Site is awarded again!

Guide To Environmental Science Degree Programs recently published a list of Top100 Sites for Going Green. And guess what? This blog actually made it to the highscore Top20 with #11  ! 11 has to be my lucky number ,I guess. Their criterions were "peer recommendations, web presence, and content quality". Have to say many thanks! Here is their full list of greensites: 

Eco in Germany: The Econsense Forum , Berlin 2010

"Are you on the guest list?" Nope, I said. But my interest in the green management is so great that I am skipping all traditional tourist shopping just to come here, join you, and communicate back to Norway what is being said and discussed. Yep, I got in. :) The Econsense Forum, all men in suits, and me - a "journalist" slash blogger from Norway, previously being an editor of my own printed magazine by Art Council Norway for three years, though. No writer anymore, no editor anymore. Just me, an environmentalist. A CRAZY such one, and therefor - I GOT IN! Fabtastic, the Econsense! But seriously: Even though my ears only catched 50 percent of the german language all through the seminars, my eyes and their expressions and the logo "im dialog" made me understand maybe a hundered percent of this fantastic opportunity; a dialogue forum! Finally. The germans know, how to bring awareness to an upper management level. The dialogues between the leaders of firms and multinational companies, it all made me gaze and listen like never before, like my german knowledge from high school suddenly all came back to me. Because, they were on it. The leaders were on, discussing enthusiastically about serious mistakes in business and serious solutions. What immediately came to my mind, is that the movement called Corporate Social Responsibility no longer belongs to just a minor sector in business. Now big businesses are discussing it, too, and at this forum - ambassadors of many countries from all over the world entering Econsense. And this is giving what kind of signals? Of course: They know that they have to change for surviving in the turbulence of today's market and social changes. And of course to keep up with the green trends. Making strategies further from the functional management education. The creative education is on. The hybrid organizations are on. And, finally the social leader is on. This is just one more SIGNAL, that the world is aware of the upcoming changes on ALL areas in life; business and personal. It is on topic.

To get into their discussions abit, I would not put a resumé of their endless talks, but rather give a few examples of a common discussion here which is probably everyone's concern.  One is money and strategy. To change in business, there is always risk. What the leaders of Econsense were discussing, was not that their will of change is lower or less than any other environmentalist out there. Because quite surprisingly, everyone seemed to agree on the same thing; they all want to "become greener". But the question is always "how", and always "at what risk". Then first of all we must not forget, the financial and cost-benefit risks. Before entering these rooms, several leading companies of Germany had published a long report from 2009 with aspects and reviews of their implemented green-social sustainability and improving technologies in environmental-friendly, internal managing. These reports showed the balance and the income and the benefits of the 2009 changes. They also gave some future predictions and ambitions. So when entering the conference, none of these firms came with fresh pen and blanc papers. They were all adjusted and "educated" in their own company experiences. The debate further on, was whether or not the balances showed them any "likes" of taking more ambitious risks. The speekers were a couple of scientists, firm leaders with great background on resources, foresighters and reps from the European Union. To lead the debate, I noticed that they questioned other company managers more in depth on behalf of the science of resources and financial crisis. The negative responses always came when the scientists proved them how easy things are in the logic of what we have damaged and what we easily need to do, while the positive responses and raising eyebrows always came when the scientists told them how much other green companies have gained by improving their corporate responsibility. So conclusion on this observation is: They/We, all know the irresponsible style has damaged the flow. And they/we all want to get back the flow we used to have, and the better and greener solution there is - the more positive. So from talks to practice : It is not very far to walk from the table to the backyard and find all what we are looking for. Everyone CAN be happy, the problem is just to turn around the view and see WHERE is the solution, because it is just there in front of every non-creative businessleader who's just not able to see where the road split. And he or she is always happy when served.

Final conclusion of this bubbly meeting, except delicious meals and talks with ambassadors where I felt I could even touch their tie and stretch it a bit ..:)..is that there is no one out there with inhuman ambitions! Even the most conservative can turn into the greenest car driver if he'd only be presented of a few brilliant pitstops where his car can be restored and charged.

Lufthansa is at it.

Volkswagen is at it.



Vodafone is at it.



Deutsche Bahnhof (the Train service)



Market, People, World, Company. What It Tells We Must Do.

