A Week Lost, A Week Gained

When I got back from my travel break, I was a little bummed out.

After a semester that was mostly devoted to exploration and discovery with fairly little academic BS (we had work, but it was manageable, interesting, and rewarding) I realized that I was going to have to do a chunk of typical, boring, academic writing, which I wasn't looking forward to. In addition, during the two weeks I was away, Copenhagen went from "gets dark early" to "gets dark really early," and the idea of wandering aimlessly around parts of the city stopped being so appealing. So, I spent a lot of time emotionally removed from Denmark during the last two weeks of November. I chatted with friends back home, stayed up ridiculously late, and didn't leave my hall except an occasional shopping trip, plus classes.

Part of my funk was because the darkness, but another part was being somewhat disillusioned by the Danes in my kollegium, and not really knowing where else to meet Danes. And of course, the DIS students were all busy doing work. I guess there was a sense that it was too close to the end to make new friends, and that I might as well do something else. Like play video games. I'm not saying that's true, simply that it's part of what I was thinking.

When we got back from Thanksgiving, I started to go to a whole bunch of get-togethers. Some DIS sponsored, some otherwise. I've been to several Christmas lunches, and also a final reception for my department. This definitely helped me out of it; I enjoy being around people more than being alone, and I think the first party reminded me of that. Also, at the Psychology reception, about 50 people showed me how much they appreciated my presence, which isn't something that happens every day. All of this just made me want to spend the last few weeks as involved as possible.

I felt a little silly this weekend because there was a setup for an environmental display that needed volunteers, and I chose to miss that in favor of a Danish Christmas lunch. It's one of the big DIS-sponsored events, and I'm glad I went, as I got to meet a few Danes, and I was part of a group that was performing. Even so, it felt very typical of me to come up with some excuse to miss out on doing something good for the world. I enjoyed myself, but I think the climate folks needed me more than the singing group did. Next time, I guess. There will be plenty of opportunities in the next two weeks, with COP15 starting tomorrow.

All that aside, I still have to write a paper about something I don't care about. It's an unfortunate thing that happens frequently. I tend to pick topics that I'm interested in, which seem to always be different from what academics are interested in. So, I can't find any evidence or research one way or another, and I change my topic to something more boring. This time it's for my Gender and Sexuality class. I'm on my third topic, and it's about Danish vs. US marriage norms. That's not inherently uninteresting, but there's so much more I'd rather be doing.

However, I'm determined to not let something as trite as homework get in the way of my education.

I got an idea a few days ago for a project I might start on when I get back to the States. We talked in one of the DIS-sponsored climate change seminars about how if we want to remain within the "safe zone" for CO2 emissions, we can only emit about 2 tons of CO2 per person per year. Right now, the average Dane is at about 6, and the average American is at about 22. So, I wondered what a ton of CO2 actually amounts to, and if those numbers could be more accessible to the public. I'd like to create a scorecard of some kind, that says "driving a car five miles = X lbs. of CO2, taking a bus = Y lbs. of CO2." I know there are millions of nuances, i.e. city driving vs. highway driving, the efficiency of your car, etc. But I still think there's a way to make those numbers at least somewhat more accessible to the average person.

I often hear two things on the topic of personal responsibility for climate change. 1) "I changed my light bulbs to the eco-friendly kind, so I've fulfilled my obligation." 2) "It's impossible to live a green lifestyle, so I'm not even going to bother." The first person has not, in fact, done everything possible, and the second person is being pessimistic without even having access to the numbers. I would like to be able to show people exactly what it takes to be "under the line" for CO2 emissions, and also show people that it's attainable.

By the way, if anyone has any resources offhand for this sort of thing, send them my way. The first thing I'll need to do is find dozens of sites that say how much CO2 is emitted by different activities and industries.