New conference coming up?

Three co-authors and I have submitted a paper together for Education Without Borders, which is a conference in Dubai in March 2011. Zakir, Krispin and Leon are students at University of Calgary in Canada, and I´m representing NTNU.

Our paper is called "Rapid Disaster Relief Through Artificial Intelligence and Innovative Energy Supply Networks". So our paper is about solving challenges related to disaster relief. It´s a great concept!

In the process, I´ve written a text about climate change and increased risks of natural disasters. I´ll share some of my findings with you here, reciting what I wrote in some of my first drafts. It´s a good thing to think it through!

Natural disasters have challenged humanity throughout history. Industrialization has given us astonishing opportunities, but also responsibility and unforeseen challenges. Following the increased mobility and technological access, we risk a reinforced effect from natural disasters, escalating the frequency of occurrences, vulnerability of electronic equipment and widening the extent of the devastation (UN Environment Programme IPCC, 2009). In addition, we face disasters originated directly from man-made technology, such as trains or airlines crashing in remote areas, armed conflicts and war.

The photo is from the conference Leon and I attended in New Delhi, giving a presentation of our paper on geothermal energy.

LED in Trondheim

Trondheim has become a good city for spotting LED- diodes in public use. I want to give my thumbs up to the minds behind the projects for choosing the energy- saving technology instead of the traditional incandescent lamps. As much as 95 % of the energy sent into the old-fashioned lamps can be lost to the surroundings! So much heat is produced by the electric circuit that most is used for meaningless heat production instead of light.

LED- lights are much more efficient, as no heat is produced. Since all energy put into the system is used for producing light, great amounts of energy is saved. In Trondheim, LED- diodes are used in the new museum Rockheim (left), and from this year also in the Christmas decorations in the city centre. According to the local newspaper Adresseavisen it saves hundreds of thousands NOK in electricity bills. Thinking of the energy saved, it must be called a win-win situation!

And remember: the energy most friendly to the environment is the energy that is not used in the first place.

Green transport by sea and river

Transport by sea contributes to a large part of greenhouse gas pollution. There are several ways of avoiding this though: better planning, alternate fuels and a more efficient global network at sea. As consumers, there are also several steps you can take to go green at sea. Here are some examples:

Did you know that electric speed boats are quite popular? In Norway they´re still quite rare, but in warmer waters the use expands quickly. for more information, visit a speed boat site here.

The same principle goes for electric boats as electric vehicles: they move noiselessly forwards, contribute with no pollution in use and are very easy to navigate. The running costs are low due to the absence of gas bills.

The complete silent experience of navigating

through the waves makes a boat trip more

enjoyable than ever! Being able to listen to the waves instead of the motor is a bit like skiing instead of using a motorized snowmobile.

For the "real deal" experience, I still prefer rowing, which is even more friendly to the environment. Or the human body, for that matter. You might not get as far, but the experience is great! To the right is me on one of my special rowing trips. This time on the Ganges River in India!

End of term exam

I´ve got an exam coming up soon, so I´m currently deep into the world of philosophy. It varies from extraordinary interesting to frustratingly complex, but I´ve come over a lot of valuable theories. I especially love Aristotle´s philosophy regarding the golden mean. This will be the desirable middle between two extreme opposites, and works for just about anything in life.

Just think about it. Too much or too little of something is bound to go wrong. Wether we´re talking about exercising, food, work, studying, consumption and utilizing resources: balance works best. Too little leads to serious problems one way or another. And overdoing it is never good for anything!

Green advent calendar

I found a great advent calendar on the internet! Being run by an environment- related site, the questions will offer some interesting information. Go directly to the calendar here. It only exists in Norwegian, but don´t despair! Here is some help by the phenomenal Norwegian- English section of Google Translate!

The site environment.no is run by the environmental authorities of Norway. It´s a

great website for finding relevant, reliable information about environmental issues, based on facts and scientific research. I recommend you to take a look around!

The photo is from a skiing trip (cross country) in Bymarka. Love the sparkling snow in the moonlight!

Green Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner, and many still need to find suitable presents. If you want a meaningful present with a green twist, I suggest buying a gift from the Rainforest Foundation!

See the Rainforest Foundation Norway´s selection of environment friendly presents here.

