Ambassador Brzezinski, Governor Dayton, Foreign Minister Bildt and Mrs. Natalia Brzezinski

Building Bridges for Multiculturalism and Commerce: A Terrific Visit to Sweden by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton

On June 17, 2013, in Sweden, by Ambassador Brzezinski
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This week we had the privilege of welcoming Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and a trade delegation of Minnesota business, universities and scientific and medical institutions to Stockholm, Sweden.  Among the fifty states, Minnesota boasts the highest number of Swedish Americans (almost 500,000).  The family ties, business relationships, scientific and university exchanges, and cultural linkages between Minnesota and Sweden combine to create a strong and growing connection.  The Governor’s visit gave us the chance to frame some of the key opportunities Minnesota and Sweden have to work together to advance common interests.  The values shared between Sweden and Minnesota are so many:  a commitment to cultivating the next generation through great education; the endless possibilities provided by scientific innovation, R&D and global commerce; a love for the great outdoors and a shared Northern topography; and even Ice Hockey – Governor Dayton is a former Division I Hockey player (a goalie), and Sweden just won the Ice Hockey World Championships!!

 

The very first event we held for the Governor was a Diversity Dialogue with the Somali community in Sweden, and we had a mix of people around the table from a variety of fields.  The U.S. Embassy has started a new initiative we call “Diversity Dialogues,” which are an opportunity for us to gather Americans and Swedes to discuss issues related to diversity in both our countries.  Last October, when I travelled with the Swedish King and Queen to Minnesota, I broke off from the delegation to meet with representatives from the American Refugee Committee and the “I am a star” program – a Minnesota-based community project that highlights Somali-American contributions.  This time the Somali community in Sweden, as well as NGO’s and government officials interested in their welfare, had the opportunity to hear from the Governor of the U.S. state with the most Somali-Americans and to hear about Minnesota’s experience with assimilation of the Somali community.  The Governor’s incredibly thoughtful perspective on what has worked and what still needs work in Minnesota was really embraced by the participants in our Diversity Dialogue, and he was able to place his perspective in a context of Minnesota’s 150-year plus tradition of welcoming immigrants.  The Diversity Dialogue was followed by a large reception, where many representatives of Swedish government, business, NGO’s, and academia met the Governor and the Minnesota delegation.  We were deeply honored that Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, Swedish State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Frank Belfrage, and the next Swedish Ambassador to Washington Bjorn Lyrvall attended, demonstrating the significance they place on the Minnesota – Sweden relationship.

 
The following day included a seminar on investing in Minnesota, hosted by the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, during which the Governor and Minnesota Commissioner of Economic Development Katie Clark  presented the benefits of investing and manufacturing in Minnesota to an audience of prospective Swedish investors.  This event was followed by a remarkable presentation at the Karolinska Institute (KI) by KI’s President, Professor Anders Hamsten, on innovation collaboration with Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota Medical School.  The visit included a tour of KI’s incredibly impressive new facilities at their campus in Stockholm.  The terrific Swedish businessmen Jacob Wallenberg and Peter Wallenberg Jr. then hosted a CEO lunch for Governor Dayton, who discussed the business climate and opportunities in Minnesota with a group of CEOs from leading Swedish companies with investments in Minnesota and elsewhere the U.S..  A key topic of  conversation was the potential global impact of the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and Governor Dayton, a former US Senator, was able to offer a prescient set of perspectives on the benefits to both the US and Europe, if such an agreement is consummated.

 
Very importantly, the lunch was followed by the signing of a Sweden-Minnesota Memorandum of Understanding on Bioenergy by Governor Dayton and State Secretary Daniel Johansson.  The MOU follows a series of discussions on ways in which to advance bioenergy projects among government, academia, and business, including a roundtable that coincided with the King and Queen of Sweden’s visit to Minneapolis in October 2012.   Collaboration in bioenergy holds such great possibilities, and the U.S. Embassy is so pleased to support the public-private cooperation represented by this MOU.

 
Governor Dayton’s visit to Stockholm advanced key American values, celebrating multiculturalism; the US and Sweden as immigrant-rich countries; and the endless opportunities to create jobs and share prosperity through global commerce and business connections.

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Terrific Visit to Sweden by Secretary of State Kerry

On May 17, 2013, in Sweden, by Ambassador Brzezinski
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Ambassador and Mrs. Brzezinski greet Secretary of State Kerry upon his arrival to Sweden.

This week, US Embassy Stockholm was honored to support a remarkable and highly productive visit to Sweden by Secretary of State John Kerry, his first visit as Secretary. Two goals were paramount for the visit:  (i) to meaningfully and constructively engage on the future of the Arctic through the Arctic Council, which Sweden chairs and of which the US is a member (ii) to engage Swedish government officials on the challenges we face together around the world.

