Fund for Teachers Fellows take over Iceland!

Today was our first day in Iceland! What do Boston teachers do in Iceland? Well, find other Boston teachers of course!! One of the highlights of our first day was hanging out with a fellow science teacher and discussing our plans! Alex is here as well on a fellowship funded by Fund for Teachers studying different ways of producing energy in Iceland and around the world at the School of Energy. Kristen and I had a wonderful time discussing how electrical energy is being produced from Ocean waves, as well as how we can help bring all of these new ideas back home to our students! Hopefully we will meet him again on our last day here! 

First impressions: light, cold, and swimming pools

We arrived very early (5:30 am) to find the sun high in the sky and a bright eerie daylight.  The shuttle bus ride from the airport was an hour's drive through vast lava fields with mountains in the background.  Once in the city we walked to the outskirts to a large public geothermal pool, Laugar Spa.  It was quite chilly and we passed through a vast green valley.

After a refreshing swim in the outdoor pools, we took a tour of the facility and learned that pools are a big part of the culture here, a social gathering place akin to a pub in England.  Going to the pool involves a complex etiquette that kind locals explained to us.  We also learned that almost all of the many public pools are heated through geothermal energy (naturally occurring heat coming from the ground) and require no electrical energy.  Which is pretty amazing because one of the hot tubs was 42C (about 108F) and it's only 55F outside today! 

So WHY are you going to Iceland?

I’ve heard this question a lot over the last couple of weeks.  It might seem like a random place to go, this little island in the northern Atlantic Ocean. 

But Iceland really isn’t a weird destination for science teachers like Amanda and I, who are concerned about the impact of climate change.  Because Iceland, you see, produces over 99% of its energy by geothermal processes and hydropower (more on what those are later), and that means that Icelanders produce very little carbon dioxide, the gas that is the main cause of global warming.  They are the world’s leaders in preventing climate change! 

By contrast, here in the US, we make about 81% of our energy by burning fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, and coal), which produces enormous amounts of carbon dioxide. 

We want to find out how Iceland manages to produce energy so responsibly, and learn about how Icelanders think about energy, the environment and climate change.  And then we want to share what we learn with our students, colleagues, and others.  Maybe we can start a conversation about how we here in Boston could produce more of our energy in ways that don’t make carbon dioxide.  I hope so.

You trust me, right?

The adventure has already begun and we haven't left Boston yet!  Last night we took a three-hour intro to rock climbing class to prepare us for our Iceland travels. 

Neither of us had ever done any climbing.  With the help of Rob, our incredibly patient instructor, after about 45 minutes of buckling, clipping, knot tying, and lots of tugging we were all geared up (and slightly frustrated). 

But that was the easy part.  Then we actually had to scale these three-story-high walls by climbing up these impossibly tiny, irregularly shaped little plastic knobs stuck in them.  ARE YOU SERIOUS?  But we did it.  Both of us.  Several times each. There I am on the wall in the pic below.

That's where the trust piece came in big-time.  Because while I was climbing up that wall, Amanda was my "belay" --  she was holding taut the other end of the rope that was tied to my harness.  She was all that was preventing me from death if I slipped.  So now I know that I really do trust her! 

Final preparations for our Arctic adventure!

I am so excited to go to Iceland.  I am looking forward to many things…

…seeing glaciers and volcanoes as I drive a huge 4X4 Land Rover across the wilderness,

...learning about how Icelanders use hot springs to produce electricity,

…eating wacky fish dishes (like rotten shark, an infamous local delicacy!),

...swimming in the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa,

…experiencing over 20 straight hours of daylight – it’s only dark for a little while each night. (I think I better bring an eye shade!)

Amanda and I are sitting here at Panera in Porter Square hatching plans.  We have a big shopping trip to buy hiking gear and a rock-climbing lesson scheduled for Monday, and we leave Wednesday for Reykjavik.  Check back soon for updates!

7 DAYS AND COUNTING!!!!

One week to go!!!  I can't wait to head to the land of FIRE and ICE, ICELAND!! There will be so many firsts..... hiking on a volcano and glacier, eating rotten shark....wait... taking pictures of KRISTEN eating rotten shark ;-)..., rock climbing, and of course learning how Icelanders are stepping up to the plate with Climate Change...

But before we go... A rock climbing class!!