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but all of a sudden, my friends glimpsed him from afar and one of them ran inside to notify me of my father’s long awaited arrival. i rushed outside watching him come closer and closer. he was not walking or driving, but riding on a strange device. 

my old man was riding on a bicycle wearing a beautiful smile. i’m sure he expected me to return the smile but i became disappointed the more he drew closer, so i turned my back. i went inside the house with my head hanging down.

i had suffered disappointment because i saw my father on a bicycle when virtually all the other fathers on my street had by that time switched to cars.

for a long time, bicycles had been a popular form of transportation for people of all classes in nigeria. then in the early 1990s, the mentality shared by most people in my community changed to prefer cars over bicycles, relegating them to be considered only suitable for the poor and lower class. 

the use of bicycles in nigeria has been drastically reduced over the years in the name of development, notably since the beginning of the 4th republic. this period of economic and political reform in nigeria started in 1999 and initiated many market reforms. 

these days, almost everyone prefers motorcycles for both close and long distance trips. car ownership has even turned into competition, with many seeing cars as a status symbol.

according to o.j. matthew, a research fellow in the institute of ecology and environmental studies, obafemi awolowo university nigeria, “carbon dioxide and other notable greenhouse gases, such as methane, tropospheric ozone, and halogen gases, are known to produce a warming effect that triggers climate change.” individuals have some control over greenhouse gas emissions as, “one of the leading sources of carbon emissions to the atmosphere is transportation. therefore, choosing to always ride a bicycle over a few car trips, as your transportation habits, could significantly help to protect the environment from climate change impacts,” matthew said.

unfortunately, according to ceic data global database, vehicle registrations rose nationally in nigeria from 3,750 in 2015 to 11,605 in 2020. 

my efforts to save the bikes

in my neighborhood, it is not uncommon to see a family of five with five different cars parked in their compound. 

the tendency of people in my country to prefer cars over bicycles seems to be a result of a lack of education. 

in order to address this, i shared a vision back in 2016 to increase education and familiarity with the role of bicycles on the environment.

this was aimed at people in my locality and i took every opportunity possible to start teaching people how to ride bicycles. at the time, i was the president of environmental control and management students’ association (ecomsa) in my school which led me to meet an organization of young people called ‘life fitness cycling club’ (lfcc). we struck a deal by subtly reintroducing cycling to the people and massively campaigning for bicycle riding in the society using social media and in-person meetings.

i led ecomsa to push the concept of bicycle riding harder during the commemoration of world environment day 2016 held in obafemi awolowo university ile-ife nigeria in collaboration with life fitness cycling club which recorded approximately 100 participants while thousands watched our activities online.

our group planted trees and rode bicycles around the schools and community to raise awareness for the environment. 

shortly after, we noticed an increase in the number of cyclists on campus as lecturers were coming to the school on bicycles.

prior to the event, i had secured another collaboration with nigerian conservation foundation (ncf) in lagos and nigerian television authority (nta), in which the nta used their media platform to project our activities to nigerians all over the country. 

the broadcast actually worked as our activities during world environment day 2016 went viral and appeared on more than 37 blogs. 

electrifying nigeria with thinkbikes

these days, biking technology is rapidly changing with electric bikes growing in popularity around the world. 

tolulope olukokun, the founder of thinkbikes, an electric bike store in ibadan, oyo state nigeria, is a proponent of biking as a way to mitigate carbon emissions in nigeria.

