Action ideas for municipalities
Lähes kaikki Suomen kunnat kuuluvat Itämeren valuma-alueeseen. Kunnat ja kaupungit ovat avaintoimijoita Itämeren tilan parantamisessa, koska ne päättävät alueidensa maankäytöstä, vesienhallinnasta, jäteasioista, luonnonsuojelualueista ja kasvatuksesta ja koulutuksesta.
The Baltic Sea catchment area extends to the territory of 14 states and about 160 of the cities or municipalities locates on the coast. Almost all the municipalities of the coastal states, are in the catchment area and affect the state of the Baltic Sea directly
Municipalities and cities are key players in improving the condition of the Baltic Sea, because they decide on the land use, water management, waste matters, nature reserves and education and training in their areas.
Helsinki and Turku have implemented hundreds of Baltic Sea actions in the Baltic Sea Challenge action programs since 2007. The measures of previous seasons have remained part of the cities’ normal operations. Feel welcome to check our current action plan. Previous action plans can be found only in Finnish in the archive.
Examples of concrete measures
Promoting biodiversity
Map ecologically significant areas and bring them within the scope of protection. Take small waters, beaches, and water catchment areas into account in land use planning. Establish meadows and wetlands instead of grasslands to minimize flood risk. Renew small waters in cooperation with a nature conservation organization.
Preventing litter
Organize rubbish bins for residents or municipal staff. Get borrowable trash tongs for a library or municipal office, for example. Map areas prone to littering.
Sustainable procurement
Take a critical look at your organization’s procurement. Choose eco-labelled products and reduce consumption where possible. Could you use fewer chemicals? Make sure that chemicals are stored and disposed correctly. Organize training for staff on hazardous substances.
Storm and wastewater management
Draw up or update a stormwater program that examines the environmental impacts of stormwater and the possibilities of treating and purifying it before discharging it into a water body. Invest in the condition of the sewer network and minimizing leaks, as well as in expanding it to sparsely populated areas. Develop water quality measurement activities. Establish drainage carpet washing stations on the land.
Draw up or update a stormwater program where one of the actions is to find out the environmental effects of stormwater and the possibilities of treating and cleaning it before discharging it into the waterways. Invest in the condition of the sewer network and minimizing leaks, as well as expanding it to sparsely populated areas. Develop actions that improve water quality measurement and monitoring. Implement free carpet washing facilities with drainage.
Reducing the impact of agriculture on waterways
Agriculture is the most serious eutrophication activity in the Baltic Sea. Support actions that retain nutrients in fields, for example requiring buffer zones and lanes, building catch basins, wetlands, and bottom dams, liming and direct seeding, optimizing fertilization and not cultivating particularly flood-prone areas
Raising awareness of the Baltic Sea
Increase your staff’s awareness of the Baltic Sea, its condition, challenges, and solutions. Support recreational uses, such as beaches, piers, and nature sites. Spend a well-being at workday by the sea, lake, or river. Communicate internally and externally the importance of waters
Promoting sustainable use of the sea
Add septic tank emptying points for boaters. Inform boat clubs about environmental issues. Investigate the possibilities of receiving ship wastewater into the municipal sewer network. Influence port fees so that the wastewater fee is automatically included in the ship waste fee. Ensure preparedness for oil spills.
Increasing knowledge of impacts on watercourses
Donate the environmental organization or project engaged in water protection work. You can also launch your own project. You can contact coordinators to ask help for planning projects or finding project partner from the Baltic Sea Challenges network.
Investing in energy efficiency
Join the energy efficiency agreement for your sector and make an energy audit. Find out about the possibilities of using frequency converters, recovering waste heat, and investigating leaks in compressed air systems. Prepare an energy-saving guide for staff. Energy saving guides for different systems can be found on Motiva’s website.
