The First World and Sustainability

Sustainability – what does this really mean?

Sustainable: pertaining to a system that maintains its own viability by using techniques that allow for continual reuse & able to be supported as with the basic necessities or sufficient funds

It is easy to understand and support the idea of sustainability when referring to developing nations, as our first world guilt dictates that we should pay a slightly higher price in developing nations to promote sustainability.

And, in first world counties operating sustainably is often not understood in the same fashion. And, it is often misconstrued that in the first world a sustainable company is just using this terminology as a front for being expensive and/or overpriced.

Sustainable applies equally and in the same fashion regardless of where a company’s operations take place with the only real difference being the price point.

Operating sustainably in the first world, and in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, with the highest cost of living, requires that a sustainable price point reflects the real costs of doing business which includes paying living wages, taxes, and at the same time maintaining the correct operating margins.

There are only a select few companies operating in a true sustainable fashion in the first world; and it is your duty as a consumer to seek out these companies and pay the price required when adventuring in the first world!

Duration
3 hours
Group Size
At least 1

ÅLESUND'S WATERWAYS (A TAILOR-MADE 2-3 HOUR CITY PADDLE)

CITY SIGHTS, ART NOUVEAU, ISLANDS & FJORDS!

A Tailor-Made 2–3-hour sea kayak discovery of Ålesund's majestic waterways!

Ålesund’s southern harbour and its famous Borgund fjord are the scene from Ålesund’s original sea kayak excursion. Good fun and great paddling await as our internationally certified sea kayak guides lead you down Borgund fjord to the ‘first settlement,’ Borgundkaupangen.

Historical landmarks, dating back over 100 years, the city’s skyline and the glistening waters of mighty Borgund Fjord are seemingly painted on a backdrop of the majestic, snow-capped Sunnmøre Alps.

Our kayaks glide easily over the rippling fjord waters as we marvel in our serene surroundings and take advantage of countless photo ops, as your guide share tales and stories of western Norway and its coastal culture.

Duration
6 hours
Group Size
At least 1

THE FJORDS, ISLANDS & SOUNDS ROUTE

A CIRCUMNAVAGATION, KEEP ÅLESUND ON YOUR LEFT!

Escape the city! Borgund Fjord, keeping the southern city sights, sounds & smells on our left we paddle its glistening waters, floating through Nørve Sound to the entrance of Ellingsøyfjord with its fairy tale islands. Enjoy a tasty picnic lunch on a lush green island seemingly miles from urbanisation.

Jumping on the water after refueling on a picnic lunch, we head west with Ålesund still on our left to complete our circumnavigation. Passing by the northern harbour, guarded by its 184-year-old navigational beacon and the last remaining buildings of Old Ålesund, we seek out the Asp Island bridge the entrance to Ålesund’s Southern harbour. Our kayaks glide easily through the Southern Harbour, past a 109-year-old historical landmark, and on towards our take-out point.

Finally, the city’s southern skyline chiseled on a seemingly painted backdrop of the majestic Sunnmøre Alps we see our landing site on the banks of Borgund Fjord.

Duration
5 hours
Group Size
At least 1

FJORD SERENITY

WILD NORWEGIAN FJORDS!

Ålesund’s Serene Fjords!
Norway’s Grand Fjord (Storfjord), where the surging north Atlantic Ocean meets the majestic Sunnmøre Alps. Here a giant ravine like fjord carries the surging ocean inland banked by steep sheer walls that give way to towering peaks.

Borgund Fjord, gliding out on its glistening waters, the sky opens revealing the city skyline, historical buildings, and a spectacular archipelago all chiselled on a seemingly painted backdrop of the majestic Sunnmøre Alps.

Ellings Island Fjord with trademark fairy-tale islands, wavelets, birds, a lost seal, and lush green boarders, here you can enjoy a tasty picnic lunch on a lush green island seemingly miles from urbanization.

Feeling small in our sea kayaks as we glide out onto the glistening fjord waters the over-whelming majesty of our surroundings hits us with a view like a painted canvas of deep blue water, lush green forests giving way to chiselled rocky peaks, and an endless blue sky with wisps of white. Here, the history and culture of a rugged coastal people and the waterways that connected them come alive as we paddle these majestic waterways.

Our kayaks glide effortlessly as we search out a little know sport for a delicious picnic lunch, before slipping back on the water.