A Cleaner Baltic Sea with Everyday Choices – Take WaterChain Toolbox in Use

Concern about the state of the seas has recently been a permanent topic among politicians as well as ordinary citizens. Everyday actions have a clear impact on the state and the future of the Baltic Sea. Address waterchain.eu includes a comprehensive practical toolbox for improving the state of the Baltic Sea.

–  WaterChain toolbox shows that preventing the sea from pollution is most efficient at the sources, before pollutants reach the sea. If discharges cannot be prevented, they can be removed from water with new techniques – which is, of course, harder and more expensive, says Project Manager Merja Ahonen from Satakunta University of Applied Sciences.

The toolbox illustrates how small acts can have big impacts.

Minna from Eurajoki, Finland promises to eat less meat and Matiss from Cēsis, Latvia will have more cyprinid fish, whereas Berndt from Stockholm, Sweden is going to reduce the use of plastic.

Households can reduce the load of harmful substances to the Baltic Sea by e.g. using eco-labelled detergents and avoiding the use of pesticides. On the other hand, professionals can use the latest modelling methods to support the decision-making process.

Rene Reisner from the Ministry of the Environment of Estonia has summarized the concern by stating: “ The Baltic Sea does not need us, we need the Baltic Sea”.

See video of the journey of a message-in-bottle from Lake Pyhäjärvi to the Baltic Sea.

The centre of WaterChain project is formed of pilot watersheds, in Finland River Eurajoki and River Aurajoki with their catchment areas. The project ends in September 2019. Interreg Central Baltic funds WaterChain project, which has altogether nine partners from Finland, Åland, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia. The project is coordinated by Wander Nordic Water and Materials Institute at Satakunta University of Applied Sciences.

Web pages of Central Baltic WaterChain : http://waterchain.samk.fi

For more information:
Minna Keinänen-Toivola
Central Baltic WaterChain, Communications Manager, PhD
minna.keinanen-toivola@samk.fi, +358 44 710 3063

Merja Ahonen
Central Baltic WaterChain, Project Coordinator, PhD
merja.ahonen@samk.fi, +358 44 710 3061