View from summer cottage (Photo Credit: Wikimedia)

To say that the Finns have a certain reverence for their summer season is no understatement. From May to August, nearly every Finn heads outdoors to take advantage of the twelve-plus hours of sunlight before the long, dark winter creeps back in. Government and other activity slows down, prompting many to travel to forest cottages where on Midsummer’s Eve they build bonfires and revel in the longest day of the year. So enticing is the Finnish summer that many Finns stay at their cottages for the entire month of July.  

In Finland, the summer season is a fleeting miracle – a mere four months of life-giving growth after months of sub-arctic temperatures. And the Finns do not take it for granted. With such an appreciation for their world around them, it is not surprising then that Finns have such an active interest in reducing their carbon footprint.

Since 2001, the Finnish government has produced a series of action plans, known as the National Climate Strategy, detailing concrete steps the nation must take to reduce their share of emissions. In its latest Strategy published in November 2008, the Finnish government set ambitious goals to ensure that 38% of energy and 10% of transport fuel is produced from renewable sources. By 2020, Finland hopes to produce 14.2 terawatt hours (TWh) of hydroelectric energy, 1.0 TWh of wind power and 34.9 TWh of nuclear energy – a big leap from their 2006 levels of 11.3 TWh, .1 TWh and 22 TWh respectively.

Finland’s efforts are starting to pay off. According to the latest United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s report, Finland’s total emissions declined slightly in 2007 from 79.9 teragrams of carbon dioxide equivalent (Tg CO2) to 78.3 Tg CO2. Just this month the OECD’s Environment Directorate Director Lorents Lorensten called Finland a pioneer of environmental policy.

Such environmental awareness coupled with a “can-do” attitude make the Finns excellent partners in the fight against global warming. In June 2008, Embassy Science Fellow – US Forest Service Senior Researcher Dr. Alan Rudie – spent several weeks with top Finnish scientists to advance work on the production of biofuel from forest trimmings. Building on this successful collaboration, the US Embassy Helsinki hopes to sponsor another US Forest Service Science Fellow in 2010.

In 2008, Finland joined the Methane-to-Markets program – a public/private partnership in conjunction with the US Environmental Protection Agency that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by promoting the cost-effective, near-term recovery and use of methane, while providing clean energy to markets around the world.

In June 2009, the first of three American National Science Foundation (NSF) research fellows will arrive in Finland via the newly established Nordic Research Opportunity Grant. Funded by NSF and the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (TEKES), the new program will foster closer research ties between US and Finnish scientists.

From left: Chancellor of the University of Helsinki Ilkka Niiniluoto, President Tarja Halonen, Chargé d’Affaires Michael A. Butler and Ambassador Derek Shearer

We were especially honored to have President Tarja Halonen speak at the opening session of the seminar.  We were proud to have U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Michael Butler read to the symposium audience a special message of congratulations by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  Former American Ambassador Derek Shearer (1994-1997) came to share his personal narrative of his years in Helsinki and of the contacts he made with Finns over a decade ago and since that time, which remain active and warm.

Many experts shared their research on various aspects of the bilateral relations with enthusiastic audiences.  Presenters discussed the history, the present day and the future of the Finnish-American relationship.  Virtually all speakers underlined the fact that the excellent official relations rest on the bedrock of warm, close people-to-people relations between Finns and Americans.

Paratiisin pojat

One presentation, however, was in a very special class of its own.  Two top Finnish musicians – “Paratiisin pojat “  J. Karjalainen and Veli-Matti Järvenpää  – played songs of Finnish immigrants who  migrated to the U.S. in the early 20th century.  The two artists were talented and charismatic and gracefully did an encore following a standing ovation.

Their performance underlined – once again – the importance of culture – something that makes all our lives more fun and more interesting.  Culture helps build bridges and it helps us understand “the others.”  A special thanks to Paratiisin pojat.

