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.