Ambassador Brzezinski and Abisko Station Manager Christer Jonasson at the Abisko Scientific Research Station.

Visit to Abisko: Bearing Witness to Climate Change Effects in the Arctic

On April 10, 2013, in Sweden, by Ambassador Brzezinski
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Interest for Arctic issues has increased in the last couple of years as scientists explore, in greater depth, the effects that man-made global warming have on this pristine region.  Sweden is currently the chairman of the Arctic Council and has done a tremendous job in highlighting the challenges that the Arctic is facing.  For example, Sweden has used its chairmanship to institutionalize the work of the Arctic Council by establishing a secretariat in Tromsø, Norway.

My Embassy team and I have put particular emphasis on the Arctic in the last couple of years and collaborated closely with Sweden during its chairmanship. It is hard, however, to comprehend the magnitude of climate change without experiencing it first-hand.

Earlier this week I visited Abisko in the northernmost part of Sweden. The Abisko Scientific Research Station is located above the Arctic Circle, 96 kilometers (60 miles) north of Kiruna.  It is a center located in an ecologically sensitive part of the sub-Arctic, and gathers scientists from throughout the world.

Abisko is a member of SCANNET, a network of thirty-three bases in northern Europe and the United States that seeks to build capacity for research and monitoring in the Arctic. Abisko has gained an international reputation and is attracting scientists from a number of U.S. institutions including the University of New Hampshire, the University of Vermont and Alaskan research stations Toolik Lake and Barrow.

The station is unique in that it has one of the world’s most extensive records dating back to the early 1900s when it was founded. In the form of both data and photos, the research shows how the landscape has changed in the last 100 years.

Our host in Abisko, Station Manager Christer Jonasson, brought us to the adjacent Stordals mire where much of the research is being conducted. A mire is a wetland terrain dominated by peat-forming plants. All over the frozen Stordals mire, scientists have set up equipment — some of the instruments look like props from the Star Wars trilogy — that measure changes in the local environment. They measure variables such as climate, snow depth, ice thickness and ice duration. They monitor hydrology, water chemistry, geomagnetism and atmospheric carbon isotope composition. The research clearly indicates that there have been drastic changes pertaining to both flora and fauna over the years.

Christer explained that scientists have discovered cases where higher temperatures have created ice caps on top of the snow which is making it harder for reindeer herds to access food. Since some of the members of the indigenous Sami are heavily dependent on reindeer, these kinds of findings are extremely important. Christer and his team are working with the Sami to adapt to the changes induced by climate change.  Another recent phenomenon is that the birch forests around Abisko often experience invasions of caterpillars in the spring as it is no longer cold enough to kill off the eggs of those pests.

I would like to extend my great appreciation to Christer Jonasson and the researchers at Abisko who were generous with their time and gave us first-hand experience of how climate change is impacting the Arctic – and also gave us life time memories.

 

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Ambassador Brzezinski, US Consul General in St. Petersburg, Bruce Turner, Mrs. Natalia Brzezinski and US Ambassador to Estonia, Jeffrey Levine

Innovation in the Nordic region: A visit to Helsinki

On February 27, 2013, in Sweden, by Ambassador Brzezinski
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At 4am on what would become a hazy Tuesday morning, my iPhone alarm sang its sharp marimba chorus: Time to go to Helsinki!

Mark and I had been invited by U.S. Ambassador to Finland, Bruce Oreck, to attend the inaugural ribbon-cutting of the first U.S. Embassy innovation center in the world. Innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability have been key foci for us and the Embassy team here in Sweden so it was a great opportunity to fly to Finland and support our Nordic neighbors in our collective American efforts of addressing the challenges of the 21st century with innovative solutions.

Climate change and sustainability are central priorities for President Obama in his second term and something the President highlighted in his progressive, strong State of the Union speech a few weeks ago. In this spirit, U.S. Embassy Finland’s innovation center powered by state-of-the art LED and OLED lighting, incorporating both district heating and cooling operating at over 90% efficiency, nanotechnology provided by the 3M to manage window heat (which we also have in U.S. Embassy Sweden), and even using “the most efficient elevator on the market”, according to the Embassy’s fact sheet on the building that was provided to us.

