Young Journalists' blog (FCP 2009)
Post blog:  Helsinki, September 27, 2009
Received and published January 11, 2010
(Susanna Dunkerley, Australia)

Hi,

On a trip to Finland, the land well known for Nokia phones, you'd expect to see locals chatting away on brand new top-of-the-line mobiles. But you won't. Most Finns own mobiles, mostly Nokias, but they are old models - the type known as a "bricks".

It's a strange sight to see businessmen carrying out business on big old phones but it's just one example of the nation's green mentality.

When it comes to the environment, recycling and transport Finns are very, very green.

So they wouldn't see the point of updating a mobile in working order.

The old-school mentality to reuse and recycle is popular, even among children.

You often see them lined up in front of strange looking recycling machines that live inside every supermarket with their bags of cans and bottles.

The machines look like mini MRI scanners with conveyer belts that scan, sort and recycle the cans and bottles before spitting out a refund docket.

And with a minimum refund of 50 (AUS) cents per can it's no wonder the children are keen to recycle.

Another thing you'll notice in most shops is the absence of plastic bags. So don't forget to take a bag, preferably made of hessian, with you.

The green mentality stretches from the city to the countryside, covered with forests and lakes.

Take a walk around the capital Helsinki and you will struggle to find an empty bottle, chip packet or cigarette butt on the ground.

But strangely there are also no rubbish bins around.

Apparently local councils don't see much use for them anymore because Finns are very good at picking up after themselves.

There are also no bins in the national parks, also kept spotlessly clean.

Finns are keen to use public transport rather than cars whenever they can and there's a good reason for it - the system works.

In Helsinki the trains, trams and buses always run on time, they come frequently and run into the wee hours of the morning, seven days a week.

So while you probably won't come back from a trip to Finland with a brand new Nokia phone in hand, you will have some new ideas on how to be green.

All the best,
Susanna
 

Young Journalists' blog (FCP 2009)
Post blog:  Canberra, October 24, 2009
Received and published January 11, 2010
(Susanna Dunkerley, Australia)

Hi,

Just like the long cold winters in Scandinavia, cinema from the Nordic region is often described as dark and gloomy.

But Finnish film director AJ Annila, who is in Australia for the inaugural Nordic Film festival, says the movies are also packed full of dark humour that is sometimes lost in translation.

- "Scandinavian films certainly have a distinct look about them which comes from the nature (setting) and the mentality of the people," he told AAP.
- "They are often described as melancholy but they are also full of dark humour."

Australian moviegoers have the opportunity to see what Scandinavian films are all about at the festival in Canberra and Melbourne.

AJ's latest feature film `Sauna' is headlining the program which includes works from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. 

Set in 1595, his horror film tells the story of brothers Knut and Erik who commit a terrible sin and attempt to find solace in a nameless village which has a sauna that allows people to wash their sins away.

AJ admits he wasn't keen on the idea of tying traditional Finnish sauna culture into the film at first.

- "When the producer put the idea to me I thought it was stupid because there is nothing at all horrible about the sauna."

But he said he became convinced because the symbolism worked well with the movies' themes of sin, repentance and atonement.

- "Back in the days before Christianity the sauna was considered a place of purity for Finnish people and that somehow worked into the film".

The Nordic Film Festival is on at Dendy Cinemas in Canberra until October 27, before heading to Melbourne at Cinema Nova.

More information at http://www.nordicfilmfestival.org.au/

My article: Nordic film festival on in Canberra (Saturday, October 24, 2009 / News / Bigbond, Ausralia) 

All the best,
Susanna

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