Community effort, part 1: Geocaching and "Cache in Trash out"

This is the first post of my series on various volunteer community projects and actions related to environment and sustainability. This first post introduces Geocaching and the "Cache in Trash out" environmental initiative supported by the worldwide geocaching community.

What is Geocaching ?

First, a short introduction. Geocaching is treasure hunting hobby, where you search for hidden treasures around the world, in various locations, with the help of a GPS-enabled device. Coordinates or hints on how to find them are posted on a web site dedicated to geocaching. There are many, one of the most popular (and first) is geocaching.com that started it all in 2000.

There are over 1 million geocaches hidden all over the world. A basic geocache is just a container with a logbook. When one finds a geocache, an entry is added to the logbook and also logged on a geocaching website that lists that particular cache. Usually a rating system is used to describe how easy or hard a geocache is to find and reach.

Geocaches can be places almost anywhere (that is open to the  public, with some specific rules), in cities or out in the wild, often located near something special, for example like a beautifull view or something geolocialy interesting, or just simply fun in some way. Anyone can place a cache.

A geocache can also be an event where geocachers meet, discuss and/or do something at a specific location.

Cache In Trash Out

"Cache In Trash Out" or CITO for short, is environmental initiative practised by the worldwide geocaching community where we, very simply, collect trash. A CITO can be an a bigger organized event or just something we do when out searching for a cache. Basically it means that we collect trash along trails and places when we search for caches. And it's easy, all you need is trash bag (and maybe some gloves) !

A CITO event is a much larger clean-up event where a number of volunteer geocachers gather to clean-up some particular place, for example a park. The event can also be something else than trash pickup, it can focus on anything good for the environment.



Various sized CITO events are organized around the world almost daily, anyone can set up one. Most events are done by volunteers without any external help. But some even get help or sponsored by municipalities or other organization. For example in this event the city of Porvoo sponsors waste bags and equipment for the CITO participants.

More information

Interested in geocaching or organsing/sponsoring a CITO event? Here are some pointers to some geocaching services and a more in-depth description about geocaching.

• http://www.geocaching.com/
• http://www.opencaching.com/
• Geocaching on wikipedia

Finding Win Wind solutions for Europe

The times of recession are turning and the world can go back to efficient production. Unpublished estimates from the International Energy Agency state that greenhouse gas emissions are increasing again, faster than ever, hitting records last year. Fatih Birol, chief economist of the IEA note that the United Nations-led negotiations on a new global treaty on climate change have stalled, showing also that the significance of climate change in international policy debates is much less pronounced than it was a few years ago.

At the same time the Fukushima catastrophy makes minds turn about nuclear power. Germany’s decision to shut all nuclear reactors by 2022, makes the situation on greenhouse gas emissions even more interesting. How is Germany planning to reach its ambitiously set goals on CO2 reduction? Ac-cording to Reuter, Angela Merkel’s ruling Coalition has planned to cut power use by 10 percent by 2020 and further expand the use of renewable energy such as wind and solar power. This is a piece of good news! Europe’s biggest economy has opened the doors to suppliers of renewable solutions, showing example also to others who will be affected by the closure of nuclear stations. In yesterday’s news a representative of a Finnish Wind Power provider happily expressed his enthusiasm to stand in the first row to sell their solutions around Europe.

What about the German-Russian natural gas pipeline that was completed earlier this month, and the second that is being built? Nord Stream Joint Venture is enjoying favourable times. Fukushima came just on time for a German decision on nuclear power, and a more easily accepted transition into lighting German houses through the Natural Gas pipeline that has awoke much mystification especially in the states between Europe’s two power poles. John Sauven, the executive director of Greenpeace UK, reminds about the ways politicians and other actors in the world’s great powers are eyeing up extraordinary and risky ways to extract the world's last remaining reserves of fossil fuels – even from under the melting ice of the Arctic.

Indeed, Germany is showing example on what kind of energy source is desirable to be used to reach goals on emissions reduction. I hope that the Finnish Wind Power provider will make it to the first row and has a clear throat when selling his solutions. There seems to be a somewhat bigger actor on the playground, with a stronger voice. It will not be easy to convince decision makers on the “Win Wind situation”, when gas is soon to be provided directly from underneath the surface of the Baltic Sea.


Picture source: City of Turku

AFP - YLE Uutiset

The Guardian: Fiona Harvey -
Worst ever carbon emissions leave climate on the brink

Anna Stenberg

Summer School: Climate change in cities and city regions – Time to adapt?

I know what I'll be doing next summer - attending the interesting Summer School '''Climate change in cities and city regions - Time to adapt?''', which will take place at HafenCity University Hamburg (HCU) as part of the BaltCICA project.