Another cultural treat were two performances provided by students from the Helsinki Pop and Jazz Conservatory – at the beginning and to conclude the two-day seminar.   At the final concert, they were joined by Saxophonist Greg Badalato, who is also Vice President of the Berklee College of Music.  In jazz vernacular – they were “hot.”

I am pleased to note that as we continue to celebrate the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two countries, my section at the U.S. Embassy (the office of press and cultural affairs) will be hosting in Finland representatives of the multifaceted cultural scene of the United States. This June, the great grandson of Sitting Bull will tour in Finland to tell about his native culture.  Mr. Ernie LaPointe is a Sun Dancer who lives in the traditional lifestyle of the Lakota people.  I hope you will have an opportunity to hear him speak.  Later in the year, we will welcome a hip hop group from the Berklee College of Music – to share their special cultural expression with Finnish audiences.

In a three-day event, SciFest packed the Joensuu Areena with sophisticated displays that engaged visitors with the cutting-edge science that is changing our world for the better. I looked through new telescopes examining distant galaxies; watched as a remote sensors informed the “doctor” (me) about the health of my “patient” (a nearby plant that needed water); and learned of new products made from trees such as xylitol used to sweeten gum (free samples!) and medicine reducing the risk of cancer (no free samples!). 

Apollo 17 mission, 11 December 1972. This photograph was taken by scientist-astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, lunar module pilot. (Photo Credit: Wikimedia)

Most impressive though was the way the presenters connected with the children – SciFest’s target audience who came from as far away as Taiwan and Kenya. As students built their own paper rockets and competed with homemade robots in the RoboCup competition, science suddenly became cool – and that is exactly what science needs to be to create the next Alfred Einstein or Rolf Nevanlinna.

The American GLOBE school program also aims to raise the profile of science among school children. The GLOBE program uses the internet to bring together science students from across the globe to participate in joint experiments with experienced American scientists. GLOBE school students are mapping weather patterns and tracking the health of forests – making science both relevant and fun!  Many of the schools participating at SciFest were also GLOBE schools. 

On SciFest’s second day, a US Embassy speaker, former astronaut Harrison Schmitt, received a rock-star reception from SciFest participants. Students packed the stands to hear Professor Schmitt described his Apollo landing on the moon. It is events like SciFest that bring the cool-factor back to science, inspiring the next generation of scientists to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges.

Earth Day was founded in 1970 by US Senator Gaylord Nelson. His call for cleaner air and water in the US was heeded from coast to coast. Earth Day had a special appeal among American youth who called on the US government and fellow Americans to support a healthier, more sustainable world. 

Earth Day flag (Photo Credit: Wikimedia)

So thirty-nine years later has anything in America really changed?  Absolutely.     

Earth Day spurred the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act.  In the US, leaded fuel and gas guzzling cars have been replaced by unleaded gas and stricter fuel efficiency standards.  Since the 1980s the EPA’s Superfund has cleaned up hazardous waste sites, protecting local rivers from chemical contamination. In 2007, sulfur dioxide emissions fell below its long term emission cap of 8.95 million tons — three years before the 2010 statutory deadline – thanks to a USG cap-and-trade program.   

Today over 140 countries around the world celebrate Earth Day. Great progress has been made, but there is plenty left to do. America is ready to do her part. Recent stimulus funds are funding projects to put plug-in vehicles on the road by 2015 and improve energy efficiency so that 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.  The US Congress is currently drafting legislation to implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

On April 22, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a new program to implement Department-wide environmentally responsible policies.  She also renewed her support for the Green League of Embassies – an effort started by our colleagues at US Embassy Stockholm to encourage US embassies around the world to apply “green practices”. Here at US Embassy Helsinki we have already implemented a comprehensive recycling program that covers everything from old cell phones to bio waste.  The Embassy has also saved energy by installing motion sensor light switches, and using  high-efficiency compact light bulbs at all  US Embassy residences.

Climate warming is progressing rapidly, and every positive change we make no matter how small makes a difference. So, Happy Earth Day Mother Earth – and here’s to another forty years of good environmental stewardship for moms, dads and groundhogs everywhere.