December 10th Part 1

Hi everyone,

I think the word 'Launch' best describes Thursday, Dec. 10th. It was the official launch day in terms of participating in events here in Copenhagen. I should mention that the previous night about not being able to access the Bella Center left me a little puzzled because I was turned around by security guards not registration. I recalled and checked an email from a student serving as a delegate for SustianUS (U.S Youth for Sustainable Development), who had invited me to engage in YOUNGO, the UNFCCC Youth Constituency, 8 AM daily meetings in the Bella Center. I decided to give it another try. I woke up at 6:00 AM excited that I might be able to get in to the UN conference. As the clock ticked to 8:00 AM, I had almost arrived at the Bella Center. During this time, I met a women delegate from Alabama USA who asked if I had my passport and letter of official accreditation. I actually had left them back at host house. Simply, I rushed back and came back (16 KM round trip) within in an hour with what I thought to be the needed credentials to get in. It turned out that the letter I had was not sufficient and because the organization was not pre-registered in July of 2009, they had to ask me to leave. I can say this. The experience of walking in line with several hundred participants of the UN through security and registration made me feel for a second like an official representative. It is the closest I have ever been to entering the UN conference. :) Even though I was not recognized as official by the UN standards, that didn't prevent me from engaging in other events like the KlimaForum09 and spread the words about the Lijiang Green Education Center (GEC).

I have four youtube videos I recommend you take a look, which all take place in the Bella Center. Three of them are from the U.S youth that represent a variety of organizations. The first is from a reporter. She is speaking Danish so I suggest to mute it. However the video gives a good insider look at the UN conference. The second video a delegate from SustainUS doing a flash dance with the international youth group at the conference lobby. The third is the US youth group who crashed climate denier on a live webcast. The forth is a very inspiring video. It is Moey Newbold. She spoke on behalf of the youth at an official UN session.

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http://cascadeclimate.org/cop15/index.php/2009/12/10/moey-speaks-to-the-plenary/

If you want to get more information about what the U.S youth are doing at COP15 or wish to write them questions, I have two blogs that I suggest you take a quick look at.

http://cascadeclimate.org/cop15/

http://jeremycop15.wordpress.com/

My next adventure was to locate the KlimaForum09, which I had absolutely no idea where it was. It was frankly one of the more complicated sites to find since I had to change to entirely different train station. However the Danish are very welcoming to answer questions and help. It became apparent that the cite I was looking for was adjacent to the Central Station. The primary reason I was seeking to attend this event was Dr. Jonathan Harrington had notified me the prior night his plans to attend the KlimaForum09 "Climate Changes in Tibet: Consequences for Tibet and Asia" at 10:00 AM and the "The Tour with the Federation of Non-Profit Housing Assocations in Denmark." The Tibetan talk was filled to over capacity when I arrived. As I was trying to find another talk to attend, I ran into Yujin Lee, the Director of Climate and Energy for the Non-Government Organization, GreenKorea. We both went to the "International Cooperation for Renewable Energy - in Europe and in the South." As we looked through up coming talks, she pointed out to me the name Mathis Wackernagel. She said that she had translated his book 'Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth' published in 1998 into the Korean language. It was just astonishing to me who I was meeting simply by coincidence.

We were there for the last half of the two-hour session, which was open for panel questions. Many of the discussions were focused on the ethical implications with the massive project of installing solar farms in north Africa and having the excess transported to Europe. To be honest, this was a lecture I was not able to follow to closely because I didn't have a lot of context for which the questions were based.

After the session, I was met by a media reporter, Marian Bichler. She gave me her blog side. I recommend you visit this youtube link that she had done on why people have come to the KlimaForum (Youtube video)

In the early afternoon, I signed up and joined Dr. Harrington on "The Tour of Federation of Non-Profit Housing Assocations in Denmark." We rode a bus to see the projects completed and underway for a non-profit by the name of WITRAZ, which has taken many initiatives in renovating housing to become leading in energy efficiency such as new windows, instillation, and appliances and architecture design. Just take a look below. Notice the shape of the buildings. They are in built around a square grass/tree field (an open space like a park). One of the goals for this was to allow for natural light to reach each room during a day.

One thing that should be noted is that buildings 4 stories and lower do not come with an elevator, which is the majority of them. In addition, you may find interesting that the renters are allowed to purchase a porch at any time point of their rent that they want. The tour guide mentioned that most people live in these apartments for most of their lives, very few move out in the short-term. And if they decide to leave before the loan payment is complete, the next renter has to inherit the costs. In America, many families move out of a house in 5 or 10 years. I don't think I would ever find any America accepting to these terms.

December 9th - Bike Tour

Hi everyone,

I want to point out early in this post that Wednesday was specifically a rest day and a chance to get acquainted to the city.

