
During the Corona lock-down, I was working on finalizing my PhD about user participation and co-creation leadership in mental health and substance abuse services. In my home-office then, I felt like an obedient golden retriever writing on my thesis while the world was falling apart outside my window.
I decided that once I had finished the thesis, I’d take some time to figure out how I wanted to prioritize my efforts in the future. I had already decided that I wanted to work on environmental issues, and that I could contribute with knowledge about action research and co-creation. But I had no idea yet about how I could do it wholeheartedly, as part of my job in social work education. Would I need to find a new place to work? Or perhaps start a business on my own?
The result was that I paused my scientific writing for a year and started a project that I described on Instagram. I wanted to explore how I could change my lifestyle into becoming more sustainable. Also, I wanted to document the process so anyone could learn from my successes, mistakes, and reflections about them. In august 2021, I started the libertycommute-project here. I invented the term and defined it as open as I could: To libertycommute is to reach a state of being free while commuting. To me that meant being free from over-consumption and limited spaces. To raise awareness about an individual change potential, I invited the national media to follow the libertycommute project, an article was published here, while a tv-reportage was published here.

The questions I explored between August 2021 through May 2022 has been ‘How can I live more sustainable?’ and ‘What if I don’t rent a room when I commute?’
I live approximately two hours away from Sogndal Campus where I work at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences in Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. For 10 months when I have been in Sogndal or on other commutes I have been living in a tent or in mountain huts.


Why?
I did this because I thought it was ridiculously extravagant CO2 emission-wise to live in a house at home and rent a room where I work. When I started getting used to living I my tent, hotels too became less attractive.
I also did this because I needed a sabbatical year after the PhD. Without savings and planning, I spontaneously found a space closer to nature so I could learn and find my direction. I may have been inspired by John Reason who described an ecological pilgrimage in his book from 2017 about sailing from the south of England to the north of Scotland. Like Reason, I wanted to explore my connection to nature and learn more firsthand about climate change impacts.
Finally, I started this project because I wanted to find out what I need to keep safe, warm, fed and socially included with as little CO2 emissions as possible. This meant I needed equipment I could trust, so the money I saved from not renting a room was invested in outdoor gear. For the record, I mainly lent or purchased used equipment.
Green social work and activism
In one of my first stays in a mountain hut, I began to study Lisa Dominelli’s theory on how to address environmental issues from a social work perspective. In short, green social work is a community approach within social work that focuses on handling the consequences of climate disasters (like building up local communities after a flood), political activism for the environment (protesting and argumentation against plans and actions that will kill ecology), fighting climate injustice (wealthy north/poor south) and more.

I quickly understood that this could be my window, or bridge if you will, to contribute professionally to addressing environmental issues. So, I kept up the literature search while I continued to explore my self-sufficiency in nature and while changing my lifestyle.
I also started to explore my role as a green social worker. What roles could I take on, and how could I green the social work profession? I started lecturing about green social work, and began writing to create learning material about green social work for the social work students. I also explored some of the roles green social workers can take on. As action speaks louder than words, and I am an action researcher, I was particular interested in the activist role.
The increasing conviction to stay on this path, led me to join the environmental movement in the fight against Nordic Mining to protect the Førdefjord from mining waste. I collaborated with other scientist on publishing our view on this ecocide in the local media. Also, together with many activists, I chained myself to an excavator that was meant to clear a site for the mining company.

I got arrested for this civil disobedience, but will not accept the fine – because I don’t regard protecting diversity in the fjord as a crime. Rather, it is a human right to live in a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. So, I’m going to court together with young and old activist who share this conviction. And I continue to fight for nature rights.
The changes I made
I have described the experiences and reflections behind the changes I made in the libertycommute-project on Insta, so I’ll only give you a summary
- I learnt to plan my trips and live outside, rain, shine or cold without fire or electricity for heating
- I got an electric car and solar panels
- I use my clothes longer before I wash them
- I stopped using hair products, so now I wash my hair two times a week as opposed to three-four times
- I reduced my shopping immensely, and started selling and buying used equipment and clothes online
- I got more conscious about toxins in hygiene articles and soaps, and got rid of polluting brands
- I also stored away a lot of the everyday-plastic in my house so I don’t release microplastics when I use or wash them (of course I try not to buy plastic bags in the store, I bring something with me).
- I buy brands that provide alternatives to plastic containers for their products
- I am a flexitarian, and I prefer to eat nutritious vegetarian or vegan food. I eat more vegetarian dinners at home, but I have also changed my attitude about eating meat. I buy expired meat at the grocery store. And I don’t beat myself up about not finding a vegetarian/vegan meal to eat when I eat out. I rather eat a healthy meal with a bit of meat than vegetarian fast-food or something that doesn’t include proteins.
- Also, I have cut down on eggs and dairy products
- I continue to explore home-growing in the garden
- When my washing machine broke, and the one I got used also broke: I started washing by hand. This is an experiment, we’ll see.
- Now I am starting a new experiment, every time something electric breaks I’ll try to live without it for a while to see if I really need it
- I have become more attentive to animal life and more curious about the diversity in nature. I have seen foxes (two times, a puppy and an adult), otter, bever, several types of deer, squirrel, many eagles, mink (both white and black), plenty of frogs, mouse, crabs, fish, anemones, countless birds and not too many insects but some. So now I want to find ways to explore my passion for observing wild animals, without disturbing them
- I have engaged myself with the environmental movement through protest, civil disobedience, and as member in the local Friends of the Earth board. I take particular interest in legal rights for nature, and protecting diversity in the Førdefjord.
The continued story
Follow my updates on Instagram. I’ll also write some posts on this webpage c”,)