The ribbon-cutting was attended by the President and Foreign Minister of Finland, as well as the U.S. Ambassador to Estonia, Jeffrey Levine, and the U.S. Counsel General of St. Petersburg, Bruce Turner. It was so fun connecting with both the American delegation and extremely high-level Finnish delegation on an issue of universal importance to us all: innovation and using entrepreneurial, commercially-driven solutions to making positive global change.

Standing on the panoramic balconies overlooking the mystical Baltic, one thing was clear to all of us: we can do so much more working together than on our own. This is something Ambassador Oreck and his fantastic Embassy team helped elucidate by gathering us in a common space around a shared challenge. Thank you U.S. Embassy Finland for an inspiring day!

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U.S. Green Cities Delegation Confirms “All Politics is Local”

On April 20, 2012, in Mark, by Ambassador Brzezinski
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In the late 1970s/early 1980s, then-U.S. Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill, coined the now-famous saying “all politics is local”. This holds particularly true in the United States where the federal system reserves to states and cities most authorities and decision-making powers, making America a “ground-up” society were local action and grass-roots enthusiasm leads the way.

Earlier this week Natalia and I hosted a breakfast for a group of mayors and city representatives from the U.S. National League of Cities to get a flavor of how they are developing and implementing environmentally sustainable solutions. The delegation – representing Baltimore, Maryland; Cleveland, Ohio; Dubuque, Iowa; and St Paul, Minnesota – also met with Swedish counterparts under the auspices of the Swedish American Green Alliance (SAGA) to exchange best practices on urban sustainability to make sure that local politics does not stay local, but that these great solutions spread internationally.

Each of these elected officials displayed an impressive breadth of knowledge and determination to implement effective sustainability programs in their respective cities, each with very distinct and individual challenges and opportunities. Natalia and I were so inspired by the level of commitment and imagination in the room.  Whether it was tackling issues of transportation in Baltimore, spreading knowledge through early education on sustainability in Cleveland, or high-speed rail and an emphasis on public-private partnerships in St. Paul,  each of these city representatives were finding creative solutions to make improve the quality of life for their citizens. By utilizing his years of experience at John Deere Co.  and a dedication to improving the lives of his nine grandchildren, Mayor Boul of Dubuque, Iowa has helped make Dubuque one of the best small cities to raise a family, according to Forbes.

The delegation visited Hammarby Sjöstad together with Natalia. Hammarby has gone from being a former industrial site in the late 1980s to a sustainable neighborhood with cutting-edge holistic solutions that help its nearly 26,000 residents make significant energy savings while also saving money. The goal of the “Hammarby Model” is to integrate energy, water and waste to make the most efficient system possible.  What was once a polluted area populated by squatters, has now become a coveted residential areas for young families and professionals due to its vast and family-friendly “green areas”, efficient garbage sorting system, district heating and goal of making it the first completely electric car area by 2020. Hammarby Sjostad has become a global example of sustainability, and has over 13,000 visitors per year. Our city representatives, along with Natalia, were able to place a peg on a map of the world for all visitors. The map depicted visitors from Canada to China, Norway to Saudi Arabia.

In a similar fashion, the U.S. cities we met have adopted a number of sustainable initiatives. Council member Kraft of Baltimore told us that a 2.25% tax increase on downtown parking has allowed the city to offer free public transport in the city center which has encouraged residents to leave their cars at home.  Mayor Coleman of St Paul informed us about his city’s district heating grid which is run on biomass. Considering St Paul was one of the main destinations for Swedish emigrants in the late 19th century, it is not too surprising that it was two Swedes who constructed the city’s district heating system a couple of decades back

Both Natalia and I were pleased to see how Swedish and U.S. cities are uniting to take the lead in urban sustainability. This goes for both large and small cities. Dubuque, a town of 60 000, and its mayor, Roy Buol, has shown how a small city can serve as a small scale test pilot for bigger cities. As an example, Dubuque recently teamed up with IBM to launch a brand new smart metering system that will allow the town’s residents to keep a close eye on their energy and water consumption as part of Dubuque being IBM’s test bed for its “Smarter Cities” initiative. The overall goal is for this system to be spread around the United States and around the world.

