They say that travel broadens the mind but depletes the pocket, surely very true in the high season Summer months. We spent most of the month of July in Sweden and the Shetland Islands, and a few days in Oslo, Norway. Unusually good weather made us think that global warming is not such a bad thing!

As the days of vacation recede into the past, what are the memories that linger the longest? What if any were the life-changing or inspirational experiences, of anything applicable to Lions Bay? Curiously (or perhaps not so curiously, given my time spent on CAG and community matters), I tended to observe traffic conditions, local attentions to global warming, the carbon footprint, and local or national social issues - hardly the usual material for sun-bathed sandy beaches. Sweden, once a relatively poor northern agrarian country, is now a thriving industrial nation with a social system that is often held up as a model for the rest of the world. The capital, Stockholm, is built on a large number of tree-d islands, providing numerous attractive waterways that are full of sailboats, kayaks, motorboats, cargo vessels, tugs and ferries. Townhouses of about five-eight storeys, often old and with considerable architectural merit, in attractive pastel colours, are common. High rooms and large high  windows show much of the sky. Concrete towers are virtually absent, allowing for a green natural environment. Streets are clean and are swept daily, and litter (apart from a daily accumulation of cigarette butts) is largely absent.

An extremely efficient public transport system of buses, tramways, subway trains and ferries make for very easy travel, and age-friendly discount rates for seniors (and tourists) are available. Bus pullout lanes are a distinctive brick red. Pedestrian crossings allow ample time to cross! Stockholm also has a downtown congestion charge like London and Singapore. This charge applies automatically during working hours and increases during rush hours. This system has reduced air pollution and has speeded traffic flow through the city centre. Car density seems to be quite low, and large private vehicles such as SUVs are rare. There are many biofuel and natural gas cars, as well as normal gasoline cars. Gasoline prices are about double those in Canada. Some of the car rental companies in Europe quote the carbon footprint of their vehicles, overtly promoting the environmental issue of fuel economy. Penalties for impaired driving are severe, and the maximum blood alcohol level is one quarter of what is allowable in Canada.

Swedes all get over six weeks vacation a year. Few people seem to work in July and they are often to be found in the scenic Swedish countryside. Many people own a second summer home, far from the city, in relatively unspoiled picturesque coastal settings. These homes are quite tiny by North American standards, and their size and appearance are regulated by national and local governments to preserve the character and beauty of the vacation environment. It seems that most people enjoy time in the countryside or on ferries or boats among the thousands of islands in the coastal archipelago near Stockholm, contrasting with the confines of the city. The Swedish Constitution provides a "Right to Roam" which grants everyone freedom to walk or hike, camp and collect berries and mushrooms wherever they wish, even on private land, as long as they remain away from houses and don't disturb the owners.

Sweden is one of the nations that is meeting its obligations under the Kyoto Accord to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. It appears to have done this while providing a good standard of living, at least from a superficial first glance. Reasons for this appear to include a strong reliance on hydro and nuclear power for the nations needs (about 45% each). There is talk that the use of fossil fuels (the remaining 10%, mainly oil) ought to be phased out entirely by 2025. In addition, there are substantial energy economies from the use of engineered district heating and well-insulated houses. Indeed, average energy consumption in Sweden is about two-thirds of the Canadian average.

The high frequency of children's playgrounds was quite noticeable, another example of a social early-age-friendliness, and they are filled with both men and women looking after young children. In both Sweden and Norway, there is a strong culture of museums, galleries and public parks that pay tribute to the histories, achievements and social customs of these countries - the stuff that heritage and legacy are made of. The "Vasa ship", the King's Masterpiece that sank after a few minutes into its maiden voyage some five hundred years ago, is a major tourist attraction. While it is an example of misplaced regal folly, it was a remarkable construction of wood and ornamentation in its time. The story of its preservation for all those centuries on the sea bottom and its engineered recovery and restoration are well worth the visit.

