Karen is a project manager for the city of Reykjavik in the field of climate change and European cooperation, adopting international standards in the city’s progress towards a more sustainable future.

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Karen Eyþórsdóttir

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 KAREN
 EYÞÓRSDÓTTIR
 works for the city of Reykjavik in the field of climate change and European
 cooperation, adopting international standards in the city’s progress towards
 a more sustainable future. Here she is interviewed by
 MADELEINE OLIVE
 about the sustainable Reykjavik of the future and the importance of
 togetherness.
</h4>

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<h4>
 A Sustainable
 Future
</h4>


 Q: What is your vision for
 Reykjavik as a sustainable city of the
 future?



 KE: After Covid,
 Reykjavik created something called the Green Plan. It’s an
 outreach program based on the city’s vision for a sustainable environment,
 outlining funding and green spaces for the next 10 years.



 There’s a lot of emphasis on green transport, infrastructure, neighborhoods,
 and innovation in green jobs. The Green Plan aims to create a better city to
 live in, and incorporates the three pillars of sustainability – economic,
 social, and environmental – to ultimately create an environment-friendly city.
 And this Green Plan is very much in line with the 100 climate-neutral and
 smart cities program. That’s our vision.



 Q: Did growing up with
 nature all around you educate you about the
 environment?



 KE: In Iceland we
 grow up in close proximity to nature, and many of us live by
 the sea. If you drive out of the city for half an hour, you experience
 untouched nature, which is such a privilege. And as you grow older, you
 appreciate it more and more. I wouldn’t say that Icelanders are more
 respectful of nature than other people. We spend a lot of time in the city and
 go to the countryside once in a while, but not many people really go out on a
 hike in nature or go up to the highlands.



 Iceland is rich in natural resources, like hydropower and wind power. We use
 hydropower to generate electricity, and we use geothermal energy – where hot
 water is pumped from the ground – to heat the houses. But there is an
 ever-increasing need for electricity. A recent report said that to achieve
 carbon neutrality by 2040, we need to dam our rivers to generate hydroelectric
 power. Another report stated that we need to build five more dams to harness
 this amount of energy.


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 The Green Plan aims to
 create a better city to live in, and
 incorporates the three pillars of sustainability –economic, social,
 and environmental – to ultimately create an environment-friendly
 city.
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 But that would mean flooding entire valleys and their ecosystems, flora, and
 wildlife, which I think is a big shame because Iceland has one of the most
 untouched highlands. There aren’t many places like it, at least in Europe. We
 really do need to protect these areas. There are all too many people willing
 to sacrifice them in order to create more dams to sell more cheap energy to
 the industry.



 I guess living in close proximity to nature does makes you feel more connected
 to it, but I think we can protect it better. You will protect something that
 you love.


<h4>
 Young
 Leaders
</h4>


 Q: Would you like to share
 something on how to empower and encourage young
 people to become leaders?



 KE: My primary
 advice to young people is to nurture yourself, because you have
 to put the oxygen mask on first before you can assist others. And after you
 have nurtured yourself and found your own strengths, find the field of study
 or area of work you want to engage in. Then, I encourage you to get involved
 in any way possible.



 Often, we feel that our voices are not heard, or that we are not invited to
 have a seat at the table. But in my experience, there are a lot more
 opportunities than we think. For instance, you can be a mentor at your
 university, helping students find their feet and guiding them. You can be a
 volunteer with the UN. You can volunteer, like you are doing with the
 Heartfulness Magazine.



 I was a deputy delegate to the UN on sustainable development, but then came
 Covid. So, I didn’t get to do nearly as much as I wanted to. Now Covid is
 lifting. There are multiple ways to volunteer, and if you don’t have time, you
 can be a leader within your environment. But it really all starts with
 nurturing yourself first, finding self-acceptance, self-love. Find your
 strengths and work on them, and then you can start assisting others. It always
 has to come from love. Any kind of activity or decision is so much more
 powerful if it comes from love rather than fear.



 Don’t engage with climate change solely out of fear; do it out of love for the
 future generations. Young people are so powerful. Look out for grants. Very
 often there are grants from municipalities, innovation companies or
 institutions, student associations, etc. Go with your idea and believe in it.



