You can help the Baltic Sea!

Maybe the most important thing to remember is that nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something. Together we can do a lot to save the environment and future of our common Baltic Sea!

The future of the Baltic Sea and its recovery depends on our lifestyles. Together, we are 85 million people living around this unique Sea. If we all contribute and help we can get a more healthy and a more living sea.

Here are some examples; for each of the 10 most important areas that affect the environment of the Baltic Sea today.

1. AGRICULTURE
You can, for example, support sustainable agriculture by actively asking for and buying products which are certified to have been produced with sustainable methods. Also, you can avoid overfertilizing your own garden or fields and avoid using pesticides.

2. FORESTRY
First of all, you can reduce as much as possible your own use of paper products! Choose products without, or with a minimum of, paper packages. If you can, use products made by wood or fibres from ecologically sustainable managed forests (e.g., FSC certified) and produced by industries using clean production practices (without chlorine chemicals).

3. INDUSTRY
Try to change your lifestyle and behaviour so that your consumption of goods and services becomes more environmentally friendly and less resource-demanding. Choose eco-labelled products whenever you can, and try to cut down on your consumption (and waste production) in general.

4. ENERGY
In your daily life - at home, when travelling or at work - you can take small but very important steps to avoid wasting energy. You can save energy by
– using less hot water (for instance, take a shower instead of a bath);
– using less electricity (for instance, use low-energy lamps, and turn them off when you are not using them);
– using less heat (do not overheat your home or workplace and, if possible, make sure that rooms are well insulated to keep the heat inside).

5. TRANSPORT
You can do a lot! The more you use public transport systems and go by bicycle, instead of driving (or even having) a private car, the better it is for the environment. If you need to go by car, you can organize car pools with friends and neighbours, as a mean to reduce the use of private cars for transporting single passengers.

6. FISHERIES
You can lobby against your own government and contribute to a better public awareness of the threat against the Baltic cod and the wild Baltic Salmon. You can gather your friends and other interested people and initiate or participate in local projects to restore reproduction of Baltic salmon in the rivers near you, thereby contributing to the protection of a unique regional stock. The wild salmon can be made an important symbol for successful local action for a healthy environment! As a consumer, you can request from your local fishmonglers that they provide eco-labelled fish, and do not sell wild Baltic salmon.

7. WATER AND WASTE WATER
You can be aware in your everyday life of the need to save water, and make sure that you save as much water as possible. If feasible in your home or at your workplace: introduce new toilet system, with direct nutrient recycling to farmland. Also, try to convince your municipality of the importance of eco-technological solutions, including the use of natural systems (e.g. constructed wetlands).

8. OIL HANDLING AND SHIPPING
You can contact your local environmental organization or action group and start campaigns to create public awareness of the problems connected with oil handling. If there is an oil spill or accident in your part of the Baltic Sea, you can participate in the clean-up operation.

9. NATURE CONSERVATION, PROTECTION OF BIODIVERSITY
You can talk to your local politicians about the importance of protecting biodiversity in all sectors of society. You can also contact your Ministry of Environment and urge for full implementation by your country of the HELCOM Recommendation on BSPA.

10. TOURISM
You can respect the environment and its natural resources when you come as a visitor to a new place!

• When choosing your mean of travelling, your holiday area and places to stay there (hotels, campings, etc.), you can try to find those with a sustainable approach.

• As a general rule in nature, you should be careful not to litter and always to bring your garbage with you back home.