Hearts is the Ice (HITI) is the team of Hilde Fålun Strøm and Sunniva Sorby – two seasoned polar ambassadors and citizen scientists. Hearts in the ice was created in 2018 and is a platform for social engagement connecting students, scientists, manufacturers, environmental organizations, and all who care about the health of our planet, in the conversation around climate change and ways we can all be a part of the solution.
From September 2019 to May 2021 Sunniva and Hilde spent a total of 18 months living in a remote trappers cabin called “Bamsebu” located in South Spitsbergen National park in Svalbard, isolated and 140 km from the closest neighbor.
With a zero carbon footprint, no running water and no electricity, they relied on solar and wind for power needs. They used a Thales-Marlink connected Satellite and were self-sufficient.
News features were numerous including a recent feature in TIME MAGAZINE
Over the course of those 18 months they were able to connect with over 100,000 youth/individuals from around the world working with their education partner Exploring by the Seat of your pants. They hosted live classroom video calls while they called in via satellite and connected experts to youth on relevant topics to address and understand climate change and what we as individuals can do to affect change.
Monthly topics included: Technology, Weather, Polar Bears, Our Ocean, Plastics, Power of Community, Citizen Science, Mental & Physical health, Bio-diversity, Global women in STEM and Citizen Science.
“Hearts in the Ice is more than a project, more than two brave women managing to stay on their own during a polar winter. It is a model for how scientists, industrial partners, explorers, artists and other stakeholders can meet in a common action to focus on polar climate changes. They are following in the footsteps of other polar pioneers, but his time not hunting for fur and skins, but knowledge and wisdom” – Borge Damsgard – UNIS
Science partners during those 18 months included: Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Fjordphyto), BCIT- Indrobotics, NASA (Globe observer, Aurorasaurus and a Rocket Launch), Norwegian Polar Institute, the University Centre of Svalbard and a joint project on Isolation and Coping with the University of Bergen, University of Minnesota and University of Manchester. Isolation and Coping in extreme environments. Testimonials around data collected, value and team competency to conduct extreme citizen science is available upon request.
Upcoming Live Events
International Polar Bear Day with Hearts in the Ice and Polar Bears International
February 27th @ 11:00am eastern
Join us as we celebrate International Polar Bear Day with Hilde and Sunniva from Hearts in the Ice and Polar Bears International! During the 19 months that HITI were in Svalbard they followed a special Polar bear called N26131 that they renamed “Violet”- the name inspired by Joss Stone’s first born girl “Violet”. An educational film short will be premiered on our call which follows the story of “ Violet” and if we are lucky we will have a special cameo with musical artist Joss Stone and her girl Violet who is in Germany on tour. Bring your questions and lets travel to the remote, snowy slopes of Svalbard, Norway and onto the sea ice with Violet, a young polar bear mom making her way in a warming Arctic with her young cubs.
Register: https://forms.gle/RD5bDDibb6Twyqh19