“crafting sustainable solutions has been a passion, and the electric bicycle emerged from a deep commitment to address environmental challenges,” olukokun said.

the primary motivation was to provide affordable and eco-friendly transportation in africa. recognizing the impact of traditional transportation on the environment, the vision was to introduce an electric bicycle that aligns with the continent’s needs for efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable mobility. 

the reception has been promising. olukokun says that people appreciate the accessibility and environmental benefits. according to the business man, we have witnessed a growing enthusiasm for electric bicycles, especially among urban commuters and environmentally conscious individuals.

his electric bicycles contribute significantly to reducing carbon emissions, according to olukokun. by replacing traditional fuel-dependent modes of transport, they’ve estimated a substantial decrease in the business’s carbon footprint.

this aligns with global efforts to combat climate change by promoting cleaner transportation alternatives. challenges, while inevitable, have mainly revolved around infrastructure and awareness. electric bicycles are relatively new in many regions, and establishing the necessary charging stations has been a hurdle. additionally, fostering awareness about the benefits of electric bicycles requires concerted efforts.

in the coming years, thinkbikes plans to expand its footprint across africa. with an increasing focus on sustainability, olukokun aims to establish partnerships, enhance infrastructure, and promote policies supporting electric mobility. “we see thinkbikes as a catalyst for change, influencing not only transportation habits but contributing to a broader shift toward a greener and more sustainable future,” olukokun said.

my regrets, my hopes

ironically, i’m now the one who wishes to see my father ride on a bicycle so that i could encourage him with a warming smile, and he is now the one who prefers a car for mobility.

now that i am educated on the climate impacts of cars, i regret the reaction i had as a child. i hope my story serves as a clue to what is going on across different communities in terms of the perception toward bicycles as a means of transportation. 

education and sensitization are important aspects of promoting green modes of transportation and should be promoted in nigeria especially in rural and urban communities.

abandoned coal mines threaten community safety and the environment, but despite bipartisan support, remediation efforts are often stalled by litigation and red tape, senators said at a hearing on nov. 9. 

states must undergo prolonged vetting processes before they can turn previously mined lands into wildlife habitats, commercial areas or other reclamation projects, chairman sen. joe manchin, d-w. va. said at the energy and natural resources committee hearing in washington, d.c.

“these coal communities sacrifice everything to power our nation to greatness and should be able to implement projects that will have positive impacts on the community in a timely manner,” manchin said. “they sure as hell don’t deserve to be strung along by the federal government, tied up in bureaucratic red tape, and forced to wait to put transformative projects into action. it’s absolutely unacceptable.”

acid water saturated with metals and long standing fires beneath the earth threaten entire communities located near abandoned coal mine sites. communities that complain the most about damage from former coal mines are prioritized for restoration projects, according to rob rice, director of the division of land restoration at the west virginia department of environmental protection.

states get new instructions every year on how congressional funding should be used in a restoration project.

“and each year, that guidance document becomes thicker, so there’s more hoops to jump through,” rice said. “the vetting period has increased over subsequent years.”

glenda owens, deputy director of the office of surface mining reclamation and enforcement at the u.s. department of the interior, blamed the lengthy processes on court disputes over approval of coal mine restoration projects.

“we want to make sure that the decisions we make during these environmental reviews will sustain judicial scrutiny,” owens said. “if we don’t adhere to the controlling court decisions, we’re going to risk getting those decisions vacated or having to start all over, which is just going to require additional time.” 

this discussion followed a hearing last week that addressed a similarly slow approval process for carbon capture and storage wells, despite both issues receiving bipartisan support and congressional funding. 

“it’s just very frustrating that things aren’t going out the door. i want to make sure that the government is not impeding this and putting more oversight to the point where their intention is not to let it happen,” manchin said. “that’s what’s scaring me, because everything we’re doing, we’re trying to show that we can produce the fossil [fuel] that’s needed for energy security, better and cleaner with more innovation [and] technology than any other place in the world, but we can’t if the government’s fighting you.”

