learners guide 5.qxd - The Baltic Sea Project

The Baltic Sea Project

BALTIC 21An Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Logo created by:Liis Laugas,Tallinn, Estonia

»Solar energy, the basis of life on Earth. Wave energy reaches the nine Baltic beaches, which are protected by the white tailed eagle – one of the indicator species of our home sea: Everything in life is interrelated!«

LEARNERS’GUIDE NO. 5

THIS BOOK HAS BEEN PRODUCED WITHIN THE FRAMEWORKOF THE BALTIC SEA PROJECT AS PART OF THE UNESCO ASSOCIATED SCHOOLSPROJECT

Key words: education for sustainable development, Baltic 21 – an AGENDA 21 for the Baltic Sea Re-gion, sustainable agriculture, energy, fisheries, forestry, industry, tourism, transport.

Abstract: “Education for Sustainable Development – Baltic 21” presents examples of how BSP schoolshave worked with the sectors in the Baltic 21 agreement: sustainable agriculture, education, energy,fisheries, forestry, industry, tourism and transport. Based mainly on the conference “On the Threshold– Baltic 21” Learners’ Guide 5 contains a broad set of suggestions for activities that integrate the en-vironmental, economic and the socio-cultural dimensions.

© Danish Ministry of Educationin co-operation with UNESCO and Amtsgymnasiet i Sønderborg (Sønderborg County High School)First edition 2003ISBN 87-987489-2-0

Editor: Birthe Zimmermann Cover photo: “Baltic 21 – LIVE” by workshop members, June 2000 Production, design and print: Toptryk, Graasten, Denmark on Multiart Silk paper carrying the Nordic Environment Swan logo. Colours are 100% vegetable colours.

Distribution:CIRIUS/ ASPnetFiolstræde 44DK-1171 Copenhagen Kwww.cirius-online.dkDenmark

WHEN PHOTOCOPYING, PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE THE SOURCE

3PREFACELEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

By Elizabeth KhawajkieAt the United Nations World Summit on Sus-tainable Development in Johannesburg, SouthAfrica (26 August – 4 September 2002), a newapproach to sustainable development was born,built on three “interdependent and mutually re-inforcing pillars” – economic development, so-cial development and environmental protection.The commitment expressed in Chapter 36 ofAgenda 21 of the United Nations Conferenceon Environment and Development, Rio deJaneiro, Brazil (1992) was reaffirmed, as was thecentral role of education as the foundation of allsustainable development.

One of the most positive outcomes of the Jo-hannesburg Summit was its recommendation tothe United Nations General Assembly that “itconsider adopting a Decade of Education forSustainable Development starting in 2005”. Justthree months later, on 9 December, 2002, theUnited Nations General Assembly decided toproclaim the ten-year period beginning on 1January 2005 as the United Nations Decade ofEducation for Sustainable Development.

The experience, methodology and educa-tional materials which have resulted from theBaltic Sea Project (BSP) will provide valuableexamples of good practice in quality educationwhich can inspire UNESCO’s work and rolewhen preparing the Decade of Education forSustainable Development.

The Baltic Sea Project is visionary in that itanticipated by many years a concept which hassince been endorsed at the highest political level. Launched in 1989 by Finland in sevencountries, within the framework of UNESCO’sAssociated Schools Project Network (ASPnet),

the project promoted both environmentalawareness and international cooperation whileencouraging schools to find creative solutionslocally. Today this flagship project includes allnine countries around the Baltic Sea, where itcreates networks of schools and stimulates thedevelopment of teaching methods in environ-mental education and education for sustainabledevelopment, with excellent results.

The initiatives of the Baltic Sea Project overthe last 14 years are exemplary in their integra-tion of local, national and regional levels, butalso because they have inspired and served as ablueprint for such other ASPnet projects as theBlue Danube Project (launched in 1991); theCaribbean Sea Project (1994), the WesternMediterranean Project (1996) and the ZambesiRiver Project (1998). With such a multiplier ef-fect, the Baltic Sea Project can truly be said tobe global in scope.

I warmly welcome this fifth learners’ guide ofthe Baltic Sea Project “Education for Sustain-able Development-Baltic 21 – An Agenda 21for the Baltic Sea Region”, which emphasises aholistic, interdisciplinary approach to the com-plex subject of sustainable development. Thispublication complements the four other hand-books published by the Baltic Sea Project onAir Quality, Water Quality, Rivers, and on thetopic “From Words to Action”.“From Words to Action” is an apt summary of

the work of the Baltic Sea Project and I wish itcontinued success. My congratulations go to theeditor of the learners’ guide, Birthe Zimmer-mann, and the many contributors who havejoined her in putting action back into wordsagain.

