Archive for the ‘Climate’ Category

Philips unveils latest wake-up light campaign

Business, Climate, Design, Film, Marketing, Media, Miscellaneous, Offbeat, Science, Society, Swedish Life, Technology, Tourism: October 29th, 2010 by VT

Philips’ advertising campaigns for the wake-up light have historically challenged the prestige of the product, testing the wake-up light’s mettle in real life. In this latest campaign, the test is on an epic scale.

Watch the clip for the trailer here.

Philips travels to Longyearbyen, Norway, where winter lasts for four months and the sun doesn’t rise at all in this period. A town where the local people look with dread to the winter months: a time of little enjoyment and confusion. A period when, without the differentiation of day and night, time itself is without meaning.

Enter Philips and the wake-up light with a simple mission: to restore residents Longyearbyen’s daily routine and help them combat the negative impact of living without natural light for four months.

The wake-up light simulates sunrise, allowing users to, perhaps not surprisingly, wake up in an environment similar to a bright summer’s day. The theory behind the experiment is that this will combat the negative effects of waking, living and then going to sleep in darkness and should help the user readjust to a more natural cycle.

The full footage for the experiment will be released in November. Will it work? Wait and see.

Sweden provides US viewers with Earth Day inspiration

Climate, Media, National, Politics, Society, Sweden abroad: April 22nd, 2008 by DL

People like to complain that American news outlets never spend any time covering foreign news. In contrast to Swedish broadcasters, which spend ample time covering international affairs, US national news programs rarely devote much air time to other countries (save those with which the US may be at war).

Thus, imagine our surprise upon seeing that NBC News, one of the traditional ‘Big 3′ television news networks in the US, devoted a precious 3 minutes and change (more than 10 percent!) of Monday evening’s broadcast to Sweden and it’s penchant for green living.

The King is eloquent as usual, but the mayor of Växjö left us puzzled with his talk of ‘whips and carrots’. See for yourself:

Now the question is whether SVT would ever bother to find a topic where the US can teach Swedes a thing or two, and dedicate an equal amount of air time to it.

What would you suggest?

Environmental Utopia or dirty man of Europe?

Climate, Politics, Society: October 12th, 2007 by PO

The New Statesman travels to Sweden to compare the progress being made here with that of the UK:

The scientist across the table from me was laughing, unusually for a conversation about climate change. “You’re in environmental utopia now,” he beamed. This being Sweden, he was partly being ironic – but only partly.

Alternatives to a nuclear Sweden?

Climate, Politics: October 12th, 2007 by PO

Reuters talks to the Centre Party about Sweden’s nuclear future and the emergence of alternative fuel sources.

Nearly thirty years after Sweden voted to phase out nuclear energy, firms are quietly increasing plant capacity and there is no end in sight for a power source still providing half of the nation’s electricity.

13 minus 1 reasons to savor Stockholm

Climate, Tourism: August 20th, 2007 by PR

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, there are hundreds of reasons to savor Stockholm. But the paper makes do with thirteen.

All the usual suspects are there (the Vasa museum, the water, Drottningholm, Södermalm etc.) but number one is a bit of a surprise:

The weather

Stockholm is cool, but it’s not that cool. Thanks to the warming effects of the Gulf Stream, February is the only month when the temperature dips much below freezing. And Nobel laureates get their prizes in December, which speaks well of that month’s weather.

The writer’s visit apparently wasn’t this summer.

Peeing for progress

Climate, Society: July 10th, 2007 by PO

Sweden doesn’t really have the poo taboo apparently. And that’s good because it means that people are willing to put their waste to good use:

Recycling urine may be the answer to a looming global shortage of phosphorus, an Australian researcher says.

And nobody does it better than the inhabitants of Tanum in western Sweden.

Swedish cars face carbon battle

Climate: June 30th, 2007 by PO

The International Herald Tribune traveled to the Stockholm suburb of Danderyd to observe at close quarters the problem with big Swedish cars and high carbon emissions.

The most recent available EU statistics show that Sweden, a country of nine million people, has the highest-emitting cars in Western Europe on a per capita basis.

Swedish ‘tree tsars’ push for greener future

Climate, Society, Swedish Life: June 18th, 2007 by PO

Australian newspaper The Age praises Sweden in general, and Växjö in particular, as environmental pioneers for a greener era.

The newspaper devotes five pages to the measures being taken to reduce emissions and turn the country into an eco-powerhouse”.

The growth of biofuel is one example of an area in which Sweden can excel.

The answer may lie in Sweden’s Arctic north, where locals refer to their vast forests as “green gold”.

“The world has oil sheikhs who made their money from black gold, the idea is that we will become tree tsars in the biofuel era,” says one local, laughing.