Climate change has become the overriding environmental issue of our time. All over the
world, coastal areas are particularly vulnerable to effects of climate change. The summer school will address the impact of climate change with the focus on the resulting responsibilities for the urban and rural areas at Elbe estuary. It consists of two modules, the first being a Metropolitan Adaptation Lab and the second a Scenario Workshop.

The summer school is an exciting opportunity for practitioners, students and young researchers of most diverse specializations and branches, ranging from urban and regional planning, environmental sciences, geography, social sciences, ecological sciences, technical engineers with interest in climate change and climate adaptation.

During the week the participants will attend seminars and experience the impacts of climate change in Hamburg and how the latest scientific knowledge is transferred into innovative adaptation measures. In line with that, the attendees will study many aspects of climate change and the role of planning in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. Finally they will develop innovative solutions to adapt to a changing climate.

The Summer School will take place organized at the HafenCity University Hamburg from September 26th to 30th 2011 in Hamburg. How will you spend your summer?

See the agenda for the Summer School here and register here by May 31st!
Pictures: Stefanie Lange

Kirsi-Marja Lonkila

Service for the Sea – business idea contest.

A sunny Thursday afternoon, around 20 students came to hear boosting speeches at the global launch event of Service for the Sea –idea contest in Turku, Finland. Before Esko Pettay (Biota Tech & Atmosmare) and Mikko Jokinen (Director of Environmental Affairs at the City of Turku, Chairman of the UBC Commission of Environment) gave their presentations on new solutions on among other things bioenergy and environmental actions of the City of Turku, we enjoyed a broadcasted part from Helsinki, where famous Finnish faces expressed their concern towards our sea and motivated fresh young minds to brainstorm freely towards new sustainable solutions for saving the most polluted sea on earth.

The project has been realized in co-operation between Service for the Sea Ltd and the world’s largest international student association AIESEC in Finland. Raising awareness also elsewhere will happen through a Business Idea –contest, awarding best ideas at the end of the year. Through the AIESEC Work Abroad programme, international trainees have been working on the global Launch and one aim is to bring the contest to their home countries as well and spread the idea around the world. The main goal of the contest is to encourage students and young people to think fresh and believe in even crazy ideas. The Service for the Sea crew will continue developing and supporting entrepreneurial individuals during the year, for example through workshops.

The following day Friday 13th, a workshop was organized for bringing ideas to paper. Few students found courage or willingness to spend Friday afternoon pondering over the problematic of our sea, but the few were diverse. The possible future contest entrants came from Check Republic, Finland, France, China and Poland – we share a common issue. After presentations given by Pasi Aaltonen (Clewer Company) and Janne-Valtteri Nisula (Co-founder Service for the Sea Ltd) free discussion rose and the point standing out was: It is possible – just believe in it!

Awareness raising makes an important part of most project agendas the UBC is responsible of disseminating. Awareness is still not at the level one would hope. We “believe” in environmental thinking and sustainable actions, there are great amounts of projects and initiatives working on that. BUT most of the people don’t know WHAT and WHY certain issues are difficult. Exceeding nitrogen and phosphorus shares in the Sea don’t tell the random Finnish or Polish fellow citizen much; he will probably not start a feisty battle against something he doesn’t understand. I’m confident that his concern is huge, especially if he lives on the coast line of the Baltic Sea. But he thinks he can’t do anything, because he doesn’t know what causes it. And everybody has lost hope already, why should he stress about it?

Every innovation starts from an idea flash in someone’s mind. The playground has been built, support will be provided, now it’s time to get creative and act.
• For the one holding the idea – Let it Lose!
• For the one holding the Resources – Give the fresh Idea a chance!
• It’s time to tackle the untouched Wild West of business – Environmental Business.




Mathias Bergman encourages all actors on different fields to take responsibility and work together for the Baltic Sea. He stresses new innovative thinking.


www.serviceforthesea.com


Anna Stenberg

BSR network

Baltic Sea Region (BSR) is rich and diverse. For years the BSR has been analyzed to identify the success factors of the sustainable development in it. In this blog we will be raising some of the success and unsuccessful factors in the BSR in order to add more value to the region.

Network has been a key word used by many over the past years. BSR has been especially successful in creating a variety of networks. From this perspective, we could be even more dynamic and advanced then we are today. The reason for not yet reaching the most out of our existing structures is that the majority of the networks are mostly just mailing lists with very little discussion and listening between each other.

There is a saying that teams are as strong as the weakest link in them. This is also true when talking about networks. Without the true team play, the network will eventually diminish to be only a club with few members.

We want the sustainability issues to progress faster and therefore ask for active participation on all levels so that the all of our actions will bare results in our organizations. This is also the reason behind this blog!

Stella Aaltonen