You can help protecting the rainforest by purchasing diplomas, calendars, books or photos. Or become a permanent Rainforest Guard, giving a set sum per month. It´s brilliant! You bring it closer somehow, getting a more personal relationship with the forests. It feels good to contribute, especially when you know the organization is reliable and deliver tangible results. Which is the case with the Rainforest Foundation. They do a marvellous job to coordinate, protect and maintain the unique climate and biological diversity found in the vulnerable rainforests. Just see the cute beauty up right, immortalized in the middle of breakfast by Thomas Marent´s lens.

Other tips for a greener Christmas

is to give away services! Give a gift card for shoveling snow, cooking, cleaning, painting, babysitting... the list is endless.

Finally, you can arrange a social event. For example an ice hockey tournament on a lake in the woods, a snow rugby match in the moonlight with freshly baked buns and hot chocolate afterwards. Use your

imagination and the surroundings in the area nearby!

If you have the opportunity to go outside to enjoy nature, you can witness fantastic treasures. All free of charge! No artificial sources for the lighting, just pure solar energy, directly or indirectly. A star for the Christmas tree, sparkling diamonds in the snow or hazy spotlights illuminating the emerald

branches. Enjoy nature´s wonders!

Conference and new project

I just realized I haven´t written too much about the conference in New Delhi. After the presentation, Leon and I ended up in third place out of eighty contributions worldwide! So much happened both during and after the presentation, and with scarce internet connection it sort of disappeared.

Anyways: we got some great feedback and tips for improving our concept, so we´ll work a bit more on it and see where it ends.

I think it´s a great idea using current infrastructure from oil and gas production for extracting geothermal energy. It´s all about getting the right calculations, include every variable and maybe get a prototype in order.

Leon and I are now working on another project for Education Without Borders. We´re joined by two wonderful colleagues of Leon: Zak from Russia and Krispin from Canada. It´ll be great! Totally different concept this time, with combining mobile electric vehicles and artificial intelligence to organize rapid disaster relief. We´re working by the same method as before: e-mail and Facebook.

It´s been great working with them so far, and I look forward to the rest! I´m excited to see what we can achieve, and hope it will prove useful.

Tidal wave power in Lofoten

The renewable energy from tidal waves are now one step closer to being commercially available on the energy market. The world´s largest tidal wave power plant opened in Norway today! Located in Lofoten, we see a much safer and greener production of energy than fossil fuels. It´s great to see that green technology is being tested in Norway for better development of renewable energy.

The concept is a little similar to underwater windmills. Huge mills tread the water when it flows through a natural passage. The movement is transferred to a generator which provides the local grid with electricity.

The constant flow provides energy 24 hours a day, regardless of the weather! It is therefore a highly predictable and reliable energy resource.

The prototype is part of a test- project for tidal wave energy. With 5 GWh per year, meaning the power plant will provide 200 households with electricity.

For more information, you can read a (Norwegian) article here.

Green Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner, and many still need to find suitable presents. If you want a meaningful present with a green twist, I suggest buying a gift from the Rainforest Foundation!

See the Rainforest Foundation´s selection of

environment friendly presents here.

You can help protecting the rainforest by purchasing diplomas, calendars, books or photos. Or become a permanent Rainforest Guard, giving a set sum per month. It´s brilliant! You bring it closer somehow, getting a more personal relationship with the forests. It feels good to contribute, especially when you know the organization is reliable and deliver tangible results. Which is the case with the Rainforest Foundation. The Rainforest Foundation does a marvellous job to coordinate, protect and maintain the unique climate and biological diversity found in the vulnerable rainforests. Just see the cute beauty to the right, immortalized in the middle of breakfast by star photographer Thomas Marent´s lens.

Other tips for a greener Christmas

is to give away services. Give a gift card for shoveling snow, cooking, cleaning, painting, babysitting... the list is as long as imagination goes.

Finally, you can arrange a social event. For example an ice hockey tournament on a lake in the woods, a snow rugby match in the moonlight with freshly baked buns and hot chocolate afterwards. Use your

imagination and the surroundings in the area nearby!

If you have the opportunity

to go outside to enjoy nature, you can witness fantastic treasures. All free of charge! No artificial sources for the lighting, just pure solar energy, directly or indirectly. A star for the Christmas tree, sparkling diamonds in the snow or hazy spotlights illuminating the emerald

branches. Enjoy nature´s wonders!

Tesla: Electric Vehicle for change

Electric Vehicles (EV) are no longer what they used to be. Streamlined design, comfort, excellent driving range and high performance are not necessarily words giving associations to Electric Vehicles. Thanks to companies like Tesla Motors, this has changed!