Elizabeth KhawajkieInternational Co-ordinatorAssociated Schools Project Network, UNESCO

Preface

4 GENERAL CO-ORDINATION LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

The general co-ordination of the Baltic Sea Project rotates anti-clockwise Finland – Sweden – Denmark – Germany – Poland …

Finland 1989 – 1992, Liisa Jäskelainen (left)

Sweden 1993-1997, Siv Sellin (middle)

Denmark 1997- 2000, Birthe Zimmermann (right)

Germany 2000-2003, Ute Grönwoldt (left)

Poland 2003 - , Jolanta Mol (middle)

Germany’s ASPco-ordinator Eva Maria Hartmann

(right)

On the Threshold-Baltic 21 in Soenderborg, Denmark 2000 World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg,South Africa, 2002


5CONTENTSLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Preface 3To the Reader 6Hymn to the Baltic 7

Chapter 1: Baltic 21 – An Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region • Overall Goals 8• Introduction to Schoolwork 10• Methodology 11• Sustainable Agriculture 12• Education for Sustainable Development 14• Sustainable Energy 16• Sustainable Fisheries 18• Sustainable Forestry 20• Sustainable Industry 22• Sustainable Tourism 24• Sustainable Transport 26

Chapter 2: Education for Sustainable Development in the Baltic Sea Region• The Haga Declaration 28• Measuring Progress – Key Elements 32• Suggested Methods for Self-Evaluation

(Indicators) 34• Environmental History and

the Time Dimension 36

Chapter 3: Perspectives• Baltic 21 – An Agenda 21 for

the Baltic Sea Region – with special reference to the agricultural sector 38

• Sustainable Agriculture, Food Quality and Human Health 42

• The Greenhouse Effect and the Risk of Global Climate Change – Status 2000 44

• The Global Perspective in Environmental Work 50

• Non Governmental Organisations, Democracy and Action Competence 52

• From BSP to Municipal Youth Council 54• On Biodiversity 56• Cultural Activities – »Stones for Bread« 58

Chapter 4: Democracy as a Necessary Prerequisite • Inform Others of Your Work 62• List of Workshops 63• BSP Students and Dialogue with

Politicians 76• Resolution -a next step towards

sustainability 79

Chapter 5: Best Practices on Sustainabilityfrom Schools in the Baltic Sea Region• Agriculture 82• Education - Finnish Folk High Schools 87• Education 90• Energy 92• Energy Efficiency Measures 96• Sustainable Use of the Sea 100• Fisheries in Nexø, Bornholm 104• Fisheries in Kolobrzeg 105• Forestry - Orchids and Biodiversity 108• SUSDEED - Sustainable Development

in Education 110• Soils in Poland 113• Industry - Invitation:

Travel St. Petersburg With Us 116• Tourism - Pelle and Lisa

in the Stockholm Archipelago 120• Tourism and Energy 122• Transport: Exhaust Fumes 125• From Words to Action 127

Chapter 6: From Local to Global • The Agenda 21 NOW! Story 130Appendices 138Index 145

By Birthe Zimmermann Education for Sustainability was introduced intothe Baltic Sea Project with the Rio Declarationin 1992. The Agenda 21 Action Plan movedthe focus somewhat from environmental educa-tion onto individual lifestyle education, askingfor philosophical reflections and approaches tochanging personal attitudes. Some of the chap-ters of the Agenda 21 Action Plan created thebasis and starting point for the Baltic Sea Pro-ject conference “From Words to Action” inNyköping, Sweden in 1997. In 1998, Learners’Guide 3 was published, with the same title as aprologue.

The regionally agreed Agenda 21, entitledBaltic 21, formed the framework for the BSPschools to work within one or more of the sec-tors prior to the 2000 Baltic Sea Project confer-ence “On the Threshold – Baltic 21”, held inSønderborg, Denmark in June 2000.

The Baltic 21 Secretariat supported the con-ference with a letter of understanding, andmade the Baltic Sea Project Conference part ofBaltic 21 Joint Action 7. As a result, the BSPschool network maintained its pilot function in

promoting education forsustainable development,and continued to serveas a source of inspirationfor others.

This book is based onthe outcome of the con-ference in 2000, addingperspectives and resultsachieved in the years af-ter the conference.

The first part of the book introduces suggestionsfor schools preparing work on the different sec-tors included in Baltic 21 – sustainable agricul-ture, energy, education, forestry, fisheries, indus-try, tourism and transport. The second partdeals with the Haga Declaration, the decisionand reasons for making education an importantsector in the Baltic 21 agreement in 2002, andpresents suggestions for school curricula itemsconcerning the education sector. The third partis based on lectures presenting reasons why edu-cation for sustainable development needs tocombine local cultural and social actions as wellas international dimensions in order to achievea global perspective. The lecturers have differ-ent backgrounds and educational qualifications.

