With a tradition of sustainability
A development that meets the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs—this is how the UN defines the responsibility of sustainable development. The beautiful cultural landscapes around Jølstravatnet illustrate how farmers have upheld this responsibility for generations. With the right of inheritance comes the duty to pass the farm on to the next generation in better condition than when it was received.
At Jølstraholmen, we feel the same way. Our time is our watch.
The traces of traditional farming lifestyles can still be seen in the cultural landscapes around the lake and along the river. The fields surrounding the farmsteads were many and small, but the valleys and mountain plateaus were endless. We could grow grain and keep livestock. Everything we needed was found in the land beneath the glacier.
Mowing meadows, hayfields, and pastureland. Grazing hills, grazing fields, and woodland pastures. Pollarded willow, pollarded rowan, and pine-covered land. Birch groves, juniper groves, hazel groves, and alder groves. Outlying barns, farm granaries, and summer farms with cottages and barns.
If you follow the water, you will find traces of people and how they lived before us. Cultural landscapes tell stories of sustainability. We recognize them in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals—eradicating hunger and poverty, living in peace with good health. In our time, we stand on the shoulders of generations whose life's work has improved conditions for us.
On our watch, new challenges await.
Second by second. Grain of sand by grain of sand. In an eternal movement from glacier to fjord, the river sings of the greatness in the small. Solving the climate crisis is an overwhelming challenge. But the UN breaks down the roadmap into goals that become stepping stones to follow. Second by second, day by day, we take one step after another in the work for sustainable development by fulfilling the UN's defined sustainability goals:
Good health and quality of life, gender equality, decent work and economic growth. Our employees should experience that we are committed to these goals on their behalf.
Clean water and renewable energy are second nature at Jølstraholmen. Our own hydropower plant is designed for reusing heat and water in the sanitary facilities. We are implementing remote-controlled heating in the cabins, adding insulation, and upgrading to reduce energy consumption. We avoid chemicals in water, natural pools, the waterslide, and cleaning products. Bio-clipping and natural fertilizers keep the holmen green and lush. As the first Norwegian tourism business to receive Green Key certification, sustainable solutions guide all our initiatives and priorities.
We are passionate about a sustainable local community, just as our parents and grandparents were before us. An old builder in the neighborhood carries a powerful symbol of what this truly means in practice:
A white scar stretches across Kåre Aasen’s knee. A chisel had cut through his skin and into the bone when he built the first cabin at Jølstraholmen in the 1960s. He left his axe inside the wall and forgot about it. Many years later, when the small cabin was replaced by a larger one, he got it back. The axe lay exactly where he had left it, with the initials K.Å carved into the handle.
Kåre Aasen’s initials are etched into Jølstraholmen’s history, just as the white scar on his knee has etched Jølstraholmen’s story into him. From standing alone with an axe and chisel, he went on to establish Åsen Hyttebygg and later Jølster Bygg, turning them into cornerstone businesses in lower Jølster.
Jølstraholmen Camping was a showcase and an important customer for the local entrepreneur.
Jølstramuseet, Vestavin, Fjordamattunet, Sunnfjord Golf Club, Jølster Ski Center, Svidal Skriveri, Bre og Fjell, and Jølster Adventure. At Jølstraholmen, we continue to be among the first customers when local businesses invest in our community.
We are proud sponsors of the Jølster Marathon, Jølster Musikklag, Jølster Fitness Center, and Vassenden Skulemusikk. We are committed to supporting local producers, like when Skifjorden Brewery crafted the anniversary pilsner for our 60th anniversary in 2022.
With a tradition of sustainability, we take up our guard, in our time. We thank the generations before us for the place we have inherited. We thank the generations after us for the place we are allowed to borrow. Step by step, we strive to take great responsibility for sustainable development at Jølstraholmen.