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this is not accidental. and it isn’t entirely caused by limited selections, long commutes, or lengthy lines. rather, it’s the byproduct of one of the most serious threats to consumers, businesses, and producers alike: food price inflation.

according to cbs news, prices are rising at the “highest rate in decades.” egg costs have doubled over the last couple years. cereal and bread are up 25% since 2021. and much to the chagrin of almost everyone, wholesale prices of bacon have tripled since june. 

the usda predicts a 5.8 percent increase in all food prices for 2023. heading into 2024, they predict a 2.2 percent increase. these adjustments may seem like low, negligible figures, but incremental increases such as these have applied growing financial pressure to the average american household.

while factors ranging from an outbreak of avian flu to disrupted supply chains have had major consequences on the price of food, one key issue looms in the background: climate change. 

keeping up with a changing climate

at the ground level, climate change and extreme weather events are having a noticeable effect on farmers and their businesses. case in point: emma jagoz. she’s the founder of moon valley farm, a 100% women-owned business producing and selling to restaurants and partners in the washington-maryland-virginia area. moon valley’s offerings include vegetables, fruits, eggs, and mushrooms. for jagoz, extreme weather in maryland has had significant impacts on her business.  

“growing has definitely been made more challenging by our rapidly changing climate. record rains cause seeds to wash out and crops to rot. and extreme heat has caused significant droughts and shortages not just for us but for many other farms,” jagoz said. 

these challenges affect not only jagoz’s business, but the global agricultural economy as well. 

according to maggie monast, an environmental economist with the environmental defense fund, “climate impacts on agriculture, from catastrophic weather events to temperature and rainfall variability, increase risks for farmers and their financial partners. this pattern of increasing disruption directly affects food availability, prices, and ultimately, what ends up on our plates.” 

these issues don’t seem to be going away. nasa estimates that by 2030, corn yields will drop 24%. the epa also predicts that “the yields of major commodity crops (such as corn, rice, and oats) are expected to be lower than they would in a future without climate change.”

supply goes down, prices go up

from here the explanation rests on simple supply and demand. the lower the crop yield, the more expensive it becomes. and the greater the price sold to restaurants, grocery stores, and other businesses alike, the greater the price for the consumer. this all manifests in food inflation. 

“in general, extreme weather causes decreases in crop yields. and when there are shortages, that’s where price increases come from,” said john forrer, an affiliated faculty of gw’s global food institute. 

but forrer also mentioned another element to this crisis, one that has notably geopolitical undertones.

america is dangerously reliant on risky global supply chains for many crops. but when climate change affects crop yield, and the supply chains are not resilient, price hikes and shortages come about. this, forrer noted, is what often underlies the food inflation we’ve seen in america.

take international exports of rice for instance. extreme weather events, such as monsoons, have caused significant damage to india’s rice crop since july. india has responded by placing a total export ban on non-basmati white rice. they then levied a 20% duty on exports of parboiled rice, as cnn reports. 

this move, made in late august, will likely affect the global supply chain in a negative way. it will impede access to a crop many countries depend on. and this has a real world effect. according to cnn, “more than three billion people worldwide rely on rice as a staple food and india contributed to about 40% of global rice exports.”

according to forrer, india’s decision is one rooted in geopolitics. india made this move to secure its domestic supply. but the prices of rice have risen dramatically following the decision. costs are not only up in india, but in vietnam and thailand as well. in this vein, forrer speculates that india made this move for financial purposes. and as cnbc reports, the export ban was the “latest in the government’s effort to rein in high food prices.” all of this comes at the potential expense of affordably feeding hundreds of millions of people around the rest of the world.  

the issue is not isolated to just rice, however, as most countries around the world rely on a fragile, yet complicated supply chain system.

“70% of the world’s cocoa beans come from nigeria, ivory coast, ghana and cameroon. if an extreme weather event were to occur in any of these countries and worsen the crop yield of cocoa beans, it impacts the whole world’s supply. and when these countries place export controls, to both ensure their domestic supply and profit from the shortage, prices will rise for every other country,” forrer said.

solving the inflation issue

fortunately, there are potential solutions. according to forrer, diversifying the number of supply chains the united states relies on and expanding domestic agricultural production will both help increase food security.

policy is another way forward. the biden administration could sign into law a farm bill dedicated to investing in domestic farmers and crops. this has the potential to lessen our reliance on other countries in the wake of extreme weather events and therefore reduce volatility for american farmers. 

but while the world waits for supply chains to diversify, farmers must adapt now. jagoz stressed several innovative techniques she is implementing to fight against climate change and secure her yields. 

