Welcome to the virtual realm of forScience Foundation! It’s great to see you, as it means that you’re curious about the world. And it so happens that we are too!
It was this curiosity, along with a passion for scientific inquiry, that gave rise to forScience Foundation and is a driving force behind our activity.
We want to show that, contrary to what many people think, there’s more to science than tedious analyses, obscure discussions and jargon-ridden publications, which are all but impossible to make sense of and which seem to have absolutely no practical relevance anyway. We make it clear that science is a state of mind. It’s a way of perceiving the reality around us and, at the same time, a source of not only knowledge, but also deep emotions and amazing experiences. It is this kind of science that we write about on our website.
But writing isn’t all that we do. The stories and accounts we share with you do not come out of nowhere. They are all based on projects, whose planning and execution is our main priority.
For lack of external funding, we started off mainly by co-organizing events and helping to put other people’s ideas into practice.
A turning point came in 2018, when we received a grant for our first fully individual undertaking – a project entitled Sørkapp Marine Litter Cleanup.
Sørkapp Marine Litter Cleanup combines ecology and science by focusing on the issue of marine litter in polar regions. During fieldwork carried out in the south of Svalbard, we collect litter which has accumulated along the shore as well as data, which will deepen our understanding of the scale and consequences of the problem. In our posts we write about the project’s origins and assumptions, organizational ups and downs, daily challenges and unexpected turns of events, weaving in many interesting facts and practical advice for more or less keen enthusiasts of the far north.
Cleaning the Arctic, or Sørkapp Marine Litter Cleanup
We are proud to announce that we have received 330,000 NOK from Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund for the realization of a project entitled Sørkapp Marine
Destination: the Arctic
If strolling along litter-strewn European beaches you ever console yourself with the thought of the far north – the last stronghold of wilderness, where beaches
Awfully Rotten Cabin & Co.
Today we’re going to tell you a little more about the Awfully Rotten Cabin, or Kapp Horn Hytte (which is how it’s referred to in
Awfully Rotten Cabin & Co., Part Two
In the previous post we explained, among others, where the Awfully Rotten Cabin (or Kapp Horn Hytte, as it’s usually referred to in official records)
Whatever it takes
The issue of marine litter may be approached in a number of ways. The widest recognition is usually given to initiatives focusing on prevention, such
Project for a centenary
This spring, Sørkapp Marine Litter Cleanup project received the patronage of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Poland. Despite the fact that the Embassy does not
Better late than never, or slightly cooled news from the front
It’s been two months since – after four weeks of grappling with beach litter, bad weather and our own weaknesses – we reached the end
Better late than never, Part Two
Seas and oceans have served humanity as rubbish dumps for hundreds of years, but initially it wasn’t much of a problem. As recently as at
The Magnificent Four, or project team version 2.0
In mid-February, a remarkable meeting – or, more specifically, two remarkable meetings! – took place among the peace and quiet of Kampinos National Park, providing
LESSONS FROM THE ARCTIC
An important element of Sørkapp Marine Litter Cleanup project are presentations and workshops for kids. With the use of striking photographs and unusual teaching aids which we brought home from Svalbard, we deepen and expand children’s current knowledge, making them realize how our daily, misguided decisions upset the fragile natural balance even in such remote corners of the globe as the Arctic. At the same time, we show that each of us, regardless of age, can help to improve the current state of affairs. All it takes is a bit of good will!
The classes serve one more important purpose. They help us generate extra funds, without which – despite our best intentions – we are unable to develop.
Sørkapp Marine Litter Cleanup project triggered countless conversations on the topic of current environmental issues and consequences of human behaviour. The conversations let us identify numerous concepts which tend to be taken for granted even though, in fact, many of us have no clue what they actually mean. It is these concepts that we clarify in articles published under the general heading And there you have it!
Bearing in mind the fundamental role of thorough knowledge (or the lack of it) in the shaping of human attitudes, we do our best to make these texts easy to comprehend even for people who don’t have any specialist knowledge and don’t feel like wandering around libraries, leafing through dictionaries and combing the Internet in search for extra explanations. We hope the articles will let you consolidate and expand what you already know about the natural and the man-made environment, thus helping to make your daily choices more ecologically sound.
Additionally, published under the same heading are articles about the regions in which we operate. They do not deal directly with the subject matter of our projects, but instead help to clarify the environmental, geographical and historical context in which the projects are executed. The texts are also a great source of practical information, which you’re bound to find useful when planning your own travels.
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
So much for the past and current pursuits of forScience Foundation. Our ambition for the future is to spread to other regions and deal with a broader range of topics. At the same time, we’d like to become a platform for people wanting to pursue their own, original research projects outside traditional academic structures.
What does is mean in practice? If you have interesting ideas, but excessive bureaucracy or the lack of formal support make it impossible for you to make them reality, give us a shout! We’ll try to help!
If you like what we do, join us on Facebook! What you’ll find there are not only post notifications, but also breaking news, curiosities and photographs which do not make it to our website. In other words, you definitely won’t regret it!
Is there anything you’d like to discuss with us? Get in touch! Our contact information can be found here and in the footer. We prefer when you write, but we won’t mind if you give us a call instead. We’ll be glad to answer your questions and consider your suggestions.
Happy exploring!
