Ever Heard of an Arctic Farmer? (No, I Haven’t Either). This Guy Is Trying to Change The World!
Imagine living in the Arctic. It’s a tough life. 3 months of total, 24-hour darkness. Deep snow for much of the year. How can you grow food there? This Arctic farmer is trying to reduce his town’s huge carbon footprint, by growing food in the Arctic. It seems an impossibility, but watch the video (or read the article below) to see what he’s doing.
I think he’s great!
(And if you love dogs, you might be interested in the second video at the bottom of this page, all about husky dogs in the same region).
“This is for the dreamers”, says Arctic farmer Ben Vidmar . “Don’t give up on your dreams”.
He is on a mission to make his Arctic town more sustainable. He lives on the Svalbard Islands – just 800 miles from the North Pole. (When I went to the Arctic, I was just a little bit South of him, and I can assure you, Winter there is serious business).
It’s the most northern major settlement in the world. Nearly all of the supplies for the residents of Longyearbyen are flown in or shipped from Norway. This gives the town one of the highest CO2 emissions per capita (per person) in the world.
He wanted to do something to change that.
So he started his own business, growing food locally. He highlights the importance of local food, and using less plastic. Most goods arrive in Longyearbyen wrapped in plastic. It’s single-use, and then thrown away – it has to be shipped back to Norway for landfill or recycling.
He grows vegetables in his specialised greenhouse in the summer. He grows micro-greens indoors during winter. The winters are too harsh to use the greenhouse in winter, he has to stay indoors.
He sells his food to restaurants in Longyearbyen, and they are delighted to be able to get local fresh produce.
He also collects food waste from the restaurants, and uses it for compost in his wormery. That means he can create his own organic fertilisers.
Ultimately, he wants to open his own zero waste restaurant!
Scientists say the Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth. Ben says he hopes his projects will help others to protect the environment. “People need help all over the world, so we want to start this here”, he says. He aims to perfect it in Svalbard, and then help people all over the world with the technology.
Good for him!
And here’s another video that you’ll enjoy if (like me) you love dogs. And this guy has a wonderfully eco-friendly viewpoint on life and business – watch the video to find out!
Please Share this post  –  it’s easy – sharing buttons below and right!
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
Warm regards,
P.S.  Don’t forget to download your free green living handbook “Live Well, Live Green” here.