Boston September 15-16

“Today, we celebrate solutions”, announced Cambridge City Councilor Henrietta Davis while handing a diploma of recognition to Louis Palmer last Tuesday at the Harvard Faculty Club. The Swiss Consulate attracted twenty five prominent representatives of the Harvard community, Cambridge and Boston administration and the Swiss business and diplomatic world to a luncheon at the Faculty club. All of the guests were recognized as members of the community who strive towards an environmentally friendly future and the occasion for their gathering was to commemorate the second day of Mr. Palmer’s visit to Boston. In the keynote address of the speakers one could identify the unifying theme: change is necessary if we love our children, the overarching message: change is possible if we all take the right actions towards a sustainable lifestyle, and the recognition of Mr. Palmer’s invention– a fully solar powered car - as a creative yet immediately implementable path towards such a lifestyle.

Louis Palmer is a Swiss school teacher who since early child has had a dream – to travel the world in a solar car. After touring Africa on a bike, crossing Asia by car and setting a world record for flying over South America in the smallest aircraft, he decided to take on what at the time seemed like an impossible task – the construction of a solar car. With the help of enthusiastic Swiss college students, main sponsor Q-cells (the world’s largest manufacturer of solar batteries), and other Swiss business, he was able to construct the “first Swiss car”, which can be driven for a hundred miles without recharging. Mr. Palmer has spent the last fourteen months on the world roads, crossing desserts in Saudi Arabia, meeting with his local police escorts, conversing with and posing for journalists.

Everywhere but in one country of the world (and only due to an outdated government decree banning from entry Swiss licensed vehicles), he was welcome and safe. He danced with Dancing Davey (http://vimeo.com/1776258), was shown on CNN (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbbkK692FoY), The highlight of the trip – the climate change conference in Bali where the solar taxi was proclaimed the official taxi of over two hundred ministers, and the following ride with UN secretary general Ban Ki Mun in New York. Bank Ki Mun enjoyed himself so much that he invited Mr. Palmer to be his official driver at the UN climate change conference in Poland in November.

Louis Palmer visited Boston only for two days. But these two days were certainly eventful. On Monday at noon, over sixty students and press representatives welcomed Mr. Palmer at the Tufts Fletcher School for International Affairs. Later that day, the MIT Solar Race Team co-hosted a perfectly attended lecture on the MIT campus. The solar taxi parked in front of the building, right next to the solar car constructed by the MIT team as well as their new prototype for the next race in 2009. Everywhere, lecture attendees applauded Mr. Palmer for his innovative vision, sense of humor, and conviction.

For fueling the solar taxi, Mr. Palmer would refer to the sun. For fueling the batteries of all attendees at the lectures was responsible the Swiss Baker, who served homemade, all natural own style bread, gourmand meats, and colorful arrangements of fruit and refreshments.

Mr. Palmer just finished his tour of North America in Montreal and is currently awaiting the arrival of the ship to take him and the taxi back to Europe. Bon voyage, Louis, and we are looking forward to seeing you on TV when you drive Mr. Ban Ki Mun again at the conference in Poland!

www.solartaxi.com

(Divna Gogeva from Bulgaria, Harvard Class 2009, intern at the Swiss Consulate)