I am not that everyday-blogger, actually this post is like my third or fourth ever. The reason why I am writing is because I have had the amazing opportunity to do my two-week long internship here in San Francisco at Herringbone.

When the plane took off from Arlanda, Sweden I was totally unaware of how much I would experience, develop and that I would meet so many interesting people in such a short period of time. The weeks I have stayed here in the US, have been the best time of my life.

Me and my two friends and ABB Industrial High School – classmates Emilia and Amanda, who are joining me for this trip, have been invited to a New Years Eve dinner party at a famous Maybeck-designed house, had the luxury of having our own sightseeing-guide taking us all over San Francisco and other places nearby, meeting both successful Swedes and other persons – all so very nice, offering to show us around the city and inviting us to come back and visit. That is one thing that is for sure – that we will come back, and that is soon!

The most astonishing thing about America that have occurred to me, is the way the people are here. When you are walking in confusion down the streets trying to find the way, there is always someone who will stop and ask if you need any help. Since me and my girls not always are the ones with the best sense of orientation we have experienced this for quite many times. Everyone we meet is also so open-minded and spontaneous.

All meetings with the nice and smart people during these weeks have taught us a lot of thought provoking and inspiring things. One is that nothing is impossible, even if you start at the bottom you can find (and fight) your way up. Another is that you should not be afraid to try on new things – if you don’t you are not getting the most out of life.

I will specially keep one sentence said by a really wise man on my mind

“Success, so near but yet so far away. You can almost reach out … and grab it… And suddenly it’s gone … success.”

From a Swede,

Karin Ånger
www.linkedin.com/in/karinanger

It’s hard to beat the remarkable opening day at Innovative Sweden, but this may have been my favorite day so far. Today’s topic was Cleantech and how to build sustainable cities for the future. Sponsor was ABB.

I learned so many new cool things today.
Did you know that:

- The City Hall building of San Jose, CA is LEED Platinum certified? Scott Green and Chris Burton from the City of San Jose shared “San Jose’s green vision.” They also said that 1/3 of all VC funds in the US are invested in the San Jose area.

- Swedes are the heaviest users of energy per capita in the EU –but also of bio energy? Tomas Kaberger from Chalmers University said so. Tomas also said Sweden is a leading country within Smart Grid.

- If everybody lived the Western lifestyle we would need three globes? – Tomas Dahlman, from Electrolux revealed this alarming fact.

- Outside Stockholm there is a new, upcoming vibrant district for sustainable living, business and recreation called Stockholm Royal Seaport? A former brownfield industrial area is being transformed into one of Europe’s largest urban development projects using modern architecture and environmentally adapted energy-efficient solutions.

- Electrolux organizes an annual global design competition for industrial design students – Electrolux Design Lab? The student who presents the most innovative idea for household appliances reflecting Scandinavian design values (being sensitive to the environment, providing intuitive ease of use and aesthetic appeal) wins 5,000 EURO and a 6-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design center. I can’t wait for the future to be here if that means I can have a Bio Robot Refrigerator – watch it in this video featuring the finalists in 2010.

Enjoy the weekend. I will have a new blog post from Innovative Sweden for you on Monday.

-Anna

Follow my tweets @herringbonefm. #InnovativeSweden
Check out photos on Herringbone’s Facebook page.
Innovative Sweden is livestreamed here.