All politics truly is local – sustainability is no exception.

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Wastewater is Serious Business in Sweden

On February 29, 2012, in Mark, by Ambassador Brzezinski
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From left to right: Käppala Managing Director Per Manhem, Lidingö Mayor Paul Lindquist, Ambassador Mark Brzezinski

Northern Stockholm, or the island of Lidingö to be more specific, hosts Käppala water treatment plant which is one of the world’s cleanest facilities of its kind. On Monday morning Lidingö Mayor Paul Lindquist and Käppala Manager Director Per Manhem offered me a tour of this facility.  This facility serves approximately 600,000 people in eleven municipalities in the Stockholm area.

The purpose of the visit was to learn more about Käppala’s active role in providing not just clean water, but the city buses with biogas, local farmers with fertilizer and adjacent households with district heating. The plant was inaugurated in the 1950s but as a result of the rapid growth of Stockholm the plant underwent an expansion in the late 1990s.

At Käppala, sludge is considered valuable stuff and serious business. It is one of few waste water plants in the world that actually generates annual revenue of several million dollars a year alone for the biogas. This is hardly surprising since it has the capacity to provide 100 buses with biogas and 30,000-40,000 houses with district heating. Käppala also generates approximately 20,000 tons of sludge annually which it gives away for free to farmers who use it as fertilizer.
Before sending the fertilizer to farmers, the plant removes 98 percent of the phosphorus in the sludge to make sure it does not end up in surrounding lakes and rivers causing eutrophication. People often talk about the danger of reaching peak oil — the point at which the production of oil begins an irreversible decline — but very few ever speak of peak phosphorus!

Phosphorus is crucial to a plant’s root, flower, fruit or vegetable and seed
development – and we are slowly running out of it. The work at Käppala is therefore important in order to avoid wasting this precious mineral. The plant does not only remove phosphorus but also traces of pharmaceuticals, some of which affects the reproduction of fish.

From left to right: U.S. Ambassador to Sweden Mark Brzezinski, Käppala Managing Director Per Manhem

Käppala clearly serves the people of Stockholm in a number of ways which is probably why it has become such an integrated part of society. I was excited to see how much the United States can learn about how not to waste our waste.

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Jokkmokk!

On February 13, 2012, in Mark, by Ambassador Brzezinski
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Amb. Brzezinski and Governor Eriksson give the thumbs up to cooperation!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trip to the sub-Arctic I took last week with several Embassy colleagues advanced a number of priorities of my mission here in Sweden:  Working to advance the dialogue between America and Sweden to protect biodiversity and the interests of indigenous populations; connecting with young people on their priorities; and commercial diplomacy.

I was delighted to meet the leadership of the Parliament of the Sami people in the northern city of Kiruna, Sweden.  The Sami are the indigenous people who inhabit a landmass covering parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia.  Our conversation quickly zeroed in on the practical challenges they face in protecting their way of life.  Reindeer herding – from summer to winter feeding and breeding grounds – is increasingly under threat as traditional migratory routes are faced with development and transport corridor building, and as climate change affects the overall biodiversity of the region. Striking a balance between the Sami people and industry will be difficult, but not impossible, and what is needed, and what I hope is genuinely underway, is open and constructive dialogue between interests that are not irreconcilable.

 
It was at the Jokkmokk Winter Conference where I felt I had an incredibly thoughtful and honest discussion with a large group of young people.  In the morning of that day, Embassy Economic and Environment Counselor Laura Kirkconnell and I went dog sledding, a truly memorable Arctic experience, in sunny weather but incredibly cold temperatures.  The thermometer was minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-32 C), and after an hour of dog sledding the pain from the cold was palpable.  It was telling that my guide Stina asked to look at my face to see if she could see white spots – evidence of frostbite.  Thankfully there were none – and all I was left with were incredible memories.

