Tindra Cleans Up

One morning, Otta the otter knocked urgently on Tindra's door.

"Tindra, you must come quickly! The ptarmigan family needs our help!"

Tindra immediately sprang into action and followed the otter. They reached the shore, where the ptarmigan family was trapped in a fishing net. The parents and chicks sat helplessly on the ground, trying to free themselves from the tight mesh.

"You must rescue us, Tindra," said Mr. Ptarmigan. "We can't do it alone."

Tindra set to work at once. It was hard work cutting through the net, but after some effort, she succeeded. The ptarmigan family was free.

"Humans are to blame," said Mr. Ptarmigan sadly. "They throw so much trash into nature. We didn’t even see the net, and suddenly we were trapped."

Tindra suddenly felt her feet grow heavy. Looking down, she gasped: her legs were slowly turning to stone.

"Tindra!" cried Otta in alarm. "You're turning to stone! This happens when the joy and warmth in your heart fade. Quickly, think of something beautiful—like the Northern Lights!"

Tindra closed her eyes and concentrated. She imagined the Northern Lights dancing in all their colors across the sky. Gradually, the warmth returned to her heart, and her legs became normal again.

"Very good!" praised Otta. "Hold on to your joy, Tindra."

"Yes," said Mrs. Ptarmigan. "We can be upset about the trash, or we can clean it up and enjoy how beautiful nature looks afterward."

"You're right," said Tindra. "Let’s clean up!"

Tindra gathered all her friends: Egil the elk, Ragna the reindeer, Arne the whale, Kaja the gull, and many other animals. Even Hellen the huldra came to help. Together, they collected trash in Nyksund and brought it to the containers. After hours of work, the place was spotless.

"We did a great job. Thank you all so much!" Tindra said gratefully.

"Yes, but let’s hope it helps," said Egil. "Humans need to be more careful not to pollute nature again."

"Not all humans are like that," replied Tindra. "At Holmvik Brygge, they are very mindful of nature. It's an eco-friendly business, a so-called Environmental Lighthouse, and they’re strictly monitored to ensure they care for the environment. But really, they don’t need monitoring because they care on their own."

Just as Tindra said this, Ssemjon and two other humans appeared.

"Quick, hide behind that hut!" whispered Otta.

The animals hid just in time as the humans stopped nearby.

"Look," said Ssemjon. "It’s so clean, it’s as if someone has cleaned up after us."

The others nodded. "That really should have been our job. From now on, we should meet at least once a year to clean up Nyksund—preferably before May 17th, our national day. During that week, people across Norway clean up the countryside."

"That's a good idea," said another. "But the best thing is to make sure trash never ends up in nature in the first place."

"You're right," thought Tindra. "There’s still hope."

When the humans had left, the animals said goodbye to one another.

 
A Lesson in Recycling
Otta walked Tindra back to Holmvik Brygge.

"You know, Tindra, it’s good that we threw everything into the container, but trash is actually very valuable. You can make a lot out of it if it’s sorted properly."

"What do you mean by properly sorted?" asked Tindra.

"At the very least, plastic, paper, glass, and organic waste like old food should be separated into different bins," Otta explained. "Organic waste on Vesterålen is used to produce energy and sometimes even compost for plants. Plastic waste is collected across Norway and turned into new plastic products, which means less new oil is needed. Paper gets turned into newspapers or toilet paper."

At the thought of toilet paper, Tindra burst out laughing.

"The more and better we sort, the fewer raw materials we need to take from nature."

"Now I understand why there are so many different bins at Holmvik Brygge. I’ll start sorting right away. But I hope I do it correctly."

"It’s okay to make mistakes," said Otta. "The important thing is to start. And if you’re unsure, ask me. Human children ask their parents when they’re unsure."

"I learned a lot today, Otta. Thank you."

Tindra took one last look at the clean place and then went to sleep.