Other parts demonstrate how education fordemocracy can form part of the students’ workand lead to empowerment and increased actioncompetence.

The best practices described show a kaleido-scopic bouquet of experiences and practices,thus underlining the differences in educationalsystems, culture and traditions in the Baltic SeaRegion, and simultaneously emphasising the ne-cessity to work locally in order to understandglobally.

Students express their concern for the en-vironment through their actions and throughartwork, while concern for the Baltic Sea is alsoclearly expressed in the hymn composed for theconference (see next page).

Learners’ Guide 5 is a contribution to the ef-forts made within Baltic 21 Education. We hopeit will serve as a source of inspiration for others.Thank you to all who contributed!

6 TO THE READER LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Zane Zárdina,Latvia

To the reader

7HYMN TO THE BALTICLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Hymn to the Baltic by Andris Mikulis, Riga Special Secondary School no 66, Latvia

beau-ty, yet its waters needs you to be a-ware, take care, and to-

ge-ther we shall work on how to pro-tect it: //:We

will re-spect its wa-ters, air, fo-rest,

land and com-bine our ef-forts that will grant heal-thy

lives for the fu-ture ge-ne-ra- tions://

|: the chorus in your mother tongue:|

DK:For Østersøens bølger,luft, skov og strand,kræver fælles ånd og mærkesag:Vi vil trivsel for dem,der følger efter

EE:Meil südames on kandametsa, merd ja maad.Nüüd selle nimel tehkem tööd,et me loodust puhtamana hoida

FIN:Ja pyrkimyksenämmeon säilytääkaikki rikkaudet suuret sensukupolville myöskin tuleville

G:Ich will das Wasser schützenauch Luft und Land.Alle drei lassen mich gut leben,und die Menschen,die nach uns kommen

LV:Mes Milam musu juruun zemi soun lai solam muzu muzosdzivibu sajos krastos nosargat

LT:Tausosim, gerbsim juraMiska ir zeme,Pasistengsime uztikrint sveikaGyvenima ateitis kartoms

PL:Uszanujemy wody,tlen, lasy, ladi zlaczymy wysilki, by po-zwolic zdrowo zycprzyszlym pokoleniom

S:Vi måste ta hand om vatten,luft, skog och landoch förena våra insatserfrämja livet för framtidens barnbarn

The Bal-tic Sea has gi-ven us the chance to en-joy its

R:

This means for the region:• That a safe and healthy life is secured

for current and future generations.• That a co-operative and prosperous economy

and society is created for all.• That local and regional co-operation is

based on democracy, openness and participa-tion.

• That biological and ecosystem diversity andproductivity are restored or maintained.

• That pollution to the atmosphere, land andwater does not exceed the carrying capacityof nature.

• That renewable resources are efficiently used

and managed, within their regeneration capacity.

• That materials flow of non-renewable re-sources is made efficient and cyclic, and thatrenewable substitutes are created and pro-moted.

• That awareness of the elements and process-es leading to sustainability is high amongdifferent actors and levels of society.

• The Baltic Sea Region recognises its interde-pendence with other parts of the world andmakes its contribution to the fulfilment ofsustainable development goals at the globaland European level.

Chapter 1

8 BALTIC 21 LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Baltic 21 An AGENDA 21for the Baltic Sea Region

Overall goalsOverall Goal for Sustainable Development in the Baltic Sea Region»The essential objective of Baltic Sea Region co-operation is the constant improvement of the livingand working conditions of their peoples within the framework of sustainable development, sustainablemanagement of natural resources, and protection of the environment.« Sustainable development in-cludes three mutually interdependent dimensions – economic, social and environmental.

9LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Overall Goal for Baltic 21 Education• All individuals should have competence to

support the development that meets theneeds of the present without compromisingthe ability of future generations to meettheir own needs.

• Education for sustainable developmentshould be based on an integrated approachto economic, societal and environmental de-velopment.

OVERALL GOALS

• To protect the Baltic Sea Region by re-ducing the environmental impact of mu-nicipalities, industrial plants, agricultureand transport.

• To co-operate regionally on environmental,economic and social aspects. Regional co-operation is based on joint actions and sec-tor actions in eight sectors: agriculture,education, energy, fisheries, forestry, indus-try, tourism and transport.

• To place emphasis on environmental as-pects, including health and spatial planningand to focus on long-term aspects and ho-listic perspectives.

Sustainable development essentially aims at:• Constantly improving the living and working

conditions for the peoples of the Baltic SeaRegion.This is to be achieved through sus-tainable management of natural resourcesand through protection of the environment.Three interdependent dimensions are in-cluded:

• - the environmental dimension • - the economic dimension• - the social dimension

Countries involved:Baltic 21 comprises 11 countries and theEuropean Commission.The countries areDenmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland,Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, North-west Russia and Sweden.

