After she journeyed from northern Finland to Greenland, Iida was assigned to a case study called Erfalik Lodge. The lodge was located two hours by boat from Sisimiut, and typical guests are luxury tourists who visit for the fly-fishing grounds nearby. The aims of the case study were to examine the sanitation system, improve the greywater treatment, and evaluate the potential for renewable energy on-site.
Here is her account of the case study and the implications for her future work in Finland:
Visiting Erfalik Lodge helped us see the requirements and limitations of the location. The on-site visit also helped us find local materials that can be used to address these issues. We were able to spend the night at Erfalik Lodge, and we had the opportunity to interview employees and owners to understand their views on different problems. This also allowed us to map out what kind of methods they have already tried and what kind of solutions they expect from us.
The lectures we listened to before and during the trip helped us understand how the Arctic must consider different factors in the planning phase than elsewhere in Europe. In the Arctic, permafrost is quite close to the surface, and this permafrost makes it difficult to implement many underground structures. The climate is very cold and the winter season is long, which should be taken into account when planning different options.
This experience gave me a lot of good lessons that I can also apply in Finland. Even though it is not as cold in Finland and permafrost is not a limiting factor in construction, there is still frost here in winter and the temperature can drop very low. In addition, there are many isolated cottages in Finland that are not connected to the municipal water supply network.
The summer course in Sisimiut was an unforgettable and valuable experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. It was fortunate to meet so many amazing people and hear their views and experiences from all over the world. The whole course was organized really well and networking was made easy.
Writen by Iida Saive