Living Green

the Swedish Way

By Garrett Faulkner

April 2009

Everything about the House of Sweden — the glass foyer panels cascading with water, tall blondes with sultry accents, monolithic windows offering silent views of the Potomac — is subtle. Nothing screams Scandinavia, but rather whispers it in the quiet, stoic manner of the Norsemen. The interior is Spartan and sheer, an ultramodern lebensraum formed of dark, smooth-hewed maple and glass. On the roof, hidden speakers hum with low, groaning sounds of shifting glacial ice, inducing listeners to silence and transporting them to realms of icy breezes and midnight suns. Ultimately, nobody pulls off natural, minimalist living quite like the Swedes, and with the environmental movement turning heads around the globe, the country is proud to be the green nation par excellence. And, with Sweden taking the helm of the European Union this July, it is determined to show the world the plausibility of sustainable living.
Cue the “Living Green” exhibit, which opened in style (as only Europe can do) with a didactic but unpretentious reception held on March 31. Drinks were simple yet delicious (lingonberry and vodka is a symphony on the palate), and the spread of hors d’oeuvres ranged from skewered smoked herring and salmon to plump morsels of cured reindeer, nestled with berries on a bed of lettuce. Uncommon fare, no doubt, but a powerful indicator of the merits of sustainable food sources. Elsewhere, vivid photographs by National Geographic luminary Mattias Klum animate the more sublime features of nature, while also highlighting the stomach-clenching abuses humanity visits upon it.

Mats Widbom, the cultural counselor for the Embassy of Sweden, states that green living is “high on the agenda for the Swedish government at this time,” especially given the nation’s upcoming leadership role. “The green issue has grown significantly in this city, and it is very nice to have this interest in common with our visitors.” “Interest” may be an understatement — according to Widbom, the exhibit crammed in over 1000 visitors during its opening week alone.

Beyond photographs and exotic tidbits, the hands-on tangibility of the upstairs display affords the exhibit an exciting dynamism. The art and décor prototypes are particularly moving, featuring conceptual home appliances souped up to enhance efficiency while preserving their aesthetic quality. On display can be found a window shade woven with tiny solar panels, as well as a metal-scaled lamp that expands and contracts, flowerlike, regulating its output based on the room’s ambient light. While they may not be ready for deployment on the market just yet, they form a stimulating preview of possibilities down the road.

Hungry visitors will also appreciate the newly opened Café Grön, a chic exhibit-cum-watering-hole where visitors can munch on organic snacks and rich European coffee while reading about the staggering amounts of water and land required to sustain traditional agricultural methods. Knowing that nearly 300 liters of water are required for one bottle of beer should make the earth-conscious cherish that next drink even more.

All exhibits are free and run until June 7. The embassy will stage another exhibit in July on climate issues. For more information visit www.houseofsweden.com.