Take a look at this offer from ActionAid. It is your chance to go to Ireland and receive a training as activista and learn about human rights, climate change and sustainable safer cities!
Don’t miss this opportunity and apply from GlobalPortalen
http://globalportalen.org/content/actionaid-s-ker-tta-volont-rer-till-activista-sverige
Next Week is Earth Week!
The schedule will be out very soon, meanwhile check our facebook page, “Stockholm Earth Week”.
Among the main events this year:
– A political debate with four candidates for the Swedish Parliament;
– A panel discussion on sustainability by SIPRI;
– Global Playground Stockholm will tell us about Sustainable Living at Gröna Villan;
– The popular Bike Repair is again present and offered by Sportson;
– Learn how to reuse your so-called “waste” in creative ways;
– Come and join us for some gardening and to learn more about permaculture;
– A great AcroYoga Workshop, which stays for Acrobatic Yoga, along with some thai massage and lovely people;
– Gustav Fridolin and Magnus Emfel will be speaking to us during the Week, save the day!
– Refresh yourself with some Lemonade offered by InSect;
– ActionAid will join us on campus;
– Loppis or fleamarket on Friday. Register for the event and bring the stuff you don´t use anymore. Perfect for those of you who are leaving Stockholm soon!
See you very soon!
by John Karlsson
On beautiful Monday afternoon, at Stockholm University, GAP Sweden was invited by Stockholm Earth Week to engage people in a workshop that triggered ideas for their GoEco app.
GoEco is the working title of a project that is focusing on developing a tool which inspires people to work towards a greener lifestyle.
Discussions around sustainability went on for almost two hours. There the participants were divided into two groups. They were then asked to talk about what they do on a daily basis that promotes a sustainable lifestyle, what motivates them to live ecologically, as well as what they think motivates others.
Great workshop-forum
Andreas Sidkvist from Global Action Plan enjoyed taking part in Stockholm Earth Week,
– This is a great forum for a workshop. Our target group will be young people who use apps and smartphones; it’s inspiring to get ideas and opinions from young students.
A quote that was used frequently throughout the seminar was Warren Zieglers:
“Change happens when there is a reasonable balance between dissatisfaction and hope.”
And Andreas is in agreement,
– Having a workshop gives us people’s opinions on their dissatisfactions and hopes, it’s about trying to create that balance between the two that triggers people to act and choose a sustainable way of living. We are trying to do that in the form of an app.
Good vibes
This is the first time for GAP Sweden to take part in Stockholm Earth Week, and Andreas hopes to be back again.
– I recieved good vibes from this event, which results in good connections. I hope we can attract more people, especially students, to engage in a more sustainable lifestyle.
We will follow the development of this app with excitement and wish them the best of luck.
Read more about Global Action Plan Sweden here: http://www.globalactionplan.se
By: John Karlsson
American visionary, author and public speaker, Charles Eisenstein, visited Stockholm University on Friday, May 17th. Eisenstein was at the University to give a lecture that encompassed his worldviews; it was the last event to round off another year of success with Stockholm’s Earth Week. People of all ages, from all types of backgrounds, gathered in Aula Magna because they shared a similar belief: ‘’ The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible”, which is the title of Eisenstein’s new book coming out this fall, 2013.
Before the lecture I was one of four grateful people who had the opportunity to sit down and chat with him before he was to give his talk. To start off the interview I asked him to give me a brief explanation of what his work is about for those who weren’t acquainted with it before:
“I will talk about the changing story. Where ideology, or mythology, is underlying all crisis’s we see today, and what the world might look like if it was built on a new story. As well as, how to respond to that personally.”
Wrongness in the world
When Eisenstein was a kid he had a feeling of wrongness in the world. Why did school have to be boring and why do you hate Mondays?
“There was something in me that said this can’t be right. At the time I couldn’t articulate it clearly what was wrong. It’s kind of normal to hate school – which was what life was. Yet there was a part in me – I think it’s probably in everybody: this rebellion; this resentment; this idealism that comes along with it; that it (life) is suppose to be more beautiful – it’s suppose to be better.”
