propelling.ca

sweden in seven days

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arriving back from northern sweden not far from the arctic circle and the tree line, on a 24 hour bus ride south, the scene in karlskrona looks pretty lush and tropical, classmates from brazil, malaysia and nigeria are braving this home scene in their t-shirts, cold is now relative

the seven day bus trip was a gift that unfolded one layer at a time, like the best christmas present ever, greeted by a herd of reindeer on the side of the road as we entered the lappish land, staying overnight in elf cottages, tasting fresh moose stew, midnight hiking in snow covered woods, a crackling icy river bridge, wood fired saunas, real moose crossings

so much richness which could last through a few christmases

a question arose in ammarnäs which is still with me, where do you find the courage to be whole, to hold integrity?

i asked oswald jonsson, owner of an icelandic horse expedition company in ammarnäs, he said that for the sami people courage comes from 'the nature', there is a sense of freedom and wholeness in 'the nature'. there is an intimate tie with natural cycles, plants and animals, in particular, there is a shared life with the reindeer herd. in the past couple of decades the sami have become more individually independent and the herd has also become this way. individual reindeer are now more likely to go off on their own for food or to escape a predator.

it gives a sense of the common body that humans and animals inhabit as part of that ecosphere, it suggests the role that humans must assume as the eyes ears and brain of that common body

the sami will have to respond and adapt to global warming, oswald spoke of distinct changes in the weather and reindeer herding patterns in the last 5 years, the challenge is to find a way forward for the culture and ecopshere without compromising the integrity of the whole, the source of courage and strength

>laura

10% - tunes

some current and enduring favorites, listen with care

sarah harmer, jim guthrie, saukrates, jill barber, heavy meadows, k-os, universal soul, joel plaskett, the roots, rza

>laura

social entrepreneurship

vision statement for solar juice, recently operated out of halifax, nova scotia:

"an enterprise that aims to be an active participant in breaking down existing barriers to progressive social change while at the same time constructing a new foundation that encourages a collective process of building community, respecting the environment and constructing a new economy that has the primary objectives of promoting equality, solidarity and justice. Solar Juice works towards these goals in a variety of ways including creating fruit and vegetable juices at the Halifax Farmers' Market as well as selling alternative energy technologies including solar panels, wind turbines, mirco-hyrdo and bicycle trailers"

the business served fresh juices at the farmers' market, made with local and organic fruits and vegetables, the blender was powered by a solar panel, and the whole set-up was transported to the market every week by bicycle trailer. the farmers' market is a natural place for people to gather, and an ideal place to talk about (and demonstrate!) strategies for sustainability

from what i understand, this micro-business sustained itself at a near break-even, and the profit was social change

>laura

economy, inc.

a thought experiment:

if the *system of exchange of goods and services that hold value* is a business service in a competitive market, where the consumers of this service demand that it serve human needs with equity, what would this look like?

putting aside for the moment, the current monopoly on the provision of this business service

important questions arise for the entrepreneur designing a competitive business model:

-what holds value in different cultures, how to measure collective and individual values

-if human needs, such as subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, participation, recreation, creation, identity and freedom are universal, can one system of exchange of goods and services serve all people

-how important is efficiency in provision of the service

>laura

working for health

landstinget is the health care provider for sweden

myself and three colleagues had the great good fortune to work with annika christensson, landstinget blekinge's environmental manager, over the past two weeks, advising the organization on the sustainability of their purchasing policy

sharing our report, we have identified key focus points for the organization in their movement towards sustainability, defined according to sustainability's four system conditions, and the organization's own vision of success, which has to do with the *elimination of patients*, or working themselves out of jobs

landstinget is a trail-blazer in sustainability, researching ethanol-fueled ambulances, educating ambulance drivers in fuel efficient driving, co-locating their waste management and purchasing departments (closing the loop), and phasing mercury out of hospital environments through purchase of digital thermometers, and so many other measures

Download final_report_7.doc

landstinget blekinge

>laura

remembrance day

november 11 is remembrance day observed in canada, a day to consider the people who have lost their lives in war

in accordance with the day's tradition, i wear a red poppy. in recent years, i have added a white poppy which has to do with a burning desire for peace and social sustainability

i also think a lot about *poppy*, my grandfather, lost to our family a year ago. he would be very happy to know that i am studying in sweden and working towards a sustainable future. he stays in my heart, informing me of the value of persisting in the face of challenge, travelling to new places, and always maintaining a humourous approach

>laura

kayak camping in november

 

    

our amazing adventures in skärfva

disturbing the bird *sanctuary* with our campfire song, trekking kindling and organic chocolate from the eco-butik with help from henrik our trustworthy guide to the area, poisonous snakes, a heated *dialogue* about the sustainability of our roaring fire, the battle of the most delicious curries, plenty of practice in kayak embarking and disembarking, midnight hiking, the most amazing pigs (quite some pigs!), and some positive predictions for the future.

and, a few thoughts about our thesis-es

sustainability of campfires, the out-take: burning wood for campfires increases the carbon in the atmosphere by a negligible amount, and can be slotted into a category defined by a balanced natural cycle in which forest fires also play a role. human interference aside, there is a natural balance between the carbon released by the combustion of plants and trees and the use of carbon dioxide for re-growth of greens.

so, it's relatively OK to burn wood for campfires, recognizing that, at this point in time, there is too much carbon in the atmosphere and any release of carbon threatens a delicate balance

the dramatic increase of carbon in the atmosphere and resulting climate change are due to the burning of fossil fuels which use concentrated carbon deposits from the earth's crust. there is no way for the present growth of greens on the planet to deal with the volume of carbon released into the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels, so the temperature is rising as carbon remains in the air

at the same time, we are also destroying the green areas that serve as carbon sinks worldwide

one burning question remains: how are we going to deal with the extra carbon in the atmosphere? if the natural balance on earth specifies a certain amount of carbon cycling that we have far exceeded, how many more trees and plants can we add to the system as carbon sinks? is carbon sequestration underground the answer? are we going to adapt to the temperature change and the resulting ecosystem adjustments?

>laura