Natur, Miljø, Klima og Nansen

Nature, environment, climate and Nansen

We are committed to nature, the environment and the climate, and work to find good and sustainable solutions.

In planning the cabin areas, emphasis is placed on taking into account the landscape and surroundings, outdoor life and recreation areas, biodiversity, watercourses and bogs. All plans are made in accordance with national guidelines for planning cottage areas. It is important to preserve bogs in a climate context. When bogs are drained so that they dry out, organic material is broken down so that carbon is released and ends up in the atmosphere as the greenhouse gas CO2. Marshes are also important for retaining rainwater after heavy rainfall, which can happen more often with climate change. Without this fungal effect on untouched bogs, the area further down in the watercourses will be more prone to flood damage.

Log cabins are good for the climate, as well as the continuation of the millennial Norwegian tradition. Timber binds carbon, is renewable, pollutes little, and energy consumption on production is small. Wood contains approx. 50 % carbon and 43 % oxygen, and massive lumbered log cabins, therefore, bind much of the greenhouse gas CO2. Producing wood requires only solar energy, and making our hand-lumbered log cabins and other materials requires very little energy compared to other building materials.

Emissions from the transport of log cabins from Latvia to Norway are small in the CO2 accounts in relation to the carbon that is bound in the wood and the production of the wood and the cabin that requires very little energy. If you base a life cycle on the cabin through many generations, a Nature Cabin is a good and sustainable choice.

So what does Fridtjof Nansen have to do with this? Well, Nansen and his family were the first leisure residents on Vegglifjell. They had a large hunting and leisure property at Sørkje all the way south on Vegglifjell which they spent several months each year between 1899 and 1908. Nansen was a national superstar in the years when Norway tore loose from Sweden, and was very important in finding a Norwegian identity. Nansen was a close friend of the new royal family after 1905. The popular scientist and polar explorer thought both the king and the crown price how to ski and how to ski jump. Fridtjof Nansen was, after all, one of the most important role models for the emergence of Norwegian skiing, outdoor life, and cabin life. The cabin, which was located in the settergrenda by Sørkjevatn, was perhaps one of the Norwegian "watch cabins" which has been the model for countless mountain cabins in hindsight.

It is more sustainable land use to build denser in already established cabin areas than to build cabins spread over large natural areas. Each of us wants plenty of space around the cabin, but then we would have built down very large natural areas.

All cabin areas have approved water supply and drainage solutions that do not contaminate groundwater or watercourses. Power and firewood are the most appropriate solutions to meet the energy needs of the cabin. Investing in waterborne solutions concerning energy consumption is too great a cost to recommend. We provide solutions that make the best use of electricity, including temperature and energy management, so that the temperature is lowered when the cabin is not in use. The driving distance from the large population concentrations around the Oslo Fjord and up to Vegglifjell is approx. two hours, and the stretch is also well developed with electric car charging stations.

Log cabins have a good and healthy indoor climate. A log cabin is cool on hot summer days and stores heat in the walls on cold winter days. Timber walls breathe and absorb moisture to create a good indoor climate without artificial substances and exhaust fumes. Sustainability includes both consideration for nature and the environment, economic sustainability and social sustainability. The latter we are also concerned about. The workers of our partners must have secure working conditions, good living conditions, and a decent salary according to Norwegian standards. Naturhytta helps to create a sustainable local community by making the most of the value creation going to local businesses. We choose our partners carefully, and are proud of what we can offer together.

For the Nansen family it was of great importance to find peace and relaxation from the hustle and bustle of the city in natural surroundings. Nansen believed that personality developed best in harmony with nature. On Vegglifjell there are many good opportunities for outdoor recreation and physical activity, both on marked trails and uphill ski trails, or in untouched nature in the spirit of Nansen.