The Fjord CleanUP started back in 2016 when Tomas Hansson, the founder of MadGoats, saw all the trash whilst running kayak-trips down Akerselva. As a water lover and responsible business-owner, he wanted to do something about all that trash – and started running free trips on a weekly basis for anyone who would pick up some trash along the way. As he later endeavoured into the floating sauna business, the weekly cleanups was extended to the waterfront around the saunas as well.
There was a lot of trash and people really wanted to help out, hence there was a need for these cleaning events to become formalised to really do something about all that waste and willingness from people to help out. Therefore, at the beginning of 2021 Fjord CleanUP was founded as an organisation of its own, with the goal to:
Since then we have pulled out tonnes of marine waste – all from small brittle plastic pieces to electric scooters and sunken boats, completed two pilot project to grow sugar kelp with Seaweed Solutions, and created a competent and inspiring community of fjord cleaners who get out every single week, all year round, in the effort to tackle marine pollution in Oslo.
Thanks to Frivannsliv who have donated a lot of freediving gear we manage to stay warm in the water all year round, and with Madgoats as a partner we have kayaks and SUPs to move around, Forge to keep us optimised, and Oslo Fjord Sauna to warm us back up after cleaning. All the trash we find is picked up pro-bono by iSekk. If that wasn’t enough, we also get free burgers for our members from Døgnvill after Sunday CleanUPs!
Picking up marine waste won’t solve the pollution crisis we all find ourselves in. However, we have given people a way they can contribute, an event they can rely on, and have shown our commitment to clean, no matter the season, no matter the weather. The trash we pull out may just be a drop in the ocean, but the ripple effects of that can help create the change we need in society – by bringing what’s out of sight and out of mind, back in sight and back in mind.
