THE BALCTIC SEA IS OUR COMMON BALTIC INDEED
By Ekaterina Varzugina, project manager at the Centre for Environmental Initiatives, St.Petersburg

In the end of June 2005, twelve environmental activists from Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, and Sweden met in Stensund Folk College, Trosa, Sweden, to take part in the traditional CCB summer course "Our Common Baltic". It was the 13th year since the beginning of this course. All participants had traveled through different routes to Sweden and on Sunday, 26th of June, they were arriving and meeting each other, one by one. Some of them were just newly acquainted, others knew each other from previous ecological events. But anyway, in a day this group of different people became united and friendly, ready for upcoming events and different tasks which we would carry out under the leadership of our teacher, Ms. Eva Jansson.

Every year this summer course announces the same main goal: to teach CCB activists in Baltic Sea ecology, environmental and cultural situation, and the traditional life-styles mixed with modern sustainability options. The course was given in English at Stensund Folk College, Trosa and on board the sailing ship Amalia.

The very first day of this course, besides our mutual introduction and investigation of Stensund Folk College, included sampling Baltic species. It was our first interaction with various marine creatures, some of which we would meet throughout our travel. Next days we were informed about environmental situation in Baltic Sea and partly on land in Sweden and about successful solutions of different ecological problems. For example, I was very surprised to see variety of animals inhabiting water treatment wetlands which we visited in Trosa and Oxelosund.

The third day of our course was the day when we were first acquainted with the old sailing ship 'Amalia', over 100 years old, and Captain Ulf Busch, whose instructions governed our life on the ship for the next five days. And for these five days some members of our group experienced what sailing was all about, all of them were willing to help Captain Ulf to land, to set sail and to sail the ship.

So, our saling ship, with help of engines, took us away from Stensund shores and our second stop was Stockholm Centre for Marine Research, Asko Laboratory. On the way we took some plankton samples and our traditional everyday measurements of Baltic Sea temperature and transparency. On the base of Asko Laboratory we continued our Baltic species investigation, took more plankton and benthos samples. All of the participants had to pay particular attention to one of the species each, and by the next morning everybody had enough information to tell about these creatures.

All the time, during this course, we paid attention to birds too. We used binoculars to investigate their life, features and to determine their species.

Another important part of this course was visiting and talking with common people, fishermen and farmers. They told us about their life and their observations of Baltic Sea changes. I am sure, that their efforts and efforts of other common people helped to improve environmental situation in the Baltic Sea.

As we were sailing in the Swedish archipelago, it would be a great loss not to visit the Archipelago Museum (Naturrum) at Stendorren. The most interesting for me there were all these good PR ideas for environmental movements.

During the course "Our Common Baltic" all participants shared their experience and methods used in environmental work and were inspired to use new ideas to protect environment in their native countries. All of them could see closely what Baltic Sea and related ecosystems are and how people can unite their efforts to protect them and of course, everybody had great time during this course, found new companions and contacts in various Baltic countries.