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: 

I`d also recommend reading their blog-post with historical research: "http://www.environmentalsciencedegree.com/what-we-know-about-climate-change-1950-to-now/"

Step Two: Integrating travel and specific

I got a nice email here the other day from a pro viewer of this website, motivating me to action of what has been thoroughly felt in heart and planned in my head for about one and a half year now, the next phase of Iselin´s Eco Blog, now re-blogged "Destination 2." There is actually, though, 3 of these green enterprises, that has groundbreaking potential! And from this time on, I would be needing your help, since everything done ecological has a co-operational organization map with enthusiasm ! My next post will explain certain ways of donating the startup of this green enterprise, but since you might have noticed I do music production I have also produced a new title song which also needs a remix to it, and then this download will support the startup, as well. You will soon see what this enterprise is all about!;) But I am posting this to give you the candy for what is coming and some excitement around the idea. The idea is not new, it was tested before and with success several places. The excitement is that it would be happening to us in Scandinavia who really needs this certain, and that me as a diploma project manager is able and flexible to sustain its structure (with some help, since I am just an artist -and basically the one with ideas and know-how, not the moneybags). See ya! :)

Latest investments 

Eco in World: One Day On Earth Events

This Earth Day, 2012, I hosted an event together with Norwegian Greens and Cafe Saba in Eastside Oslo for One Day On Earth. Naturally as I participated in Global Action Day 10.10.10, blog post: http://ecoiselin.blogspot.com/2010/10/eco-in-germany-101010-global-work-party.html and also in 11.11.11-film, I felt it was natural for me to help them out with an arrangement in Oslo. In the video above you can watch and listen to one of the guests speaking for all of us! It is an important message that benefits all. Sponsors in this event also included WWF-Norway, Food Story, Transition Sagene and Friends Fair Trade.

Eco in World: Go beyond your "normal" this year´s Earth Hour

Being "normal" is constantly widening its historical status que, and we are all responsible for seeing beyond what comes into our sight at first impressions. This way, we might also find creative solutions for how human kind can re-occupy status earth consisting of individual community. This Earth Hour, I am pre-launching my eco site called Real Estate Life Insurance, accessible application through iPhone so that you can still explore the eco-site with your lights turned off as any normal Earth Hour. The site is still under construction, but here is the first peak:

Look beyond its first four words in the title.. and think further of what this can be used for, in its good intention? Many people have responded to me this looks like an art project, and I`d say thanks for that, but I got real deal intentions also, so keep paying attention!

I wish by this a very happy Earth Hour to all! - A warm hello from yours, Iselin Fergestad.

Eco in World: For the World Water Day (musicvideo update)

Eco in World: One Day On Earth - Global Song Collaboration

My contribution to www.onedayonearth.org (One Day On Earth), the 2011-film. Enjoy the natural habitat melting into an urban landscape, where nature encounter our civilization once again. Music is composed and recorded by me, and video is captured and edited by me with a simple cam.

Earth Soul by Iselin Fergestad from Iselin Fergestad on Vimeo.

Eco in Norway: Part 1 of 2 The annual Zero Emission Conference 2011

Lord Anthony Giddens and me / Iselin Rolvsjord Fergestad (photo)

Speakers:
Einar Haandlykken, Executive Director of ZERO
Heidi Sorensen, State Secretary from The Ministry of the Environment
Erna Solberg, leader of the Conservative Party of Norway.
Anthony Giddens, sociologist member of Green Growth Council
Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action
Arnold Schwarzenegger, former businessman, investor and politician
Bunker Roy, founder of Barefoot College
Martha Delgado Peralta, Head of the Mexico City Ministry of Environment
Ole Enger, President & CEO in REC Group
Representatives from the ”Powerhouse-alliance”
Johan Rockstrom, Executive Director of the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Stockholm Resilience Centre

Video: WATCH!



First, the blog. I am still here! Months have passed, and finally time for delivery again . :) Lots of work has occupied my life in all areas, also preparing for a brand new climate website to be launched! This blog was a transition from travel to discovery, from meetings to life inventions and insight, and finally from past into presence. I have decided to dedicate my path and energies into the all growing green, as I am a constructed member of the 2000-society I could never escape from living in daydreams and creation anyway. So why not create a steady, personal path where imagination meets alarming life challenges? To bring one`s imagination for real is not very far from computer generated reality of "other self exploration", either, as reality when it appears in nature is completely and fundamentally dependent on balancing energies. Human nature is to create human impact, in positive and negative sence. So the impact must be carefully designed in cooperation with natural flow of life assurements. In no other membership than our "Earth Company" where the executive is not the script writer, but the "structured improvisor".