The aerodynamic beauty of the sports car Tesla Roadster has pushed the limits beyond what was believed to be possible. Tesla Motors from Silicon Valley in California has challenged the entire transport sector by providing a competitive alternative to

the classical cars fuelled by petrol.

With a top speed of 209 km/h, the battery weighing half a tonne reaches it´s full potential. It makes Tesla a tough competitor on the race track! The range also beats most of the electric vehicles on the market today: during normal driving you can go as far as 340 kilometres.

The powerful engine secures excellent performance and acceleration. The lithium-ion battery is one of the most efficient o

n the market today. Only 3.9 seconds is needed to reach 100 km/h! I have experienced the amazing acceleration myself: the contact with the vehicle is fantastic! It felt like the intersection between a rollercoaster and a takeoff in a jet plane.

The feeling is hard to describe, so I would recommend actually experiencing it. In Trondheim, Lars Henrik Morset runs www.teslademo.com, were you can make appointments for test driving or hiring a Tesla for events. Morset combines the silent EV with his company Morset Akustikk, working with measuring and reducing noise in homes and at work. Too much noise is disturbing, so a good place to start is removing the source completely! The silence while driving an EV gives a wonderful feeling. It reminds you of the fact that you release zero emissions while driving.

The governmental incentives on EVs in Norway makes it possible for more and more people to afford an EV. Going electric gives several advantages: a very low annual fee, legal driving in bus lanes, free pass through car toll stations and free parking are some of them. Inexpensive or free fuel is another. The rest is pure mathematics, so depending on use you can actually finance the investment of an EV within a few years.

As the costs related to usage of Electric Vehicels are so low, the main expense is the actual price of buying the Tesla. Thanks to the governmental incentives, the price is nowhere near as deterrent or unacceptable as one might expect. Starting at 679.000 NOK, Carpoint can deliver a Tesla directly to Trondheim at short notice.

A little fun fact before finishing: the aluminum frame in Tesla is developed at the Centre for Research-based Innovation at NTNU in Trondheim. This is a huge compliment to NTNU, as top level competence at all levels is characteristic for Tesla to secure the best possibile product.

For more information about Tesla, you can check out Tesla Motor´s website.

Driving a electric equals driving into the future. If the opportunity occurs, you can help pushing the limits on the way towards a greener society based on sustainable energy.

Thanks to winmls.com.

Conference completed!

Leon and I ended in third place at the Mind Odyssey competition. It was a great experience to participate with such skilled and competent competitors! I´m impressed by their knowledge and innovative ideas.

It was a close race, where judges commented on the performance and the audience decided the outcome. We ended in third place! There were over eighty contributions worldwide.

I didn´t get to speak much with the others after the presentation. But luckily we stumbled into Adit (number three from the right) during the evening dinner!

We met so many outstanding personalities during the conference. I hope to stay in touch and meet them again!

First day in Delhi

I´m safe and sound in India! We´re staying at Hotel Lalit, which is a beautiful, central hotel in the heart of the capitol city.

Today I have had a look at our presentation, before going sightseeing with a new friend. She was the most wonderful guide and traveling companion in Delhi´s busy streets!

We went to the old parts of the city, including the impressive Red Fort. India is so full of history, beauty and literary pulsing with life. And you never have to wait more than three minutes for the Metro :)

One of the things I noticed at once with Delhi, is all the greenness. There are trees and grass everywhere! I wouldn´t have expected this in such a large city (ten million inhabitants, double of Norway all together...), so it was a really pleasant surprise. I love it here!

Questions for the Conference

I´ve been discussing the conference in New Dehli with a good friend. He came up with some questions, so I would like to look for some answers during the days we have in Dehli:

1) Is the trend shifting more towards clean

energy generation (sustainable power plants) or efficient energy usage (efficient vehicles, low energy houses etc.)?

2) Are we predominantly thinking in terms of medium range (cleaner and more efficient use of fossil fuels) or long range (totally sustainable sources like sun, wind and water)?

3) Are most of the plans focussed on political reform (new legislation for promoting marketing, distribution and implementation of existing technology) or on technological reform (more aggressive R&D)?

4) How is the techno-economic feasibility of the front-running candidate technologies promising to keep satisfying the world’s insatiable thirst for energy?

I will do my best to get more knowledge during the conference, so hopefully I´ll be able to answer these questions. They´re simple, but currently the simple solutions are hard to find. Let´s hope we can bring them to the surface soon!

Skiing in October!

