Tag: cfres

Hej Hej from Arholma

11 people sit on 2 rows within a small boat with the wood of the dock and water visible out of windows to either side
A photo of the second group of people snuggled together on the water taxi to Arholma, taken by our lovely captain.

(Post and Image provided by Cora Mullins)

After a tough farewell to the Väddö folk school, we drove about half an hour to catch a water taxi to Arholma, the island where we would spend Midsommar. The trip was about 15 minutes and took two trips to get us all there.

Once we settled in at the Arholma Nord, an old army barracks turned hotel, we explored the forested island, took naps, and grabbed a few drinks at the restaurant. We had a group dinner before heading to bed so we could be well rested for the morning Midsommar activities! More posts to come!

Connecting Communities

a piece of bark with Valkommen written in blue writing on it hangs with twine from a branch with forest trees in the background
A sign made from pine bark found in the woods, welcoming people to the forest.

(Post and Image provided by Cora Mullins)

We spent all day working on our art installation at the school forest in Singӧ. This included things like making concertinas, which are accordion-style books that splay out and display stories or information (our were about bats); finishing up a bat house, which can serve as a safe space for many endangered bat species in Sweden; as well as various other tasks that added to our project as a whole. After some final walk-throughs and test-runs, we shared some Lebanese takeout for dinner and prepared to welcome community members to our event.

Many community members showed up, including the principal of the folk school in Väddӧ, which was a very pleasant surprise! Our display had many interactive art pieces, allowing those who came out to contribute to the installation, as well as many things that were just meant to be felt and enjoyed. We had many thoughtful conversations with locals and enjoyed making (and sharing) a piece of art about the connection between our communities.

Creating this installation was very important to us all. It allowed us to make something larger than ourselves and then share it with others who care. We really appreciate everyone who came out to experience this project, as well as the Singӧ school for so graciously welcoming us into their community.

Walking as Practice

Students walking through a forest clearing with a dog that went home at the end.

(Post and Image provided Evan Meyer)

This week we began our art project in the Singö Skola forest. I was part of a group working on using yarn to represent the mycelium networks that connect the roots of the trees together. We want to emphasize the community that the trees make up as well as the community that we make together as people. Other groups are working on various other projects such as signs made of bark and a bat house.

After lunch, we took a walk with an artist named Anna Viola Hallberg, from the not-for-profit Björkö Konstnod or BKN. At the beginning of the walk, we picked up a straggler: a chocolate lab named Dracul. He stuck with our group the entire way through. We walked though fields, forests, and animal trails, finally reaching the tip of the island’s peninsula. A few of us even decided to go swim in the Baltic Sea. It was very cold!

Second day at Väddӧ Folkschool!

various groceries and bags sitting on a kitchen island
Our Swedish grocery haul sitting on the community kitchen counter.

(Post and Image provided by Hope Frye)

Today was our first full day here at the Väddӧ Folkschool, and it was very chill! The weather was not great, as it was pretty cold and rainy in the afternoon, causing our meeting that was supposed to occur then with a local environmentalist wellness educator, Malin Ericksson, to be delayed until Friday. This gave us plenty of free time in the morning, until we met for class in the afternoon! My roommate, Olivia, and I spent that time going grocery shopping at the local ICA supermarket, which was just about 20 minutes away by walking. We used this opportunity to plan and buy enough food for all the meals and dinners we will have to make while we are here at the folkschool!

During class, we were focusing on doing our readings, but this time, we read for about 45 minutes, near each other, and focused on whatever we found interesting, whether from the class reading book, All We Can Save, or from one of the books in our “Sister Forest Library,” then after that time we came back and shared about what we had found interesting from our individual readings. I only read from All We Can Save, and I focused mostly on reading the poem “Dead Stars” from it, which I highly recommend. After that part of class, we then focused on brainstorming ideas for our community art project in Singӧ, in which, I was with a group that mainly focused on building bat houses to give to the local community.


