A Visit to the President's Home
Sunday March March 30, 2008 We were invited to the home of Olafur Ragnar Grimmson, the President of Iceland. He gave a wonderful presentation about climate change. He discussed the use of geothermal energy and how other parts of the world, including the United States, have geothermal energy resources. There was a slide in his presentation that showed where in the world there is known geothermal energy resources and I was amazed to see the amount of this available in the United States.
The experience of going to the home of the President of Iceland was a much different experience than visiting the White House. There were no guards, no metal detectors and we were able to walk freely throughout the home. His office was even open for us to enter and our bags were not searched. This openness and trust was very weird to me and I realized that this was a very sad feeling. We have reached a place where we have to apply a month in advance to visit the White House and have limited entrance after we walk through metal detectors. Guards with guns are outside on the grounds and on the roof watching everything.
It is so wonderful to have the opportunity to learn about Iceland´s history and the background that has influenced their actions today. We have so much we can learn from them.
-- Kari Williams
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