Snow arrived in Trondheim three days ago! I got a wonderful, almost mid- March feeling. I´ve been skiing three days in a row, and I don´t plan to stop until the snow melts.

It will be fantastic if we get a snowy winter! Not like the much talked- about season three winters ago, when the snow arrived on the 12th of February...

I took this photo on my way back from one of my skiing trips (skating, just in case someone wondered). It was just as beautiful as it seems!

Going to India!!

I can´t believe it! My friend Leon Prebeau Menezes from Canada and I got to the finals in Mind Odyssey! We´re going to the WPC- Petrotech Youth Forum conference in India next week.

The conference is about solving the energy crisis and securing energy in the future, emphasizing clean power and innovative ideas. The conference will be held in New Dehli from 1st of November.

We got to the finals for our paper about the intersecting geothermal energy and the oil industry. In short, it´s about the transformation of the oil industry; from drilling after fossil fuels to producing renewable energy.

Right now, I´m absolutely thrilled! I would love to go to India, learning more about the energy future and presenting our idea. A great opportunity!

I´ve got one concern though: I need a VISA! It´s got to be fast, so I really hope it works out. I´ll get up at 6:00 am tomorrow to call the embassy.

Solar Thermal Energy

Here is another way of exploiting solar energy. Using the heat from the photons to produce steam is even more effective than using photovoltaic cells. That´s why this technology is used for most solar power plants. For now it´s the best solution, but I´m positive we´ll find even better ways of extracting the energy from sun rays in the future!

How Solar Energy Panels Work

I´m deeply fascinated by solar energy. There are several ways of exploiting the energy from the sun, some more effective than others. It´s great to know how things work. I think this is a good (though quite simplified) explanation!

Thoughts about energy

In general: human attempts to tame the nature tend to give a backlash. We create more problems than we solve, hurting ecosystems (and thereby ourselves) rather than helping. The frightening thing is that we often don´t realize the damage until it´s too late, and so we have to put out the fire instead of treading carefully and avoiding it in the first place. Preventing problems is always better than mending.

No energy source is without complications, so it´s not easy finding the perfect solution. Maybe there is none; maybe we have to pick "the best of the worst options" That´s a little pessimistic, but it´s obvious we can´t keep going like the western countries have done since the industrialization.

It´s really hard, isn´t it? There´s no way we can find all the raw material needed for renewable energy constructions in a sustainable way. The technology used for covering all our energy consumption is complex, no matter what energy source is used. Also, they often demand rare and/ or valuable raw materials.

I guess the best option is to NOT waste energy in the first place. Increased efficiency, saving energy and recycling might be the best ways to reduce emissions. The less we use, the less energy we need, and a larger part can be covered by renewable energy.

Geothermal energy revolution?

One of the reasons why I wanted to visit Iceland was the volcanic activity. The island is located on the crack between the tectonic plates of America and Europe, making the geography ideal for using geothermal energy. As a matter of fact, sixty per cent of Iceland´s inhabitants use energy from communal geothermal power plants, and in total as much as eighty per cent use the heat from the ground.

Geothermal heat is pure, renewable energy. As 99 per cent of the earth has a temperature above 1000 degrees celsius, the potential is enormous. Think about the immense opportunities!

For the best results in geothermal energy, we´re looking for the so-called "super critical water", which is found at almost four hundred degrees celsius and 10 000 meters plus. Energy

extracted from these resources can be compared with nuclear energy, but without any waste problems. It´s all natural energy!

But wait; 10 000 meters. That´s deep! But not unaccessible. I know an industry that has specialized in deep drilling...

I think the oil industry could be of invaluable help for geothermal energy; just think about it. They can, with some upgrades, provide the technology for utilizing geothermal heat resources. The industry has money, power and technical knowledge of how to drill to such depths and bring liquids up to the surface. Some oil test sites actually operate down to 12 000 m. Meaning

they know how to calculate and operate the equipment at the immense pressure and

temperature down there.

We need the financial and technical power behind the oil industry, and the industry itself needs to adapt to a green future. Isn´t geothermal energy ideal

for the case?

Geothermal heat can be extracted directly outside cities and energy intensive industry, so transportation problems for the electricity are limited. You can also produce it anywhere on earth, as long as you get deep enough into the ground.

To get geothermal energy cheaper and more available, we need a strategy. My idea is a cooperation project for exchanging knowledge, financial power and technology accross borders and academic fields.

