The Norwegian Glacier Museum is an Environmental Lighthouse

This summer we were certified as an Environmental Lighthouse. The goal was to raise awareness in order to contribute to a greener and more sustainable future.

To become certified, we went through a process where we had to satisfy a number of requirements within the working environment, purchasing, transportation, energy use, waste, aesthetics and other environmental aspects. Many of the requirements were things we were already working on as a company, but in retrospect we have integrated more of our operations into the system and we have set ourselves the goal of becoming even better within these areas.

As expected, we received a magnificent visit from Sogndal Municipality represented by Mayor Jarle Aarvoll and Deputy Mayor Laura Kvamme.

Present at the award ceremony were (from left to right) Laura Kvamme (Deputy Mayor of Sogndal Municipality), Pål Gran Kielland (Professional Manager and Nature Guide, Norwegian Glacier Museum), John Brekke (Director of Norwegian Glacier Museum) and Jarle Aarvoll (Mayor of Sogndal Municipality).

The Eco-Lighthouse certification was an extensive process for a small museum with limited resources. But it was made easier to implement with support and help from various stakeholders. Visit Sognefjord has been an important driver for labeling as a sustainable travel destination, and has encouraged all members to consider environmental certification. In addition, Sogn og Fjordane County Council has a subsidy scheme for environmental certification, for which we received financial support through Innovation Norway. More about Sogn og Fjordane County Council's subsidy scheme here.

Much of the work on the certification itself was done in collaboration with environmental lighthouse consultant Bodil Lande at GreenCo. Since the Norwegian Glacier Museum in Fjærland and Greenco in Stavanger are located a stone's throw from each other, telephone meetings via Hangouts were the solution. It worked very well, we had good and effective meetings and we used zero emissions in our travel business. The collaboration with GreenCo has really increased our knowledge of how to operate sustainably as a tourism business.

The employees at the museum have all contributed greatly to making the certification possible - from the administrative management at the top to the summer employees in the museum. The focus has been particularly on saving water and electricity, proper waste management, HSE work and creating and developing an awareness of sustainability among employees, but also among our suppliers.

We thank you for all your help and cooperation in this process, and can now be proud to call ourselves an Environmental Lighthouse.