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Svalbard gets 8M kroner for sustainable tourism projects
The Norwegian government is allocating eight million kroner to develop Svalbard as a sustainable tourism destination, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende, who said the decision is a result of the recently revised “white paper” outlining policy goals for the archipelago. “The government expressed concern that the unique, pristine wilderness is an important part of the product the tourism industry sells,” he said. “A focus on experiences between the regions around Longyearbyen will contribute to more stable jobs in all of the tourism industry.” Visit Svalbard Director Ronny Brunvoll said the funding will allow an acceleration already-planned efforts to significantly during the next several years to help replace the large layoffs occurring during the past few years due to near-total halt of coal mining.
‘Audit’ of dumpsters shows many ignoring sorting rules
An “audit” of Longyearbyen’s dumpsters shows many residents are not sorting their trash properly, which means a higher cost for processing and shipping that must be shared by all residents, according to supervisors at the city’s waste processing plant. Workers sorting through three dumpsters found, for example, 27 percent of the trash by weight was food waste, much of which should have been disposed of using grinders in kitchen sinks. Also problematic is large amounts of cardboard – often attached to plastic – and bags of items containing aluminum.
Mix kiosk owners hope to open late-night eatery this fall
Late night/early morning noshing for the post-pub crowd and other nocturns may finally return to Lompensenteret after nearly a three-year absence as the owners of the Mix kiosk are planned to install a new kitchen with dine-in/takeout fast food options. The expansion will include room for about 30 to 40 diners, while the recently expanded grocery selection will continued to be offered. Late-night food options have been nearly non-existent since Classic Pizza was forced to shut down in late 2013, resulting in a spate of fires caused by people falling asleep while cooking food in the wee hours of the morning.
