It’s a bit past the Super Bowl. Yet, it is not too late to smile again at the cultural insights creatively prompted by Will Ferrell and GM’s Super Bowl ad for electric vehicles. Maybe I should prepare you a bit for the University of Agder’s response in Norway. What do the Super Bowl, electric cars, climate change, and the double workload of working mothers in the US have in common?
Yes, we mamas and papas must work. For most people in the USA, it takes 2 (or 3–4) paychecks to survive with children. Parents, typically working mothers but sometimes also working fathers, face the double workload every day. I know many mothers work 3 jobs, maybe a triple workload. I love and appreciate all of the humor above, especially because it is all based in reality, a kinder reality that exists in some places.
Related to cleantech, they highlight a research project that recycles and reuses electric vehicle batteries using clean hydropower, and also reference the opening of a new battery factory — as well as things like free healthcare and free high education (even for visiting Americans).
Screenshot from University of Agder video.
Screenshot from University of Agder video.
“Don’t hate. Imitate.”
And regarding the video below from Audi, I can’t agree more with the core idea: “Don’t hate. Imitate.” We on this side of the pond should imitate some of Norway’s behaviors, not hate on them. My daughter and I talk repeatedly about the sublime and wonderful “culture unshock” we had in the Oslo Airport.
Our flight got canceled in Oslo due to a snowstorm as we traveled Europe to meet my newest granddaughter. We had a chance to experience the sweeter, quieter ambience of the culture for a brief time, and visit the beauty of Oslo. As the announcement came over the airwaves that we would not be flying out that evening, we looked around amazed at the adaptation of our fellow travelers. We came to understand that there are places where the norm is not to overreact, but to adapt. It’s a beautiful demeanor of a culture that leads on electric cars. When our flight was canceled, it seemed that no one complained, simply quietly moved on. We had just flown from a major American airport where lines were long and loud voices complained nonstop. What a culture difference!
Their neighbors, Copenhagen in Denmark and Groningen & Amsterdam in the Netherlands, lead with emission-free bicycles and bicycle infrastructure. They lead with zero-emissions cars powered by renewable energy.
Related: Norway At 79.1% Plugin Electric Market Share In February
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Former Tesla Battery Expert Leading Lyten Into New Lithium-Sulfur Battery Era — Podcast:
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