“we have experimented with greenhouses, higher tunnels, and vertical farming to protect our crops from extreme weather,” jagoz said. 

the bottom line is that climate conditions are likely going to worsen in the coming years. the question is how america and its farmers will respond. such responses will shape domestic supply chains, our reliance on global supply chains, and in turn, the future of food inflation.

filmed by charlie mark, planet 世界杯欧洲预选赛免费直播 .

ransom canyon, texas, is bursting at the seams with just over 1,000 residents. nearly 20 miles away from lubbock, one of texas’ larger cities, this community sits lakeside with unique architectural and geological features. what it doesn’t have, however, is reliable access to food and security in nutrition. 

ransom canyon isn’t the only place lacking food security. the united states department of agriculture evaluates food access by measuring accessibility to healthy food sources, individual-level resources that affect accessibility, and neighborhood-level indicators of resources. any one or a combination of factors, such as distance from a grocery store, having a low income, no vehicle availability, or low access to public transportation results in food deserts. these stressors contributed to leaving 10.2% of u.s. households food insecure in 2021.

filling the nutrition gap

allison childress, ph.d., rdn, cssd, ld, is an assistant professor at texas tech university, chief clinical dietician at the nutrition and metabolic health institute and licensed dietician. she said she sees dollar stores as an aid to food insecurity while intensifying nutrition insecurity.

“​​we are reducing food insecurity but at the same time, there are things that i wish [dollar stores] would do to increase nutrition security,” childress said. “let’s start thinking of ways we can increase the nutritional content of the food that [dollar stores] sell.”

nancy haynie, a resident of ransom canyon, pushes a bright yellow shopping cart through a cluttered dollar general. her cart holds milk, bread, microwavable meals, and snacks. she said she frequents this store, coming in three to four times a week.

“what you spend here, you save in gas going all the way into town,” haynie said, gesturing to her cart. 

haynie said she has a fixed income and the addition of the dollar store to the community holds a significant convenience factor for residents, as well as the low price point. this specific storefront now offers a small produce section, offering peppers, corn, lettuce, grapes and more. 

“it’s terrible to have to drive almost 20 miles into town for a tomato,” haynie said.

are dollar stores the solution or the problem?

however, the dollar general in ranson canyon is the exception, not the rule. there are more than 34,000 dollar stores in the united states, which is more than there are starbucks, mcdonalds, target and walmart storefronts combined. while dollar general has announced intentions to make more stores similar to traditional grocers, with options like fresh produce, meats, cheeses and other goods, this plan would amount to 10,000 of over 30,000 total dollar stores.

“i really like the little store,” haynie said with a grin and a nod. however, not everyone expresses those sentiments. 

previous studies find that dollar stores, like dollar general, family dollar and dollar tree exacerbate food insecurity and food deserts in america. small food retailers are less likely than supermarkets to sell healthy staple foods, leading to a diet of ultra-processed foods. some cities have passed policies and ordinances to restrain the number of dollar store expansions to support full-service grocery stores.

there has been exponential growth in these stores in low-income communities, most often affecting marginalized groups. as a result, studies show these communities are significantly less likely to have accessible full-service grocers that offer quality, affordable, healthy options compared to higher-income and majority-white communities.

childress said eating healthily starts with knowing what is on your plate. 

“you want half of your plate to be fruits and vegetables, a fourth of your plate to be grains, preferably whole grains, and a fourth of your plate to be protein,” childress said. “you want to have healthy oils in moderation.”

when limited to products on dollar store shelves, childress said to look for canned and frozen fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, cereal with less than 10 grams of added sugar, canned tuna and chicken, and nut butters as healthy options. 

