While 80 percent of the landmass in Greenland is covered by ice caps and glaciers, the rest of the country is inhabited by a range of arctic wildlife and 56,000 residents. Greenland, known for the ice sheet that covers it, attracts tourists from all over the world hoping to see the unique wildlife from polar bears to reindeer, Greenland’s pristine fauna, or animals of a particular region. Greenland is also one of the first areas in the world experiencing the rapid impact of the Earth’s climate change: melting ice caps and warming up of its surrounding seas.
The wildlife is not the only thing that is diverse in Greenland. Scattered along the shorelines, the people of Greenland live in different communities with a rich cultural heritage in small towns and villages with no roads connecting one to the next.
Greenland Ruby, an exploration and mining company that mines pink sapphires and rubies, sits 155 miles southwest of Nuuk, the capital. The company believes that it is important to be an integral part of the Greenlandic society and its people and stimulate entrepreneurship, employment, and education and thus, further grow the economy of Greenland. Greenland Ruby also contributes to the potential of Greenland to be one of the top producers of natural resources in the world.
“The mine in Aappaluttoq is completely lead and operated by local Greenlandic people,” Hayley Henning, VP of Sales and Marketing for Greenland Ruby, says.
Nuuk, the capital of Greenland
Pink sapphires and rubies from Greenland are significant for the jewelry industry. Because of Greenland Ruby’s commitment to sustainability and responsible sourcing of natural gems, the purchase of the pink sapphires and rubies stimulates the well being of the people in Greenland, by education programs, supporting locally initiated projects, and research programs related to the impact and understanding of climate change.
In 2018, Greenland Ruby initiated the Pink Polar Bear Foundation. The foundation was founded on the principles of educating the public on climate change, contributing to research into the factors that affect Greenland’s habitat, and support Polar regions during times of rapid change by working closely with local communities and understanding their challenges during times of rapid changes.
This foundation is about more than protecting polar bears, it protects the land that polar bears live, the diverse people of Greenland, and any life source that currently habitats vulnerable arctic areas of Greenland. The Pink Polar Bear Foundation’s goal is to educate communities on the impact of climate change and by closing knowledge gaps, moving together as a whole towards sustainable development.
Their foundation has pledged to not “reinvent” the wheel for climate change, but rather cooperate with and support organizations internationally and locally to help understand the impact of climate change.
COVID-19 UPDATE: According to Henning, Greenland’s remoteness has paid off during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
“Greenland is very remote under normal circumstances, but when there were a few cases at the beginning, the community went on total lockdown until those people recovered.” Henning said. “Now, Greenland is opening up travel between its small cities but will remain isolated from international travelers. Our team in Greenland is happy that things are under control and that everybody is safe and healthy.”