Vollskogen is a beloved forest at the foot of Pentagon student housing in Ås, Norway. Here, Opsahl Bolig plans to construct “Ås Hageby” under the costume of sustainability and inclusivity.

Since 2020, the cutting of Vollskogen has been met with relentless and diverse forms of protest. Demonstrations, petitions, the opposition of the student parliament, and legal appeals did not convince politicians to prioritize ecological and mental health benefits over capitalist interests to profit on the “development” of this forest. It has been quiet in the last months, but we are here to revive this protest.

Vollskogen is an important wetland. It acts as a sponge by preventing water from flooding surrounding areas and fields. 2024 has been the hottest year on record and with the intensifying global warming, we face more rain and floods, as we have seen across Norway in the last two summers. Sealing off this area with concrete and buildings is irrational and costly: it demands the installment of drainage systems, creating a problem where there isn’t one. Even more so, cutting down forests and constructing material and energy intensive homes in and of itself intensifies the global socio-ecological catastrophe.

“Ås Hageby” is a prime example of capitalist greenwashing as the project pretends to meet social and ecological needs, while at the same time reinforcing social inequality and causing ecological destruction. It is not sustainable to cut down forests for 200 family homes, and Ås does not need more homes that people cannot afford. Take, for example, the nearby Brekketunet, where around 30 newly built apartments are empty because people cannot afford them.

Ås Kommune, NMBU, and of course Opsahl write sustainablility on their flags. But we do not need more single family homes in green areas. We need to let forests recover and grow old, and work on collective forms of living with what we already have. The decision by elected officials to cut down Vollskogen despite heavy protests ignores the forests’ innumberable benefits and peoples’ genuine care for it.

The cutting of Vollskogen started on Friday, 24th of January, even though NMBU and SiÅs have not yet agreed to the use of Nedre Pentagonvei as construction road. We urge them to reject this agreement! Read more on the use of Nedre Pentagonvei.

You can also take action by demanding SiÅs via mail to reject the road use agreement, to stop the cutting, and to take a stance against deceptive corporate strategies. 

We still gather around a bonfire in Vollskogen every Monday from 5-7pm. You are all invited to contribute and collaborate with us in your own ways. We try to organize horizontally and diverse, without any one „correct way“ of doing things. Vollskogen lever!