Overall it was a very chill and relaxing day, especially after our really nice, but long experience camping; and I’m glad to be able to stay in some really nice dorms!

The Free Weekend Experience

nine students stand having conversations around a wooden kitchen island with various dishes and drink options
Smorgasbord dinner in Väddö.

Post and Image provided by Jack Summers)

Hello friends and families!
This weekend was our scheduled free-time away from classes to explore Sweden as much as we wanted! A few of us decided to go back to Stockholm for a day to see more of the city. We spent a lot of our time eating good food and exploring beautiful streets in Gamla Stan (the old city), while also searching up and down for a good thrift store (we found a few…). Additionally on our way to dinner we stumbled upon a pro-Palestine protest, featuring Greta Thunberg! After we saw that, we had dinner at a fantastic ramen place, and then returned home to Väddö.

On our second free day we opted for a more laid back day in and around the folk school. A few of us visited a local farm for lunch. Later, for dinner we gathered as a group to have a Smorgasbord (traditional Swedish meal consisting of a variety of hot
and cold meats, hors d’oeuvres, etc.) dinner, which ended up being a huge success!

A Rest or More Exploring

a rocky coastline of the Baltic Sea is visible with many mixed sizes of rocks and boulders and trees in the background along the shore
The rocky coastline of Baltic Sea at Sandviken in Väddö, Sweden.

(Post and Image provided by Olivia Ebens)

This weekend was composed of two days of some needed rest and relaxation, but for others it’s a chance for another adventure. There was an array of different activities happening between all of the students and faculty. Many of the students went back to Stockholm or Norrtälje to wander more and experience more of the cities. Figuring out the bus schedules were an interesting journey for many. There are also some students that choose to stay in Stockholm for the night as well to extend their Stockholm adventures. Many other students stayed within Väddö, to use the days to relax or explore the surrounding area by walking or by bike.

The picture of the sea above was from one of the adventures. The students walked one hour to go to a sandy beach and experience the Baltic Sea. There was a lot of cool geology, sea plants, and sea creatures to explore while they were there. However, the Baltic Sea isn’t warm and both of the students that went there can both confirm that the temperature is comparable to Lake Superior. By the end of the day they had walked a little over 10 miles to complete their adventures. Everyone enjoyed having time to catch up on some R&R or explore the surrounding area.

Can’t wait for what tomorrow will bring,
Students of Sustainability in Sweden 2025

A Walk in the Woods (or Two)

a group of students are seated on the ground in a pine forest while a women is walking around handing out something to them
Slowing down and using our sense of taste to experience the forest.

(Post provided by Cora Mullins, Image provided by Molly Cavaleri)

We set out around 9 o’clock this morning to meet with Malin Eriksson, a behavioral scientist who works a lot with forests and nature. She took us on a walk through the woods in a nature reserve, teaching us about opening our senses along with the importance of nature when managing one’s wellbeing. She foraged for many edible lingonberry flowers, spruce tips, blueberry leaves, and juniper fruits that we got to try while experimenting with taste. We ended our time with her by “forest bathing,” where we all laid in the moss and blueberry bushes (which was actually quite comfortable) and just relaxed. It left us feeling rejuvenated and ready for the rest of the day.

In the afternoon, we headed to Singӧ, a nearby island at the top of the Stockholm Archipelago. After a quick box lunch of salmon or tofu (depending on diet items), we met up with Gabriel Liljenström, a Singӧ local and a teacher and consultant. He brought us many local foods to try, such as rye bread and pickled herring, black licorice, dried mackerel, cookies, sea buckthorn and gooseberry juice! Then we set out into the woods for a tour of the Singӧ School Forest and a forest talk. When we parted ways, we walked around the forest a little more, brainstorming and planning for our community art project that we are starting next week.

Many of us then spent the evening making dinner, working on projects, and hanging out in the community house. It was a pretty relaxing day before heading into our free weekend.

