Scandinavians, Nature, and Sustainability

Happy March 1st!

While the first day of spring isn’t technically until the spring equinox at the end of March, today is the first meteorological day of spring. Either way, it’s certainly going to be spring before we know it! The days are already feeling longer with more daylight, and the temperatures aren’t quite as close to freezing as they were a few weeks ago. Although, I suppose that depends on where you are in the world. We are really excited for the spring; even though we enjoy the coziness of wintertime, it’s nice to be able to get outside once the weather is a bit warmer. As Danes, nature and the outdoors have always been a huge part of our daily routines. A daily walk, run, or bike ride is necessary for us to stay sane, no matter the season, but a bit of sunshine, blooming flowers, and green grass certainly helps.

Spring blossoms. — Cherry blossoms blooming.

Today’s Post

In today’s post, I wanted to tell you more about the relationship between Scandinavians and nature. This can be traced back all the way to the Vikings, who worshipped many parts of nature and obviously had a deep connection to it, as it was their entire source of life, including food, water, and shelter. While this is still true (if we really think about it), life is now very different from back then, and it’s easy for people to go a whole day without being outside or even looking up from their screens. Maybe it’s time to embrace the Viking way of life again – minus the horrible and violent parts – and spend a little more time in nature this spring. Read on to learn more about why Scandinavians love nature so much!

Cultural Values

There’s no doubt that an appreciation of nature is a cultural value in Scandinavia. This even has a name in Norwegian, called “friluftsliv” or “fresh-air life,” basically meaning a lifestyle that embraces the outdoors. There are several ways in which you can do this, maybe by biking to work, taking a walk in the morning or at lunchtime, going for a jog in the afternoon, or visiting a park or going for a hike on the weekend. To master the entire range of the Scandinavian lifestyle, you need cozy hygge at home and a friluftsliv mindset. In other words, you need to balance being a homebody with loving the outdoors. Across all Scandinavian countries, you’ll find people out biking, going for foraging walks in the woods, swimming in any temperature of water, and enjoying all the beautiful things that the natural world has to offer.

Norway fjords. — Mountains and the fjords in Norway.

Population Density and Geography

Another reason for Scandinavians’ close relationship with nature is the very low population density in much of Scandinavia, minus Denmark. This means that there is often more nature preserved in these countries, resulting in the beautiful forests, tundras, and fjords that you’ll find across the Nordics. Plus, people are just closer to nature, as even big cities offer close proximity to forests or water. In Denmark, although the population density is higher, you can very easily and quickly reach the coastline and go for a swim on one of the beautiful (but often cold) beaches. In Norway, you can find incredible fjords and mountains, perfect for hiking and walking. Sweden is covered in 69% forest – enough said. No matter where you go in Scandinavia, you’ll find nature waiting for you, and you absolutely have to go out and explore it.

Sustainability

After reading this far, it probably comes as no surprise to you that the Scandinavian countries are some of the greenest and most sustainable in the world. It’s clear that this love of nature, built out of culture and habits as well as our geography, has translated into government action and policy as well. For example, sustainable energy is a huge industry in the Nordics. In Norway, hydropower energy makes up 95% of the country’s energy production. Denmark and Sweden lead the way when it comes to wind power, with the highest rates per capita in the world, and the Nordic countries collectively have pledged to make their region the most sustainable globally by 2030. These are just a few examples of how sustainability is prioritised – there are many more. Hopefully, these policies can lead the way across the world when it comes to sustainability politics and battling climate change.

Thanks for reading!

We hope that you learned something new from today’s post, and that it was at the very least informative. Maybe it’ll even inspire you to embrace friluftsliv a bit more this spring and summer! Honestly, writing about this has made me want to go out for a hike this weekend, so perhaps I’ll do that. Leave us a comment below with your favorite thing to do when the weather is nice and sunny – do you enjoy being outdoors?