Charles Eisenstein graduated from Yale University with a degree in Mathematics and Philosophy. He didn’t know what he was searching for, but he knew that none of the options presented as a Yale graduate attracted him.
“I felt that the boundaries of my world were too small. It was around that time that I seriously starting thinking about the origin of these multiple crisis’s. I was starting to come to some understandings about them.”
A passionate de-growth activist
Charles Eisenstein is a self-described de-growth activist. A de-growth activist, as he puts it himself, is: ‘’Someone who tries to re-establish human connection, who tries to re-skill themselves, as well as others, to learn to do things without having to buy them.’’ He is also a de-growth theorist because he describes what money systems and social structures would work in a de-growth context.
Last year he visited Sweden and had a similar seminar where he talked mostly about economy based on his book Sacred Economics. When we talk about it he’s very passionate and engaged, using his arms in bushy movements to emphasize his points.
“How can we transform money so it is no longer opposed to our generosity, to our desire to serve, to our altruism, to our desire to create a more beautiful world, to heal nature, cause today it’s opposed. Usually the places that you make the most money are the places that do the most damage, so how can we change that?”
This year’s meeting touched the economy aspect to some extent, but as a whole, it was more about how we can use our gifts in a different way and that a more beautiful world is possible.
The old story
Some big questions were brought up during the convention, and Eisenstein started off in what he calls the ‘old story’. He describes it as: the story of separation, competition and self-interest. The myth of separation is saying that you are a discrete separate individual among other individuals in a universe that’s separate from you.
Charles Eisenstein is talking about inter-being or oneness: As I do to the world, I do to myself. We are taking from earth, with no sense of limits, and we don’t give anything back. We need to go from the age of separation to the age of reunion.
The new story
How do we grow into a steady state with the earth? How do we accomplish the impossible?
Charles Eisenstein offers all of us invited to the lecture a new story, where humanity doesn’t live to triumph over nature, a story where our relationship to the planet isn’t embodied by the money system. As humans we need nature and each other, so we can no longer believe in the ‘old story’.
“These multiple crisis, these breakdowns we see in the world, can push us into a new story where we all are connected beings. The new story answers the basic questions in a different way. We are all members of the totality of all life on earth. We are all part of a development and wellbeing. “
Charles Eisenstein means that humanity is facing an ordeal, and if we use our gifts in a different way than we are now, we can create a stronger identity and reach an understanding of oneness: that we all are in this together.
“What we should strive for is a world built on love. When you are looking at someone and their happiness is your happiness and their pain is your pain, that’s what love is. Love is the feeling of connection.”
After almost three hours of an inspiring and motivating lecture, Charles Eisenstein received standing ovations. His idea of how our world should look like, and what we should strive for is admirable. He can put words on the dissatisfaction many can feel, but he also offers a solution. I walked out of there with more hope in my heart than before I got there. If you haven’t heard of Charles Eisenstein you should definitely look him up.
By John Karlsson
Vid lunchtid på tisdagen så lockade Gustav Fridolin en stor skara människor till ett seminarium om hållbarhet och framtidstro. Det blev ett samtal utifrån hans senaste bok Maskiner och Människor som han skrivit tillsammans med Ulf Bodach Söderström.
Gustav Fridolin talade om att reglerna för vårt moderna samhälle förändras. Vi måste ställa om vårt samhälle för att kunna möta de utmaningar som vi människor själva skapat. Det handlar om konsumtionen och vår livsstil. Sverige måste försöka ställa om till ett samhälle som är resurssnålt, klimatvänligt och socialt inkluderande. Och det måste göras nu, menar Gustav Fridolin.
Det var en inspirerande timme där Fridolin tog avstamp i ångmaskinens uppkomst och industrialiseringen, för att sedan tala om de utmaningar vi står inför idag.
Stockholm Earth Week fick en frågestund med Miljöpartiets språkrör.
Varför är du här idag på Stockholm Earth Week?