Time in the forest

a student stands with a short tube tool inserted in the ground in a forest that has been thinned, surrounded by green
Planting pine trees after a recent harvest.

(Post provided by Paige Harsevoort, Image by Tara Bal)

Today was full of adventure! We started off the morning by loading up the vans and traveling to the home of Örjan Grönlund, a family forest landowner and a Sustainability Coordinator for Mellanskog, a forest owners association. We learned so much about his life and how he manages and maintains his forest. The thing that stood out to me most was a quote from him, “I wish I had more time. If I had more time, I wouldn’t have to pay people to do the job for me.” It stuck out to me because it made me realize that there are so many things he could have said he wanted more of (such as more time to plant more trees), but he chose time. It reminded me that we need to appreciate and cherish what we have and take care of the things we care about.


After visiting, he gave us a tour of his family’s house (which was amazing), then we got back in the vans and drove toward the Baltic Sea for lunch. We ate on the cliffs, watching a gorgeous scene of laughing gulls and frothy waves. Although it was quite windy, it was nice to have such a good view for lunch!

Once lunch was over, we went back to the folkhogskola to sit with Simon Sjostrom, an artist that specializes in decomposing animals and radio waves. It was a very special experience to get to ask and answer questions and have good conversations with him. His works are unique pieces of life, death, and endless possibilities.


The day went by fast, and was full of good forest walks and conversations!

Settling Into The Väddö Folkhögskola

a view of a building with green space in front, a flagpole, streetlight, and a small statue of a ship
The Folkhögskola in Väddö has a lot of charm due to its rustic architecture and beautiful green spaces.

(Post and image provided by Reznor Kleber)

After disembarking from the Kolarbyn Eco-lodges our group took a 3 hour car ride to Väddö, a small village on the eastern side of Sweden. Sadly, it was quite a gloomy and rainy day so we were not able to go see the town, and instead settled into our rooms at the Folkhögskola (“Folk Highschool”, similar to a community college).


Each “dorm room” has two separate bed-rooms, equipped with a desk, TV, and, of course, a bed (a very comfy one I might add). After unloading bags and quickly freshening up from our couple days of wilderness-living, we met up for a group dinner of traditional Swedish meatballs. Following dinner was a short-but-sweet tour of the school and its facilities, before everyone, exhausted and full of food, headed back to the rooms for some much needed rest time.


The island of Väddö and this Folkhögskola are nice and homey and I can’t wait to see the town tomorrow!

Enjoying Forest Learning

students standing on a forest trail with a ecologist standing on plants in a pine forest
Students listening to our guest speaker, forest ecologist Sebastian Kirppu in the forest around Kolarbyn Eco-lodge.

(Post and Image provided by Courtney Hohnholt)

Michigan Tech students have a reputation for enjoying the outdoors and our time at Kolarbyn Eco-Lodge certainly proved that true. While we celebrated the many comforts and privileges provided by our hosts, there was a lot of old fashion labor that went into our adventure as well.  

Some of us were camping veterans and some had never slept outdooors in their lives, but every person tried their hand at wood chopping, building fires and tending them, and crafting meals with random ingredients, using odd tools, and cooking those meals over a campfire. All pitched in to carry wood, haul water from the stream-fed pump, heat water over the fire for washing dishes, chop the vegetables, stir the soup, innovate meals, sort the recycling, and tend fires while still finding time for high-quality art, forest exploration, lake and sauna enjoyment, and bonding in a peaceful setting.

We were visited by Sebastian Kirppu, a forest ecologist and nature educator, who described Sweden’s environmental past, current forest management policy, and the the threats Sweden faces in the onslaught of climate change.  He showed us an endangered species, the lesser rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera repens), the carnivorous plant, round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), taught us about wood ants in Sweden, and described the ecology of the spruce and pine forest all around our camp.  We shared our lunch with him and invited him to come visit the Keweenaw. Kolarbyn Eco-Lodge is featured on the popular app, Calm, as a story about drifting off to sleep in the peace and beauty of the north woods.