Now, the report.
I will give you excerpts from some of their best quotes. The conference http://www.zero11.no/ started out with its executive, Einar Haanlykken from the Zero Organization, and I will further promote his point with the growing abilities of China. As you might guess, Zero Conference is all-business.Or, maybe not. At least, this is macro economy ground zero. Very similar to the german Econsense (my blog offer: http://ecoiselin.blogspot.com/2010/11/eco-in-germany-econsense-forum-berlin.html ). All the front businessmen and -women of Norway and beyond, their corporations and their dependance on oil industry of course, and government control , was present. So pay attention - this is what usually flies above our heads!

Now, wikileaks:
Einar mentioned, that China was not the front runners of the industrial revolution. They were not ahead of the technology and media revolution, either. But, they apparently want to be the front runners of the renewables and sustainability revolution! So here they stand first in line, so that they are no longer the country "to be told what to do and where to move". Like Arnold Schwartznegger said at this conference; When we in the western countries have been driving cars for so long, we cannot suddenly tell the chinese to keep biking as usual, when we suddenly found out that biking was a very good thing to do.:) In Norway, we keep waiting for our target group and competitors to grow, before altering into anything like "front running". But with these huge world dominance-competitors and (previously) cold war-enemies like China and the US and Russia (and India), they have another attitude against innovation. We must not forget they are different in strategy than the power we struggle with around in Scandinavian countries.

From his speech to my point: It is important to remember that ethnographic study of innovation and industrial development in Norway, describes domestic innovation as mainly "need driven" . Which means that there are no innovation risks even though innovations exist in big volume (in opposite to Sweden)! As "we argue that innovation activity, by definition, will challenge and sometimes alter established boundaries" (quoted from this very important information of energy innovation and organizational establishment etc.: http://organizinginnovation.wordpress.com/ ).

When something is "need driven", we`d of course not pay attention to the strong rise of solar industry in the rest of Europe, increasing 42 percent in 2010 in Germany alone, with Italy straight behind at 21 percent.  It is soon becoming a competitive source of energy approaching grid parity with nuclear, and we don`t even know it! In only 3 years, Europe has created 300 000 new jobs in the field of renewables (source: Hedegaard)! Apart from European rise, China wants to be the innovators, so their wind capacity is already on shore as the biggest consumer on earth of wind energy. By becoming a competitive part, China is now no longer a follower of the jet stream, the car industry or the industrial revolution, they are becomming leaders of some kind. And they are dangerously ahead of us, without us even knowing it. That is the price we`ll have to pay , by leaning on some "need driven" activity..

There are much things good, though, about the norwegian patience. Our hope, is to become the "smartest solution"-maker and marketers. Norway has always been waiting. Always in great observation of others, maybe not carefully, but the overlook has been our brightest funtion, with such a great student organization. But what is the fun of experts if experts are heterofunctional? In our orgs, specialized people with just the brightest ideas and history, remain inside their heterofunctional stabs maybe because of their social acceptance fright, and all the gold keep mourning inside. But I am sure, that we have some golden opportunities here, I am sure! In 2010, global green revenues increased by 7%,which is more than the Swiss GDP and a world record 400 billion EUR! (Source: Hedegaard)

We just have to look a little above our shoulders for a second, because the EU has a 20 percent renewables target combating the 15 percent emissions in Europe of global emissions, but increased as more industries in Europe are in other countries, so that we are also much more contributing. But the target is set. We have to keep following its tale. To put Europe into a bigger perspective, our world is also contributing naturally in processing emissions. As climate expert Anthony Giddens described, our earth is processing emssions every decade in its atmosphere, though this decade it has increased more than its 600 000 years of processing! Which means, the industrial development and human impact is no question. The natural contribution is always there, as explained, but the human impact is new to earth.

This is why we are cutting! And why some countries, unlike others, are more "frontiers" of such. Agriculture stands for 30 percent of the global consumer emissions, and most of the earth`s agriculture is based in "undeveloped countries". What is no question either, is that most of our industrial development has its production based in just these countries. We are not outside the "undeveloped world" either, in other hand. So what we must do, as contributors, is to renew all the agricultural functions that we consume today! By doing this, we will cut the 30 percent, and we are down to 70 percent global emssions instead of 90!