The pictures are from my visits to Geysir and the geothermal power plant producing energy to all of Reykjavik. Impressive indeed! One last fun fact: did you know that they transport the hot water underneath the roads to keep them free of ice during the winter?

I just arrived home from my wonderful trip to Iceland. The diving course in Silfra was great, so I really want to keep up my progression! It´s like discovering a new world. And to think about all the amazing possibilities! I´m seriously going to enjoy visiting new diving sites in the coming years.

The fact that we used dry suits in 2 degrees cold water is great, because I feel like I became comfortable with diving in really tough conditions. Going to dive in 25 degrees in Indonesia doesn´t seem so frightening any more...

Rapport fra Islandsfareren

Jeg har vært på Island en god stund nå, så her kommer en liten oppdatering.

Nå bor jeg på en gård ved Selfoss, 20 km øst for Reykjavik. Det er gjennom HelpX, som betyr at jeg bor der og får mat mot at jeg hjelper til med oppgaver på gården. De driver med produksjon av rabarbrasyltetøy, chutney og karameller som sendes ut til 40 ulike steder på Island, så akkurat nå går det i rabarbrainnhøsting, og tilberedning av varene. Hestene må holdes i form (les: rideturer!), blåbær plukkes og jordbærplanter plantes. Og selvfølgelig: sightseeing! Har sett masse allerede, og flere planer er på gang.

Kjartan og Dorothee, vertene på Langamyri, har gitt meg et nytt syn på hva som er mulig å få til med tiden man har disponibelt. De har en datter å ta hånd om, hver sin "vanlige" jobb pluss en gård med 15 hester, 100 sauer, 2 gjess, 17 høner, 10 katter, en kanin og en hund. Full produksjon av rabarbrakaramell, syltetøy, chutney og sirup som sendes til 40 ulike plasser på Island. Økologiske ingredienser, selvfølgelig. Jeg er superimponert, og virkelig blitt inspirert! Vi har helt klart tid og mulighet til å gjøre ekstremt mye, så "å ikke ha tid" til noe er egentlig en grov feilformulering. Det er vel heller "ikke prioriteringsvilje" vi mener! Men det har seg jo sånn at vi ønsker å leve forskjellige liv, så det som passer for noen passer ikke for andre. Poenget er at jeg synes det er viktig å bruke livet på noe man liker å holde på med, og at man har tid til å følge drømmene sine!

Det føles helt vidunderlig å benytte seg av hundre prosent naturlig geotermisk varme. Nesten alle husene på Island får strøm fra jordens naturlige varmekilder, og på fjellturer kan man lett ta en dukkert i naturlig oppvarmede badebasseng gjennom varme kilder og elver. Det føles helt fantastisk å vite at alt sammen er en kontinuerlig, naturlig prosess! Ingen skadelig energiproduksjon, bare ren gevinst.

De er svært gode på resirkulering her. De har åtte forskjellige sorteringsmuligheter! I praksis blir nesten alt gjenbrukt eller lagt i kompost. Forbilde!

Norway: eco example?

A good friend gave me a link to an article called "Norway has set an eco example". I must say I was a little surprised, because in my eyes, we have... well. Room for improvement, to say it nicely.

Don´t get me wrong; many of the fields in Norway are at top level internationally. With our numerous waterfalls, clean energy is easily accessible. We´re good at technology, recycling, subsidizing science (sometimes, at least) and electrical vehicles and financing rainforest protection. But to be Europe´s leading example?

How about Germany and Spain´s focus on solar energy, Sweden´s bio fuel, Iceland´s geothermal energy and Denmark´s wind? There are many good examples out there. The thing is to spin them together in a sustainable web of renewable energy! Let´s not forget that every country should try contributing in the best and most effective way possible, taking into account financial history, geography, population and international impact.

Norway has done many good things. But with the decades of oil production on our consciousness, I would say we could have done quite a bit more for the environment than we do now. We should always seek improvement. Particularly now, where things should go faster than ever! We need speed in order to restore the balance, so we shouldn´t hesitate for longer than necessary.

See the article about Norway as a good example here.

A short update on the World Orienteering Championship...

The start has gone better than expected, as the weather has been perfect! This is the Green Point. This is the base for our Environment Team, and everyone who wants to recycle or have questions can go there.
Interests for Buddy from both spectators, athletes, organisers and coaches...There has been a lot of interest in our green focus, particularly for the electric vehicles. People absolutely love them!
Here I´m painting the Green Point, one day before I attached the blue signs. Luckily, it dried...

