Shower together, etc.

There are many things in magical Norway that will catch your attention – the crisp weather, those little tiny snowflakes falling from the sky, the fjords or narrow inlets between high cliffs and if you’re lucky, the northern lights.

But something else caught my attention during a recent visit to this so-called Land of the Midnight Sun – the conscious way of living that Norwegians practice.

In the bathroom of my hotel room in the charming city of Tromso, there is a sign that says: Save Water, Shower Together. And then for the toilet flush, there is a button which saves more water and one for just the regular whoosh.

In convenience stores, sellers ask if you need a bag and a printed receipt. When we ate in a popular restaurant known for its salmon, we were invited to watch the whole journey of the salmon – from the sea to the table – teaching us the importance of taking care of the world’s marine life.

On a dinner cruise in Tromso, the boat was as silent as a sleeping baby. It was running on electricity.

The word to describe all this is sustainability and I was very impressed by the way Norway and its people have successfully embraced this conscious living ethos.

It’s no wonder that Norway is hailed as the most sustainable country in the world, according to investment engineering group RobecoSAM.

It’s truly impressive and soon as I got back from the trip, organized by the MVP Group – which is also very big on sustainability – I sat down with Norwegian Ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency Christian Halaas Lyster to learn more about Norway’s journey and how it successfully reached this point of conscious living.

A long journey

Amb. Lyster explained that Norway’s journey took a long time.

“I can actually go back to 1987 because the first time it hit the headlines was after this report, Our Common Future,” he said.

The report is more commonly known as the Brundtland Report, which was published in October 1987 by the United Nations in recognition of Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Norwegian Prime Minister and chair of the World Commission on Environment and Development.

“One major thing about sustainability and sustainable practices is that they take time and now of course in Norway, sustainability and sustainable development are something that have the broad support of the population but it didn’t come overnight,” Amb. Lyster said during our interview.

You take one step at a time, he said and all players in society play their part, especially consumers who demand sustainable goods.

“People embrace sustainability but they also demand it. The big, big part is that consumers demand that the goods they are buying are sustainable,” he said.

Wow. Imagine that.

It was quite an insightful interview. And it’s good to know Norway is sharing lessons with countries like ours.

Last February, for instance, the Norwegian Embassy in Manila met with young Filipino innovators during a field visit of the Ending Plastic Pollution Innovation Challenge (EPPIC) in Samal Island in Mindanao.

EPPIC is an ASEAN-wide innovation challenge that aims to tackle marine plastic pollution through community-based innovative solutions. This initiative is supported by UNDP and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.

There are many other initiatives from the Norwegian Embassy which is good because a developing country like the Philippines needs all the help it can get to help us get there, too; to help us embrace sustainable and conscious living not because it sounds good and fine but because it is necessary, especially now that the planet is burning.

My take away from the interview is that a country’s sustainability journey must be a joint effort of all stakeholders – government and policymakers, corporations and the people as Amb. Lyster said.

Absolut Distillers and sustainable jet fuel

It’s good that in the Philippines, many companies are already embracing sustainability.

Ethanol Producers Association of the Philippines (EPAP) chairman Gerry Tee, also COO of Absolut Distillers, shared with me for instance the news that Absolut is working with the US Grains Council to help the company retool its distillery so it can produce sustainable aviation fuel.

This is a major step toward sustainability.

Gerry said Absolut will need to retool its distillery so it can use corn – instead of molasses – to produce ethanol.

“Different grains, so different systems but this would be good and would also help us shift to a higher blend which is Ethanol 20 or E20 from E10,” Gerry explained.

The process is going to take some time, perhaps a year and an investment of at least P1 billion but Gerry said it’s a positive and necessary step toward sustainability.

For the ethanol industry, it might also be the shot in the arm it needs to keep the sector alive and well, especially since it is having a difficult time securing molasses for ethanol production given the limitations imposed by sugar regulators – but that’s another story.

But congratulations to Absolut and EPAP for leading the way.

At the end of the day, embracing sustainability is serious work. Green washing just won’t cut it.

In our homes, we must start living consciously. It is easier said than done and it will require so much more than just showering together but we must all start somewhere.

*      *      *

Email: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen (Iris Gonzales) on Facebook.