Secretary Kerry landed in Stockholm early Tuesday morning and got underway immediately with consultations with the Swedish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. Whether it’s the conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan or the nuclear issue in North Korea (where Sweden acts as the protective power of the US), these are not just American challenges but international challenges and we are pleased that Sweden is a key partner in trying to solve them. An enormous shared opportunity is the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; we both look forward for negotiations over this agreement to get underway soon. Prime Minister Reinfeldt and Foreign Minister Bildt are incredibly gracious hosts, and the conversation reflected how genuinely close and results oriented our bilateral relationship is.

Secretary Kerry then went to the US Ambassadorial residence, where he bore witness to the US Embassy’s salute to Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who chose not to be indifferent and saved thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust. The US Embassy planted last year in front of the US Ambassadorial residence a horse chestnut tree (the same kind Anne Frank looked out over from her window in Amsterdam) in honor of Wallenberg.

Secretary Kerry then took a photo with our awesome US Marines, spending time to ask them about their service and where each came from.

Then the Secretary met with US Embassy staff members and families at the US Ambassadorial residence.  It was truly a warm, genuine and inspiring event.  Secretary Kerry immediately invited all the children on the stage with him, providing a poignant moment for the Secretary to reflect on life in the Foreign Service and speak of the great sacrifice, courage and patriotism of their parents. The Secretary took photos with all the kids, and went around the room and shook every hand. It was a wonderful and touching US embassy family moment.

After a casual lunch, in which we had the honor of being joined by US Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who had conducted an important wildlife program in the morning, we left for the High North of Sweden, to Kiruna for the Arctic Council.

The Arctic Council was launched in 1996 to promote cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, in particular on issues pertaining to sustainability and environmental protection.  The United States, together with Sweden, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Russia are members.

The first meeting I took part in was with the Secretary, Senator Murkowski and Alaskan Permanent Participants (including several Native American tribal leaders). The Secretary discussed the Obama Administration’s new National Strategy for the Arctic and then dove right in to discussions about social challenges and biodiversity depletion. It was an incredibly real and honest conversation about the challenges we face together in the Arctic, and what it is we can do together to solve them.

The following morning the Ministerial began, with Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt opening the conference and Minister of Environment Lena Ek reviewing the solid record of Sweden’s chairmanship. Then national statements were presented, and Secretary spoke on behalf of the United States in the most visionary and poignant way. Here are some key passages from the Secretary’s remarks:

·         “It’s an honor to be here in Kiruna, and I begin by saying that there are many areas where the eight Arctic states’ interests overlap significantly. And despite our different sizes and our different cultures, and many of the varied interests that we’ve heard today from permanent participants, we share many values and priorities. But there is nothing that should unite us quite like our concern for both the promise and the challenges of the northern-most reaches of the earth.

·         “Temperatures we know in the Arctic are increasing more than twice as fast as global averages, and they are endangering habitats and they are endangering ways of life.  Last September, the extent of sea ice covering the Arctic reached a record low, threatening marine mammal life and the indigenous and local communities that depend on them.”

·         “So we’re proud to join you today in the important work of protecting and preserving our shared Arctic, not just for the nations that touch it, but for the way that what happens here, for the stewardship that we have responsibility to execute, for the way that it touches every single person around the world and our way of life.”
The Ministerial was followed by lunch in the LKAB mine, the largest of its kind in Europe. Kiruna was founded in 1900 primarily around the extraction of iron. The mining industry remains so important to Kiruna that the town is currently in the midst of moving several large neighborhoods to a new location in order to enable further extraction.  With the local economy booming and with low unemployment numbers, Kiruna is thriving.

Secretary Kerry then returned to Washington. He returned having advanced the US interest bilaterally and multilaterally and the Embassy was honored to have had him here. We live in an ever smaller world, where problems have local roots but global reach. By engaging with our superb partners the Swedes, Secretary Kerry got us that much closer to addressing the challenges of our times.

I will end by saying that to me Secretary Kerry is a particularly inspiring leader. He speaks from the heart; has incredible military service and public service to draw from; and he shares President Obama’s great strategic perspective and vision. It was a deep honor to support his visit to Sweden.

For more pictures from Secretary Kerry’s visit to Sweden, check out the State Department’s Stockholm Flickr page and the Kiruna Flickr page of the trip!

