christinacopeland2009

Hi everyone!

So it’s finally getting warmer here in Sweden (above freezing everyday, and sunny!), which means that the snow is slowly melting. The nicer weather made me think it was a good idea to try out my first bike ride in Sweden – little did I know that melting snow actually means lots of ice. I borrowed my roommates bike to go to the closest grocery store, which should be a 15 minute bikeride. There are great bike paths here (it’s like a separate road system), however they could use some more signs – I got lost and a 15 minute bike ride turned into an hour. This increased time could also be due to the fact that I walked my bike on the parts where I feared for my life because of a jagged mess of ice and slush. A good experience, but I’ve decided to wait until the ice is gone before I go on my next ride

My roommates were discussing something interesting yesterday – Sweden is talking about collecting yard waste (specifically grass clippings) as part of the garbage collection,to use in the production of biogas. They already collect compost as a standard part of the trash system. If they were to do the program, they’d start with farms (which have a lot more grass clippings) and then spread it to households. I find it amazing that the Swedes are so compliant towards recycling and composting, and grass clippings would be taking that even a step further. I’d be really impressed if a program like this worked. There seems to be much more agreement and willingness to be environmentally friendly from everyone here – I like it!!

I’m going to Amsterdam this weekend to meet up with some friends. Next week I’ll be putting up a post about the food here in Sweden!

1.    ginarhee2009 03.29.10 @ 6:59 am      

   I finally got to read all your posts! It’s great how you can integrate your interests to your experience in Europe. Your next stop should be geneva though, they don’t have a recycling system. it’s heartbreaking.