It's an oddity of living on board a ship that wherever you go, you bring your home with you. And if it's a Greenpeace ship, pretty much whenever you visit a town, the townspeople also get a chance to visit you. So it feels more like exchanging visits than just going visiting.

Today we exchanged visits with Narsaq. Our guidebook says the town's name means "the plain", although its landscape is a little bumpier than I associate with the word "plain". I would say "mountainous", "fjordish" or at least "hilly " would be more like it - but then maybe this is as flat as costal Greenland gets. At any rate, the town has a good harbor, about 1,800 people, houses in the usual colors (red, blue, green and yellow - very pretty), and icebergs just off shore.

The main industry here is the fish plant, and fishing is also a big form of recreation. They do get a few tourists, and you might be surprised to learn that some of them come for the fishing, which I'm told is excellent. They also have a mighty big hill (it would be called a mountain in some places). I'm told that part way up the hill you can find rare stones called Tuttupit, which range in color from pink to purple and are only found one other place in the world. Walking the surrounding hills is another favorite past time for both locals and tourists. Considering the spectacular landscape, I'd guess the views are worth the more than any precious stones you might find.

The local kids are keen on roller blading. During today's open boat, one of them was even cruising around the deck. Others were playing Attortaanneq - known in English as "tag" - chasing and hiding from each other. Here's a tip: favorite hiding place is behind the bridge chart table.

The adults here echoed the same disturbing news about a changing climate that we had heard in Ittoqqortoomiit - less sea ice, warmer water, a local glacier has visibly thinned, and Otto (our local guide and interpreter) told us that the weather has become more unpredictable, which is a very big deal if you are a hunter or fisherman.

Another local told us about a glacier fed, hydro power plant being built nearby to replace diesel generators. This is probably being done as much for cost reasons as environmental reasons. Either way, hydropower, when done right, is a highly reliable and environmentally benign source of renewable energy.

In a town this size it is easy to know where your energy comes from. In a big city, it can be less obvious. Where does your electricity come from? How much of it is generated from renewable sources? Try asking your power company these questions. No mater where you live, just letting your power company know a customer cares is important. In some areas, you can even choose to buy your electricity exclusively from renewable sources. In the US, also be sure to take part in the Thin Ice Contest.

- Andrew