e-Glo 5 question interview (homework)

This is my interview with one of the researchers in corporate environmental management field, Susanna Horn, who currently works at the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland, and who was glad to answer to few of my questions concerning our current environmental threats and the future of our planet..
All her answers contain her personal beliefs or opinion, but at the same time bring significant highlights into important issues...


1. In your opinion, what is the greatest invention, innovation or ideaofall time?

This is difficult to answer. I guess the most important inventions arealready old, for example fire, communication skills, bikes, growingfood, etc. But if considering modern times it seems that most of thenew inventions are just compensating for bad inventions in the past. Forexample use of bioenergy, wind energy, energy efficiency solutions havebeen created to reduce emissions related to fossil fuel use. Nevertheless, I think that current innovative solutions for producingfor example wind power, offshore wind power, bioenergy (incl biogas),waste-to-energy, hydrogen and energy efficiency solutions are formingthe most important field of innovations. Another example of a modern innovation, which is optimizing the use ofenergy in the transport sector is public transport, for example lighttramway systems. A third invention/innovation that comes into my mind, and will beuseful in the future, is probably transforming salt water into drinkingwater.

2. What is the most regrettable thing that you believe is happeningtoday?

One of the most regrettable things is private transport. This is aninefficient way of moving people from one place to another. People aregetting lazier and unsocial and are paying more attention to the looksand power of their own vehicles, which generates envy andcompetitiveness. If you would ask me here, what is the worst inventionof our times, it would probably be the SUV. Another regrettable trend is the increasing consumption pattern. Thisrelates to both products and energy. In modern society it is oftenimbedded in people’s minds, that the more you buy and consume, thewarmer you heat your house and the more often you fly to vacations, thehigher other people rank you in society. This is also being taught tochildren and there is a false idea in families that the more you buythings to your children, the more you care for them. Sustainabilityeducation would advise just the opposite.

3. How do you think - is it possible to prevent the global environmental crisis?

The prevention seems to be easiest by a combination of raisingdrastically the consciousness of the public and introducing emissionlimits, which will be able to lead to a sustainable resource use.Isolating one of these two from the other would not be sufficient. Somerestrictions obviously need to be in place. The current threat ofclimate change has the nature of a public good and therefore it can notbe left on public consciousness. It has to be internalized in productsand services, either in form of price changes (subsidies/taxes) oremission limits. However, for people to start making choices towardssustainable consumption patterns, they need to be aware of the situationand what is good for the future. Ignorance is a large threat currently.

4. What are the greatest environmetnal threats in your community(Finland)?

It seems that in Finland the currently greatest threats are anunsustainable mix of energy production as well as the idealization ofunsustainable consumption and transport (incl. private transport andtravelling). The current environmental/energy related policies willdetermine the way, towards where Finland will be going. For example thegrowing dependency of nuclear energy and actually also peat are both notenvironmentally sustainable in the long run. Investing heavily intothese forms, will be a threat and reduce the resources available forrenewable energy technologies and research. A clear, long term policywill be needed. Consumption patterns in Finland are similar to mostdeveloped countries, which are unsustainable (for example according toecological rucksack studies). There is a big threat also from outside our borders, both to airquality as well as sea water quality.

5. What is your vision of our future?

The question might be easier to answer if I could say my worst fear andbest hope scenario. I have no clear vision anyway. The worst fear isthat society will go on, hoping that someone will make a revolutionaryinvention, which would remove the current environmental threat. This isa passive society, where everyone is blaming everyone else and nobodyhas the courage to make the important changes (or decisions leading tochanges). At some point the environment’s capacity will be reached. Bybest hope on the other hand is, that society will be active, thenecessary emission limits will be introduced, fossil fuel use will bemade so expensive that it is not economically possible to use it aswidely anymore and consumers will understand the impact their dailychoices have on the future.

E - Glo homework: community Interview

The respondents of the interview are two of my friends who volunteerily decided to participate in the interview and to share their opinion on the issues related to sustainability and global climate trends. At the same time I decided to ask one question from a competent respondent who has an appropriate environmental knowledge, and thus you are invited to listen at the end of my interview the comment about the sustainable consumption and consumption habits in scandinavian socities. At the same time the comment highlights the problems related to phenomenon of social unparticipation, and examines the possible solutions to this trend - what shall be done to bring a change?!

Here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKrbnFJIuyU

Tree Planting event in Jyväskylä - response to the UNEP Billion Tree campaign!!!

I would like to share with you my experience in organizing a tree planting campaign last spring, that from the idea till realization was accomplished with my own efforts and enthusiasm! I truly hope that maybe it will bring inspiration for you too, and if you will decide to organize similar action in your community, so not hesitate to contact me to ask some help :)!

So.. about the UNEP coordinated The Billion Tree campaign I get to know accidentely, by surfing on the UNEP homepage..! After getting to know more about this global action, the idea found its feedback in my heart, and inspired me to give my own contribution..

Going through various challenges, by finding the sponsors, helpers, supporters, and finally the trees to be planted, I was glad to start to fulfill my idea in practise! In result on 20th of May 2007 , on a veeery sunny day, with the efforts of international and finnish students of the Univerisyt of Jyväskylä (where I am a student too) we gave a new birth to the cutted forest by planting new 200 trees :)

I was truly impressed about the enthusiasm of the students to participate in the event, and our "tree planting" team represented 17 world nationalities! There were students from Africa, Argentina, China, Japan, Russia, and different European countries (Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Hungary, Romania, France, Germany, Austria, Chech Republic etc.)!!! And each of them was happy for the opportunity to plant OWN tree in Finnish forest, and to leave a green and liveable footprint in Finland ... at the same time contributing to the UNEP global Billion Tree Campaign!!