White Flag ceremony for WOC 2010

Here are some pictures from the ceremony of hoising the White Flag. This is the proof of our environment certification!

Top right: President of the Organizing Committee, Lars Skrøvseth, me and municipal chief of environment, Marianne Langedal.

Right: the ceremony opened and ended with cello musician Valentine Ash.

I was a little nervous that the flag would turn upside down or something, which of course it didn´t. Everything went smoothly!

All in all, it was a very nice pre- opening for the World Championship. Now we´re prepared for the real thing, which starts tomorrow. We´re all really excited!

To find the program, you can visit the WOC website here.

World Championship with green twist

I´ve been working night and day with the World Orienteering Championship (WOC) recently. There´s a lot of organizing work to be done! I´ve also arranged the two electric vehicles we use before and during WOC. It´s fantastic! See the cars to the right (you can just see the green one behind the white car).

The EUVs (Electric Urban Vehicles) are made in Norway! They´re called Buddy, and really live up to the name. I feel like we´re best friends already! You can read more about them here.

I´ll get back to you with more pictures of the things we´ve done for the environment during WOC when it starts. Fingers crossed for a great World Championship!

See the link to our environment- pages at WOC´s website here.

Unexpected meeting in Bymarka!

After requests, I´ll give you an English version of the post about today´s meeting in Bymarka.

As earlier indicated, you can stumble into unusual sights when hiking in Bymarka. Usually, I run into a moose or a beaver when I see something out of the ordinary. But today, I met someone slightly more unexpected!

It happened during a jogging trip together with a friend earlier this morning. At Lian, we met the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince and Jonas Gahr Støre, the Foreign Minister! They were walking the Pilgrim Trail from Skaun, enjoying the sun and mentally preparing for the conversation Mette-Marit and Jonas Gahr Støre are having tonight in Nidaros Cathedral. It´s related to Olavfestdagene, which started today.

We stopped at the top of the hill, where they were taking a rest and had some lunch. It was amazing! During a ten minute long conversation, we spoke about lots of things. Starting with the weather (universal icebreaker), we moved on to exercising, work and education. When I said I´m planning to study energy and environment at NTNU, the topic quickly moved on to environmental issues. I was completely taken aback when the Crown Prince said he´d heard about me because of my climate blog! I´d never expected such a level of up-datedness. How fantastic isn´t that?

It´s brilliant that they were so genuinely interested! I´ve kept my eyes open, and both the Crown Princess and Jonas Gahr Støre are very updated with excellent knowledge of environmental issues.

I have the utmost respect for the Foreign Minister, who is one of Norway´s best known politicians. I can understand why only by the firmness of his handshake and the sincere presence in his eyes. The same applies to the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince. They were just as warm, friendly and interested as I´d gotten the impression of! Norway couldn´t have had better representatives for the monarchy.

It´s great to have prominent people in key positions showing that they care about fellow human beings and the society. Not only locally, but globally as well. That´s what it´s all about. Caring means you think about others, and act accordingly. From an environmental angle; our shared environment and climate is essential for everyone´s survival. Therefore, I think taking care of the environment is a good place to begin.

Møte med Kronprinsparet og Jonas Gahr Støre

Under en totimers joggetur i dag møtte Espen Vedlog og jeg et følge på Lian med Kronprinsparet og Jonas Gahr Støre i spissen. Jeg er veldig imponert, ettersom de hadde gått Pilgrimsleden helt fra Skaun!

Vi slo av en prat, og dreide raskt inn på klima da de fikk høre at jeg har planer om å begynne på sivilutdanning med energi og miljø på NTNU. Det er fantastisk at de var så oppriktig interessert! Jeg har jo fulgt med, og både Kronprinsparet og Jonas Gahr Støre er oppdaterte med svært gode kunnskaper om miljø og klima. Det var jo ekstra morsomt at Kronprinsen har gått tre år på Berkely i California: jeg kommer jo rett derfra etter studieturen til San Francisco!

Jeg har stor respekt for Støre, som er en av Norges mest profilerte

politikere. Det forstår man bare ved det faste håndtrykket. Det samme gjelder Kronprinsparet; de var like vennlige og oppriktige som jeg har fått inntrykk av. Norge kunne ikke hatt bedre representanter for monarkiet!

Det er fantastisk å ha framtredende personer i viktige stillinger som viser at de bryr seg om medmennesker og samfunnet. Ikke bare lokalt, men globalt. Og det er det alt dreier seg om. Bryr man seg, er vårt felles miljø og klima en god plass å starte.

