Northern lights, containers and new ideas
In 6th of October in the morning, our small team of six developers, entrepreneurs, and researchers caught a train in Seinäjoki and travelled to Rovaniemi—only to continue our journey by another vehicle. After six hours on the train, we switched to a bus that gradually gathered passengers from across Lapland and headed north, crossing the border into Norway.
A minor delay occurred when the bus hit a reindeer. We survived – the reindeer did not. Despite this unfortunate accident, we arrived safe and sound at our destination: Kirkenes.
Kirkenes lies on the coast of the Varangerfjord, just eight kilometres from the Russian border. We were accommodated right by the fjord in container housing usually reserved for harbour workers. In the darkness, after travelling whole day, it truly felt like we were a long way from home.
Our trip to Kirkenes was not a whim; it had been carefully planned since the Interreg Aurora–funded project GENGREEN – Supporting Nordic Female Entrepreneurs in Launching Green Businesses began in 2024. The project aims to encourage and support women in starting and developing sustainable businesses and fostering cross-border collaboration.
The group travelling from Finland to Norway was not made up solely of GENGREEN participants – our bus was filled with people from other countries, projects, municipalities, enterprises, and organizations as well.
When dawn broke on our first day, we found ourselves surrounded by magical, bare cliffs and a still sea, a strange contrast of brutalist industrial architecture and charming, cookie-cutter houses. A brisk walk to visit the local gym SM Training, founded by female entrepreneur Stine, followed by a tasty breakfast and some shopping at Café Intriørverden, lifted our spirits. But soon we realized we were late for our presentation, and our guide, Maren Snøve, showed us what “Norwegian pace” truly means as we hurried up to Nothing Hill.
Nothing Hill, a former hospital turned bustling hub, is now a vibrant centre where local developers, students, and entrepreneurs meet to learn, network, and innovate. It was also the venue for the event we had come for: Arctic Circular Economy Summit (ACES).
Fortunately, no one at Nothing Hill was surprised by our delay—perhaps the harsh natural conditions of the region make people more flexible. After presenting our project (with a bit of sweat), we enjoyed a fascinating panel discussion on cross-border collaboration in the Nordics, hosted by the lovely Alexandra Santos, a venture scout and early-stage builder at LvIUP Ventures and a member of GENGREEN’s steering group. Afterwards, we hosted a workshop on building a Green Code of Practice for Nordic SMEs, engaging in lively conversations and problem-solving together.
GENGREEN also provided four capacity-building workshops on diverse topics—from Myssyfarmi’s entrepreneurial story to Justine Vanhalst of Hringvarmi, who delivered an inspiring lecture on body language. These sessions were open not only to GENGREEN participants but also to all ACES attendees who had arrived a day early.
After a long and eventful day, we enjoyed dinner with our hosts and other Interreg Aurora–funded project representatives. All the Finns arrived at 4 p.m. sharp (including our Italian reinforcement and project leader, Silvia Gaiani), but the Norwegians followed a more flexible timetable. By the end of the evening, our stomachs were full and our minds satisfied with new contacts, ideas, and inspiration—so much so that we all fell asleep instantly in our container accommodation.
The next morning, our GENGREEN group was affectionately referred to as the “lovely container people” as we headed back to Nothing Hill. The summit featured an impressive lineup of speakers: Ragnhildur Ágústsdóttir, creator of the sustainable Lava Show from Iceland; Alexandra Leeper from the Iceland Ocean Cluster, who spoke about using the whole fish in the seafood industry; Kjersti Monsen from Noda, on sustainable architecture; and Jason Brower from Kimberlite, who discussed improving the flea market industry through IT—just to name a few!
The main stage was lit with a soft green glow, reminiscent of the Northern Lights that a few lucky attendees spotted in the Kirkenes sky. In another room—where the sofas were green instead of the lights—GENGREEN hosted a roundtable discussion on the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in rural and remote regions.
After lively and inspiring conversations, some of our fellow “container people” even dipped into the Arctic Sea before heading straight to a networking event at the Ice Hotel. Yours truly, however, did not see the Northern Lights that night—only the blue reflection of my computer screen as I finished a project report, rewarded afterwards with a plate of king crab salad and a well-deserved rest.
The following day’s bus and train ride home took about 14 hours, but the journey felt much faster and far more pleasant now that we all knew each other. The intimacy and small scale of ACES created a unique atmosphere—one where we networked and chatted like southern Europeans. The relaxed, open spirit of Kirkenes was just what the doctor ordered for us punctual Finns.
Text ja pictures: Ada Trogen
Writer is working in University of Helsinki Ruralia institute as a doctoral researcher and in GENGREEN project.