Since 2018, the Kongsvinger region has worked purposefully on a joint strategy for the environment and climate. All six municipalities in the Kongsvinger region political decisions that stand behind the strategy. "Regional strategy for environment and climate 2018 - 2030" has as its overall goal that the municipal organizations will be climate neutral in 2025. Kongsvinger region (civil society and business) shall be climate neutral in 2030.
Here you can see some important elements that help make us "Norway's green heart".
Inland county has 26% of Norway's productive forest area. In the climate accounts for Norway, forests have a very positive effect: Half of our emissions are "captured" by the forest. Every year, the growth of CO2 binds the equivalent of half of our greenhouse gas emissions.
The Kongsvinger region is the largest forest region in the county. 1,29 million m3 was felled in 2020 to a value of 515 million. The largest players are Glommen Mjøsen, Nortlømmer and SB Skog.
We have leading competence environments within forestry with a forestry and agriculture programme at Solør high school, Sønsterud nursery and Norwegian agricultural consultancy at Kirkenær. The region has large sawmills with Bergene Holm and Eidskog Stangeskovene in front. In addition, John Deere has forestry and Ponsse is headquartered in Kongsvinger. Important smaller businesses such as Söderhamn Eriksson, Lilleseth kjetting, FeltGIS and Dronedata AS supply equipment and technology to forestry.
Odal wind turbines are under development and will be completed in early 2022. Total installed capacity is 160 MW distributed on 34 wind turbines in Nord-Odal municipality. When the Odal wind turbines are completed, it will produce 500 GWh per year, or equivalent to the electricity consumption of approx. 31.000 households. The wind turbines are owned by Akershus energi, KLP and Cloudberry). Elvia AS has a license for internet connection.
The Glomma watercourse is central in the Kongsvinger region. Kongsvinger
power plant is a river power plant in Kongsvinger municipality. With a drop height of 10,25
meters, the two pipe turbine units produce an annual amount of energy
average 200 GWh. Kongsvinger power plant is owned by Hafslund E-CO.
Glommasvingen school and Kongsvinger secondary school are built in solid wood. The same is true of the unique "Collection" Library in Nord-Odal.
The furniture manufacturer Vestre establishes itself at Magnor. The Plus is of course a wooden building with the ambition of becoming the world's most sustainable furniture manufacturer.
Norwegian Wood Cluster (NWC) uses Sør-Hedmark Næringshage as project manager for the project digitization and automation in the forest industry. Together with a number of other resources within the value chain forest-industrial construction, the goal is to develop an internationally leading business cluster within sustainable, industrialized wooden construction.
Kongsvinger University College Center offers a bachelor's degree in sustainability economics, which is a new study program that combines financial-administrative knowledge with specialized competence in sustainability.
The goal is to educate future consultants, advisers and managers in companies that take sustainability and social responsibility seriously.
The industry works together to become more sustainable through the cluster initiative Green Heart Idustry and the competence-raising collaboration with the Inland college.
There are many exciting projects in sustainability - both across and in individual companies. Examples of this are Forestia with an ambitious project related to the utilization of recycled wood, Mapei with its sustainability strategy and new products and Schütz which recycles plastic containers. We also experience that more manufacturers bring back the production from China.
Through the Inter.reg project "Bioeconomy Regions in Scandinavia", we work with innovation in the wood-based construction industry. The work is coordinated by Klosser Innovation.
Interesting research projects are planned in the region; reduction of wood waste on construction sites through better planning (ØMF, Oslo Met, Klosser, etc.) and re-laft, which focuses on reusing old wood in new buildings, are examples of this.
Adopted June 2018 and applies until 2030. The overall strategies are:
In 2018, the industrial giant 7sterke established a network with a focus on sustainability and circular economy. The network has members from both the private and public sectors.
The sustainability network will contribute to both increasing competence and sharing competence, between the companies in the industrial cluster, the business community and the municipalities in the Kongsvinger region.
You can read selected news here.
Circular economy is a green engine of change and a recognized and effective tool for achieving the goals of, among other things, the Paris Agreement and the UN's sustainability goals. The goal of circular economy
The Kongsvinger region (Nord-Odal municipality as the host municipality) has received discretionary funds for innovation from the state administrator in the Inland region for "Circular economy as a green transformation engine". This is an extension of "Circle
Norway's first Circle Scan has now been completed here in the Kongsvinger region. In the last workshop, action plans were established for four circular pilot projects. These will contribute
Welcome to workshop 3 in Circle Scan Kongsvinger Region - a fully digital workshop The goal of this collection is “business matchmaking” and strategy development. We hope to find
Circle Economy in collaboration with Circular Norway invites to a regional webinar on opportunities in circular economy on 5 May at 10.00-12.00 or 7 May at 14.00 -16.00.
On Wednesday 4 March, we were finally to see the results of phase 2 of the Circle Scan project. Based on feedback along the way, the consultants from Circle Economy have added
"I have to boast that the work that is being done in the Kongsvinger region after all the municipalities have taken a step up in the municipal NM since last year. The whole of Innlandet cheers for the Kongsvinger region, and we all have a lot to learn from the work that is done there."
Jon Kristiansen, NHO director Innlandet
The region offers quality education at all levels, from primary school to college. Specially, it is worth noting two new and unique secondary schools built from solid wood, and the offers given for those who want to follow an alternative pedagogical scheme. Safe upbringing conditions is an important argument for moving here.
The labor market in the region is varied and integrated. Many people live in one place and work in another municipality. Well developed infrastructure and commuting opportunities with public transport make this easy. As in the rest of Norway, the service sector is the biggest employer, but also flexible and international industrial companies are attractive employers for many.
The opportunities for leisure activities are diverse and include as well a varied and exciting cultural life. Kongsvinger with its majestic fortress is the city of the region, with the river Glomma as a link to several of the surrounding municipalities.
Welcome to us!
