UNA-MARCH 2023

A B O U T W O R L D W I D E F R I E N D S

Dear reader,

Veraldarvinir / Worldwide Friends (WF) was founded in 2001 as an non-profit organization promoting nature protection, peaceoriented activities, friendship, and international understanding among people.

The main activities offered by WF in Iceland are Short- and Long-Term volunteering programs, summer camps for teenagers, exchange programs & educational tours.

Today the endeavor of attaining world peace has become a tangible possibility and the development and strengthening of bonds of cooperation and friendship through contact with people from other countries and cultures has proven to be one of the most fruitful means of achieving understanding and unity among nations.

Veraldarvinir‘s main aim is to increase intercultural understanding by offering international volunteers the opportunity to take part in nature and peace-related activities.

In the last 21 years we hosted 20.613 International participants in our programs in Iceland and they contributed 2.34 million hours to Icelandic nature.

CONTENTS

PAGE 3

MEET THE TEAM

PAGE 5

THE PROGRAM FOR 2023

PAGE 7

KRÝSUVÍK RENOVATION

PAGE 9

INTERVIEW WITH FORMER VOLUNTEERS 10 YEARS AGO

PAGE 12

PRESENTATION OF STÖDVARFJÖRDUR, SIGLUFJÖRÐUR AND BRÙ CAMPS

PAGE 15

COSTAL CLEANING AND PLASTIC POLLUTION

PAGE 19

PANCAKES RECIPE

THE TEAM

Maja Casper

Hallo! After my Bachelor degree in Germany, I knew that now it is the right time for me to fulfill my desire of going abroad.

Jorina Hinrichs

I have been with Worldwide Friends for almost three months now and the unspoiled nature and the sense of freedom that it brings made me forget any freezing while cleaning beaches or sweating in the greenhouses. I will never forget the time and the people in Iceland.

Hallo! I’m a 19 years old Girl from Germany and travelling was always something I really loved. I chose to do the volunteering work in Iceland because it promised a really fun and exciting time to me in a facinating surrounding and a personal development. I can already tell that the memories I made and I’m going to make in Iceland will stay forever!

Florian Pineau

Aurelia Namuth

Hallo! I am from Germany and 19 years old. After finishing school, I wanted to do some volunteer work, so I chose Iceland! It is so nice to be a part of this project and doing something good for our environment!

Also meet people from all over the world is really interesting! We have one in common: We love the beautiful nature and we want to make a change!

Bonjour, my name is Florian, I’m 23, I’m French and I came to Iceland to discover these landscapes and to live a great social adventure. I also want to improve my English to obtain the TOEIC to validate my diploma.

Sara Schmalzried

Guten Tag! I am Sara, 20 years old and I come from the southwest of Germany, from Stuttgart. This year I was in Iceland for a two-week internship. Here I would like to support in the field of environment and nature protection. Moreover, I want to meet many people from different countries and cultures. I chose Iceland because here I gain the best experience for life and inspire myself!

Anniina Ahonen

My name is Anniina, I come from Finland. I gratuated last year from the University of Applied Sciences and I am a Community Educator. I love spending time in the nature and I always felt I wanted to do more to preserve our environment. After my graduation I wanted to travel and do voluntary work, and I decided to explore another Northern country. This is why Worldwide Friends and Iceland were perfect option for me and now I am really glad to be here!

Hello, I’m Daisuke. I’m from Japan and 21 years old. I want to know about it’s possible to live or work overseas because I’ll do medical volunteer in the future. I also enjoy the life with people from other countries. I want to discover many good points of Iceland.

Daisuke Narita

Tobias Meyer

Hallo, my name is Tobias and I am from Germany. I am 20 years old and I really enjoy doing sports like parkour or riding the bike. I also like drawing, playing electrical bass or singing in the choir or simply listening to music. After a vacation in Iceland, I always wanted to come back. When a friend told me about WF I wanted to join to know the island better and having the chance to have a real impact and help the environment all at once is just great!

THE PROGRAM FOR 2023

Worldwide Friends have many houses near the crossroads to the East, South, and North of Iceland to invite volunteers and other participants who wish to work on environmental and sustainability projects. A new house is currently under construction, for more information take a look at the article of the Krýsuvík renovation.

Our goal is to educate our young generation and motivate them to take action against climatic problems and global warming.

