Saving Iceland





From Draumalandið website – Dreamland is a truly epic film about a nation standing at cross-roads. Leading up to the country’s greatest economic crisis, the government started the largest mega project in the history of Iceland, to build the biggest dam in Europe to provide Alcoa cheap electricity for an aluminum smelter in the rugged east fjords of Iceland. The mantra was economic growth. Today Iceland is left holding a huge dept and an uncertain future

Dreamland is a film about exploitation of natural resources and as Icelanders have learned clean energy does not come without consequence. Iceland is a country blessed with an abundance of clean, renewable, hydro-electric and geothermal energy. Clean energy brings in polluting industry and international corporations. Read More

Yesterday three black dressed individuals, masked with aluminium foil, threw green Skyr (traditional Icelandic dairy product) on representatives of Icelandic energy companies during a greenwash presentation in the University of Iceland. In June 2005 Saving Iceland threw Skyr on representatives of Alcoa and Bechtel during an international aluminium conference in Reykjavík.

Gaia – the student association of Master students in Environment and Natural Resources, had organized a “Green Week” in the university. Among activities was this particular presentation by e.g. Landsvirkjun (Iceland’s national energy company), O.R. (Reykjavík Energy) and Geysir Green Energy; all companies who are involved in the development of the aluminium industry in Iceland. Read More

Iceland’s current government, formed by the Left-Green Party (Vinstri Grænir) and the Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin), has approved draft of a law by Össur Skarphéðinsson, minister of industry. The draft permits the government’s contract with Century Aluminum and Norðurál Helguvík about the construction of an aluminium smelter in Helguvík.

The contract includes several versions of a “special treatment” that Norðurál will get from the government and has e.g. to do with the amount of taxes that the company will pay. The contract puts Norðurál in a different and higher position that other companies in Iceland, apart from Alcoa’s aluminium smelter in Reyðarfjörður and Century’s smelter in Grundartangi. Read More