Standing in the Ateneum Museum in Helsinki, I look into the eyes of Ida Silfverberg’s self-portrait. I want to reach through the canvas, through time to the 1800s to tell her that it gets better. Thanks to female pioneers like her, and initiatives like the UN sustainable development goals, we are closer to achieving goal 5 of gender equality. After all, I am free to travel the world solo and admire Ida’s art. I also don’t have to fight as hard as women in her day to receive an education, thanks to goal 4; I get to study my subject of choice (philosophy), at the exchange university of my choice (Lund). If only she could see from her frame the progress we have made.
Then I falter, glad that she cannot truly hear my thoughts, because it is not all better now. How could I tell her about the climate crisis, accelerated by burning fossil fuels which powered the Industrial Revolution that defined her era?
But it is not all doom and gloom.
My second-hand outfits from the Erikshjälpen charity shop help to keep clothes out of landfill and in circulation. Although it is not as eco-friendly as in Ida’s time, when people had clothes made to fit them rather than mass-produced on an unsustainable scale, it is much more planet-friendly than opting for fast fashion. Every vintage gem collected is not just a souvenir, it is also a step towards UN sustainable development goal 12, helping responsible consumption. Every darned sock or repaired button breathes new life into my wardrobe, thanks to my trusty travel-sized sewing kit.
There has also been progress towards goal 2, zero hunger. I would tell Ida about People’s Kitchen at Smålands nation, the student organisation saving food waste from local supermarkets and transforming them into free meals for the community every Thursday. I would explain how our fully vegan menu reduces our climate impact, helping those we serve to cut down on their meat consumption, as well as ourselves. On the go, I would introduce her to Too Good to Go surprise parcels, saving food from the bin and saving money at the same time.
Thanks to Scandinavia’s work towards goal 11 (sustainable cities and communities), I can explore in a climate-conscious way. Instead of flying between countries, I can soak up the scenery on trains. I could show Ida how I research routes on the green browser Ecosia, purchase tickets in Lund through Skånetrafiken, or further afield using an interrail pass. I would share my delight in the ferries included in public transport fares in both Oslo and Gothenburg, zipping along the coast in style.
These are all small actions, but they all add up. We must channel some of Ida’s creativity to think of ways to help our planet and ensure there are many future generations of women who wish they could tell us how much better things get.
Resources referenced:
https://sdgs.un.org/goals
https://erikshjalpen.se/en/
https://www.instagram.com/peopleskitchenlund/
https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-gb
https://www.ecosia.org/browser
https://www.skanetrafiken.se/english/
https://www.interrail.eu/en/interrail-passes/global-pass
https://ruter.no/en
https://www.vasttrafik.se/en/
