Experiences

Lena Måwe is protective of the deep traditions that lie behind the art of glassblowing, even as she strives to reduce the environmental impacts of her own studio, Ramnäs Glashytta. “You don’t have to take away the color or produce boring glass just to make it more environmentally friendly,” she says. Måwe and her partner, Carl Ryd, work with...

Winter can be a tough time for the grass on golf courses in higher latitudes, with significant damage to greens and fairways often caused by  snow, ice and wind. On top of that, there’s the problem of infestation by microorganisms such as the snow mold fungus Microdochium Nivale. Snow mold is a problem mainly in areas with cold weather...

Swedes have a large and growing passion for motor home and caravan camping, and there are many who use their recreational vehicles all year round. Between 8,000 and 9,000 new caravans and motor homes are registered each year. Caravan trailers are more common, but the percentage of self-propelled mobile homes is increasing. The value of new recreational vehicles amounts...

Sprayed polyester is a great material for building practical and inexpensive boats, but the process can be hazardous to workers and it releases air pollution that is difficult to control. For about a decade, the Swedish boat builder Ryds Båtindustri has been using a vacuum injection technique that improves the workplace environment and cuts emissions by as much as...

After eight years as a management consultant for Accenture, civil engineer Linda Krondahl was looking for something new. Drawn to return to a past career in product development and convinced that solar energy would enjoy strong growth in coming years, she set out to create a solar lamp for off-grid use that could stand up to harsh climates and...

It may be hard to see a great deal of environmental advantage in racecars screaming around a track, but that’s just what the backers of a new project are hoping to achieve. The European energy giant E.ON, the automaker Vokswagen and LRF, the Federation of Swedish Farmers have joined forces to enter a stable in the 2009 Swedish Touring...

Imagine hiking in the foothills of Sweden’s majestic northern mountains on a clear, cold autumn afternoon, senses alert as you steal silently through pristine woods in search of the shy giant Alces alces, or moose, the largest member of the deer family. With or without the rifle needed to bag a trophy, the hunt itself is a powerful and...

For most Europeans, the term “charter vacation” is synonymous with air travel. Since the 1960s, millions of Germans, Scandinavians, Britons and others have taken advantage of popularly priced getaways to soak up the sun in more southerly climes. And although the charter boom has expanded worldwide to and from any number of countries, the basic idea for tour operators...

Richard Looft is certainly not the first person to look at the pollution and fire hazards caused by barbecue lighter fluid and think, “There has to be a better way.” But most people who have that thought don’t set out to design, fabricate and market a practical alternative. And fewer still have met with more than limited success. With...

Sweden has one of the highest numbers of golf courses per capita in Europe. Sweden has 450 golf courses covering a total of 30,000 hectares, and new golf courses are beeing planned. The Swedish Golf Union, SGF, has 575,000 members for whom golf provides an opportunity to enjoy fresh air, exercise and recreation. Every season, about 35,000 rounds of golf are played...