Gyde is one of the Rushers on the Stair, a pioneer who found his place in the community in Húsavík and works for Frístund and independently with a work position at Accelerate the Innovation Hub. But Hraðið is a vibrant home for entrepreneurs, where they have access to an inspiring working environment, office facilities, quiet and meeting rooms, not to mention the prototyping workshop in the Fab Lab Húsavík. Gyde originally came to Húsavík as a master's student to work on research at Research Centre of the University of Iceland which is also located on The class. Like so many who come to Húsavík to study, she saw exciting opportunities for innovation and settlement. She sought career development and grant advice from South-East North-East, design consultancy at Hraðinn and, as can be seen, her project is making great strides.
The Blue Community Garden project is based on the idea of a community garden in the sea, with the aim of connecting innovation, communities, education, business, science and the arts. It will involve the cultivation of seaweed and mussels, alongside educational and experiential activities for children, residents, researchers, and tourists. One of the sub-objectives is to strengthen people's connection with the sea and increase understanding of the importance of the diverse marine ecosystems that surround us.
Gyde has a background in marine science, tourism in the Arctic, science communication, ocean literacy, and working with children. Drawing on her experience and education, she focuses on communicating knowledge in a creative and practical way.
She then particularly highlights that the results of research on community gardens have been positive in terms of both strengthening communities and their connection to sustainability and food origins.
Since the project began, it has taken shape in collaboration with both domestic and international partners. This extensive network that has been formed consists of, for example, the University of Iceland Research Centre in Húsavík, Hraðinn, the Whale Museum, STEM Húsavík, Borgarhólsskóli, Norðurþing, Naustið Restaurant and the University of Gothenburg Centre for Sea and Society in Sweden. Connections have also been formed in the form of collaborations with parties in Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Sweden and Spain. Gyde has also received grants from the Development Fund of the North East Iceland Regional Development Plan, the Fræ Technology Development Fund, Nora, and Women's Enterprise to further develop the project.
Gyde hopes that the first edition of the Blue Gardens will be set up in Húsavík and that she can develop the project from there. She aims to subsequently build a network of similar blue gardens across Iceland and in other coastal communities.
We are very much looking forward to following the development of this creative and exciting project over the coming quarters.
