Greenpeace Invited Denmark to Bury a Dead Fjord to Save Its Life

Shakespeare was right. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. The water. Toxic waste and fertilisers from the agriculture sector are suffocating fish and plants, making the country’s sea among the deadest in the world.

To raise awareness, &Co. / NoA, in partnership with Greenpeace, a Christian priest, and the Danish Sport Fishing Association, have done the unprecedented: They’ve held a funeral for Vejle Fjord. In a symbolic gesture, a segment of Denmark's sea was laid to rest in a transparent glass coffin, inviting citizens and politicians to witness the crisis of the depth.

Over a thousand 'relatives' gathered on Saturday in Vejle, western Denmark, to mourn the fjord, with the event being live broadcasted by the two biggest national TV broadcasters to the entire nation.

Over thousand relatives came to mourn the fjord (image credit: Michael Hedelain at Greenpeace)

A National Conversation Sparked by a Death Notice

The campaign ignited public debate two weeks before the event, starting with a death notice for Vejle Fjord on the front page of national paper Politiken and several local dailies. This bold move led to online debate and numerous media invitations and features, including national TV and radio appearances, allowing the team to amplify their message.

“We hope the funeral can help forge an emotional connection to the dying sea in Denmark. It’s an elusive crisis because it happens beneath the surface, but here fish and plants are suffocating. The most important message, however, is that life can return if there is mobilised political will and action. So that’s ultimately what we hope to achieve by laying Vejle Fjord to rest in peace,” says the &Co. / NoA team.

The campaign utilised various elements to resonate with the public. Alongside the specially designed glass coffin and death notice, an obituary by renowned Danish author Carsten Jensen appeared in newspapers.

The death note was published in Politiken (translated to English)

Additionally, the team crafted a gravestone, designed unique labels for a wake beer, a casket spray made of seaweed, and organized heartfelt speeches and hymns by relatives at the funeral.

“In the last year, we saw a shift in the way the problem is talked about. From being about struggling inland waters, suffering from oxygen depletion, to being articulated as dead. That observation sparked the creative idea. Suddenly we could work with death as a phenomenon and use funeral rituals as campaign assets. That gave us a lot of creative possibilities and inspiration,” explains the &Co. / NoA team.

A Timely Idea Aligning with Greenpeace’s Shift in Communication

For Greenpeace, the idea was perfectly timed and aligned with the organisations shift in communication: “We have worked a lot with the local sea crisis and its link to Denmark’s intensive agriculture, and were ideating on our next campaign and aimed to spotlight Denmark’s dead sea. So, &Co.’s idea to carry out a real funeral for Vejle Fjord came like a gift from heaven. To drive change and engage more people in the most pressing issues, we need more than indignation. We need to show visions, grief, hope, and humour. The funeral for Vejle Fjord embodies all these elements,” says Christian Fromberg, the environmental organisation's campaign leader for agriculture, nature, and forestry.

A Political Pledge to Fight for Vejle Fjord

The funeral campaign has garnered extensive attention across both Danish and international media, drawing significant political focus. Notably, several politicians, including Martin Lidegaard, the leader of the Social Liberal Party, were present at the funeral. In a symbolic pledge, Martin vowed to bring a jar filled with water from Vejle Fjord into every political negotiation around environment and agriculture moving forward, emphasising the fjord's plight.