Powered By Nature, with Christine Floysand

This month Parvati Magazine spoke with Christine Fløysand, Founder and CEO of By Nature, a non-profit corporation established to showcase Norwegian technology, entrepreneurs and companies helping the world become greener and more sustainable. The By Nature brand will feature Norwegian companies in sectors as diverse as bio energy, sustainable transportation, water, solar, heating and cooling, and climate adaptation.

Parvati Magazine: What or who inspired you to start By Nature? Why now?

Christine Fløysand: Norway is transitioning away from oil and gas dependency towards a green economy. However, the slow pace of transition is frustrating Norwegian green solutions stakeholders. My former employer showed me that we have all the solutions needed to make a shift to a greener and more sustainable world. We are simply not scaling them fast enough. So two years ago, I started lobbying for Norway to invest in and promote green solutions. The launch of By Nature is tied in with the launch of a governmental report on how Norway will increase its green competitiveness, and my insights that we need more simplicity and speed in this transition.

PMAG: What impact do you want By Nature to have on the people, economy and ecology of Norway?

CF: My hope is that By Nature can help the people of Norway realize that we have a lot to offer the world in terms of green technologies and know-how. It is possible for us to transform from an oil and gas driven economy to a green growth economy. Ecology wise this will allow us to continue to preserve natural resources for future generations and sustain the biodiversity, and in essence food chains, in our part of the world.

PMAG:
Do you have some early success stories you’d like to share?

CF: It is still early days for us as we have just launched our website, yet our work to promote the production of green hydrogen in Norway is promising. Several hydrogen plants that use hydropower are being built. We’ve also had a breakthrough in our lobbying efforts for green shipping during COP21, with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) now pushing the sulfur cap forward to 2020.

PMAG: Why have you chosen the UN Sustainable Development Goals to highlight the work of your member companies?

CF:
The UN Sustainable Development Goals are the roadmap for business going forward, and business needs to step up and contribute. We simply will not get there without the business community engaging with the SDGs and adopting responsible use of resources. Burning down the last remaining rainforest to produce cheap palm oil for example is something that simply cannot be allowed to continue, to name one example.

PMAG:
What opportunities do you see for a green future for Norway? And for yourself?

CF: Norway has an abundance of natural resources and clean energy. With a highly educated population and advanced technology development in several sectors, Norway can really be the case for how to create a zero carbon society. If we can do it here and showcase it to the world, then my hope is that others will follow suit. I have often been told that I live too far into the future. I think I just see clearly where we need to go, and I’m grateful to be able to play a part in the transition.

Christine FløysandChristine Fløysand is the founder and CEO of By Nature. She holds a Master of Science in International Management from Oxford Brookes University in England, a Bachelor of Business from Griffith University in Australia and Business development, Innovation and Communications courses from Harvard University, NTNU and the University of Bergen. In 2015 she attended former Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leadership Training. She has since then worked to showcase green solutions from Norway with the Powered by Nature brand.