Already a year passed since our little trees were planted, and I believe they survived the winter snow storms, and now are reaching their green tops toward the light of the sun... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPbfeuXkpPk

Project Footprints - Environmental and Educational project

Already for few years I am a group member of the Project Footprints - an NGO in Latvia that promotes environmental education and organizes sport and environmetnal events for children and youth all around the country. Since the beginning of becoming a member of this organization, it has been the place of inspiration for me, due to the great people with whom I was working there, and due to results we saw after all our accomplished efforts... During 6 years the organization growed and expanded very quickly, and nowadays it is the most popular, reliable and highly recognized organization in Latvia, which activities people are eager to support, to get involved and to bring their own contribution. So what is this organization about? And what are those environmental activities it does toward education the young people in Latvia? Let me briefly share with You some ideas and spotlights that make this project to be special and as well effective :)





“Project Footprints” – is environmental project that combines:
Environment+art+sport+music= alternative education for XXI century!

• The core of the project is already included in its name - Footprints.... The individuals who decide to participate in our events, leave their footprints behind and in:
  - the clean forests,
  - joy of contribution,
  - participation in action and competition,
  - physical activities,
  - chance to express ourselves in creative way and sense of responsibility.
• ART. "I love my Planet" is a competition for the schools, where children together with their teachers create various art works that represent and demonstrate ideas related to environment, humans and the nature, and sustainability. Children and young individuals bring contribution to this competition through painting with their own efforts diverse pictures, and creating with their hands various artworks, sometimes even using waste materials and transforming them into into brilliant ideas of new utilization and use! All the best artworks afterwards are collected together and presented for public view in the annual Footprint Art, Sport and Music event!
• MUSIC. We support the new talented musicians and groups, and annually organize for them the music competition with very recognizable sponsors, competent jury and great prices! This way we indirectly involve into our activities individuals who consider the music as their lifestyle, and by participating into our competitions and performances they get closer to the environmental concepts too, and in many cases by appreciating the project Footprints efforts to support them, they afterwards in a feedback are eager to participate in our environmental and sport activities too.
• SPORT. The “Project Footprints” has been actively cooperating with Latvian Olympic Club, and in common efforts together accomplish different objectives and tasks in connection with the popularization of environmental protection and education programs. All together 47 Latvian Olympians have taken part in the project, and by participating in various sport and environmetnal events together with the children and youth, they show to young individuls a necessity of physical activities and healty lifestyle, and inspire them to get involved in programs of environmental protection and sport exercise.
• ENVIRONMENT. Twice a year joint work occurs (April, May, / September, October) together cleaning about 20 territories. This activity combines both the elements of sports and competition, and therefore successfully attracted many hundreds of enthusiasts. The Olympians are as well participating in the join works together with other activists.
• To raise awareness about sustainable transportation and to promote sustainable mobility, bike riding trip “Kr. Barona path” has been organized annually in July. It is the trip of the length of 1000 km, which performs during 2 weeks, and beside the opportunity to discover own country and the local nature, it involves tree planting actions in each place of the stop.
• Other activities of the project involves organizing environmental campaigns, youth camps and to get involved in various international conferences on environmental education.

By personally participating and organizing some of the join works in cleaning terriotory, and by seeing how actively the opther particpants get invovled in this action, I decided to share with you a scenario of join work, which maybe somehow could bring inspiration for you to organize similar action in your community!!! :)

Footprints waste-collection joint work ”Today we will tidy up a small part of the Planet!”

Scenario:

1 – to choose the territory;

2 – to inform nearest schools and universities about clean-up day;

3 – to spread information, as possible capaciously (posters, fly-sheets, radio , TV , performances in the schools and universities etc...)

4 - in chosen territory place containers, for example in the forest/ park, usually about 4 – 6, big amount (8 m3) containers are placed so, that they are positioned in the center of a relevant distributed location and amount of waste.

5 - Containers are numbered as can be seen on map;

6 - Present joint workers are separated in as many teams as there are containers in the area;

7 - Team leaders are invited to receive the maps of cleanable territory and every leader leads his team to the place in wood where the container of the respective team is located;

8 - Further the competition in waste collection begins. The team whose territory is afterwards the cleanest and whose container contains the largest quantity of waste are the winners and after finishing the joint work receive prizes.

9 - To ensure smooth proceeding of the activities and to make the work more interesting DJ is hired ho travels all around the territory and stops by each container to distribute mineral water, gloves and sacks if necessary and takes the musical orders of the respective teams. DJ stays 10 minutes at each container and travels the territory all time around also informing inhabitants about the ongoing Footprints joint work and inviting them to participate.

10 - Jury visit all the containers and decide the winning team which is presented with various prizes.

11 - Such cleaning joint work competition contains elements of various sports: orienteering, cross-country running, gymnastics, weight lifting.

12 - And if usually there is waste left after the competitions then on the contrary these competitions leave the ground clean.

13 - As a result of such attractive arrangements large areas are being cleaned, lots of youth are attracted as volunteers and from that clean territory, successful educational work as well as integration and creating of contact among schools and high schools is achieved.

:)