Norway

ZeroCarbonCity Norway

The ZeroCarbonCity exhibition campaign began in Oslo last week run by the British Council Norway and with a vast array of partners. You can read all about the iniative and wrap-around activities at the BC Norway website http://www.britishcouncil.org/norway-whatson-home.htm.The campaign is to be held from 20th May-14th June 2005, in Rådhusplassen, Oslo. It must be the ideal location for such an exhibition and wrap-around activities when you consider that it’s in the port where ferry boats are constantly coming and going, and people are walking along the prom to and from the restaurants and shops in the recently refurbished dockland areas.



The exhibition was launched with an opening speech by Norway’s Environment Minister Knut Arild Hareide and he was followed by Britain’s Ambassador to Norway, Mariot Leslie and British Council director Sarah Prosser.


Mariot Leslie, British Ambassador to Norway


Environment Minister Knut Arild Hareide

The NorthSouthEastWest exhibition illustrates the impact of climate change across the globe with photographs from ten of the top photographers in the world, and comments from ten of the most influential people today, including Tony Blair, Kofi Annan and Leonardo DiCaprio. The exhibition was launched earlier this year in London and New York and will tour 60 countries over the next two years; Norway is one of the first countries to receive it. The version in Oslo features two additional columns, dealing with Norwegian approaches and initiatives on climate change. The local displays were made possible through close partnership with Miljøverndepartementet and Oslo, Akershus and Buskerud Kommuner.

The exhibition will remain on Rådhusplassen until 14th June 2005, and form part of the Hundreårsmerkering festival.
After the opening it was straight down to children ‘doing things with science’.
 
We had three groups of school children booked in for climate change kits workshops. These kits are produced by MUTR – Middlesex University Teaching Resources Unit (www.mutr.ac.uk). They include a solar-powered clock, a solar gismo, a wind turbine, UV-warning paintings and badges, and fast growing seeds.
   
Young Ambassadors for the Climate and some of their solar gismos…
  
 
On day two we were drenched, totally swamped with rain.

Nevertheless, children came…
  
…and the café scientifique organised by the British Council in the same venue with Tom Burke (UK) and Richard Lindzen (USA) for the same evening was well attended with around 50 participants in the audience to listen to a debate on global warming, its causes, its threat and the future. 

Sarah and Nelly after a hard day’s painting…

Emma from the British Council organising students’ exhibits

Day three was a perfect day, in fact that should have been one of the songs on the BC Selector CD of music and interviews related to climate change, if you ask me. The CD played as a backdrop to the opening days’ events and added much to the atmosphere.

The most wonderful ingredient to the whole initiative, however, were the children who came along in their droves to build their own solar-powered inventions.

One of the main aims of the initiatives is to raise public understanding of climate change. My feeling is that students and children are the best ambassadors for climate science and issues.
 
They, in their frantic and enthusiastic enterprise attracted a great deal of attention to the exhibition from passers-by the whole day long.
  
 
We calculated that over the three days we came into contact with around 250 young ambassadors for the climate as they sat with us to design, construct, build, exhibit their inventions.
  

There were also some nice prizes for the best inventions over the three days including British Council branded backpacks, t-shirts, pens, booklets and many others.

You’ll be able to see a full report and picks on the event at the factworld website (www.factworld.info) behind the Norway flag and in the ‘News and Events’ section, when our webmaster gets it uploaded.It was my first time in Norway and the one thing that struck me was how interested so many people were, despite the terrible weather at the beginning, in the exhibition and activities going on. I did learn that Norway is the third largest exporter of oil in the world and that may have something to do with the public’s heightened awareness of climate change issues. I also met an 8 year old girl, Natalie, who spoke 5 languages fluently, and I’m still reeling in the shock of it! Good luck to the colleagues in Norway with the rest of their ZCC campaign!