How to develope our agriculture? Take a look at the Barefoot College as example: http://www.barefootcollege.org/ . Why is local contribution and knowledge important? Because, without the local knowledge, such as tribal togetherness, the agricultural spirit will never be delivered from grand-dads to grand-sons, and which is the rutine of the "undeveloped country"-style. So local feed, is needed. Sanitation, clean water, pure local electricity, and fair trade, is necessary. Creativity is not in our hands, but theirs. They already have it, as human beings. Give them the basic standards of life cycling sources, and they`ll soon be your employees! Why should we always think that by holding someone back in line, we come first? By bringing someone down, you hold yourself up?

Reality says: By constructing sustainable agriculture and functionality in developing countries, we give not only them the shed to self-help and sustainability, we also cut our own emissions so drastically, that we could perhaps fly another mile without feeling guilty by doing so. Because this strategy is very similar to Denmark`s shipping sector; pay its oil by offshore windmills giving the same amount ot energy back to the oil company (it is called carbon neutral strategy..), or when I visited the ecovillages last year - almost everyone seemed to agree to have a car in their household - because why not get the goods when you do so much good elsewhere? Like cleaning your waste water from the garage. It is smart - simply that !

Continuing next post.

Nothing can take away my search to create "good"

To create "good" is not just for gods. I hate when people read this saying from a book as if it was a message from Moses or someone we do not know, or try to educate others with it as if it was strange to us as individuals- and even more annoying when I can`t recall their own practicle knowledge of such in the same sentence when saying it to others. "Good" is what we`ve been told as if it was something that we don`t have, something outside, something EARNED, to feel that we need to pay someone back (or pay ourselves back), and that we are black demons from birth, but I totally disagree. We forget, I think, each time we keep saying this what marvellous creators we are from birth and beyond as the ones we are; creating buildings, creating baby miracles, creating landscapes and architecture, creating student opportunities and university courses, creating businesses, creating families and you name it. It is all a dash of creation, the way we picture ourselves as masters. I am not saying we`ve done it all wrong, but I am saying we forget that this is a natural ingredience of being a human; a creator. So how come we think it is so impossible to create a better future for our coming generations? Some say, it is dead-end because of politics and businesses and variations of beliefs. My opinion is; all those factors are minors. All those are just materialistic and superficial products. Is politics superficial? Yes, it can be. It can be, as soon as it was stated from some source of ideology. Ideology is always a creation of belief. Businesses, can that really be superficial, too? Yes, as we know they are here to deliver not what we need, but what we are told to be wanting.

And belief..., can that really be superficial, isn`t that highly individual? Well, some part of belief should absolutely be individual, but I am afraid most of our belief-systems are more willing to become part of some society or belonging, than actual appreciated belief. Some priests are less believing in god than I am, etc. For instance. So what is my point in this post? To ditch all of this? Yes, more or less. Because I am not really interested in ownership of materialistic or belief value, but more in what we do; practical politics. Platon, the philosopher, was a very self-contradictory master the time when he wrote the politics to be based on this dualism philosophy. I guess he also represents many of our beliefs today. Who said Christ was the first? Plato was before him. But I`d never ditch Christ, as I`d never ditch any who does "good". Because he DID good. Who cares what people wrote about him! I don`t. And I don`t care what Plato writes, either! because, he is a damn good writer. And imaginator. As me. Did he use his knowledge in politics? No he did not, because his politics is based on what he actually knew was our failure as humankind. So, his politics are not at all "good". They`re not at all "constructivism".

Constructivism, is a word that for some I guess only remains a "word." That is very sad. Constructivism, could be high priority! That is what everyone could want and feel the need to do, as it is pretty natural to us. But one can never force a feeling onto others, they say. Is it really forcing, though? What I always keep saying is that - "well, I just know it IS within you!" Then, is this forcing?... Can I really tell what is within another person, you may ask? And I may answer: " Well, I know that we all have something in common within. So what is within me, is within you. How can I be different from you, except from all that outside beliefs such as values,priorities,experiences,materials,history of mine? All that, is minor factors of who I am."