Throughout a series of different activities, each of our volunteers in the workcamps, have created a positive impact in the Icelandic landscape and helped towards the completion of the Global Goals.

For 2023, Global Warming is our main theme throughout our different work camps.

Humanity must act in a more environmentally friendly way. This project is to improve the environmental education and consciousness of the projects participants.

Beach Cleaning

In the last 16 years we cleaned 5.394 km and collected 2.151.063 kg of waste from the shore

The main focus during the project for 2023 will be on Global Warming, marine plastics and how to prevent it. All along the different workshops, the goal is to improve the environmental education and consciousness of the projects participants : Green Energy, Sustainable Householding, Waste Treatment, Nutrition, The Effects of Consumption, and more. The goal is to take part in this promising project and commit to the fight against climate change.

This project is also an exchange project where everyone is expected to contribute their own knowledge and experience, and not a standard work camp.

Reforestation Educational

To date, WF has planted over 60,000 trees reducing soil erosion, removing carbon from the atmosphere, and improving air quality.

The main objective of the project is to learn about different aspects of environmental and sustainability issues through a selection of workshops, discussions, and visits. Workshops can include topics such as renewable energy, food waste, and sustainable practices such as collaborative consumption or vegetarianism. This project will help volunteers to be environmentally conscious traveler and consumer.

Since 2001 we have hosted 20.678 volunteers, promoting environmentally conscious

This work camp is a way to enjoy an amazing time in Iceland with other international volunteers and to have an incredible experience where participants share their knowledge with each other while they are exploring creativity, environmental issues, and intercultural learning.

KRÝSUVÍK RENOVATION

Sustainability center

Veraldarvinir has been engaged for a long time, and has made an agreement with Hafnarfjarðarbær for the use of the residential building and greenhouses damaged for many years, the reconstruction work has begun. It will take time to put everything in place, but with good will and hard work, it will succeed.

Veraldarvinir and GFF will continue to cover the sparse areas of Krýsuvíkurland with vegetation.

During the reclamation process, the use of horse manure and other organic materials will be favored to bring the land to life.

Young trees will be planted over an area of approximately 300 hectares.

At the same time, the space will serve as a teaching space and research platform for students.

The plastic will be collected from the beaches, after sorted and recycled.

Mould and seeds collected will be placed in trays and cuttings will be grown in the Krýsuvík greenhouses.

The circular economy will flourish, Krýsuvík will live up to its name.

Everyone is welcome to visit this wonderful place.

Allir velkomnir

Let's clean up the beach and save the earth

The house is located around thirty minutes from Reykjavik and at the same time surrounded by beautiful Icelandic nature. When we go there the first time, we will really amazed by the incredible landscape. From the house you have a view on the ocean and lot of mountains it surrounded by Lakes, natural hot springs and old lava fields. In the breaks we found out that it is a perfect place to go hiking.

In the first days at the house we looked around and thought about where is the best to start and realized how many possibilities there are. Because the house is very large and has three floors with many rooms.

In addition there were countless pieces of furniture and many personal items from the family which has lived in the house 20 years ago.

So in the beginning we had to separate all staff in the things we can reuse and trash. After this we had days of moving many furnitures to other places that we could start to renovate somewhere. In between we sometimes had other tasks like remove the wood from the windows, to have more light or removing old floors.

Than we already could start to when you way the kitchen one batroom and remove old paint from doors.

By Hanna and Guillermo

LET'S HAVE A TALK WITH VOLUNTEERS FROM 10 YEARS AGO

LET ME PRESENT YOU LENKA FROM SLOVAKIA, FRANCESCO FROM ITALY AND LOIC FROM FRANCE

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TODAY AND IS YOUR JOB STILL SOMEHOW RELATED TO SUSTAINABILITY ?

Francesco : Today I'm working as a nurse in a medical center, but I'll try to keep in mind sustainability by using less paper and using the recycling containers for the things that are thrown away.

Lenka : I've been working for a telecommunication company since I returned from Iceland and it really isn't related to sustainability.

Loic : I'm a filmmaker, making documentaries about wildlife, travels and adventures. It's not really related to sustainability, I came with WF to help in the RIFF (Reykjavik International Film Festival) and I am still trying to work in the movie industry today.

2.

WHAT DID YOU DO DURING THE PROGRAM IN ICELAND ?

