Voluntary work starts after a five-week break

After five weeks without our Wednesday voluntary work-in, we started up again – albeit gently – after Easter. Although not everyone risked turning up, we were a happy crowd enjoying our packed lunch in the sunshine, even at a distance from each other. It felt good to get started again.  The work tasks that lie ahead are washing and grinding plastic. And soon we’ll be caulking the deck. 

Buzziness!

Before Easter we decorated the building site. We hung up hundreds of bee cathedrals and two large banners with information about bees and pictures of our wonderful group of volunteers. We invited people to take bee cathedrals home with them and hang them on their outside walls. Daily Vipps-payments bear witness to great sales for the bees! We sell on average 3-5 a day! People drop in and fetch a bee cathedral and then send us money by Vipps afterwards. Here’s a nice film clip from the days we spent clearing up before Easter.

An environmental catastrophe

Before Easter, tons of plastic pellets leaked into the Oslo fjord. They were washed ashore, including here in Fredrikstad. The skerry waste disposal service Skjærgårdstjenesten, the coastal beach clearing organization Kystlotteriet and the Outdoor Recreational Council of the Oslo fjord (Oslofjorden Friluftsråd) have been busy trying to collect these small plastic beads , which beach cleaners have called “mermaid tears”. The business community’s environmental fund have sponsored equipment to pick up the pellets. A few tons have now been collected, but there is still an enormous amount left. The Police and the Norwegian Coastal Administration (Kystverket) are working on the case to find the culprits. At the same time there are reports of a mass death of eider ducks in the Oslo fjord, and research is underway to establish whether there is any connection between the environmental crime and the bird tragedy. NRK report that the pellets “will be in the ecosystem throughout our lifetime”. The same report tells us that there are 47 000 pellets for every kilo of raw material. The Hope Cathedral is now investigating whether the pellets can be used as raw material for the roof elements.  It would be a strong testimony to this awful incident and its dire environmental consequences. 

Prayer for Hope and the Ocean

Every last Sunday in the month we have an event at the Hope Cathedral called Prayer for Hope and the Ocean. For the second time since we started, it was led by priest Leif Levinsen. What’s more, he also took part in our voluntary work-in in the forest, where the pillars for the cathedral were felled the old-fashioned way, using axe, saw and horsepower.

The Lighthouse Foundation

The Lighthouse Foundation (Fyrlykta) is an important partner in the project. We are lucky enough to have a project office at their premises at Phønixbrygge 3 in central Fredrikstad. We reckon we have the best location in town, behind the library and next to the river. If you haven’t heard about The Lighthouse Foundation, watch this short film clip of the time they visited our building site in April.

Fish boxes galore!

In April, Dag Skottene was at Hvaler to fetch nearly a hundred fish boxes for the Hope Cathedral. The boxes had been washed ashore during the winter and cleared by Skjærgårdstjenesten. Dag has an ongoing agreement with Hvaler and two other municipalities to fetch fish boxes when they turn up. They are washed, sawn up and ground to pellets to be used in the cathedral’s roof elements. In the picture you can see our volunteers Johnny Welgaard, Dag Skottene and Svein Gretland.

Some glimpses of Isgran

Svein and Andreas in deep discussion over a cup of coffee on “the corona bench”.

Camilla preparing more bee cathedrals for sale.

Someone has made maritime waves in the gravel at the plastic depot…

The Hope Cathedral is an inter-faith and sustainable art project based in Fredrikstad. We are building a 120 m2 barge of wood which will support the Hope Cathedral. The framework is inspired by stave churches, while the 300 m2 roof will be built as an innovative project using plastic from the ocean. The cathedral will be a symbol of hope built through cooperation. The project is under the leadership of Borg Diocese. Both the process and the finished cathedral is open to all. 

Contact: Anne Skauen anne@hopecathedral.no +4795912552 www.håpetskatedral.no