“you really have to get creative with how you’re going to design the plates, how you’re going to cook the items, how you’re going to store the items,” childress said. “then, you have to be very creative in making sure that you have something from all of those different food groups.”

expanding nutrition education and access

childress said education about nutrition is key to finding solutions to nutrition insecurity and can be implemented in dollar stores. visual guides, signs and nutrition reminders on labels are great ways to connect with a customer, according to childress.

experts like childress are not the only advocates for decreasing nutrition insecurity. 

food bank usage has been on the rise with the assistance of mobile pantry programs, and community gardens expand health, sustainability and economic security. beyond these tactics, community members like danielle demetria east are taking creative approaches to contribute to food equity. 

east founded the east lubbock art house, a non-profit, community-based arts organization, working toward benefitting the east side of lubbock, texas, a historically marginalized community exposed to higher health risks from industrial zoning and lack of food and nutrition security. this program hosts the lubbock community fridges, a place where anyone can put food in or get food out. 

“our community fridge is our hope at helping eliminate food waste and help transient individuals,” east said. 

east said the community fridge has received positive feedback, as seen by the continuing donation and pick-up cycle and helping as many as 20 people to regularly get food from the fridge. the steady supply of food provides residents with food security at no cost.

“people feel positively about [the fridges],” east said. “it’s all about meeting the need in the community.”

east encourages people to donate to the east lubbock art house and community fridges to grow the program and inspire other programs in other areas. accessibility to food, especially nutrition food, is revolutionary to residents in food and nutrition deserts. 

creative, community-centric programs and the spread of dollar stores contribute to solving food insecurity, meaning fewer people live their lives with a daunting hunger. yet, the gap in nutrition insecurity remains. when it comes to solving nutrition insecurity, education and communication are keys. 

“nutrition is a science just like medicine, and the research is changing all the time,” childress said. “the science is going to change, always. there’s going to be new nutrition recommendations.”

looking ahead

dollar store retailers have plans to expand their access to healthy options. federal policy requires retailers that accept ebt and other benefits to have coolers for meal staples, like milk, eggs and meat. dollar general, specifically, has announced its intention to increase the availability of produce and other traditional grocery store staples.

access to fulfilling, nutritious food is a human right, but one that is denied to millions of people in america. enticing dollar stores may not be a complete solution, but they may turn a new leaf into becoming more helpful than harmful. a strong emphasis on the availability of healthy options, education and outreach programs, and reliability to residents could make dollar stores the solution to food and nutrition insecurity in america.

hvítserkur (ke-veet-sir-kur) was a giant troll who lived at mount bæjarfell (bye-yar-fet). one night, he was jolted awake from his sleep by an obnoxious ringing noise: a clanging church bell. hvítserkur knew that humans were making this sound — it was the men who had recently sailed to iceland. weeks and weeks went by, with hvítserkur’s sleep remaining broken because of midnight bells being rung by the men across the fjord. night after night, the sounds only got worse. it was particularly bad around winter, which was the giant’s favorite time of year. hvítserkur had had enough! to stop the awful noise, hvítserkur would travel to that house and destroy the bell once and for all.

trolls despised the light of day, turning to stone upon its arrival. hvítserkur was no exception. he decided to make the journey one evening, believing that he would make it to the bell before the following dawn. unfortunately, the fjord waters were deep and treacherous, making it very difficult to cross. hvítserkur walked and walked and then he began to run…. but the day was quickly looming. hvítserkur was still sure they could get to the house on time and break the bell before daybreak.

as he stepped over the mountain and into the sea, he looked eastward, just in time to see the sun rising. instantly, he began turning to stone. hvítserkur felt this happening, and with the last of his strength he sent his hammer….woooooosh. thump. a last-ditch attempt to destroy the bell by throwing his hammer at the building that housed it. however, he failed, as he heard the hammer hit stone and not the wooden house.

his body still stands over the vatnsnes (vat-ne-snes) peninsula, in northwest iceland as a giant boulder in the sea. it is believed that the hammer can be seen today in the eastern part of Þingeyrarsand, which can be accessed by visitors to this day.

a journey to the land of stories

iceland is known around the world and amongst its residents as a “land of storytellers”. the first settlers of iceland faced unimaginably harsh conditions. from unpredictable volcanic eruptions to freezing seas, and barren, infertile lands, early icelanders were incredibly busy just staying alive. and yet, medieval icelanders took the time to inscribe stories on precious calf hides that described the challenges and many facets of life that their people experienced on a daily basis.