Francesco : We mostly cooperated with the community in Eskifjordur doing some manteinance jobs for the place in green areas, but we also want collecting rubbish from the seashore once.

Lenka : I was a workcamp leader in 5 workcamps. We were planting trees, cleaning beaches, marking hiking trails, we did some volunteering work for local communities.

Loic : As I said, I came to volunteer for the RIFF, where I was responsible of the drivers schedule. But I also lead several workcamps before the RIFF mission started, like helping cleaning nature in Vik or Eskifjourdfur, but also some cultural workcamps in Reykjavik or in the East.

3. HOW DOES YOUR EXPERIENCE IN ICELAND INFLUENCED YOUR WAY OF LIVING ?

Francesco : We were a multicultural group coming from all over the world. Helped me improve my English, knowing myself better, getting to know other cultures and food, opening my mind for further trips, and understanding that we are all a family in this world, with common problems and same search for love.

Loic : It had a huge influence on me, especially through the people that I met there, from all over the world, and some became such good friends. It also gave me the motivation to start traveling by myself to keep discover more.

Lenka : If there is an opportunity, I go volunteering. I learnt how to live with different people with different needs. I know how to crochet, thanks ladies. I don't mind sleeping in challenging accommodation and I know how to make shopping for 40 people :)

4. WHICH MOMENTS OR MEMORIES ABOUT YOUR TIME IN ICELAND WILL YOU REMEMBER FOR LIFE ?

Francesco : I remember when we went swimming in the fjord but it was terrible because the fish factory there dumped the wasted straight into the sea and we were smelling like fish, but also the parties together and when my Japanese friend Yuki left and I cried because we became really close after only 2 weeks of work camp.

Lenka : First of all, I will remember my 10 friends that were my family for 7 months. Swimming pools, parties, beer, rain, wind, 25C and sunburn in the north, broken thumb, hiking the famous Landmannalaugar - Þórsmörk hike, and I could go on... . I had a great workcamp in the east of Iceland, Neskaupstaður. We had a great time as a group, we helped the local community and they invited us to their home. My co-leader Gerald was great "partner in crime". Recently I found out that he passed away and that make me think how precious our lives are wherever you are.

Loic : I will never forget my first weeks there, when I discover all the people that I will live with during 8 months, lots of trainings, games and expeditions all together. It was maybe the first time I was experiencing something so liberating. And I never also forget the day I left, I never cried so much (like for real!).

5. ARE YOU STILL IN CONTACT WITH PEOPLE YOU MET IN ICELAND ?

Francesco : Unfortunately not so much even though I still follow some of them on Facebook.

Loic : Of course! I met again lots of them in other places in the world. And now, after 10 years, we are organizing a reunion to meet again in Iceland and reminisce about good all times. We'll be back there in May 2023.

Lenka : Yes, with some. One girl lives in the same city so we meet from time to time. I can see some people on social medias. And I can't forget my Icelandic father Toti who I managed to visit last year.

Francesco : Enjoy every moment of the journey and open your hearts and minds to new people and nature, it will make you truly wealthy!

Lenka : Just enjoy every single moment of it! Enjoy living with other people from different countries. It's a lifetime opportunity to live like this. Do volunteering, go hiking, swim a lot and learn some icelandic, jæja.

Loic : I don't have much of an advice to give, just enjoy Iceland and the company of others as best as you can, because it's a unique experience that most of people on the planet doesn't have the opportunity to live.

By Jorina, Maja, Sara and

6. WHICH ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO PRESENT AND FUTURE VOLUNTEERS ?

BRÚ CAMP

Project Location Work Project

Brù is located in Hrutafjordur which is 36 km long fjord in Hunathing vestra. Based just off the main road, we are not set in a town, therefore the only way to get around is by car. Brú's stunning surrounding countryside offers the perfect tonic to relax and leave the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Around the house, you can find a lot of pure and unspoiled nature, waterfalls, rivers, canyons, and craters.

The purpose of the center is to protect nature in the area and to raise the awareness of sustainability among the locals and the visitors who are coming to the area.

This camp primarily focuses on cleaning the Icelandic coastline with the goal of cleaning the entire length. After this, it's time for sorting the waste and bring everything to the recycling center. So far, the group has made impressive progress, they have removed tonnes of waste from the shores.

In addition to cleaning the beaches, the group is dedicated to up-cycling garbage into art during differents workshops.

