Destroy This Pristine Tourist Attraction?

The pristine Førde Fjord as seen from the mountain they want to demolish and dump in the fjord.

The Norwegian government has authorized the disposal of 300 million tons of mining waste in the pristine and virtually untouched Førde Fjord. It is among the fjords that twice have been voted the best preserved attraction on UNESCO’s World Heritage List by National Geographic. The Førde Fjord is also one of the best breeding grounds for fish on the West Coast and two of the country's finest salmon rivers flow into the fjord. Please help us stop this madness, through your support to a marketing campaign for political parties opposing the plans. The election is September 14.

La oss ta Førdefjorden attende

Førdefjorden sett frå Engebø. Best utan 300 tonn gruvestøv og tilsette kjemikaliar.

Den norske regjeringa har sagt ja til at 300 millionar tonn med gruveavfall kan dumpast rett i Førdefjorden, tilsett diverse kjemikaliar. Vi snakkar om ein nasjonal laksefjord som går langs bygder, byar og fantastiske naturområde. Hjelp oss å støtte marknadsføring til fordel for politiske parti som kan stoppe dette om dei vert valde inn på kommunestyret i haust.

I moved 500K to save this fjord

The Førde Fjord (Førdefjorden), which may be reduced to a toxic waste dump. 

The Norwegian government has authorized the dumping of 300 million tons of toxic waste in the fjord I grew up next to. This madness has been covered internationally by The Guardian, The Telegraph, The BBC and others. Luckily it turns out that the local 21 person strong village council can challenge the government’s controversial decision, and I have moved back home, after 15 years in Oslo, to give my vote to political parties that oppose this severe crime against nature.

Eg flyttar for Førdefjorden - gjer du?

Faksimile frå Firda. 

Det er ikkje så lenge sidan Inger Fure Grøtting og co. oppretta ein underskriftskampanje for unge sunnfjordingar som ser heile Nordic Mining sitt såkalla rutileventyr som eit slag i trynet og som meiner dette gjer at det er mindre sannsynleg at dei vil flytte heimatt til Sunnfjord.

Øystein Garfors

Øystein Garfors in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Øystein is my brother. Or one of them, at least. I have three brothers and three sisters.

Årets 17. mai-tale i Naustdal

Foto: Øystein Garfors. 

Eg var så heldig å verte invitert til å halde hovudtalen i Naustdal på 17. mai, 2014. Talen følgjer under i skriftleg form for spesielt interesserte.

So You Think You've Been to Norway?

A view of Skjomen. The fjord south of Narvik has an unusually mild climate for its latitude. The characteristic
Mount Lappviktind to the right. All photos under a Creative Commons license by Gunnar Garfors.

- I love Norway, it is so beautiful here!

Gunnar Garfors Biography

Gunnar Garfors (1975) is a globetrotter. Really. He has visited every country in the world, and recently published a book about it; How I Ran Out of Countries*. In 2012 he visited 5 countries on 5 continents in just one day, a Guinness World Record. In 2013 he completed visiting every country in the world, as the youngest hobby traveller ever. And in 2014 he visited 19 countries in just one day, another world record. Before popping by 22 US states in less than 24 hours in September, 2015. 

Gunnar Garfors is President of an international radio and TV organization, Advisor on distribution matters for Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. He also writes on travel for various publications internationally. Who is the Norwegian with all that energy? A short answer to the question follows below. But there is more. 

Professional

Gunnar Garfors is President of International DMB Advancement Group (IDAG), a digital radio and mobile TV organization with members on 4 continents. He also advises on distribution for Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) and often presents or debates at conferences around the world. On Twitter: @garfors. 

Travelling wise

Gunnar Garfors travels hard. He discovered travelling through family holidays and a train ride through many countries in Europe at age 17. He has visited all the world's 198 countries (193 UN members, the Vatican, Kosovo, Palestine, Western Sahara, Taiwan). He completed visiting them all on May 8, 2013, becoming the youngest hobby traveller to have been to all countries of the world. He also set a world record by visiting 5 continents in 1 day on June 18, 2012 using only scheduled transport. Adelia Television is making a documentary about it. Garfors writes a column for Japan's biggest newspaper Mainichi. His writings are occasionally published by Business Insider. Gunnar Garfors also makes and presents a travel competition on the Nitimen show on Norway's biggest radio station NRK P1 with a 55% market share thrice weekly.   

The last 'new' countries he visited were Tonga, Fiji, Tuvalu, Kiribati and finally Cape Verde. 

None are remaining, but he has no intention of stopping to travel to take up gardening or card games. His impulsiveness wouldn't allow it. 

Other

Garfors is born in Hammerfest on May 29, 1975. It was snowing when he first opened his eyes in the world's northernmost city. His parents are Mr. Reidar Garfors, a retired medical doctor and Ms. Ruth Berit Stensletten Garfors, a teacher. He has three brothers, three sisters and a half sister. He grew up in Havøysund, Dublin, Førde and Naustdal. Plus one year as an exchange student in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. He now lives in Oslo but has also lived in Copenhagen, Falmouth and Taipei. 

CV.
Press photos. 
Wikipedia entry. 
In the press.