cultural city) has its inspiration from on cultural developement and city infrastructure strategies (at least from what I learned at Cultural Admin- studies in Telemark University College in '08).

Aarhus has now become, very similar to Drammen, enormously proud of their social togetherness. Culture, we must not forget, is very connected to environment and, individual. Cultural design, is based on knowing that there is "culture" everywhere when there is more than one person in the same environment making a task. So, you might say, pride is also a result of togetherness-structure, and not necessarily a human individual feeling. Even though, no one can take away your feel of liberty when walking down a clean car-free street and with your hands full of money, shoppingbags or an ice cream. But, the point is that the ice cream, and the shoppingbag, and your money, is not in your pocket at all - they're designed to be in the area of the cultural infrastructural design that somebody created as a city.



A storytelling tent, an art installation with light design inside



What this has to do with ecology? Quite alot. City developement tells alot about ecology, in fact it is just flagship by flagship structuring our feeling of not only togetherness, but mostly freedom and simple living. The feeling of being completely free of duties and mess, and with planted trees among roundabouts and little plastic lakes popping up here and there. It is simply designed after your heartbeat. And, very much in the time of this time. The green times.

Aarhus has got it at least in the sentence of knowing, except from being just another town. And here is their proud sculpture:

The text zoomed-in on the green sculpture of Aarhus

The text on this sculpture says: "The Green Pavillion" - With this unique sculpture, Skykon A/S wishes to signify Aarhus' green image. The Green Pavillion is developed in a sensational material of bio degradability consisting of soya beans, cork, flax and corn in material, which will contribute on a major scale in developing new equipment for composite production in the wind mill industry. A pleasure for all of us. You might touch this sculpture!"

The green thing was standing on a grass field in the section called ParallellUniverse Festival, a music concert area of free entrance sa part of the Aarhus Festival, supporting fair football as well as upcoming artists. I could listen to some very nice electronica by Dj Foxfire, a very good one I must say! The danish are some hiphopper-gangsta-lovers.:) The fair football included people passing by to join. There was also a FairTrade-shop for coffee and drinks with volunteers working. A nice section, too.

Reading corner, free seats and concert scene