 Then, try to inspire others and be open to the world. Travel, get to know
 other people, be open to other cultures and other ways of seeing things, new
 perspectives. My main message is to embrace openness and inspiration.


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 Q: I am realizing more and
 more the power of togetherness. Thank you very
 much for sharing your thoughts.



 KE: Thank you!

Creating a green city

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 >
 KAREN EYÞÓRSDÓTTIR works for the city of Reykjavik in the field of climate change and
 European cooperation, adopting international standards in the city’s
 progress towards a more sustainable future. Here she is interviewed by
 MADELEINE OLIVE
 about her work, qualities of a leader, and how meditation helps her in
 day-to-day life.
 </h4>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 Q: Thank you so much for being here with us. Can you share the story
 of your life in Iceland?
 

 
 KE:
 Icelanders are global champions when it comes to women’s rights,
 although we can always do better. I grew up in a society where I was
 allowed to believe I could be anyone, and work in any field. As I began
 to form my own opinions of the world, I developed a strong sense of
 justice and curiosity, and engaged in diverse student activities at
 college. I was the youngest board member of the Student Association and
 the following year I became the president.
 

 
 My interests ranged from Icelandic opera to writing for the school
 paper, and I loved to get involved in events that supported human
 rights. I started to see that there is still a lot of injustice toward
 women, so my initial step was into women’s rights, for students and
 teachers, and improving teachers’ salaries. As cliched as it may sound,
 I always wanted to improve the world, to leave it better than when I
 came to it.
 

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 As an Icelandic girl, I was able to pursue the education I wished on a
 global scale, although here there is still a class division, and there
 are a lot of missed opportunities because of that. In junior college, I
 became interested in meditation, and was involved with the Brahma
 Kumaris. Then I went to Taiwan to learn meditation in a Buddhist
 monastery, and I traveled the world for a bit. I moved to London, and
 the fast tempo of working in the financial industry was a maturing but
 difficult experience. Then I moved to Copenhagen to study business. I
 wanted to learn how to change the system from within.
 

 
 I had done a lot of activist work before that, and I was tired of being
 angry and standing outside with a billboard shouting. I do believe in
 activism, and I still do it. I strongly encourage young people to engage
 in it, because I saw a study that showed that if only 3.5% of a
 community come together and ask for change, there is a very high
 probability that the change will happen. But when it came to choosing my
 field of study, I chose business because I love organizing, and I wanted
 to change things from within.
 

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 I saw a study that showed that if only 3.5% of a community come
 together and ask for change, there is a very high probability
 that the change will happen.
 
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 Q: Tell us about your work for the city of Reykjavik.
 

 
 KE: I
 gather data on sustainability indicators and work with matters relating
 to climate change. I also work on European cooperation, as we want to
 learn from other cities. My team wrote an application in January 2022 to
 be a part of the “100 Climate-neutral and Smart Cities” initiative,
 which is a Horizon Europe project run by the European Union and the
 European Commission. We applied and were chosen to be one of the 112
 European cities to be front runners to reach carbon neutrality by 2030.
 

 
 The national goal of Iceland is to be climate neutral by 2040, and the
 government has its own strategies and regulations around that, but the
 city of Reykjavik is going to try to be climate neutral by 2030. To do
 that we need a lot of support. My task in the coming months is to map
 out the stakeholders, engage with organizations and citizens, and create
 climate city contracts. These contracts will focus on how we are going
 to reach this target. I will do my best to make sure our city reaches
 its target.
 

 
 Q: What are some other cities involved in this project?
 

 
 KE: There
 is Malmo in Sweden, Madrid, Krakow, Mannheim, Helsinki, Copenhagen, and
 many more. If you Google “100 Climate-neutral and Smart Cities by 2030”
 you will see the list. There are 100 EU cities and another 12 associated
 cities like us, as Iceland is an associated country.
 

 
 Q: How do you involve young people in your programs?
 

 
 KE: For
 this sort of project, the city really wants to engage citizens, and
 young people are a very important part of that. How we will engage them
 is yet to be worked out, but we are trying things. For example, we have
 a Climathon, where we encourage young people to form teams and find
 solutions to societal problems using innovation and creative ideas. And
 there’s a portal for applications for annual grants, so that young
 people can apply for grants if they want to start their own company or
 go into project management. You can go to reykjavik.is or reykjavik.com
 and learn more about young citizens’ engagement in various programs.
 

