Good Examples Experience shows that the credibility of a process is enhanced when relatively fast, quality and concrete examples can be shown early on in the process. Even if the most important changes are the ones that take place internally (our attitudes and behaviours), it is not until there is visible proof of the change that people start to really believe it is possible to change their society and then also the whole world. In the very early stages of our project, we observed that the municipality of Robertsfors had several good examples, including active village communities, ecological farmers, sustainable schools and childcare centres - all working for sustainable development in an exemplary manner. Since those early days, the increase in the number of new good examples is due in part to the great variety of ideas that have arisen during the process, but most of all these new good examples are due to all the community "firespirits" who have the strength to bring new ideas to reality. Check out the following "good examples" in Robertsfors, Sweden by following the links below, or joining other English-speakers on a Sustainable Sweden Tour!>> Överklintens Kvarn Överklinten is a small, traditional village in the municipality of Robertsfors, approximately 30 kilometers inland from the northeastern coast of Sweden. A mill right in the center of the village had been abandoned for some time, when in 1999 the citizens of the village agreed to take on a community project to restore the mill. Renovations to the mill were completed over several years, with most of the work done voluntarily by community residents. The renovations were complete in early 2005, in time for a grand opening of the hotel and fishing center to open in the summer. Now the mill is a beautiful restored building of traditional red with white trim, as are all the other buildings in the village, with a sauna on the first floor looking out over the turbines, a restaurant on the second floor, rooms for 18 guests on the third floor (complete with high-speed internet access, and a library that can also serve as a conference room in the attic. Learn more about Överklintens Kvarn from this pdf -file>> Sikeå Eco-Village Inside the old storagebuilding in Sikeå Harbour. Sikeå is a village of approximately 360 people on the coast, in the eastern part of Robertsfors municipality. It has taken its own approach to sustainable development, starting a village association in 1995 to rebuild their harbor and create projects that provide jobs and resources for their community. They succeeded in rebuilding their harbor in partnership with the Robertsfors municipality, clearing the harbor area from recent growth and reconstructing several buildings, including the old saw mill. Additional development projects completed completely through village members' hard work include a day care center, a second-hand store in the old mill building, a campground that is very popular in the summer, and a sheep and cattle open space cooperative that ensures common areas are maintained as open green space and that provides meat to village residents. All of these initiatives have provided jobs and income to people in the community. There are also many social and cultural initiatives as well, including an annual rock music festival, a photo exhibit that opened this year about the history of the harbor, Wednesday evening live-music café in the summertime, and naturalist education days. While many hours are put into all these local projects for free by residents, they provide a great deal of inspiration, creativity, and pride that makes the village a stronger community in which to live.   KUF Youth Forum For many years, several villages in Robertsfors have cooperated to develop their home region together. Young people in the municipality have set up a forum, KUF, to be able to influence what happens in the municipality with their perspective. This forum is an important contributor to the sustainable development planning, as it is an existing network that can represent a significant community in the region. MBAB Pellet Manufacturer MBAB, a small company in Robertsfors, makes wooden pellets, an environmentally friendly energy source. MBAB also have an environmental management system, and other Robertsfors companies are now also setting up similar systems in order to maintain their market competitiveness and success. Västerbotten Cheese Association (Ostriket I Vasterbotten website) Ecological Farms (KRAV website)