Crown Prince Haakon of Norway has for many years had climate change and environmental issues as a major focus of his work. This week, the Norwegian Crown Prince paid an official visit to two places in Vestfold in Norway, which put climate issues high on the agenda.
His Royal Highness visited the waste company Vesar and the factory’s experience center “The magical factory”. Here, food waste from the locals is converted into climate-friendly fuel.
His Royal Highness was welcomed by the head of the factory and the local political leadership, before being given a guided tour of the factory premises and the children’s adventure park. The Crown Prince was clearly engaged and he himself tried to control the machine that distributes food waste in the factory.
During the Crown Prince’s visit, he also had the opportunity to talk to young people who have used the centre. A number of pupils from a local secondary school tried out the knowledge centre together with the Crown Prince. Here, the Crown Prince heard about the children’s own views on this learning initiative.
“The magic factory” conveys knowledge about food waste, climate-friendly fuel in addition to functioning as an experience centre especially aimed at children and young people. The magic factory’s goal is to teach young people, especially children aged 12 to 15, about waste sorting, sustainability, renewable energy and more environmentally friendly behaviour.
Crown Prince Haakon also visited the factory’s own greenhouse. In a nearby greenhouse, climate-friendly tomatoes are grown using CO2 and fertilizer which are by-products from the factory’s production of fuel. This is one of several measures to increase food production through the use of food waste. The royal visit was concluded with a lunch of local produce prepared and served by students in food and restaurant studies from the local high school.