 
Over 200 young people signed up for the Jokkmokk Winter Conference, and I welcome the passion, creativity, public mindedness and energy that was brought to the table by participants.  It is meeting with groups of young people like this when you can’t help but have hope for the future.   I sat on a panel with the Russian Ambassador and the Canadian Chargé d’Affairs.  The questions were direct and spirited.  I welcome more such frank discussions.  I was especially proud that there were two American Fulbright scholars present, studying topics pertaining to socio-political questions the societies of the North will have to address.  The Fulbright program is one of America’s best exports: It gives rising stars a year to ask and try to answer really tough questions.

 
The last day of our trip we went to the Northern City of Luleå, where we had lunch with the Governor of Norrbotten province and the Mayor of Luleå.  The pride that these two leaders take in both the traditions of the region, but also the region’s future, was clear.  We visited the site where Facebook’s data center is under construction.  This will be Facebook’s first data center outside the USA, and I jumped at the chance to travel there. I can tell you the cool Arctic air that attracted Facebook to choose this site was very much apparent, as it was about minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit (-26 C).  I am deeply impressed that the data center will be powered primarily by renewable energy, and is being built not far from the 17,000 student Luleå University, with clear benefits derived from being close to a strong research institution and new ideas. The regional incubator – geared to bringing more creative industries – is incredibly sophisticated and globally oriented at a time when we are all connected.

 
My trip up north exposed me to great traditions, but also hopefully the bright future, of the sub-Arctic region.  Protecting biodiversity, indigenous people traditions and economic cooperation are by no means mutually exclusive goals.  Through dialogue, openness, transparency in decision-making, these goals are absolutely reconcilable.  I will remember the beauty of the landscape, the ruggedness of the people, and the strong Arctic sun which every day sheds light on the hopefully bright future of the sub-Arctic region.

See more photos from the trip on the Embassy’s Flickr photostream:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/usembsweden

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Kiruna: In the air, on land and below the Earth

On February 3, 2012, in Natalia, by Ambassador Brzezinski
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Ambassador and Mrs. Brzezinski outside Esrange near Kiruna, Sweden

In the past 36 hours, I’ve observed the enormous capacity of man thousands of miles into space, and been plunged thousands of feet below the earth surrounded by molten rock and impenetrable darkness. From the Esrange Space Center to the vast LKAB iron ore mines, the impressive level of dynamism and symbiosis with nature that Kiruna, the northernmost city in Sweden with a population of less than 20,000 inhabitants, encapsulates is undeniable. Its strategic location makes it suitable for cutting-edge experimentation and it’s an example of a region not limited but buoyed by environmental awareness.

 
As I prepared for my trip north of the Arctic Circle (Kiruna is 145 kilometers (90 mi) north of the Arctic Circle), I was inundated with descriptions of untarnished forests, biting temperatures, and roaming reindeer. But instead of the soporific quality I expected, Kiruna is bustling with industry and linking the world from air, space and land in an amazing breadth of connectivity and information.

 
We began our trip by touring the Esrange Space Center. Started in 1964, it has become a leading research center for launching experimental sounding rockets, balloons and satellites. The center boasts more than 23 different nationalities working together on aeronautic experiments that attempt to answer the questions of the moment on ozone depletion, gravity and sustainability. As space becomes busier, more competitive and more cluttered, centers like Esrange are on the cusp of facilitating cooperation in this unregulated frontier.

 
Our first day in Kiruna turned out to be not only intellectually but also visually illuminating: the evening was capped off by an incredible display of the Aurora Borealis shining above our hotel room, with three pale green, luminescent lines like paint strokes splashed across the heavens.

 
The next morning, we toured the LKAB iron ore mines closer to the center of Kiruna. This mine alone provides 90 percent of the iron ore for the European Union, and is one of the largest iron ore mines in the world. In a true feat of modern engineering, we drove through a network of paved two-lane highways zigzagging through the rock as we spent nearly two hours viewing the facilities. The mine boasts a large conference center, multiple loading docks and layers upon layers of tunnels where massive, remote-controlled machines break rock and collect ore in record time. But for me, one of the most impressive features was that nearly fifteen percent of the employees manning the control stations were women. In one of the most traditionally and symbolically male-dominated occupations, that is a feat of engineering in itself!

