End of the Whirlwind Tour

I'm back in Sweden after a whirlwind tour in the US... 11 presentations over the course of 6 days, including 5 in a 25-hour period. It feels good -- both to be back here in Sweden for a couple of more months, and to have had the opportunity to interact with many exciting people who really are working to address the issue of climate change. The week started with a visit to Grinnell College -- a pretty advanced group who had largely heard what I had to say, though I think there were at least a couple of people that heard some new information. Then onto DMACC at noon on Monday -- a great experience with a surprisingly engaged & interested group. Monday night found me in front of the Concerned Democrats of Polk County without a projector... so we had a nice discussion about some of the options for reducing carbon emissions, particularly as it relates to household operations.

Just now overheard: the quote of the day: "What does the army do? They shoot everyone with their love bullets." Followed quickly by "You guys are such a f***in downer."

Apologies for the sidetrack. Tuesday found me at Iowa State -- first with a class of undergrads in a sustainable planning class, and then in a lecture open to the general public. Had a great turnout at ISU. Wednesday morning I was at North Polk and spoke to the junior and senior class each for an hour. Wednesday night I went to Iowa City - had a little bit smaller group than at ISU, which allowed for a little more interactive discussion at the end. Thursday I was at Cornell College... great turnout there for the presentation. Thursday night I was with the "Drinking Liberally" group at The Lift in Des Moines -- a great group and an interesting atmosphere for a presentation like this... wonder if Gore has ever presented his slideshow in a bar...

Friday I wrapped up in a coffee shop in Ankeny with a good crowd and several great questions. Overall a great week -- talked with over 500 people.

Many thanks to all of those who helped make it possible -- setting up the events, making financial contributions, hosting, and chauffeuring.

Here's a link to an article in the Iowa State Daily after the event.

I've also missed a post about a Berlin trip... while it was a short trip (3 days away from Karlskrona, with the better part of 2 of those days spent on a busy) it provide enough opportunity to get a good sense of the city. It's fascinating. So much history, so recently... between the remnants of the wall and a tour of a museum that was home to East German intelligence -- which employed 1 person for every 180 citizens to watch over them. There's so much more that could be said about this: mostly how much I struggle to fathom just how that situation came to be in today's world. But that will have to wait for another time... I'm off to do a little research for now.