"I hope that we can all take responsibility because if we do so, great progress will happen"
HELENA LINDBJERG
Helena lindbjerg
Helena Lindbjerg is a Dane who lives in Norway. She has always been drawn to nature and enjoys the possibilities that nature provides. Helena knows how to ski, snowboard, kitesurf, stand-up paddle, and snow kite. The love for board sports began when Helena was 22 years old. She learned how to snowboard in Norway and was quickly taken in by the sport and soon other kinds of board sports, too.
Helena has always had a special connection to Norway, and she is currently living there with her husband. Her first experience with the Norwegian snow made a big impression on her.
"When I stood in the snow for the first time, I left my footprint in something untouched. To be outside and play with the elements of nature brings me endless joy."
"It is the force of nature. It makes you feel a part of it."
Tavaha – Take care of the ocean
Helena and her husband have spent the summer on their boat, Tavaha. Â
The protection of nature and the
environment are agendas that are close to Helena’s heart. She is especially inspired by an environmental collective where the word “Tavaha” was invented.
Tavaha is composed of the words “Tag vare på havet” – Take care of the ocean. The word means so much to Helena and her husband, that they have named their boat Tavaha. Not only is it a beautiful word but is also an encouragement and reminder to take care of the ocean.
Helena is an advocate for the protection of nature and the environment. She has spread awareness by being a partaker in arranging a film festival and an editor of a surf magazine.
The awareness of the climate’s condition has been clear to Helena as she has spent a lot of time in nature and by the ocean. Helena has seen an extreme amount of plastic and microplastic floating in the ocean, which is why she is thrilled that more people are engaging in the protection of nature and the ocean.
“I am aware that I have a responsibility. I hope that we can all take responsibility because if we do so, great progress will happen. I think it is important to inspire each other rather than point fingers.”
THE WAVES
Helena is drawn to the oceans.
She was suggested to try kitesurfing when she was vacationing in France. Here, she experienced the same intense feeling as in Norway which also made a big impression on her.
“That is the force of nature. It makes you feel like you are a part of it.”
“It is a special feeling to ride a wave whether if it is on a kite sup or longboard. The wave will never come back, it is extraordinary like the untouched snow. I must adjust to the flow of the wave as it unfolds, and when I catch on to that flow, the magic happens. It is a magical place to be. It is moments like this where I am fully present in the here and now."
The terms of nature
What fascinates Helena about nature is that she can only pursue her sport in the terms of nature. It creates a unique and playful connection to nature. “It is not my decision. Today, I want to kitesurf, but will the weather let me?”
Sometimes nature only allows Helena to kitesurf for half an hour even though she wants to kitesurf for two hours.
“There is something beautiful in the fact that you cannot control nature, you have to adjust to it, and I think that it is good for you.”
“Nature is a source of inspiration itself. The ocean has something wild about it, a source of life and energy. I think the waves are a symbol of life. It goes up and down, and then it is all about how much effort you put into it while you are here.”
Seize the opportunities
“All in all, I think my dream is to see the things that are right in front of me and to be present in that exact moment. And then trust in what is right in front of us, is where we come alive and where we grow.”
Helena tells us that everything has
happened to her by coincidence and that she simply has seized the opportunities that occurred. She dreams of becoming a skilled sailor and achieving a bigger
knowledge of how to live off nature and the ocean.
And lastly: To leave behind the smallest impact possible, of course.
TAVAHA on the ocean, nature, and each other.
@helena_nemo