Därför att det är studenter som gör skillnad: idag genom att formulera framtidens tankar och imorgon genom de jobb och utmaningar man tar sig an då. Jag är imponerad av miljögruppens arbete på SU och har ju själv studerat vid SU, så det är kul att vara tillbaka.
Detta är fjärde året som detta event arrangeras. Hur nådde Stockholm Earth Week på SU, dina öron?
Har hört från kompisar som fortfarande är kvar, eller ibland tillbaka, i studiesvängen att det var på gång och när jag fick inbjudan var det naturligt att tacka ja.
Vad är dina förväntningar på eventet och vad hoppas du att du kan bidra med?
Att få dela med mig av mina ganska handfasta idéer om hur vi bygger om samhället, utifrån den skrift om industripolitik och arbete jag skrivit med Ulf Bodach Söderström: Maskiner och Människor. Och få med mig kloka synpunkter, frågor, tankar och synvändor.
Du har ju sedan 90-talet varit engagerad i Miljöpartiet. Vad fick dig att brinna extra mycket för miljöfrågor?
Insikten om att det är detta, just detta, hur vi möter klimat- och resursutmaningarna som våra barn kommer använda som måttstock för att mäta om vi gjorde vad vi kunde för dem och för deras trygghet och frihet, eller om vi lät bli.
Vad är den största utmaningen, ur miljösynpunkt, för oss i Sverige?
Att vi inte kan tro att vi löser problemen genom att exportera utsläpp utomlands, genom produktion i andra länder – utan att vi måste ställa om här hemma och visa resten av världen att det är möjligt att leva ett gott liv inom de ramar nya förutsättningar sätter för oss som mänsklighet.
Lever du själv ekologiskt, hållbart och miljövänligt?
Jag gör mitt bästa såklart, det tror jag att alla gör. Jag tror inte det är bra att miljöfrågorna blir en privat ångest. Att man lägger det bara på sina egna axlar. I grunden måste det handla om hur vi ändrar politiken och hur systemen förändras, och det kan vi göra tillsammans.
Om vi skulle få se en grön regering i framtiden, med en miljöpartist som statsminister, kan du se dig som det?
Det har redan hänt i Baden-Württemberg i Tyskland, där de har en grönröd regering, där de gröna är något större. I Sverige när vi får chansen att utse statsminister så börjar det bli tid att vi får en kvinna. Jag skulle gärna rösta fram Åsa Romson.
Får vi se dig här för nästa års Stockholm Earth Week?
Jag kommer gärna tillbaks.
On Thursday we have many interesting activities, one of them is the Thesis lunch. We have an inspiring master student that’ll present her thesis for us and answer any questions you have about her topic (or general about theses).
Marine Sigot study Environmental Law at SU, and will talk about how energy has become the top priority on national security agendas and how it relates to the environmental issue.
Short description of the seminar:
Much of our modern world was shaped by the development of energy resources. To illustrate, electricity moved from its infancy in 1900 to become the energy that heats home, runs industrial processes, powers labour saving and expanding devices, and enables the computer age. Our reliance on energy soon made clear the importance of energy security, in particular the need for supplies. In this seminar, I will emphasize on the interrelation of energy with economics and the geopolitics, showing our the age of petroleum has slowly switched to a much more diversified package, and how the OPEC countries are now in competition with China for example who is the leader on the renewable market or other economies which have specialized in other resources.
If this sounds interesting join us in room F3154 between 12:00 and 13:00, and bring your lunch!
See you there.
After some struggle, lot of events to organise and put together, we finally could finalise our schedule for 2013. Check here an overview and visit our Facebook page where you can find all the events as well and with a simple klick you can let us know in which of these exciting happenings you will participate. We, the whole team is looking forward to meet you and give you a blast of a week. Each event is organised with a lot of passion from one of our voluteers, they put their leisure time down for it and during this week they finally can see how the thoughts are seeded! Come, participate and see what great events our volunteers put together!
