Black Friday at Vallerret: Deals are Out, Mother Nature is In

Every year, we donate all profits from Black Friday Sales to the Norwegian Society for Conservation

Lofoten, Norway has become one of the most iconic and sought after photography locations for landscape photographers all over the world. Truly magical: picturesque red fishing cabins sitting on the banks of icy cold Norwegian fjords with dramatic peaks piercing the sky in the background. It’s almost too beautiful to be true.

Photo by Pedro Kin

Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists, climbers, surfers, divers, photographers and artists flock to the strikingly beautiful landscape. But Lofoten has more to offer than beautiful scenery. It is also the home of the world's last, robust cod stock that provide thousands of meals and livelihood for the locals in the area. Here, mainland Europe's largest seabird colony nests and off the Lofoten island of Røst lies the world's largest cold-water coral reef, also known as the ocean's rainforest.

Lofoten is a place we have visited and fallen in love with, so this Black Friday, just as the last couple of years, we wanted to do something good, something that would truly make a difference in the photography world which is why we are donating all profits from Black Friday to the Norwegian Society for Conservation, which is fighting to keep Lofoten wild and beautiful.

If you choose to buy a pair of gloves with us on Black Friday, you’ll be contributing to the future security and safety of Lofoten as a beautifully untouched photography location.

Want to know more about what your euros/dollars are supporting? Here’s a quick look at the specific projects The Norwegian Society for Conservation works on. 

Photo by Christian Hoiberg

Protecting the world’s largest cold-water coral reef:

If you immediately think of the tropics when you coral reefs, you’re not alone but warm water isn’t the only place where coral reefs can thrive. Lofoten is home to the world’s largest cold-water coral reef which is found off the coast of Røst at 300-400m deep. The reef stretches for 25km long and 2.8km wide. 

Cold-water coral reefs provide rich habitat for undersea flora and fauna but these coral reefs are vulnerable ecosystems that can be destroyed by trawling and petroleum activities. 

Photo by Pedro Kin

Protecting Vulnerable Fish and Whale life:

Nowhere else in the world is such a small area so important to several of our most valuable fish such as saithe, haddock, herring and cod. In fact, 70% of the fish caught in the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea each year pass Lofoten, Vesterålen and Senja in their most critical life phases, such as fish eggs and baby larvae.

The fish eggs and baby larvae are especially vulnerable to oil pollution but unfortunately, the areas most sought after for oil drilling also intersect the middle of the feeding zones for cod and other fish species. The risk of oil drilling in these areas put the fish population at great risk. 

Even a small accidental spill could have dramatic consequences for the fish stock, for the fishing industry and for marine mammals such as minke whales, sperm whales and seals that feed on the fish.

Photo by Pedro Kin

How they are working to Protect Lofoten:

Oil drilling is one of the many threats to the Lofoten area and The Norwegian Society for Conservation is actively working to prohibit oil drilling in these at-risk areas. 

In 2019 they had a big win by turning the opinion of a larger political party in Norway which means that there is currently a political majority voting against oil drilling in Lofoten. While this win gives us momentary relief, the future of Lofoten remains uncertain and the fight against oil drilling in Lofoten is a constant battle. Your donation will help the Norwegian Society for Conservation continue their work to keep Lofoten wild. 

In addition to oil drilling, Lofoten is also at risk from human-made climate change which threatens all of our livelihoods and is one of the biggest challenges of our lifetime. According to the UN Climate Panel, at least 75 per cent of the world's known reserves of coal, oil and gas must be abandoned to avoid dangerous and irreversible climate change of more than two degrees warming.

During the climate negotiations in Paris, it was agreed to avoid a temperature increase of more than 1.5 degrees globally, we must allow even more oil, coal and gas to remain underground without human interference. As Lofoten is in the Arctic Circle, it is especially susceptible to the damage of a warming climate with most of its flora and fauna relying on consistency cool temperatures for survival.

The NSC work on many different projects within Nature Conservation, renewable energy, climate changes, transportation, pollution and advocates for sustainable living. Throughout Norway, there are local clubs taking action in their own area throughout the year (such as clothes swaps, river clean-ups, etc) and making a direct impact on a local level.

We are proud to donate our profits from Black Friday to the NSC and we hope you will join us in making a difference to this iconic location. 

Photo by Pedro Kin