Is BalticSeaNow here?

What are BalticSeaNow and the upcoming net portal BalticSeaNow.info? I bumped into the subject by accident and started to search for info. It indeed seems that the portal is not online yet, but is scheduled to be released sometime this spring or summer. I was rather surprised to notice that my own school and study program, Turku University of Applied Sciences and Sustainable Development -department were involved heavily in this project. Hey what is this?,  I thought. Let's find out.

From their project summary page, I can see what this is all about. The project started a few years ago and the main objective seems to be to increase environmental awareness and responsibility of the general public about the state and the future of the Baltic Sea. And to develop channels for public involvement in environmental discussion.

The portal itself then tries to bring all these things together with the aim to be innovative and multifunctional. The page should work as a discussion forum aswell. Partners from Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia are the main target group, but the information should be accessible to all interested in the project. The project is financed through Central Baltic Interrag IVA programme 2007-2013.

Interesting enough is that besides the netportal, the program aims to build a camera and measuringstation network which then monitores the state of the environment and collects public observations from the participating countries.

As we all know, the Baltic Sea is the most polluted sea in the world, and we should be concerned about it and do something to improve it. So it's a noble cause what they are trying to do here. It's another matter will the project succeed though. I think that if the advertising campaign is aggressive enough and if the portal has the needed quality that it's interesting enough for people to visit and come again, I think it will increase people's awareness on the matter. 

Because there's the problem. People who are already interested in it will find it anyhow, but if the portal can attract the common people, and make them more involved, well.. then I'd say they've succeeded. And even more so, if this project will spun up more projects to help the dying sea of the Baltic, that would be brilliant. More co-operation and participation among the surrounding nations of the Baltic is needed. I at least will surely stay tuned and see how all this turns up.


Juho Pulli