“storytelling and the environment, it’s part of who we are,” said ragna arnisdottir, the secretary general of the althingi, the icelandic parliament. carried through centuries of oral and written storytelling is the icelandic spirit of resilience, connection to the environment, and respect for nature. you may have heard of the sagas, which is an old norse word that refers to the epic prose narratives written in iceland between the 12th and 15th centuries. the stories’ contents were diverse, covering the country’s history as well as legendary tales of ancient scandinavia.

“mountains became trolls, lava fields became ghosts, and elves lived in all the creepy and dangerous spots in between,” said aðalheiður guðmundsdóttir (a-thal-hey-dur guth-munds-dott-er), ph.d., professor of medieval icelandic literature at the university of iceland. 

“why is it incorporated that way?” i asked.

“well… if there is a dangerous place, for example, children to be…then we have legends about elves that are vengeful and will take the children…” guðmundsdóttir said.

“oh! i do think that’s a constant among cultures though… to use folktales to tell lessons… but in iceland, it seems it’s so deeply connected to the environment,” i said.

“yes, absolutely, that is something that is so unique to iceland,” guðmundsdóttir said.

folk stories or folk-histories?

nowhere is the icelanders’ historical connection to the environment more apparent than in the þjóðsögu (thee-yo-su-goo), or folktales of iceland. according to the writings of guðbrandur vigfússon, (guth-brand-ur vick-fu-sson) an 18th-century scandinavian scholar, the sagas and the þjóðsögu are ‘twin sisters’ as the folktales have risen and grown in the company of each other. these stories teach lessons about how to navigate a world of danger and change, which brings the struggles of medieval icelanders closer to our modern-day lives as climate change adds increasing environmental stress onto our bodies and communities. what can we learn from medieval icelanders about courage, inventiveness, and solutions?

the þjóðsögu tell stories about the famous huldufólk (hool-du-foth), or hidden people, which are best understood today as elves. these stories interweave the lived experience of medieval icelanders with ancient wisdom and a little bit of magic. “almost every hillock and boulder in the icelandic landscape has its own story,” writes olina thorvardardottir, author of spirits of the land. the þjóðsögu were particularly effective in communicating the danger of nature to children. when boulders in the distance could hide elven tricksters or awaken as fearsome trolls, you’d stick closer to your parents too. 

guðmundsdóttir analyzes literature by looking at the language of stories. she uses an analogy to explain this. “when you are learning words, you don’t learn whole words, first you learn the letters. eventually, those build into words. then you combine words and suddenly you’re learning about sentences. stories all have fundamental building blocks that you can study just as you would study the structure of poetry or sentences.” 

“do you think most people see stories in building block form?” i asked.

“oh no… not really…probably just those who pay too much attention. but it’s a shame because it really is so important. and people use… story-blocks every day,” guðmundsdóttir said.

“[stories are] a necessary language because we have the need to express [our] feelings and opinions. if we didn’t have stories, we would all need to go… to the psychiatrist… it’s so basic! we all need to tell stories and hear stories. they will always be renewing themselves.”

however, the ancient art of storytelling faces one catastrophic foe: the modern audience’s attention span. guðmundsdóttir notices the differences between audiences in ancient iceland and today. “the story world i know, it’s much slower than what [modern audiences] want. modern people try to make [sagas and þjóðsögu] appealing,” she said. “what were [medieval icelanders] able to listen to and find that we are not? today you need more speed, you need more relatability, you need funny animal sidekicks.”