But to make this alittle easier, instead I am doing what I think I am most capable of doing: Inspire. Inspire to action, and not just to think. If we ever want to get out of our thinking-boxes created by the mass society of late-capitalism, the only way is actually to start believing in Yourself as creator. As long as one denies abilities, one can not change anything. I once believed I could sing, and I got a singing voice I never had before. It is as simple as that. One does not need any outside creator to be able to change. That is probably our biggest threat of today - people telling you cannot do what is a talent of others outside yourself. I have seen many people bloom the recent year, just by moving a bit out of their previous box; some searching for an alternative job, some quitting their job, some travelling when selling their house full of equipment first, some starting a business when they thought they had no experience in numbers, some breaking free from pressure in a family, some moving in with a farmer to live a different life, some following their dream to live in an ecovillage and build their own house without help from anyone.

There have been many transitions lately, and I am talking about individual transitions here, not transition towns. But eventually, transition is also needed on the big scale. And for that, one needs politics. One needs a superman, actually. Or a project manager. And the most important task right now, is green transport and infrastructure. None can do that individually! one needs, a project manager of the visionary kind for such. But instead of waiting for that project manager to come, the whole bunch of individuals now transforming their lives to what is better for them, creates a community of hope for what can be easier to transform in a group. I`ve always said we need a green flagship which everyone would follow, because we are grouping animals from ancient times. But transition is easier, like I said, when you have got some experience in creating and expanding your horizons and done some risk taking. Ideology is no-go. No one will agree anyway. Meetings? Nah.. I have seen green meetings in action, and I would like to say most of its time could be spent on something more constructive. Belief-discussions? Total crozz! X-out. We simply don`t have TIME for this *lol*!

Time is "running out" for the species called humans in a turbulence weather of economy misbalance and no common understanding for global warming, and the countersayings of not adjusting to environmental changes because it is not human-made is quite stupid when if it was all natural changes one WOULD adjust anyway. So no time to talk "whom to blame". Adjustment is the case, NO MATTER what. And that sure means a lot of ego-sacrifices. But to hell with that! Ego? Yes, I am thinking so I exist? No, you are not. :) You exist only if you know TO exist. Thank god we`ve got skin, body and eyes, and even brain - bless us. It is a bonus. Something we`re not worthy, but still worthy if we know how to use all that.

Use your whole, and even a bit more. And you will experience that your whole is just a little part of it all..a whole new world opens up!

Peace and NO-hippie love;)
Isis-elin ;)

Eco in Norway: Who decided that milk was supposed to do me good?

Detox is supposed to reduce our exposure to chemical pollutants, and that is very fine, except if you suddenly get attacked by the "natural" flowing system of viruses, hot and thick polluted air, never-cleaned water tubes in the kitchen, bacteria, trigging products to allergics, non-green concentrates, chemically stored food in the shops, alcohol, you name it.. when all that happy natural detox-ecotour of mine ended.

Because I,  never intended to detox my body with a list of no-go/go-eat during my trip, actually I just found out naturally by observing the ecovillages and tasting what is REAL, then I found out what my body naturally wanted to eat. And, without noticing, I actually detoxed my body so much that I was cleansed from bottom to the top and down again! Entering the "real world" of our civilization after spending time in the green field, of course had some impacts on my sensitive body...

This is a very personal post, because I have to apologize for not bloggin in several months! The fact is: I was poisoned. Naturally poisoned maybe.. Cause I am starting to think, what really IS natural? Are we, from birth to grown-ups, naturally poisoned creatures from what we`ve been drinking and eating in our western, rich and careless lifestyles? At least, my body can tell there was a "natural" reaction. From when I ended my first part of an ecotour entering ecovillages and organic farms in november 2010, I came to Gothenburg in Sweden feeling just a bit sick for the first time during my trip, and as we know Gothenburg is a very high traffic city. A total contrast to the slow consumption lifestyle I was used to. Ever since Gothenburg, I`ve been periodically sick, caughing and feeling an extremely low energylevel.

But as the chameleon I usually am (at least that what they say:)), fitting in everywhere with instinct and stand alone up against the crowd so much, I naturally started hanging around in the bars and clubs, of course tasting a bit of alcohol the first time in several months and of course I had to buy food in the local shops nearby my hotel, trying to catch the most "organic"-labelled product there was. And guess what.. I had the most horrible hangover-night ever in my lifetime! Rolling about on the bathroom floor inside the hotel screaming with my hands on the stomach, rolling over to the bed still holding on to that rumbling stomach, people asking if I was alright, and not one minute of sleep until the next morning, still feeling exhausted. And I thought to myself: "Never again!" But the strangest thing was, I only drank one glass of beer , and that was it.