Elastic water: the next plastic?

Japanese researchers have managed to create an elastic, rubber-like material made of ninety-five percent water. The rest is clay and organic matter. Think about it! It´s amazing; with these harmless ingredients, the transparent substance gets extremely elastic and useful qualities.

The hope is that the elastic water can replace the plastic. Hard, soft, bendy, stiff... anything will work! An organic, biodegradable alternative to plastic will obviously mean a lot for the environment. Not just in the process of production, but in the entire cycle of usage. Not to mention the easiness of it´s decomposition.

It´s also going to be possible to use the new material in medical treatment, such as a "patch" that is not repelled by the body's own tissues. This is indeed a promising material, I´m looking forward to getting it to the stores!

Success for solar energy airplane!

The single manned airplane Solar Impulse successfully landed after it´s first 26- hour flight! This is a world record, making the outlook for a greener future in the air considerably closer. Using only solar power as energy source, the airplane does not pollute the atmosphere while airborne. The challenge until now has been to collect and store enough energy without making the planes too heavy. Now, the fact that this technology exists, works and is tested with success is a major leap forwards for the possibilities of expanding.

Visit Solar Impulse´s website here. Also, Wikipedia has an informative text about the project.

Miljøsertifisering av VM i boks!

Etter flere måneders arbeid med miljøsertifisering av VM i orientering, har jeg endelig fått sendt inn den ferdige søknaden. Etter et par dager kom beskjeden: den ble godkjent! VM er dermed et offisielt miljøgodkjent arrangement. Vi har laget en egen seksjon for miljø på hjemmesidene, se her. For å se presentasjonen jeg har laget i forbindelse med miljøsatsningen kan du klikke her.

Når det er sagt, er planene klare. Vårt første miljømøte for hele staben går i kveld! Alt er dermed klart for et prikkfritt arrangement med minst mulig påvirkning på miljøet.

Bevar regnskogen på 1-2-3!

Dette bildet tok jeg i et regnskogmuseum i California. Jeg synes det viser hvor vakkert det er! Fugl, trær og planter i skjønn forening. Det er flere måter å hjelpe til i kampen for å ta vare på regnskogene som er igjen. Blir alle med kan mye gjøres!

1) Støtt Regnskogfondet her.

2) Unngå produkter som inneholder palmeolje

3) Kjøp regnskogfrie treprodukter

Regnskogfondet er en seriøs og pålitelig organisasjon som leder en rekke prosjekter over hele verden i samarbeid med lokalbefolkningen. Ved å donere penger dit vet man at de brukes til noe nyttig og konkret!

Vi bør unngå palmeolje fordi dette dyrkes på plantasjer i tropiske områder, som oftest på plasser hvor det tidligere vokste regnskog. Når man hugger ned eller brenner den opprinnelige regnskogen for å dyrke palmeolje, vil det være effektivt å vise motstand mot prosessen ved å la være å kjøpe slike produkter. Palmeolje brukes ofte i enkelte typer nøtter, sjokolade, snacks og ferdigfabrikert fastfood. Svært ofte betyr "vegetabilsk olje" egentlig palmeolje, som er negativt for helsen i tillegg til miljøet. Hvorfor kan du lese her.

Bruk av regnskogtømmer i treprodukter er en mer konkret og lett forståelig forklaring på avskoging. Vær oppmerksom ved kjøp av hagemøbler, kjøkkeninnredning, parkettgulv, byggevarer eller fritidsbåter. Her er det muligheter for å trå feil, selv om man ikke er klar over det. En kjapp bakgrunnssjekk gjør mye! De mest kjente typene med regnskogtre er akasie, mahogni, teak, rosewood, eukalyptus og hardtre. Fullstendig liste og mer info finner du her.

Miljøfilm fra California

Her er filmen vi ladge under studieturen til California! Den er satt sammen av film og bilder jeg har tatt underveis, pluss et par klipp fra Jonas Erslands kamera. Jeg er ikke så utrolig proff på filmredigering enda, men jeg lærte utrolig mye underveis. Så det går nok kjappere neste gang! Takk til Jonas Ersland og Jonas Romsbotn for medvirkning.

Sykkeltur over Golden Gate

Her er et bilde tatt under en sykkeltur over Golden Gate Bridge. Det var en stor opplevelse! For å oppmuntre folk til å sykle/ gå over broen var den ene siden reservert for gående og den andre for syklende. Fin måte å unngå kollisjoner på!