Ronja and I both woke up late that morning. I asked Ronja the night before if she would take me on a tour of the city that she thought were important to see for a visitor. Ronja and I hooped on our bikes and joined the other 36% of cyclists in Copenhagen and we were off. There are side roads designated to cyclists. Ronja taught me the hand signs that are self explanatory (point out the right hand if you are going right and vice versa). As we were riding, I was learning the rules of the road. It was an amazing experience to be out in the city commuting in a culture doesn't see sustainable efforts as a mandate but something that just makes sense economically and is easy to do. Ronja told me she rarely rides the bus or takes public transportation because of the cost that is continuously increasing. I could see why. We made better headway to the Norreport Station than the Bus ride last night.



The place that Ronja took me to was Freetown Christiania. It is simply an autonomous neighborhood of 850 residents on 85 acres of land. She told me this was a place where the hippies tended to live and congregate. It is a land of settles that have basically built up a society from scratch. For instance, all the houses are built from families or individuals who live in them, which presents a very unique design in comparison to the rest of Copenhagen. Ronja took me on a walk around the lake that she goes to in the spring and summer to wave board. There was an organic restaurant that Ronja highly recommended. As we had lunch, we saw a group of police officers integrating students and anyone else involved in drug trade. This neighborhood has it problems primarily with drugs, but as Ronja tried to show to me that there is a whole other aspect to this place that many are not willing to see or understand. If interested for more info on Christiania , you can visit this Wiki address - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christiania

That afternoon I was swamped with emails about side events in the Bella Center from several list serves I had joined recently. In less than a day, I received 80 emails. There was a topic that I found interesting starting at 8 PM and I thought I would at least try to go into the Bella Center. Hence, I took a side trip independently to the Bella Center where the UN Conference is held. I met my match with security guards at the gate who where only permitting people with UN badges and was quickly turned around to the subway station.

As I was waiting for the subway I realized the crowds of UNFCC officials and Non-Governmental delegates or observers right beside me who had just left the Bella Center. I thought this was an excellent opportunity to engage in conversation with a few of them. I first met Bakir Lozane, UN Non-Governemental Delegate for Lozane Farms in the Republic of Mocambique. He informed me a little about his work in transferring clean technology in Mocambique to advance sustainable agriculture. It turned out the Bakir Lozane of Lozane Farms and Jose Roberto Fonseca of Instituto Eco-Engenho in Maceio, Brazil were both awarded the "One World Award" from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia Foundation on December 11th, 2009. If you would like more information please visit this following web link: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/12/prweb3329674.htm

Shortly afterwards, I met a UNFCCC official. I introduced myself and as he ran off to the subway recommended that I get participate in the December 12th demonstration from the Christiansborg Slotsplads (Parliament Square) in central Copenhagen to the Bella Center. The point here is that even though I was unable to attend the UN conference, I could still get in contact with some very distinguished leaders.

December 7/8th

Hi everyone,

I just want to fill you all in with what has gone on in the last 36 hours since my departure.

Flight Itinerary

Seattle to Frankfurt, Germany - approximately 9 hours 45 min
Frankfurt Layover - 6 hours
Frankfurt, Germany to Copenhagen, Denmark 1 hour 50 min

The 18 hours of flights went very smooth. I met some wonderful people along the way. For instance, as I walked out of the gate, I met a UN official who was returning to his works in Sri Lanka. He had been training in Seattle for the last couple of months. He had overheard me during the flight as I was talking to another passenger about my plans for COP 15, my summer internship, and the extra curricular activities I am engaged in. He had been sitting right behind me. I gave him my Seattle U business card as we were going different terminals, and he said he would see if you could get me in touch with some UN officials at the conference.

As for the six hour layover, I met David Korn. He is an American political journalist and author, and is chief of the Washington bureau Mother Jones. His plans were parallel to mine. He had just come for Washington D.C and was schedule to leave on the same flight as me to Copenhagen. However, his stay is only for 5 days. He told me his plans for this trip had changed multiple time. He plans were dependent upon President Obama's plan which only a week or so ago became clear that he was to come to COP 15 at the end of the conference and was going to take the climate agreement talks much more seriously. As I told about my role as an official delegate for the Lijiang Green Education Center, a satellite of the Yunnan EcoNetwork, a Chinese Non-government Organization, he asked if there really was such a thing an authentic NGO within China's political system. The truth is that NGOs in China have certain Chinese characteristic that differentiate them the West such as close ties to the local government and conducting itself in a non-confrontational way. It happened that he came across an email invitation from an organization called 1SKY.ORG about an event looking for 50 Chinese youth and 50 American youth. He recommended that I get in touch with the organizer, which I have done. I am currently waiting upon a reply. :) If you want more information on this journalist and author, you can go to this web link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Corn and learn a little more. By the way, if you come across his December 8th post, I was sitting right next to him as he was typing it out at the Frankfurt Airpot.