 
One challenge for the city is managing the expansion of the mine and maintaining the sacred balance between man and nature that is so critical to the identity of Kiruna. This challenge will be tested this year, as the entire city must be moved to accommodate the natural growth of the mine. People, cultural landmarks and homes will be literally lifted and moved to a more stable setting, or completely razed and rebuilt. Despite the overwhelming nature of this task, there seems to be a level of trust and communication between the public and industry that will hopefully ease this transition.

 

In many ways, the Arctic region both asks the tough questions and holds the complicated answers to the future of our environment. This trip made me focus more on the potential for cooperation between man and land, and how we can create harmony through respect and awareness.

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To a great 2012!

On January 11, 2012, in Mark, by Ambassador Brzezinski
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As the new U.S. Ambassador in Sweden, I can’t tell you how enthusiastic I am about the coming year.  I want to share with you some of the events the Embassy is organizing, but first an anecdote.

 
After I was confirmed by the Senate to be Ambassador to Sweden, I had the opportunity to ask former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright for her advice on what makes a good Ambassador.  Her wise response was illuminating:

First, good ambassadors “don’t take themselves too seriously” [Good advice, and not just for Ambassadors!]

Second, she said, the way America is viewed around the world is changing and can be shaped positively by a dynamic embassy team that listens and learns and engages in a humble and inclusive way with the people and government of the country in which they are posted.

As Ambassador, I take that advice to heart, and as I plan our agenda for 2012 I am working with my embassy team to engage with the government and people of Sweden in way that helpfully interprets American priorities, policies and perspectives.  And a great agenda is beginning to materialize.
In 2012, Sweden will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Raoul Wallenberg, a diplomat whose efforts to save Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust clearly demonstrate the importance of not being indifferent.  He paid with his life for that commitment.  It will be our mission at U.S. Embassy Sweden to advance the American – Swedish relationship in a way that honors that legacy.

 

At the U.S. Embassy, we have formed an internal cluster to think how best to celebrate the basic values Raoul Wallenberg stood for.  One excellent recommendation that emerged from our team – and that we will implement in 2012 at an appropriate time for planting – is to plant a horse chestnut tree in honor of Raoul Wallenberg.  That strain of tree is famous from the legacy of Anne Frank, as it was a horse chestnut in the center of Amsterdam which she mentioned in her diary.  The tree will be endowed with a Raoul Wallenberg plaque.  It will serve as a living symbol of Wallenberg’s legacy that we hope will inspire future generations of both Americans and Swedes to protect basic values as a universal imperative.

 
Sweden now holds the rotating chairmanship of the Arctic Council.  Since the United States is a member of that Council, we at U.S. Embassy Sweden are enthusiastically working with Sweden to advance our common goals of protecting the environment and conserving the Arctic’s biological resources while promoting economic cooperation.  At the end of January I will travel to Jokkmokk in the northern Norbotten province of Sweden to attend and speak at the Jokkmokk Winter Conference.  It will be my goal to convey at the conference my deep personal passion for protecting the environment and biodiversity, and to listen and learn from other attendees on how we can work together to address climate change and its effects in the Arctic that are threatening the future of the North.

 
In 2012, we will be working hard to tactically implement Secretary of State Clinton’s vision of Economic Statecraft.  The Secretary has been eloquent in articulating the overlay between the commercial context and the strategic context.  Deputy Secretary of State Tom Nides also crystallized it when he said “We are living at a moment when economics is at the heart of what it means to lead in this world.”  I and the Embassy team will focus on a multi-pronged strategy when it comes to Economic Statecraft:  promoting public-private partnerships especially when it comes to socially responsible causes, and bringing in U.S. trade missions to promote business to business relationships.  In the coming year, our embassy will also work on a variety of initiatives designed to partner with Sweden to promote anti-bribery and anti-corruption overseas.  With the Arab spring, the timing has never been more ripe for engaging young people and women in entrepreneurship, sharing best practices and transferring American and Swedish values of openness and transparency.