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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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Secretary Clinton’s Historic Visit to Sweden

On June 7, 2012, in Mark, by Ambassador Brzezinski
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Secretary of State Clinton being introduced to Embassy staff by Ambassador and Mrs. Brzezinski

Natalia and I have been in Sweden for less than seven months, but I honestly can not think of any other period of time in my life more packed with excitement than this first half-year in Stockholm.  We have had the time of our lives, and literally every day has been unforgettable.   But just when I thought it could not possibly get any better…the Secretary of State comes to visit!  What an incredible honor – and what an amazing recognition of the importance of our friendship with Sweden, and the high value our most important leaders place on this relationship.  This was the first visit to Sweden in more than 30 years by a U.S. Secretary of State, purely for the purpose of enhancing, deepening, and honoring the relationship between our two countries. And that’s what made it historic.

Swedish-American relations have never been stronger or warmer.  Literally as the Secretary landed on the coldest day in Sweden in decades, the warmth of Foreign Minister Bildt and his wife ,who joined Natalia and I in greeting the Secretary on the wet tarmac, was palpable and set the tone for the entire visit.
Sweden is in the very front ranks with us in direct engagement with the immediate global problems we all confront. Our Swedish hosts were both honored and very pleased the Secretary travelled to Stockholm. They welcomed Secretary Clinton with the same enthusiasm that the staff and families of US Embassy Stockholm did. We are so proud of our Secretary of State, and we are proud of the American – Swedish relationship which her visit deepened and honored.

A Powerful Global Partnership Based on Shared Values

As Secretary Clinton said, Sweden is – and has long been – one of America’s top partners and one of our oldest friends.  Importantly, Sweden brings its diplomatic heft and its development expertise to nearly every corner of the globe.  When it comes to global priorities, whether it is Afghanistan, Iran, counter-terrorism, global economic reform, humanitarian assistance, the Swedes are right by our side.  It is a relationship based on shared and deeply cherished values, values which we and Sweden are both committed to protecting.

At the recent NATO Summit in Chicago, the U.S. warmly welcomed Sweden as one of NATO’s strongest partners, standing with us in Afghanistan as we begin the transition to full Afghan responsibility for security by 2014, as well as working for the betterment of the Afghan people into the future.  In addition, Sweden offered NATO the use of its Nordic Center for Gender in Military Operations, which further demonstrates the strong and positive relationship between Sweden and NATO.  Secretary Clinton recognized this important offer in her remarks in Stockholm with the Swedish Prime Minister Frederick Reinfeldt and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.

Working Together To Keep The Internet Free

The Secretary also noted the close cooperation we share with the Swedes when it comes to protecting Internet Freedom.  She applauded Sweden’s leadership on Internet Freedom issues, stressing that those rights belong in the Internet as much as they do in the “real” world.  She also commended our Embassy for maximizing our social media platforms, and in particular for our our work in reaching out to Swedish bloggers.  As we all know, Foreign Minister Carl Bildt is a prolific blogger himself.  So when he

complimented our embassy’s use of social media as a model for his own ministry to follow, it was high praise indeed! And when it comes to all of the large challenges that know no boundaries, such as climate change, or gender equality, or Internet freedom, it is true that Sweden is not just on the front lines, but leading.  And I am greatly appreciative for all of that work, and look forward to enhancing it in the months and years ahead.

Dealing With Climate Change Together

Personally, I’m delighted that Secretary Clinton also chose to focus on climate and the environment during her visit. Sweden and the U.S. have a strong partnership in this area — both countries are initiators of a global coalition to address short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs). Secretary Clinton joined Sweden’s Environment Minister Lena Ek and H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria at an event launching the coalition’s global awareness-raising efforts, and in her remarks she said: “Few people actually know about the impact we could have on global warming if we aggressively target short-lived climate pollutants.  And fewer still know that many cost-effective solutions already exist and are just waiting to be broadly implemented.”

To bolster the efforts led by Sweden and the U.S. to raise awareness about SLCPs, Secretary Clinton announced a global contest to find the most creative ideas for raising awareness of short-lived climate pollutants and the work that must be done to stop them. You can find details on the contest at www.unep.org/ccac.

It was so terrific to have the Secretary visit Stockholm and to spend some time with our Embassy team and their families.  Our Meet and Greet with Embassy staff and families was warm and uplifting, and reflected the respect and admiration our Secretary of State has for public service.  That she took time for photos with our Marines, our Embassy’s kids and all of us will long be remembered.  As the father of a young daughter with a wife joining me in a commitment to women’s empowerment, it was inspiring to have Secretary Clinton visit Sweden, as she is a global leader on this and many other issues.  In Sweden she finds a willing and capable partner which shares our values, as Sweden’s government today has more women ministers than men, including a female Minister of Defense.  Tack så mycket (“Thank you so much” in Swedish) Madame Secretary!!!!

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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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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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