ENVIROMENTAL POLICY AND FUTURE VISION

The Gunnarsstofnun is guided by sustainable development and protection of the environment in all its work. In this way, the organization contributes to meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The environmental policy and its implementation is part of the Gunnar Institute's daily work to reduce the burden on the environment, increase quality and arouse interest in internal environmental work. The policy covers all Gunnarsstofnun's activities and also applies to purchasing, working environment, use of resources and treatment of materials and waste. Gunnarsstofnun complies with laws and regulations on environmental issues in its operations. The director of the agency is responsible for the implementation of the policy. All the agency's staff implement the environmental policy and have it as a guide in their work. Every worker sets a good example and contributes to environmental protection and sustainable development

OBJECTIVES

• To have sustainable development and protection of the environment as a guiding principle in all Gunnarsstofnun's work.
• Those improvements in operations and services take into account the reduction of environmental impact.
• Keep resource and chemical use to a minimum and reduce pollution as much as possible.
• Constantly working to reduce waste and promote its reuse and recycling.
• To install heat pumps for space heating.
• To promote environmentally friendly transport.

ACTIONS AND SUPPLIES

• Choose eco-labelled consumables, e.g. paper, hygiene products and cleaning products. Inn When purchasing, environmental considerations as well as costs and quality must be taken into account. If products or services are comparable in other respects, the option that is considered less harmful to the environment should be chosen.
• Reduce the use of disposable inputs, e.g. plastic bags, disposable gloves and unnecessary packaging.
• In the operation and maintenance of buildings and plots, efforts shall be made to reuse materials as much as possible and to choose environmentally friendly options at any given time, e.g. paints, light bulbs, garden sprays, fertilizers, etc.
• The contractor shall be informed of the Gunnar Institute's policy on environmental matters and make demands that they follow it.
• All computer and office equipment must have the appropriate environmental and energy-saving markings. Vatn Water and energy resources, e.g. do not allow water to flow unnecessarily, switch off electrical appliances and lights at the end of the working day or when it is not necessary to have them on. Part of this is to install heat pumps for space heating to reduce electricity consumption.

WASTE USE, RECYCLING AND WASTE TREATMENT

• Handle materials and chemical products sparingly, e.g. for washing and cleaning.
• Cleaning products used at Gunnarsstofnun must be marked with an approved eco-label, e.g. The Nordic Swan, the European Flower or Bra Miljöval.
• Sort and dispose of waste in accordance with the instructions and according to the classification system of the service company.
• The use of paper should be continuously reduced, e.g. by printing on both sides of the sheets and taking care not to print or photocopy unnecessarily.
• All hazardous waste must be disposed of in an appropriate manner, e.g. batteries, print cartridges, light bulbs and paints.
• All other waste should be disposed of properly.

TRANSPORTATION

• Efforts should be made to choose environmentally friendly routes in transport when traveling on behalf of the Gunnar Institute, e.g. choose low-pollution rental cars and walk shorter distances.
• Efforts should be made to hold meetings online as much as is possible.
• When buying cars, choose fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles.
• Employees should also be encouraged to share vehicles when traveling to and from work as much as possible.
• The promotion of public transport in the spirit of sustainable development should be promoted.

ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS AND EDUCATION

• Gunnarsstofnun shall keep an overview of the main "green" key figures in operations and record and monitor the results with the aim of promoting better utilization of resources, reducing waste of raw materials and increasing reuse and recycling. Examples: paper consumption, energy consumption, chemical consumption, and waste quantity.
• Gunnarsstofnun's staff receive regular training on environmental issues.

This environmental policy is part of the GUNNARSTOFNAN'S POLICY 2018-2027 and as such is reviewed every five years

At the Culture centre are permanent exhibitions for example information about Gunnar Gunnarsson and his life, temporary art exhibitions and numerous events are held every year.

The Gunnar Gunnarsson Institute was established in 1997 with rules set by the Minister of Education, Mr. Björn Bjarnason. The institute operated according to these rules until the end of 2007, taking into account the gift certificate of Gunnar Gunnarsson, the poet and Franzisca Gunnarsson, his wife, from 11th December 1948.

Since 1st January 2008 the institute has been run as a with non – profit, self independent institution, operating according to approved charter.

In 1999, an agreement was made between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Agriculture that the The Gunnar Gunnarsson Institute had at its disposal and supervision at Skriðuklaustur in Fljótsdalur, the former home of Gunnarsson, Gunnarshús, and the building next to it, Skriða as a director's or staff residence, and a 15 ha plot around the houses. That is the home of the institute, though its platform is East Iceland and, in fact, the whole world.

At Skriðuklaustur, the Gunnar Gunnarsson Institute runs a cultural and educational center with live cultural activities all year round, exhibitions, concerts, lectures and other events.

The members of the institute board are:

From 1 January 2021 till 31 December 2023:

• Gunnar Björn Gunnarsson, appointed by the Ministry of Education, his alternate is Gunnar Martin Úlfsson.
• Sigríður Sigmundsdóttir, appointed by Austurbrú, Her alternate is Gauti Jóhannesson.
• Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, appointed by the University of Iceland, her alternate is Rúnar Helgi Vignisson.
• Annette Lassen appointed by the Árni Magnússon Institute of Icelandic Studies, her alternate is Halldóra Jónsdóttir.
• Margrét Tryggvadóttir appointed by the Icelandic Writers Association, her alternate is Sindri Freysson. 

Employees

Director

Skúli Björn Gunnarsson was born east in Fljótsdalshérað district on March 24, 1970. He is an educated Icelandic scholar but worked in publishing, promotion, advertising, multimedia, website design and public relations before taking up the position of director of the Gunnar Gunnarsson Institute on 1st October, 1999. His email address is skuli[at] skriduklaustur.is.

Other employees

Ólöf Sæunn Valgarðsdóttir (Skotta) is an anthropologist who has worked at the institute intermittently since 2001. She oversees the reception at the site and manages activities as well as other projects.Her email is skotta [at] skriduklaustur.is.

Gunnarsstofnun publishes two seriesin addition to another material. One Austfirskar Þjóðsögur is collection of folklore from east Iceland and have six volumes been published. The other series is Gunnarsstofnun's research journal and have two volumes been published. Here you can find further information on these versions and other issues as well as the Agency's annual reports.