This camp is perfect for those who enjoy outdoor work and physical challenges. Overall, it's a great opportunity to make a positive impact on the environment while developing practical skills and unleashing creativity.

Project Location Work Project

This camp offers a wide variety of activities. However, our main activity is beach cleaning, as our aim is to clean up the entire Icelandic coast. We also work with the local community by helping to reforestation of the surrounding areas.

Fjarðabyggð is an association of villages in the fjords of eastern Iceland, offering beautiful views and picturesque fishing villages.

The town of Stöðvarfjörður, home to the WF House, is one of the charming villages in the area.

S T Ö D V A R F J Ö R D U R C A M P Iceland's East coast is indeed a spectacular place with narrow fjords and jagged peaks that bear witness to the Ice Age. The region is also known for its fertile farmland, which provides a stark contrast to the mountainous and icy landscape of the coast.

Although Stöðvarfjörður is a small village with about 200 inhabitants, its natural beauty and authentic charm make it a great destination.

On some days, when the weather is not favourable, we focus on renovation, painting or repair work around and inside the house.

The creative use of recovered waste to create art and practical objects is also an initiative to promote waste reduction and the circular economy. This camp offers an engaging and practical experience for those looking to help protect the environment !

Project Location Work Project

Siglufjörður is a beautiful town located in the northern part of Iceland with a population of approximately 1,300 people. The region is known for its spectacular natural beauty with impressive mountains and fjords, and numerous possibilities for outdoor activities and leisure. The town offers proximity to nature, making it an ideal destination for hiking, golfing, swimming in the ocean, or skiing. With a thriving cultural scene, there are several restaurants, galleries, workshops, and museums to visit in Siglufjörður. Overall, this village is a great place to explore and experience Iceland's natural beauty while also enjoying the cultural activities the town has to offer.

This camp offers a diverse range of activities that aim to contribute to the environment and promote sustainability. The primary focus will be on forestry work, which involves managing, planting, conserving, and repairing forests and woodlands. Another important task will be beach cleaning, with the ultimate goal of cleaning the entire Icelandic coastline.

In addition to these activities, participants will also work on renovation projects, such as painting or fixing things around the house. There will also be opportunities for creative work, such as up-cycling garbage into art.

S I G L U F J Ö R Ð U R C A M P

PLASTIC POLLUTION

Human life has changed drastically in the last 100 years.

Plastics have significantly transformed various industries, such as medicine, transportation, and clean water. They have enabled the creation of life-saving devices, reduced the weight of vehicles, and improved access to clean water. However, our over-reliance on single-use plastics has resulted in a throw-away culture, where we use something once and then discard it. Unfortunately, this trend accounts for a substantial 40% of the plastic produced annually. So there are thousands of tons of plastic every year that end up in the sea due to many factors. This is a big problem as it takes hundreds of thousands of years for plastic to decompose. All plastic that has ever been produced on earth still exists in some form.

A very large percentage of the plastic in the sea comes from the fishing industry. Once fish nets are broken, they are often left at sea because it is cheaper than repairing them. The problem with these socalled ghost nets is that they continue to kill many animals in the sea that get caught in them. Another issue with plastics in the sea is that it breaks down into small microplastics which many animals mistake for food. Due to the plastic in the stomach, proper food can no longer be taken in at some point and the animals die. So plastic also takes part in our food chain.

Microplastics can be a problem not only for being part of the food chain but also for increasing the temperature on our beaches affecting many species as can be sea turtles.

I was volunteering in a sea turtle project in Costa Rica where we learned that a sea turtle takes between 4 and 20 years to reach sexual maturity and be able to lay eggs. They also depend directly on the temperature of the sand to develop their male or female gender. With the presence of microplastics in the sand, the temperatures increased and there is also less oxygen which makes it difficult for sea turtles males to hatch and often for both.

Plastic production has rapidly grown in the last 15 years, with 50% of all plastic ever made been produced during this time. This plastic often ends up in the ocean, adding up to 8 million tons per year. The problem with plastic waste is

that it takes at least 400 hundred years to break down, and some of the additives that make plastic strong can have negative impacts on the environment.

If we talk about Iceland, in two hours with seven people, almost 200 kilograms of trash were found on the beach in one day by our team in Bru. As these beaches are not used for tourism, almost all of this plastic is brought to the beach by the ocean.