Alfred Nobel, with a fortune made from dynamite, gave the world the Nobel Prizes in Science, Medicine, Literature and Peace. His old factories are now a park in Stockholm. We also learned about famous Norwegians, such as Fridtjof Nansen, who was an explorer, artist, scientist and an outstanding "Steven Lewis" humanitarian in the aftermath of enormous human suffering following World War One. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922. He achieved the remarkable feat of crossing the frozen Northwest Passage by ship for the first time a hundred years ago. Roald Amundsen undertook extraordinary daunting tasks of seeking both the North and South Magnetic Poles, the latter completed successfully also a hundred years ago. His expedition proved that the magnetic Pole is not fixed, but drifts over time. An Inuksuk, a gift from Canada to Norway, stands near the Fram and Viking Ships museums in Oslo. The globally important United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, under its eminent Norwegian Chair, Gro Harlem Brundtland, formulated measures aimed at dealing with "the accelerating deterioration of the human environment and natural resources and the consequences of that deterioration for economic and social development".

The Shetland Islands, my birthplace homeland, is an example of a society that became unsustainable. The population grew too large and the once 100,000 people dwindled to a stable number of about 20,000. People left the smaller islands when the local fossil fuel (peat) was used up. The island is tree-less, that resource long since gone. England likewise cut down the last of its extensive oak forests two centuries ago, moving to coal and into the industrial revolution. Many other places have exhausted or seriously depleted their natural resources.

The depletion of Shetland (and much of Scotland) was accentuated by land clearances instigated by greedy landlords. The home economy was bolstered by the fact that most menfolk were on fishing boats or were externally employed in the British Merchant Navy, while womenfolk tended the small farms (crofts) and raised the children. A decline in fishing, changes in agriculture, new EU controls and changes in the operation of the navy, and the insufficiency of local natural resources had its impacts on Shetland. Lives were dominated by hard physical work and low incomes, such that many of the youth emigrated to seek better opportunities elsewhere.

The development of oil fields beneath the North Sea has led to some economic benefits, including twice weekly free buses for seniors, but unfortunately to a decline in cottage industries. Free garbage skips are located at points throughout the countryside for the public to use, and the once common piles of old rusting machinery and waste have all but disappeared. What will happen when the oil fields run dry in 10-?? years is currently unknown and not being planned for today. With the aging of the population, many Council housing units providing partial assisted living have been built in many of the small communities where the local residents can continue to live.  One of the small islands has embraced wind and hydrogen power, and hopes to move entirely to electric cars in the future. The islands have now been discovered as a tourist attraction - a place with the peace and tranquility of soft rolling hills and rugged coastal scenery, with a rich variety of birdlife and a morning and evening chorus of bird song, an "Innisfree" of the north. Catering to the environmental movement, parts of some farms are designated and fenced off as environmentally sensitive areas, and some farms allow designated pathways for walkers. This is the new Shetland.

Lions Bay, as was Howe Sound, was an attractive place to escape to, away from the city. The "old cottage country" rural community with affordable properties has slowly become a more expensive stratum of an urban bedroom environment. "Affordability" no longer has the meaning in Lions Bay that it once had. The size of homes has increased and new multi-family complexes may be on the way. Many of the factors that influence the future of Lions Bay and its environment are beyond our control, just as it was (is) in the Shetland Islands of years ago. Lions Bay is not sufficient unto itself, but depends on an external world for its employment and economy, its food, its materials, its transportation fuels .....  all of the accoutrements of modern civilization. Lions Bay needs to continue to define the limited aspects that it wishes and may be able to sustain, and to set standards to uphold those objectives. In this regard Lions Bay has updated its Official Community Plan, and the Council has signed on to the BC Climate Action Charter. It created a "Green Energy Task Force" that has met regularly since January 2009. Information, reports and articles can be found on the Council website www.lionsbay.ca and on the community website www.lionsbay.net. What will the "new" Lions Bay be like in years to come?