When I arrived in Copenhagen, I met Ronja, the 23-year old host that I would be staying with for the next 13 days. She found me first as one the youngest looking one coming to baggage claim. We rode the subway from the airport to Norreport, and took Bus 5A another 4 to 5 KM to her apartment. I was drawn to the fact that there were flocks of cyclist on the side of the rode. The apartment is in Building 43 on the 5th floor. The buildings in Copenhagen usually don't go any higher than 5 stories with most of them constructed in the 1920s and 30s and do not have elevators.

I was surprised to find out that the bathroom situation. It is actually not to different from what I experienced during my internship in Lijiang with the outhouse shower. Basically the bathroom is already in close quarters with a toilet and sink. There is a curtain that can use to cover the door and by turning a small knob on the faucet to direct the water to the shower head. It is probably one of the most efficient ways of maximizing space of a single restroom.

Ronja has advised me several days in advance to my arrival that she had an extra bike I could use but needed repairing. That night we picked up the bike and went to the mini grocery store to get some supplies. I took the bike for a little stroll. I began to see how the unquestionable advantages of riding bike in this flat, city setting.

We made a nice homemade spaghetti meal and called it a night around 7 PM.

Purpose and Agenda

Hello family, friends, classmates, and professors,

I want to welcome you to this newly created blog: Copenhagen Trip.

My name is Kevin Osborne. I'm a senior at Seattle University studying Environmental Studies and Mandarin Chinese. I have created this blog simply because I will be traveling on my own to Copenhagen, Denmark from December 7th - 21st. As you may know, the goal of the United Nations Climate Change Conference is to enter into a binding global climate agreement at Copenhagen from December 7th to the 18th, 2009. The goal of this trip is to learn more about climate change and the related environmental issues on a global scale as well as network with business professionals, engineers, environmental NGOs, and politicians.

This trip was truly a last minute endeavor. I booked my plane ticket on Saturday, November 21st. I have to thank Jonathan Harrington, an associate professor at Troy University and author of 'The Climate Diet,' for his encouragement as well as the support and love of my family.

As far as my agenda goes, I will not be able to participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, but there are a variety of events, which I have listed below, I plan to participate in.

1. My main position during my trip will be serving as the official representative for the Lijiang Green Education Center (GEC), a satellite organization of the Yunnan EcoNetwork (YEN). This is a Chinese environmental NGO that I did my internship for this summer in southwest China on biogas technology and rural environmental education. I will be the delegate to spread awareness about the organization to business leaders and United Nations officials and potentially raise funds when appropriate.

2. Klimaforum09 is your climate summit, the global civil society counterpart of the official UN conference in the Bella Center. It will be the biggest climate event in Copenhagen besides the official UN conference. The programme will be featuring international guest speakers, over 150 open debates, 60 exhibitions, music, film and art.

http://klimaforum09.org/?lang=en

3. Bright Green takes place 12-13 December 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark, in parallel with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15). Bright Green brings to life a universe which addresses official delegates, the press, business delegates and the general public. Bright Green combines elements from art, architecture, entertainment and trade fairs. It showcases the business response to the climate challenge – not only as traditional trade fair but also as a live statement from the world’s most innovative and climate-friendly enterprises.

http://www.brightgreen.dk/

4. The Climate Leaders Summit 2009 is a forum for the exchange of practical policy advice between government leader and CEOs of some of the world’s leading low carbon technology companies and financial institutions.

I should also mention that I will have the opportunity to meet Governor Gregoire (WA), Governor Schwarzenegger (CA), and other political leaders including those from Canada leading the way in green initiatives at this event on December 15th, 2009.

http://www.theclimategroup.org/news_and_events/climate_leaders_summit/

5. I hope to travel outside the Copenhagen to tour other cities and areas that showcase the country's renewable energy projects such as wind farms.

6. I also hope to get in contact with the following Chinese environmental NGOs, which is still in the works.

http://www.cycan.org/ - China Youth Climate Action Network (CYCAN) (中国青年应对气候变化行动网络)
http://www.geichina.org/ - The Global Environmental Institute (GEI) (全球环境研究所)
http://www.icet.org.cn/ -Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation (iCET) (能源与交通创新中心)
http://www.juccce.com/ - Joint-US China Cooperation on Clean Energy (JUCCE)
http://www.netimpact.org/ - Net Impact

In terms of housing, I will be staying at a host family in the center of the Copenhagen, 8 km from the Bella Center. They have said they would be more than happy to show my around and get me acquainted to the city.

As for this blog, I will be updating it daily starting on December 7th through the 21st. I will also be uploading pictures on the blog.

Stay Tuned!

Kevin Osborne

P.S I have done other blogs from prior trips. The most recent is when I was in southwest China this summer for three months during an internship with a small Chinese environmental NGO, language study program, and visit to Shanghai. Please feel free to check it out.

The link is kewenosborne.blogspot.com