 
Also on our agenda early in 2012 we are focusing on military ties as a top priority, because Sweden is a role model for what it is to be a helpful NATO partner.  The United States salutes the valuable contributions of Sweden in Afghanistan (where Sweden has over 500 troops) and in Libya, where as part of the coalition the Swedes deployed eight aircraft for reconnaissance purposes.  I am very pleased to say that in January we will welcome former Deputy Secretary of Defense Bill Lynn to Stockholm.  Our embassy is partnering with the Swedish think tank “Folk och Försvar” to host a lecture series, and Mr. Lynn will be presenting a lecture discussing cybersecurity and defense restructuring.  As Mr. Lynn wrote in a 2011 article in Foreign Affairs, “cyber technologies now exist that are capable of destroying critical networks, causing physical damage, or altering the performance of key systems. In the twenty-first century, bits and bytes are as threatening as bullets and bombs.”  It promises to be a fascinating discussion.

 
So we are just thrilled with the beginning of 2012 – and hope you are too — as they say here in Sweden “Gott Nytt År!” – Happy New Year!

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We’re all in this together

On December 7, 2011, in Mark, by Ambassador Brzezinski
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Today marks the arrival in Stockholm of a person who personifies American leadership and great science:  Dr. Steven Chu, US Secretary of Energy. We at the U.S. Embassy are thrilled that Dr. Chu has come to Sweden for Nobel week.  Dr. Chu is a former Nobel Laureate, sharing the prize for physics in 1997.  He has run a national laboratory, is the holder of ten patents, and has published nearly 250 scientific papers — a background that spans invention, scientific collaboration, and real results on turning new ideas into action.

In announcing Dr. Chu’s selection as U.S. Secretary of Energy in 2009, President Obama said, “The future of our economy and national security is inextricably linked to one challenge:  energy.  Steven has blazed new trails as a scientist, teacher, and administrator, and has recently led the Berkeley National Laboratory in pursuit of new alternative and renewable energies.”

While I am not a scientist, I am passionate about the environment and where our world is going.  I feel most at home in the calm and stillness of nature.  There’s a place in Virginia where my family has gone for years, in the Blue Ridge mountains, for hiking and hunting, where the changing of the leaves marks the passage of time — and where every once in a while if one is very lucky one can see a black bear or wild bobcat.  When my family first moved to Washington DC in the 1970′s, the Potomac River used to freeze practically every year.  Now it rarely freezes at all.  I want my daughter and all of our children and grandchildren to live in a safe, prosperous and healthy world.  And I am very happy that the person in the United States leading our pursuit of alternative and renewable energy brings a genuine and accomplished scientific background to this challenge we all share.

I’ve been in Sweden as Ambassador for 19 days now.  One thing I hear from practically everyone is how important it is that we strive to find new solutions to energy challenges and global climate change.  It’s widely recognized that this is a challenge that does not recognize borders and national boundaries.  To make sure that we get the resources and technology to the countries that really need it, without losses through bureaucracy and corruption, the United States at this moment is collaborating with other nations, including Sweden, to put the essential mechanisms and governance in place to actually implement the important international agreements already made in Copenhagen and Cancun.

Here at the U.S. Embassy, we are working hard every day through the Swedish American Green Alliance (SAGA) to do things that make a difference — sharing technology, ideas and approaches and facilitating dynamic partnerships between Americans and Swedes.  And we want to welcome you to take part — please visit the SAGA website to see the best of what is happening on sustainability – in Sweden, in the United States, and more and more in partnership between our countries.  If you see something already happening in which you would like to be a partner, or have your own story to share so those who many want to partner with, or learn from, you can see it: send it to saga@state.gov.  Change starts with an idea, which by working together we can make reality.  But it means you need to share that project you are working on, or that “light bulb” idea in your head with the SAGA network so that we can all work together to tactically implement it.  We are all in this together.

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Hi, my name is Mark Brzezinski

On November 25, 2011, in Mark, by dunnettcg
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Hej – Mitt namn är Mark Brzezinski och jag är USAs nya ambassadör till Sverige. Jag är ytterst tacksam för detta viktiga uppdrag och jag ser fram emot att fördjupa den historiska vänskapen mellan våra länder.

