Tempers flare over plan for Norwegian glacier ice cubes

The Svartisen glacier in northern Norway is impressive to say the least. Its 60 branches are spread across 370 square kilometres, and at only 20 metres above sea level, it is easily accessible for tourists, attracting roughly 20,000 people a year.However, that’s not enough for entrepreneur Geir Olsen, who wants to make sure that people around the world know of the glacier by putting it in their drinks. His company wants to cut ice cubes from the 1,000 years old glacier near the small town of Mo i Rana and sell them to exclusive restaurants from New York to Middle East.  The right ice makes all the difference in cocktails, says Olsen. He estimates that the cubes would cost about 15 to 35 dollars per drink, the most exclusive ice cube in the world, according to Olsen.“Glacial ice is of a very high quality, it is very clear and pure, not polluted, and doesn’t give off any flavours,” enthuses Olsen. This is why he also believes there could be a market for such an exclusive product. “I was in contact with high-end restaurants in London, New York and a couple of places in Middle East.” The interest was high.In the environmentally conscious Europe, the market for glacial ice might be a bit tougher to crack. Keeping the ice from melting while transporting it long distances from Norway raises climate problems. “There are always people who get into such things,” says Oliver Ebert, a chef in Berlin. “I find the idea seemingly decadent.”A century ago, people from the village of Glomfjord used to climb to the glacier to gather ice for keeping food cold, or for special events such as weddings. “Now your dinner party can also end with a big spectacle,” promises a promotional film from Olsen’s firm Svaice.Olsen, who runs other companies, has worked on the ice cube project since 2015. The municipality of Meloy and the county of Nordland at first were open to the idea, especially with Olsen promising to create at least 50 new jobs in the region. After Olsen had taken the first samples, the municipality approved a three-month test phase.Using a chainsaw, his employees cut large cubes from the glacier and pack them in bags, which are then transported away by helicopter. The municipality had approved up to 6,000 flights over three months, without considering how residents would react. But five homes, three companies and three huts weren’t thrilled to be in the flight lane.“If they keep it up, we can’t live here anymore and our properties will become worthless,” Ruth Myrvang told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.Under pressure from the community, Olsen relocated the landing pad for the helicopters and reduced the number of flights, thinking this would solve the problem. However, just a few weeks after he received the final contract for commercial extraction of the glacial ice, the headwinds proved to be too strong, the Sami people, who own reindeer, feared the animals would be scared by the helicopter noise.The fiercest criticism, however, has come from the Norsk Friluftsliv outdoors association with general secretary Lasse Heimdal calling it an insane project. “Removing ice is in itself an environmentally damaging activity. When we consider the threats facing the world due to climate change and what we ourselves in Norway are noticing about the melting of the glaciers, and then this project is the strongest expression of human insanity and destruction of nature.” “The idea of using helicopters to take ice from melting glaciers and then transporting the resulting cubes around the world with ships and vehicles just to keep someone’s drink cool is horrible,” Heimdal said.Olsen doesn’t understand the criticism. “Ice is nature’s biggest renewable natural resource,” he says, an environmentally friendly product through-and-through. His product would not contribute to the melting of the glaciers. “We only take ice that will melt anyways.” More importantly, Olsen believes, his project will make Svartisen’s name more well-known, and perhaps make more people think about the condition of the glacier.The issue is now up for public hearings to allow residents to share their opinions. The complaints from the Sami people and recreational associations cannot be ignored, says Ola ArnfinnLoe from Meloy.“Helicopters always make noise, even if they fly less.” Olsen has to consider that he may not have permission to follow through on his project after all, a bitter pill for the businessman.He says he has already invested 12 million krone (1.5 million dollars) in the project. If everything goes according to the plan, he predicts that he will be able to roll his product out next year. – DPA