Celebrating the 4th of July is an all-day event where people get together with their family, friends and neighbors.  My fondest memories are of celebrations with my family and millions of other Americans in Washington, D.C. on the National Mall.  But, whether you’re celebrating in a small town in Middle America or in the nation’s capital, the day usually starts with a parade, complete with student marching bands, military troops, dancers, costumes and floats.  People are enthusiastically patriotic, often dressed from head to toe in red, white and blue and waving small American flags.  Along with parades, there may be carnivals or fairs.

You can’t have a party without food, and the 4th of July is no exception.  Traditional American-style barbeques or picnics are the norm, with hotdogs and hamburgers and all of the toppings served as the main course.  Then, there are numerous varieties of potato, pasta, and fruit salads.  Side dishes could also include baked beans, corn on the cob, and multiple servings of potato chips and dip.   Since it’s usually hot and humid on the 4th (especially in the nation’s capital), there are lots of cold drinks to cool you down: sodas, lemonade, iced tea, or perhaps an ice cold can of American beer for the adults.  Desserts are always my favorite part of any meal, and on the 4th, ice cream, popsicles, cakes, and big slices of fresh watermelon are abundant.  For some, the 4th of July isn’t complete without the all-American apple pie. 

Between the parades, eating and waiting for the fireworks show, there are lots of fun activities.  Whether it’s playing catch, throwing a football or Frisbee, a backyard game of volleyball, or a card game, there’s a sense of community and camaraderie that abounds. 

After the sun goes down, the moment that everyone has been waiting for finally arrives: fireworks!  You hear the distinct pop of the firecracker, and then the sky is filled with beautiful red, orange, green, blue, and white bursts of color.  The fireworks show is often accompanied by the national anthem and many other patriotic songs.  At the end of a long day of celebration, you finally head home: tired, full, perhaps a bit sunburnt from spending the day outside, looking up at the smoke-filled sky from the night’s fireworks and feeling proud to be an American.

Fourth of July celebrations in Finland were kicked off early this year with an Embassy party on June 23.  Though there were no fireworks, guests enjoyed crayfish from Louisiana and special demonstrations from the renowned Chef John Folse and Company to commemorate the 234th anniversary of the independence of the United States. 

Bon Appetit! Crayfish from Louisiana

Movie director Renny Harlin with Ambassadog Deckard

Kaivopuisto's Lady Liberty

Chef Folse with guests and Louisiana crayfish

ARC Grant 2009 winner Tuomas Koskenniemi

ARC Grant 2009 winner Tuomas Koskenniemi from the University of Helsinki was one of the featured guests at a reception hosted by the American Resource Center on Friday, May 21.  The reception also marked the conclusion of the 13th annual Maple Leaf and Eagle Conference on North American Studies. This 4-day rigorous convention of distinguished experts and students in American Studies was hosted at the University of Helsinki.

The American Resource Center grant was established in 2006 to celebrate the library’s 60th anniversary. Tuomas Koskenniemi became the 7th Finnish student to receive the grant.  The competition is for students of Finnish nationality who are enrolled at a Finnish university and who are working on a master’s thesis on a topic related to the United States. Mr. Koskenniemi won the grant  with his master’s thesis titled “We Are All Georgians, Aren’t We? The Neoconservative Reaction to the Russia-Georgia War.”

Congratulations once again, Mr. Koskenniemi.

For those who are not familiar with the tradition, the United States Marines (founded during the American Revolution in 1775) celebrate their “birthday” each year to commemorate their fellow Marines who have fallen in combat. It is also an event that helps to keep their esprit-de-corps as strong as their skill sets. Now while that sounds rather formal, the event itself is really a wonderful celebration with great food, good friends and terrific dancing.  This year’s event followed firmly in those traditions. Basically, I ate too much, danced too little and stayed too late.  I attach the photo below just too show that everyone had a whole lot of fun!

The American made Tesla was on display. An absolutely beautiful car that just happens to be fully electric. And although I am not exactly sure where one could actually do this legally, the Tesla will go from 0 to 100 kilometers an hour in just 3.9 seconds!  As you can see from the photo below, the test drive blew the hair right off me and Jyrki.