U.S. Ambassador Mark Brzezinski dressed to meet HM King Carl XVI Gustaf

Hi, my name is Mark Brzezinski and I’m the new ambassador of the United States in Sweden. I am profoundly grateful for this important opportunity to further the historic friendship between the United States and Sweden. On November 24, I had the great honor to present my credentials as ambassador to His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf, thus formally beginning my representation of my country here in Sweden. I want to thank both President Obama and Secretary Clinton for entrusting me with this important mission. I’d like to share with you some photographs from that wonderful day.

I have moved to Sweden with my wife Natalia and daughter Aurora. We know Sweden has a strong reputation as a very family friendly place. We are looking forward to family life here and learning lessons about “lagom” (balance). I am very excited that my young daughter will spend a portion of her childhood in Sweden, no doubt learning the language better than me!

My wife and I are both first generation Americans, and our families are originally from Central Europe. I was born in America to parents cast on its shores by World War II. Growing up I learned the American story of hard work and opportunity. My parents taught me the importance of public service and instilled in me a love of my country. We are genuinely enthusiastic to live in Sweden.

We can see already what amazingly beautiful nature there is to explore here. I am passionate about nature and the environment, in part because I grew up in a little rural haven, within the Washington DC metropolis. We lived in a pre-Civil War farmhouse, had a horse named Strawberry and a German Sheppard named Napoleon, and my Mother – an artist – raised bees for honey. I remember my parents gardening tomatoes and herbs, and taking my brother, sister and me on “rock hunting” at rock pits in places like Colorado and North Carolina. My family and I look forward to feeding our love of the outdoors by going berry picking and hiking in Sweden’s forests during the summer, and to skiing and skating in the winter.

I am aware there is already outstanding cooperation between the United States and Sweden on environmental sustainability and alternative energy that is not only helping protect our planet, but also creating business opportunities and research collaboration for both countries. I will be a strong supporter of continuing those efforts. Since the United States is a member of the Arctic Council, I can’t wait to work with Sweden as the current Chair to advance our common goals of protecting the environment and conserving the Arctic’s biological resources while promoting economic cooperation.

Coming to Sweden at this time is a magnificent challenge. Sweden is a very important partner in the turbulent world in which we now live. Sweden has joined us in Afghanistan and Libya and continues to lead in promoting integration of the Balkans in to the EU. In Afghanistan, Sweden has been supporting the Afghan people as part of the international coalition — providing healthcare, education and other support. In Libya, Sweden’s contribution is an example of a country that is not even a member of NATO stepping up and taking a principled stand in protecting vulnerable people and universal rights. The people of the Balkans have been the recipients of the national generosity of Sweden’s development assistance programs. Not only in terms of manpower and resources, but also in terms of moral authority, Sweden is a special partner in the challenges we face.

The leadership Sweden has shown regarding the Eastern Partnership is an excellent example of how a country can quietly go about making a difference. Sweden supported the democratic aspirations of its Baltic neighbors two decades ago, and today backs those caught under the weight of oppression in Belarus, and increased development of the rule of law in Ukraine.

Let me close with a personal story: My Grandfather, Tadeusz Brzezinski, served as Poland’s consul general in Leipzig, Germany from 1931 to 1935. As Consul General, he provided Polish passports to Jews, even if they were not Polish citizens, so they could be freed from imprisonment or leave Nazi Germany. His story is part of what informs my belief that basic values are a universal imperative. In 2012, Sweden will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Raoul Wallenberg, a diplomat whose efforts to save Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust clearly demonstrated the importance of not being indifferent. He paid with his life for that commitment. It will be my mission to advance the U.S.-Swedish relationship in a way that honors that legacy.

As I know Swedes do, I place the highest importance on my family. My wife Natalia and I are a strong team for each other, and we want to be a strong team in the important responsibility of representing the United States here in Sweden. That is why we thought it would be fun and useful to do this blog as a joint enterprise. We will alternate our posts, so that we can share perspectives from both of us of how we are experiencing Sweden in the various roles as: ambassador, diplomatic spouse, husband, wife, father, mother.

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