BJARTEYJARSANDUR IN HVALFJÖRÐUR

AGRICULTURE – NATURE – CULTURE - EDUCATION

Sustainable development

Family Bjarteyjarsandur:

Guðmundur & Guðbjörg

Guðjón † Jónas Hallgrímur Óttar Sigurjón & KolbrúnDúfa

Guðjón & Þórdís

Elvar Arna Rún

Sigurður Gudmundur &Arnheidur

Sól † BjarteyArnfinnur Dofri

Personal and professional backgroundEducation / Arnheiður: BSc in Geography from the University of Iceland

Thesis: Zoning of Þingvellir National Park

MSc in Environmental Studies from the University of Iceland and Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada Thesis: Public Involvment in Environmental decision making.

Pedagogy (University of Iceland) Training & education as a ranger (The Environment Agency of Iceland)

Environmental StrategyAt Bjarteyjarsandur, we try to work in the spirit of the ecological and sustainable way of life. We show nature full respect and we try to minimize the impacts on the surrounding environment. We inform our guests and customers about different values of the area we live in.

Environmental ManagementOur six golden steps to success: • Our main product is lamb-meat. We want to provide a pure and healthy meat

for Icelanders and keep the farm as organic as possible.• Soil erosion has been a problem in Iceland for a long time. We want to hold

that problem back, by using soil reclamation and reforestation. • Overall, consumption is a growing problem in Iceland. We want to minimize

the waste from our farm, and recycle as much of it as possible.• Education is for us the fundamental factor in achieving the goals of

sustainable development. We want to expand our existing educational program, both in terms of number of participants and their age level.

• Tourism is a growing industry in Iceland. We want to offer our guests guided tours in the neighbourhood, where emphasis is on nature conservation, and respect for the environment and its habitants.

• Rural communities in Iceland have been suffering from population migration. We want to make the countryside more attractive and strengthen our rural community.

Our Main Goals• To introduce the country life for guests and help them to

get in touch with farm life. • To educate our guests and make the visit more instructive. • To enhance positive attitude towards Icelandic countryside

and farming. • To help guests enjoy and experience life, nature and

environment. • To provide guests with outdoor activities and help them to

enjoy nature and natural processes. • To provide personal guidance with nature interpretation.

Sheep farming - Overview• Approximately 600 sheep

• More than 1000 lambs borned.

• Lambing season in may• Sheep herding and round-up in september• Shearing in oktober and march• Insemination in december• Free running animals from may-september• Hey-making june-august

Other animals• Horses• Sheep herding dogs (Border-Collie) • Free running pigs• Rabbits• Cat• Free running hens• Wildlife (shoreline)• The Common Eider

Bjarteyjarsandur - Tourism Facilities• Educational activities for School Groups• Groups of firms/companies (guided tours, education, food

& fun)• Direct farm food• Family visits• Nature interpretation• Mountain cottages• Camping• Hiking and guiding• Lectures• Gallery – local crafts

Gallery• Handcraft from the area• Cultural Moment:

• Taste of the place (brewery and meet/fish)• Poetry• Live flute music

• Christmas market• Home made treat• Local food products

Hiking and guiding in the neighbourhood • Hallgrímur church and Saurbær.• The Icelandic Sagas: Harðar saga og Hólmverja

(Hörður was an outlaw in Hvalfjordur)• The Second World War• The “old” Whaling Station• Waterfall Glymur and Botnsdalur valley (Paradise fall

and “washing cave”) • Seasonal activities:

• Mussel picking• Berries• Fishing• Farming

Cooperation in the area

• ,,Hvalfjarðarklasinn” tourism cluster in Hvalfjörður area (2 municipalities).

• All Senses. Cooperation/cluster in tourism in West Iceland.

• The municipality: combining culture, arts and tourism.• ,,Fimm fræknu” Cooperation of 5 neighbors.

PICTURES FROM OUR WORK AT

Thank you!