All the days after this, no matter what I was eating or drinking, my stomach was in the mood screaming "more beer, more beer", and I said "no no", eating vegetables and trying to restore it. The stomach seemed to not want the veggie food anymore, and I actually felt sad the day it never screamed of pain anymore after eating a whole lot more non-organic bread and bad food. Yes, it was sad actually. Because I wanted "it" (the stomach) to react positively to organic food, and negatively to yeast and other manufactured food. But the more I spent the time in Gothenburg, the more my body seemed to follow the flow of the non-organic taste which it used to have long time before the eco-tour of mine and ever since the very childhood in the 80s when nobody talked about such as "organic" or "ecological" at all.

I came to think, are we that much exposed to chemically-experimented products and manufactured food as children, that when we find the "real food" or the organic wellbeing as adults, our first reaction is to avoid it because it makes us weaker instead of "stronger"/more adjusted to the chemical world? Especially after eating organic food in a long while, the reaction the immune system takes when you start eating non-organic again is to climb on these carbos as if it was your saviour. But of course there is also another explaination. I`d rather think the immune system was high alerted. I think my immune system is TOO strong! Actually, the body reacted as if everything was poison, and it still does every time I am in a room with a lot of dust as well as eating the minor infecting candy -like chocolate! So, when eating non-organic manufactured, the body actually became a huge washing machine trying to throw up instantly, making me caughing and getting astma, click on my "allergic"-button on my body-keyboard the brain, and simply super-detox everything that is close to poison - so that the immune system got out of hand! It simply wants to get rid of it all.

Honestly, I am now smelling pollution miles away. I read in the local newspaper the other day, that our nearby community had a chemical leaking scandal in one of the companies there. Not so strange I could not breath through my nose at all walking down the city main street! I immediately thought it had to be a thunder weather coming, but then I saw the article and - yep, my nose catched this poison miles away. The result was that I had to remain indoors the rest of the day, so that I could feel the air to be clean enough for my body. This is getting frustrating. On the positive note, though, I know immediately when to not touch anything.

Now, I have read a couple of articles on the internet, and found out that it had to be my last stay at the herb farm straight before entering the big cities that made this reaction coming. I was at a VERY cleansing and even healing herbal garden working. This place was made of love and care for our bodies. I felt the best I have ever felt physically at this farm! Working with the ground and flowers was also good for my soul, and I felt totally balanced. I wish everyone could experience such cleansing and joy!

The magic feel of being completely free from damaging material, and you also actually feel quite out of the ordinary beautiful (!) being surrounded by only clean air, clean water, clean earth, and varied food full of vitamins and organic fibers. So the contrast of leaving this place and suddenly enter Gothenburg was a bad move... I recommend anyone to gradually find a balance between the cleansed period and the more chemically-influenced life. A hybrid kind of lifestyle is good,but one should absolutely try to not quit the herbal drinks ever, and always eat tonns of vitamin C until it`s "over" and one can go buy an organic tomato without feeling sick because it is stored in a silly plastic bag inside the airconditioned, dirty store.

What I am more afraid of now after -this, is that what if we might be overpolluted by chemical products so much that it has become a chain of what is natural to our liver and body processes, and so that only medical treatments and other such food that are manufactured can be "natural healing" for our synthetic bodies? Are we becoming robots unknowingly? Chemical robots for the industrial foodchain to deliver "healthy choices" to our bodies to react positive to its expansion and collaborations with other health institutes? Has my body been robbed?... Just bringing out the question. :)

Now, I am feeling alot better, though. My health is back, though the energy-level decreased. I got back energy after heating up with some citrus/lemon/lime, wheatgras, vitamin C, vitamin D, E, fish oil, grapefruit, organic eggs, lenses, cranberry and nuts. Fat is important, but the fat from nuts and lenses are the best. I have to avoid the milk-products alot more and be careful what juice and especially what chocolate and coffee to buy. To make your own recipe is the best! Listen to YOUR body, not the labels or the descriptions! As I can tell from here, every diet is highly individual - and it should not be a diet, rather a comfort zone.