Here I am with the Tesla and the show promoter Jyrki Mattila of Shift2e

Another really compelling presentation was by eCars-Now! – a Finnish firm that is using open source thinking to create a fully electric retrofit for older cars. Basically they are looking at the most popular gasoline cars on the road today and are designing a drop in fully electric drive system to convert older cars to electric power. Very innovative and potentially a terrific way to “fix” the existing auto fleet as it ages.

Here is my wife, Cody, with Jiri Räsänen, Tim Hitchkock and Eki Leinonen of eCars-Now!

My other favorite was the Think City car – a real vehicle already for sale in Norway (if I recall correctly).  Moreover, they are opening a manufacturing plant here in Finland.  OK, I want to test drive one as soon as they become available here!

Cody and a Think City car

The presenter was Mr. James Balog of the Extreme Ice Survey.  Speaking to an overflowing auditorium, Mr. Balog lectured by way of his amazing time-lapse photography film clips.  Using solar powered cameras permanently located at some of the most remote locations on earth, Jim Balog has assembled remarkable footage on the retreat of key glaciers over the past several years. I can honestly say that the audience was spellbound by what they were seeing and motivated to expand their own efforts to make a difference.

Then off to Oulu University of Applied Science where the School of Music, Dance and Media acted as the host of the Embassy’s sponsored “Scratch Ambassadors Tour”.  This was one stop on a multi-city Finnish tour for this hip-hop group from the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. For all of the various master classes and the concert itself, the joint was jumping.  

Scratching with Berklee Hip Hop Quartet in Oulu

Finally, a late night dinner with the Major of Oulu, Matti Pennanen and then I caught the late night flight back to Helsinki. My only regret was that I didn’t have more time on this trip, but I plan on getting back to Oulu soon.

Paul Sheldon in Finland

Former US Representative Thomas Barrett once said, “Chaos in the world brings uneasiness but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth.” And it was this opportunity for creativity and growth, which Paul Sheldon, Senior Consultant for Natural Capitalism Solutions based in Longmont, Colorado, highlighted on September 21st to US Embassy contacts during an evening reception hosted by Ambassador Bruce Oreck and Mrs. Cody Douglas Oreck.

The ‘chaos’ in this context was global warming. Global climate change is rapidly altering the environment in which we live, and the impact on businesses will be significant. Deteriorating ecosystems will lead to more volatile energy prices and increased economic instability – neither of which bode well for the commercial sector.

Yet businesses do not have to be passive players when it comes to global warming. As Mr. Sheldon pointed out, businesses not only have an important role in protecting the environment, but ‘going green’ is actually very profitable.   He pointed to the example of DuPont – an American Fortune 500 company. In 1990 DuPont decided to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and raise revenue by 6% with no corresponding increase in energy use. Today their GHGs from global operations are down by 80%, their global energy use is 9% below 1990 levels and they recorded a savings of $3 billion between 2000 and 2005 alone – all thanks to new green measures.

Mr. Sheldon also discussed Wal-Mart, describing how in undertaking a comprehensive review of its carbon footprint its executives noted several wasteful energy practices – particularly in the open-bin refrigerated meat and dairy aisles. Wal-Mart redesigned the aisles putting all refrigerated food behind sealed doors and installing motion-sensory lights. This small effort significantly improved Wal-Mart’s energy efficiency and reduced its carbon footprint. It also helped sales! Children found the motion-sensory lights fascinating, which attracted parents (as potential buyers) to new items.

As Mr. Sheldon described it, the developed world is entering the “6th wave” of industrial innovation, which encompasses sustainability, radical resource productivity and renewable energy. Just like the 1st wave (iron, mechanization) or the 5th wave (digital networks, software information technology), companies that react first will reap the best rewards of reduced expenses and increased revenue.

Finland already has a number of local companies riding that wave and tapping into green growth. During his two-day trip, Mr. Sheldon met with representatives of the Federation of Finnish Financial Services, Helsingin Energia, and BaseN to exchange best practices.

Mr. Sheldon’s presentation provided the kick-off for US Embassy Helsinki’s Energy and Environment Series – a four-part speaker series running October to December 2009. The series features key American specialists highlighting America’s technical and scientific creativity in dealing with global warming. The series details can be found on the Embassy website . All are encouraged to attend and take part in this most important discussion.

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.