December 20th, Sunday, we went to the part of town called Christiania. Christiania is a special place for two reason. First, its probably the only part in town in which no pictures can be taken and second It is not part of the European Union. This very small section of Copenhagen is found around 1 to 2 kilometer away from downtown Copenhagen in an island called Christianshavn (please do not ask me how to pronounce it). The most interesting thing is that the Christiania Community is separated from the European Union, they are not govern by the laws of Denmark nor the laws of Copenhagen, they don’t even pay taxes. Years ago, anarchists took over the small community and resided there ever since, until today. Read More
Author Archives: giernandez
The United States Social Forum
Filed under Copenhagen, US Social Forum
Klimaforum has just finish Friday, COP15 finish “negotiations” Saturday. So whats next? The US Social Forum.
The US Social Forum is an event that takes place here in the US to tallk about Social Issues that are present currently in our society. People all over the US as well as from other countries meet up to talk about these issues. There would be workshops, action plans, speakers, and other events that people can attend. The First US Forum happened in 2008 in Atlanta and the second, in 2010, will happen in Detroit. It is an opportunity for different organizations, groups and people to learn more about the issues facing the the US and the world, network and build relationship with different organizations and individuals and have fun. It will be a 5 day conference that will take place from June 22th to June 26th. Registration is free and organizations that are interested on hosting a workshop or a session is welcome. Read More
Klimaforum: The People’s Conference
Filed under Copenhagen
As you all know, we were not able to go to the COP15, The UN Climate Change Conference. So you are probably wondering, what exactly are we doing here in Copenhagen? Aside from enjoying the snow, sight seeing and partying (Just kidding), we have been attending the Klimaforum: The People’s Conference. Klimaforum is an alternative conference intended for people that wasn’t able to get in the COP15 as well as grassroots organization to meet, network and learn from each other. The Klimaforum is absolutely free, it host workshops, talks, debates, presentations, performances, film viewing and much much more. This is a free space for people to voice their concerns, spread awareness, plan action and have fun. Read More
You’re (not) Welcome!
Filed under Copenhagen
December 16th, Wednesday, is our third day in Copenhagen. There has been a big demonstration in front of the Bella Center. It is the “Day of Action,” a People’s Assembly. It is when different non-government and non-profit organization come together to protest to put pressure to the world leaders to act now and do some action after 15 years of failed negotiations. Today is suppose to be a peaceful demonstration, but not for long.
The Plan
Flyer for the People's Assembly
The plan was for the people from the outside, people that can’t attend the UN conference or been denied to the conference, to have a demonstration outside the Bella Center. The people from the inside will then march out of the Bella center to join the rest of the people for a peaceful demonstration. This was to show and put pressure for the UN to act and not stall once again this issue that has been a problem for 15 years. Read More
We Tried, They Failed.
Filed under Copenhagen
Arriving here in Copenhagen in Denmark, I had a lot of expectations. I was hoping to meet different delegates from different countries, different non-government organization, different activist and especially youth representatives. I had a lot of hope for the UN Climate Change Summit but that all change today, December 15th, Tuesday.
We arrived yesterday, December 14th, Monday, dealing with jet-lag, layover, delays, the weather, exhaustion and many more, we were excited to go in the Bella Center to register and get our credentials. Bella Center is the center where the COP15 , the UN Climate Change Conference, is taking place. We arrived in the Bella center at 2pm and immidiately lined up to get registered. Two hours upon are waiting, the registration stop and all the people that lined up was turned down and was sent home. Registration don’t end until 6pm but they have decided to end it early leaving all of us out in the cold. We started interviewing people and we learned that some of the people there has been waiting for 5, 6 and even as long as 9 hours to get in. We met a group of Japanese Journalist and they have been waiting for 5 hours but some of their collueges has been there since the 8am in the morning, meaning that they have been waiting there for 9 hours! Read More
Getting Around Copenhagen
Filed under Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the biggest city in Denmark. Here are some of the ways you can get around Copenhagen and some facts about Denmark Transportation System.
Bikes
One of the thing that will definitely catch your eye when you are in Copenhagen is the number of bike that they have. Biking has been the most common mode of transportation here in Copenhagen. For a city which endures temperature below freezing and weather such as rain, snow and slush, I was amazed how much bikes they have. Almost all the main roads in Copenhagen have bike lanes which are big enough to have 2 bikes side by side. The bike lanes are in between the sidewalk and parked cars to separate the motor and the bike traffic. According to the most recent statistics, 37% of people in Denmark ride their bike and a normal bike here cost on average of 400 danish kroner or $80. Read More