Eco in Norway: Art and ecology

In Norway, we have loads of ecological innovation in both technology, architecture, recycling and education. But I´d say the position where we have the most universal agreements with the rest of this green world, is in the world of art! At least there is one area where we all agree on what is the most important: Having dreams. This past week, there has been running an exhibition called "Gentle Actions" at the Artist Center. I was there for two days of this week, mainly to get more contacts for my own plans in the collaboration field, but also to view some of its installations and films, like this recommended "Garbage Dreams" about western trash companies recycling 25 perscent destroying a people movement of a genius 80 percent recycling system in the poor areas of Cairo :



The trip to this exhibition was well worth it, as the non-profit Green Drinks-organization made people gather just to talk randomly about environment as we discovered as soon as many people join together, less people are avoiding to not do something. There was a speaker from the University of Oslo, saying something very important to us: When the environment movements fragments into different directions, one of the most common fears is that the future tomorrow might not be here. While she was stating, the future of tomorrow is NOT created yet. We have to remember, that the future is how we DECIDE. We are designing it, every moment.

The future is not built, nor can be predicted in detail, as it depends on how we act , from now ON. And upon action, one can build what is not yet built. So therefor she was calming down a fact we all worry about: The way we destroy our planet or the way we act today. It does not necessarily mean that we can not change it. Because we know our faults. And it is much easier to turn around when you know, than if you don't. We are somewhat lucky, because especially the internet, and the worldwide books and education and knowledge, has taught us something useful. We can design. We often forget that we are creators. Like this artist group. We design, every new change. There is nothing that we can not do.

Today,  I watched an imported popular science-program on national TV about finding intelligent life on other planets (still running with same popularity with the same questionmarks since the first black 'n white-shows about green men in the late 60s), and I payed much attention until the stupid last comment at the end of it: "And when we find Sigma"..finally at the end of planet searches similar to Earth.."..in 2040, we can then send a lazer searching for industrial garbage surrounding its atmosphere...", and listen..this is even more stupid: "..which will give us signs about INTELLIGENT life on another planet maybe highly more developed than what we are today"...... yea. As if industrial garbage in space is what all planet intelligent creatures figure out  is the one way out. The one way to developement, as we have learned from the very start of our western civilization only pushing us further to its limit. Aaargh... Forget it, Earth, you'll never find life on other planets searching like you do.

A quite different kind of intelligence

Eco in Germany: Berlinway is bothways.

Me giving it a "push!" :)

Surf the solutions

Berlin Wall painting: See the heart in the hole!

Remember THIS? :) (from ecovillage Odsherred photoalbum.)

Eco in Germany: 10/10/10

I am in Berlin, folks! And I found out I must be alittle crazy, as when I entered Alexanderplatz at last after gardening at Pricessgarden in a completely other part of the city, (though I`ll have to thank the very extrordinary good subway-system here!), I came an hour late to join the Silent Climate Parade (http://www.climateparade.de/), and the organizers asked me to leave my passport in order to get headphones for the concept which I did not have right there by hand, and said I just arrived by bus from Copenhagen some hours ago and all the way from Norway- and they all looked surprised "aah.. well, you are very welcome!" Probably the only foreigner there, as every one was Berliner citizens!..surprising, as I now see myself as worldcitizen I actually felt kind of out-of-place, still. So I told them I came all the way from Norway JUST to join this event, and I did not need any other proof to make them believe I was gonna play safely at their event. :) Ah. I understand my purpose better now. I am wildly joining events in the world, and every map is a web for my sences to explore and to live. And last but not least, to make good traces - and bring this forward (like here in blogs or everywhere communicative!). The Silent Climate Parade was getting attention, even though the noise was as low as any blowing leaf. I would like there to be more people joining this parade, but even more surprisingly the Princessgarden and its low-profile marketing housed even just the same amount of energetic people!..hmm. The size doesn`t matter in this case. The concept of bringing locals in to participate in local green activites, seem to attract the people nearby just from the method of understanding the purpose of greening your neighbourhood. Inspiring, that is. Bring your local neighbour in for a coffee drink and a nice dig to harvest potatoes for a common dish. :) The great Silent Climate Parade was named "silent" because onlookers did not hear music, as the music came from headphones worn by the participants. And the wireless music again came from a storage of solar-energy captured by the dj-set. Remarkable and creative idea!

A nice cafè in the Princessgarden

Me dancing

The Broadcast Tower absorbing signals from space and the tree absorbing Co2 from air

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!