Det som var litt artig var at jeg bestemte meg for å "bevise" miljøbevisstheten til innbyggerne i California. San Francisco har svært høy tetthet av hybridbiler, så hvorfor ikke sjekke det ut i praksis? Gjennom hele oppholdet har vi sett hybridbiler overalt i byen, så det stemmer for så vidt med det vi har sett. Men det var moro å tallfeste det i en liten stikktest!

Jeg telte hvor mange Toyota Prius hybridbiler som kjørte forbi mens vi syklet fra den ene siden til den andre. På én langside av broen, ca. fire minutters sykkeltur, telte jeg 23 hybridbilder! Det er en god del mer enn jeg er vant med. Kjempebra!

Møte med professor og miljøspesialist på Stanford University

I dag besøkte vi Stanford University rett utenfor San Fransisco. Vi fikk møte en storhet innen fornybar energi, Margot Gerritsen (rosa genser). Hun fortalte om svært mye innen feltet, blandt annet om hvorfor hun var optimistisk med tanke på fremtiden og hvordan hun mente klimakrisen vil bli løst. Det interessante er at hun var i mot både en internasjonal forpliktende miljøavtale (Kyoto og København var dermed ikke fiaskoer), og CO2- kvotesystemet. Og jeg er faktisk helt enig etter at hun forklarte hvorfor.

Saken er at en global miljøavtale vil bli så full av kompromisser og dermed bli så svak, at det umulig blir bra nok for miljøet totalt sett. Landene som faktisk oppfyller de svake kravene vil lene seg tilbake og bli fornøyd fordi de har nådd de uambisiøse målene, og de totale utslippene vil fortsatt bli svært store. I stedet bør man lage lokale mål som er tilpasset hvert enkelt land og by, fordi det er så mye lettere å ta ting lokalt. Akkurat det samme mente hun om CO2- kvotesystemet. Det kunne kanskje funke for byer og land, men ikke hele verden. Saken er at det dreier seg om virtuelle verdier, som svært sjelden fører til konkrete resultater. Ikke minst målbare resulteter. Derfor mente Margot at vi heller skulle bruke pengene på investering i reelle verdier gjennom prosjekter i fornybar energi, som faktisk bidrar med å gjøre prisene konkurransedyktige og gir avkastning direkte.

Det samme gjaldt atomkraft kontra det å heller investere i tradisjonell fornybar energi. Vind og spesielt solenergi var i følge Margot fremtiden. Det stemmer jo veldig bra med min oppfatning! Helt siden skoleprosjektet mitt i 10. klasse har jeg vært overbevist om at solenergi er veien å gå, så det var moro å få det bekreftet av en fremtredende spesialist og professor i nesten alle felter innen fornybar energi!

Kort om regnskogen

Her er et bilde fra regnskogen på museet vi besøkte i går. Vi gikk gjennom fem av verdens regnskoger, representert med planter, dyr og sommerfugler. Nydelige farger og vakre blomster, trær og dyr! Vi fikk en påminner om hva vi faktisk mister for alltid ved å hugge ned regnskogen. Det er gull verdt for hver kvadratmeter vi klarer å redde! Gå hit for å gi et bidrag for å verne regnskog.

California: museumsbesøk

Nå har vi vært i California i to dager! Studieturen var som tidligere nevnt premie for en klimakonkurranse som ble arrangert i høst. På grunn av dårlig internettforbindelse går ting litt tregt, men det kommer etter hvert!

I går navigerte vi oss litt rundt i byen og besøkte museet California Academy of Sciences. Det var helt genialt! Et nydelig museum med bredt sammensatte utstilinger og en pedagogisk fremtoning. Det var mye spennend å se! En regnskog i et megastort drivhus over fire etasjer, utstilling om global oppvarming og et planetarium for å få ting i perspektiv. Blandt oppfinnelsene i utstillingen likte jeg spesielt solkokeren, som kan gjøre det stort i solrike områder med dårlig infrastruktur.

Budskapet til utstillingen om global oppvarming var tydelig: vi må gjøre noe for å endre kursen, både av hensyn til å snu klimaendringene og med tanke på å skåne de sårbare økosystemene på kloden. Folk flest kan gjøre mye! Helt fra de små valgene til investering i større prosjekter med fornybar energi, samt det å legge press på politikere kan føre til store resulteter!