(click image for bigger view)
This is the schedule for this years Earth Week. Many exciting things are happening! Can’t believe we all gonna meet you tomorrow!
Seed the thought!
Att det saknas återvinningsstationer på offentliga platser var det första som Elissa Berrill, uppvuxen i Kanada, la märke till när hon flyttade till Stockholm.
Sverige har ett gott rykte om sig i världen: vi anses vara bra på hållbarhetstänkande och miljöpolitik. Eller mer sanningsenligt är kanske att vi har ansetts vara det. Sverige är kanske inte längre landet som går i täten för en hållbar utveckling?
När jag som svensk medborgare, uppvuxen i Kanada, flyttade hit till Stockholm var det en sak jag lade märke till direkt. Jämfört med kanadensarna är svenskar väldigt duktiga på att sortera och återvinna hemma, men på offentliga platser finns det inga återvinningsstationer. Varför inte? Jag undrar: hur har Stockholm missat detta? Var du än befinner dig i det offentliga rummet – på Drottninggatan eller på en tunnelbaneplattform – finns det bara ett ställe att slänga skräpet: i soptunnan.
Hur mycket ytterligare skräp som skulle kunna återvinnas är förstås en svår fråga att svara på. En granskning av allt skräp som slängs under en dag i centrala Stockholm skulle kunna ge oss ett svar. Symbios, en studentkrets av Naturskyddsföreningen vid Stockholm universitet, har under två år utfört en skräpgranskning vid Frescatis campus. I bara en hall, i en byggnad, hittades under en dag omkring 400 pappersmuggar. Sopornas innehåll utgjordes bägge åren av omkring 25 procent plast och 30–35 procent papper. Enbart 6 procent av soporna var hushållsavfall.
Hur mycket slängs då på hela campus? Och jag undrar – om så mycket plast, papper och pappersmuggar konsumeras av studenter med låg inkomst i en hall på ett universitet under en dag – hur mycket konsumeras och slängs då av alla som jobbar och rör sig i Stockholm under ett dygn? Under ett år? Tänk hur mycket mer avfall som skulle kunna återvinnas om vi hade bättre offentliga sorteringsstationer. Och dessutom, tänk hur många pappersmuggar som skulle kunna sparas (och därmed träd) om alla istället hade en termomugg med sig när de köpte sitt kaffe varje morgon.
Till Stockholms kommunfullmäktige: installera offentliga återvinningsstationer! Man behöver inte åka till Kanada för att hitta offentliga sorteringssystem för plast, papper, glas, metall och hushållsavfall, det räcker att åka till Berlin där systemet är väl utvecklat. Eller följ Stockholms universitets exempel, de installerade nyligen återvinningsstationer överallt.
Och till alla som köper kaffe i kiosken – skaffa en termomugg! Då sparar vi träd och slipper dricka halva koppen kall, eller i bästa fall ljummen.
The Sthlm Earth Week – Team is back on track and buzzing! A lot of passionate people found there way this year to the first meeting, from seeing a couple of volunteers in the first year, we could welcome only three years later 25 of them.
We are seeding the thought, that is for sure!
With new people new ideas find their way to Sthlm Earth Week and we are sure we can improve each year, become better and reach even more people – the sky is the limit! Soon we want to present you some of these amazing new creators in our team – so stay tuned for short interviews!
Furthermore we got the results of last years Waste Audit! Read for yourself what the outcome was, how the waste situation improved or what the Earth Week Team recommended! Feel free to give your feedback and your thoughts on it… Looking forward to hear your voices.
Wake up Call is an organization dedicated to educating youth about climate change and how to take positive action to reduce our climate impact. They provide workshops primarily to high-school aged students and teach them how to get involved politically and locally.
Wake Up Call has just launched its first Crowd Funded project, which will provide them the ability to get in contact with more schools and more students, creating a more aware and engage youth!
Read more about Wake Up Call. Contribute to their crowd funded project!
Stockholm Earth Week, keeping you updated on what we hear about! Seed the thought!
sthlmearthweek.wordpress.com 