“life moves pretty fast. if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

ferris bueller’s day off, dir. john hughes.

the pace of storytelling remained relatively consistent over many centuries relative to the wants of media-consuming society at the time. now, we’re seeing the ever-shortening attention span of the bombarded modern media consumer begin to accelerate nearly all storytelling at a breakneck pace. according to guðmundsdóttir, “the question is, will we change with it or will we change [storytelling]…fundamentally.”

with climate change impacting every part of the globe, we need stories more than ever. why? stories communicate meaning and emotion, which are the essential ingredients needed to motivate people to act. people don’t easily relate to issues, they relate to other people — in other words, to their stories. science supports the cognitive power of storytelling — showing that stories that elicit empathy in the audience have strong correlations with oxytocin releases in the brain which researcher paul zak calls, “the neurologic substrate for the golden rule.” by promoting reciprocity, story itself is the very fabric of connection.

“if you as a [climate] storyteller want to compete with the media, for the attention of people, it’s a question of if you want to go to the level of the media…which is speed and grandeur and fear. or are you allowed to go back in time? are you allowed to transport people back to an ancient structure that has followed us since the start of time,” guðmundsdóttir said. 

“yeah,” i said.

“for example, i watched laurence of arabia… an old movie… and i thought ‘there is nothing happening here! it’s so slow,’” guðmundsdóttir said. “and i thought, ‘should i even continue?’ but when it was first shown [in theaters], people loved it!”

“yes… i feel like people like the fast pace because we’re used to it, or it makes us feel good… but how much of that media are we actually remembering?” i said.

“right, right,” she said.

as we ended our conversation, i said, “i would love to see things be slower and more intentional… and i mean we don’t have to put all the media there, but when things are really important and really connected to your emotions… this older way… that could be so powerful.”

respecting nature and respecting slow speeds

spending time in iceland demonstrated to me the power of “slow” storytelling. this concept is a relative of other popular “slow” trends like “slow living” and “slow creating.” slow storytelling invites listeners to give their full attention to the creation of the story world — no chopping potatoes while listening to npr. slow storytelling allows for details to unfold, allowing the storyteller to tie and untie the knot — of plot —  at a speed that doesn’t try to match tiktok, reels, scrolling feeds, or snappy news apps. 

the history of slow icelandic storytelling has been shaped by the landscapes and people those tales were about. life on the island has long been dictated by freezing inky black winters, where stories and art were the only connection to the warmth of spring and gentler times. the intimate bonds that early icelandic settlers nurtured lent themselves to stories that took the time to embed themselves in all of the people, places, and events of the time. iceland’s deep connection to the environment has created stories that imbue respect and even stoke fear of the landscape they inhabit. 

the þjóðsögu, like the tale of hvítserkur above, shows how a return to slow, intentional stories can transform how humanity views nature and itself.

“i believe we can’t go back to dead traditions, but we can certainly make new things out of the old,” guðmundsdóttir said. “we must be able to go back to respecting nature and respecting slow speeds. i know we can find these solutions… because humanities’ stories have always been really in love with solutions.”

editor’s note: lindblad expeditions, our planet forward storyfest competition partner, made this series possible by providing winners with an experiential learning opportunity aboard one of their ships. all editorial content is created independently. we thank lindblad expeditions for their continued support of our project.

this summer, i took a trip aboard lindblad expeditions’ national geographic resolution to explore the ways in which the company is working to make ecotourism more sustainable. while traveling up and down the western coast of iceland, i learned about the ways that food is sourced, served and disposed of on a 138 passenger lindblad ship. while a completely sustainable cruise experience might still be out of reach for the largest of these ships, responsibility is always scalable.

editor’s note: lindblad expeditions, our planet forward storyfest competition partner, made this series possible by providing winners with an experiential learning opportunity aboard one of their ships. all editorial content is created independently. we thank lindblad expeditions for their continued support of our project.