The Hurtigruten Foundation grants funds to projects, communities and organizations. Among them projects working to conserving the polar bear population, preserving the shores of South Georgia, recycling plastic in the Philippines, growing fresh vegetables in the high Arctic, rescuing dogs, and more. These are the projects awarded funds by Hurtigruten Foundation in 2018.
Hurtigruten stated that for years their guests have contributed to the local communities and areas where it operates.
“We established Hurtigruten Foundation to ensure that our guests of tomorrow can enjoy the same unique experiences as our guests of today. Working closely with guests, partners and organizations, we believe we can make a difference – by minimizing our operational impact and maximizing the positive contribution we make to local communities,” said Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam, in a prepared statement.
Hurtigruten grants funds to projects, communities and organizations focused around three main pillars: Conserving the world’s polar bear population; the fight against marine and plastic pollution; and financially supporting global and local projects at the over 200 destinations in more than 30 countries its ships and guests explore.
Among the many projects supported by Hurtigruten Foundation in 2018 were:
The Norwegian Polar Institute. Climate change and the loss of sea ice is first felt and worst in the Arctic – and the greatest threat to the polar bear population. The polar bear research done by the Norwegian Polar Institute has been ongoing since the 1960s and is crucial for understanding and preserving the Arctic polar bear population, according to Hurtigruten.
Polar Permaculture (Svalbard, Norway). Svalbard has a history of self-sufficiency and sustainability that has long been forgotten. Polar Permaculture produces farm fresh vegetables, microgreens, sprouts, and quail eggs for the local community with a sustainable, circular system. Plans call for producing enough food for the entire town of Longyearbyen and process all of the community’s organic and biological waste.
Foreningen Grønlandske børn (Greenland). One third of all children on Greenland grow up in families with social issues. A lot of children finish primary school without the proper foundation for a further education. A lot of them struggle with motivation and finding their way forward in the educational system. This organization wants to change this, and want to secure vulnerable children on Greenland a future.
Eco Pantao (Pantao, Philippines) Eco Panto is a newly founded company that aims to contribute to the solution of the plastic problem in the Philippines and other countries. They aim to create value for the local community by buying segregated litter from households and business, arrange clean-ups, educational projects with local schools, and raise awareness around littering and the health of our home.
Norwegian Rescue Dogs (Svalbard, Norway) Norwegian Rescue Dogs is a volunteer organization, and the dogs in the Svalbard branch are a vital part of the local rescue force, Hurtigruten stated. But Svalbard is in desperate need of more trained dogs and masters. The Hurtigruten Foundation grant will secure avalanche training and equipment for dogs and handlers.
Interested parties can apply directly to the Hurtigruten Foundation for support.