 
 Q: Can you describe the qualities you admire in a good leader?
 

 
 KE: The
 best leaders are not the ones who go after leadership roles, but who are
 leaders in their own environment, maybe without even knowing it. They
 can also be leaders in their family, in their friends’ group, in the
 house where they live, or in their community.
 

 
 A good leader aspires to inspire and to draw out the best in others.
 Instead of being solely driven by ego (although ego can be a good
 leadership quality), a good leader is driven by love, by wanting to
 create something good, wanting to improve the lives of others, and
 wanting to create solutions that will make something better. They are
 humble and want to work with people, rather than having people
 work under them. Everyone pulls the wagon together. A leader is simply
 the one who manages the process and sees the good qualities in each and
 every person, and creates a platform or an opportunity for each person
 to use their best qualities. A good leader does that with encouragement,
 rather than giving orders.
 

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 A good leader is driven by love, by wanting to create something
 good, wanting to improve the lives of others, and wanting
 to create solutions that will make something better.
 
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 A good leader is very human, admitting mistakes, and encouraging others
 to admit mistakes. I’ve recently changed positions, and in the new team
 we start each meeting with a round of asking how we’re feeling today,
 where we’re coming from today. It’s great because if you say, “I’m in a
 bad mood,” or “I’ve had a bad morning,” people understand and won’t take
 it personally or believe it’s their fault. It gives them space. Our
 supervisor also does it, and I think it’s admirable.
 

 
 Q: Where do you learn that skill? Do they teach it in business
 school?
 

 
 KE: In
 business school, there is leadership training and theory, but it’s not
 always in this direction. We are taught the theory behind successful
 leaders, and we read cases about leaders who walk the talk, and treat
 everyone the same, and so forth, but you also have to learn by doing,
 and by watching leaders around you, and leaders you look up to, and
 asking, “What qualities does this person have, and why do I look up to
 them? Why are they a leader to me?”
 

 
 You can also attend self-improvement courses and life-skills courses,
 watch TED talks, listen to podcasts, become aware, and ask yourself, “Am
 I a leader? Do I want to be a leader?”
 

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 Q: It’s inspiring and it helps you to grow.
 

 
 KE: Yes,
 it’s a great point! A leader wants others to grow, wants people to
 succeed them. That’s a really great quality.
 

 
 Q: You used the word “love.” Do you learn to love in business school?
 It’s a core attitude or way of being. I don’t think you can learn that
 in business school.
 

 
 KE: I
 totally understand your point. People often say that we should be
 learning these human qualities in school, but I don’t think we have to
 learn everything in our institutions. If we want to see a change in the
 world, a change in human behavior, we have to be that change,
 and educate the children and adolescents around us. I don’t think we can
 put the responsibility of teaching human goodness on institutions. It’s
 the love of people, the self-sacrifice and devotion, that shows us.
 

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 If we want to see a change in the world, a change in human
 behavior, we have to be that change, and educate the
 children and adolescents around us.
 
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 Q: You mentioned meditation. Are you still meditating? And does it
 help you in your work to arrive at something? Sometimes we have ideas
 like, “I would like to lead by love,” etc., but how do we arrive at
 this? Is meditation a useful tool in your work?
 

 
 KE:
 Absolutely. It has helped me tremendously to have stepped into the world
 of meditation over the years, and I always wish I did it every morning,
 but I don’t always give myself the time. Meditation is not something you
 can read about; it’s something you have to practice for yourself. Having
 practiced over the years, I feel like it helps me every day. If I am
 stressed out, I do a breathing technique. If I am going into a big
 meeting, I often go into a quiet room, put on my headphones, go into a
 meditation app, and press 1-minute meditation so I can relax and be
 present before the meeting. It has really helped me stay present.
 

 
 It’s also a tool to work with people, because I often have to deal with
 many different personalities. People might be having a bad day or
 feeling negative about something, and having love in my mind and
 unconditional love for coworkers really helps. I couldn’t recommend it
 more. There’s never a downside to meditation.
 

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 Meditation is not something you can read about; it’s something
 you have to practice for yourself. Having practiced over the
 years, I feel like it helps me every day.
 
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