Iceland ranks first on the Green Future Index (2023) which states “nations based on their progress and commitment towards a sustainable future“ and is the sixth lowest densely populated country in the world (2021). The numbers of collected plastic on the beach are shocking. So imagine what it looks like in other countries where more people live there and less environmental protective projects exist.

But how do you motivate people to

recycle and reuse?

There are two types of motivation that drive the behavior of individuals. Intrinsic motivation means that a person is moved to act for the fun and satisfaction of doing an activity. Extrinsic motivation is when

individuals are acting in a certain way to get a reward like money or avoid punishment.

Intrinsic motivation takes a long time and will not work immediately because there needs to be a change in the mindset of people. That is why companies, governments, and institutions use rewards to motivate people to recycle their waste.

By Dacil and Julia

COSTAL CLEANING

Did you ever hear about a competition on waste collection? Because this is a thing now! In November 2023 Japan will launch the first World Cup of collecting trash. In teams of three, people from all over the world have to collect, sort and recycle as much waste as possible within a time limit of one hour. This is a good way to raise awareness of the pollution-problem, but how did it come so far?

Yes, it’s not the easiest to collect trash from the center of the ocean far away from every coastline. But that’s why it’s even more important to start at the beaches. Everybody knows these pictures of polluted beaches in Southeast-Asia where you walk on a carpet of fishing nets, bottles and plastic bags. But did you ever hear about beach cleaning in Iceland?

There are 12 million tons of trash finding their way into the ocean every year. That’s one truck load per minute. The countries which contribute the most trash are China, Indonesia and Philippine. It’s not only unaesthetic to look at, the biggest problem is actually that animals and ecosystems are suffering from this. It is assumed that more than 100.000 marine mammals and over one million seabirds die from plastic in the ocean every year. So what can we do about it?

A country known as one of the cleanest countries of the world. Why is it necessary to clean up beaches in a country that is most advanced in terms of preventing climate change? That’s a common thought we shared before we became volunteers at Worldwide Friends in Iceland. But even the first time we went to the beach to clean it up we were shocked. On three days in 2023 we collected trash for just two hours a day. In the end we had the huge amount of 435.7 kg at a distance of 1.32 km.

Iceland is very famous for its beautiful nature. So we thought there was much less rubbish in the nature. But this is not the case. I guess the pollution increases in proportion to the damage. So if someone creates pollution, it means that it can cause two or three problems elsewhere. We live on the same planet and we share the ocean, the atmosphere and the land. In any case, we have to keep our earth clean together. Some associations in Iceland have organized multiple clean-ups with the help of volunteers from all over the world and locals. However, garbage is not always trash, some of them are treasure like driftwood can be reuse and it’s a super valuable resource. In WorldwideFriends we already reuse a lot of trash we found on the renovation of the camps. We also work on a creative way to reuse the trash like create bags with fishing nets.

The main aim of WF is to clean the most of the Icelandic coastline and collect data in order to sensibilise and raise awareness. WF started the project of cleaning in 2006, since then it has been a big part of the organisation. At the moment we collect everything on the costal cleaning: plastics, metals, fishing nets, clothes, paper, rubber, electronic waste, wood, glass and ceramics.

And no matter how small the pieces of trash are, every tiny one we collect will probably save the life of an animal.

And of course we want to clean our oceans to protect the nature!

Because if we don’t change anything, in 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean…

As you see, this is a bigger problem than we thought and if more people take action, more it can be changed.

By Saori, Hannah, Janne

PANCAKES RECIPE

After a long hike on the weekend, we were happy to see the snack Maja and Anniina prepare for us. . Everyone savored the treat, and it made our break even more enjoyable.

By Maja, from Brù

Here you can have the recipe

Ingredients :

For 10 people

- 500g white Flour

- 5 Tablespoons of sugar

- 4 Teaspoons of backing powder

- A bit of salt

- 4 eggs

- 400ml milk

- A lot of butter for the pans

Recipe :

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

In another bowl, beat together the milk, eggs.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can result in tough pancakes.

Put small heaps of dough (for example with a tablespoon) into the buttered pan.

Cook until bubbles form on the surface of the pancake, then flip and cook for another minute or until golden brown.

Serve hot with your favorite toppings, such as maple syrup, fresh fruit, or whipped cream.

Enjoy your fluffy and delicious pancakes!

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SEE YOU IN APRIL EDITION