Baltic 21 is committed to democracy, open-ness and broad public participation.

Basic principles: Sustainable development inBaltic 21 is based on• The Precautionary Principle • The “The Polluter Pays” PrincipleThese principles are based on internationalagreements including the conventions on “Cli-mate Change”, ”Biological Diversity”,“Long-range Air Pollution”, “Protection ofthe Marine Environment”, “Responsible Fish-eries” and “The Amsterdam Treaty”.

The aims of Baltic 21

10 LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5BALTIC 21 SECTORS

Ask yourself the following questions:• What are my expectations for the future?• How would I like my life, and that of my

children and their children to be?• What do I basically need?• What do I just like to have or get without

really needing it?• What am I willing to do in my private life to

realise my expectations?• How can I take part and work for a sustain-

able future?

Basically, we all need food, drinking water, air,health, friends, love and care.But is our food always healthy? Is our drinkingwater always clean? Do we breathe clean air?Why do so many people fall ill, become injuredor even die in today’s traffic and industrialisedsociety?

The governments in 11 countries, namely Den-mark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland,Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, North-westRussia and Sweden, together with networks ofcities and organisations have decided on a re-gional Agenda for the 21st century: an Agendafor the Baltic Region entitled “Baltic 21”. The governments have defined aims and goalsfor sustainable development in the followingsectors: agriculture, education, energy, fisheries,forestry, industry, tourism and transport.

Baltic 21 is committed to democracy, opennessand broad public participation.Now ask yourself two more questions: “Do I agree with the politicians? Do I want to take part?”

Definition formulated by the Brundtland Commission, 1987:

“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs

of the present without compromisingthe ability of future generations to

meet their own needs”

Introduction to Schoolwork on BALTIC 21 Sectors

What does sustainable development mean to you?

Purpose: To find out what each of us under-stands by sustainable development:

Write two sentences on sustainable develop-ment: one sentence that you really believewill lead to sustainable development, and onesentence that you consider will not (do notmark which one is which!).

In pairs: read each other’s sentences and dis-cuss which ones you believe in and whichones you do not. If possible, come to anagreement, and then share your ideas withother pairs.

11LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 METHODOLOGY

Schools can use the following three-step-methodology, generally agreed among the BalticSea Project co-ordinators and educators:• Step 1: Preparatory work• Step 2: Practical work• Step 3: Discussion

It is suggested that students take their startingpoint in one of the general BSP themes or pro-grammes (www.b-s-p.org), or in any of theBaltic 21 sectors: sustainable agriculture, educa-tion, energy, fisheries, forestry, industry, tourismand transport (www.baltic21.org).

Preparatory work:• In what subjects will you do your work?• Can the work be interdisciplinary in ap-

proach, with several subjects and teachers in-volved?

• Can practical work be done? What kind ofpractical work will you do?

• What people, institutions, non-governmentalorganisations (NGOs), and local politicianscan be of use in your work?

Practical work:• Make a list and a time-table for your actual

practical work• Make your results known to others!

Discussion:• How does your work lead to a more sustain-

able future?

Alex Tulina,Russia

Methodology


Pierre Geisler,Germany

Baltic 21 sector: Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture is the production ofhigh-quality food and other agricultural prod-ucts and services with long-term impact oneconomy and social structure. Sustainable agri-culture means that the resource base of non-renewable and renewable resources is main-tained. Sustainable agriculture will meet society’s needs for food and recreation.

Sustainable agriculture will preserve the land-scape, cultural values and the historical heritageof rural areas. Production methods should notthreaten humans or animals or degrade the en-vironment, including biodiversity. The ethicalaspects of agricultural production will be con-sidered. Renewable resources should graduallyreplace non-renewable resources.

Political sector goal – Agriculture:

13LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Preparatory work:• What kind of food production takes place

in your area?• What is the general attitude to farming and

to the job of a farmer in your area/country?• What is the national policy concerning

agriculture? Fertilisers? Pesticides? Tech-nology?

• What is the net production? Is your countryselfsufficient? What does your country im-port and export?

Practical Work:Search local newspapers and make a selec-tion of cuttings. What kind of problems ordiscussions are presented in connection withfood production related to:• human health?• environmental impact?• economic and social aspects of being a

farmer?

• other aspects?Make a study visit to a farm:• What is produced? How is it produced?

Where are products sold? What is thefarmer’s financial situation?

• What impact does the farm have on thelandscape, the biodiversity of the land, itscultural values, historical heritage, etc?

• Is the farm land used for recreational pur-poses – birds, flowers, insects?

Make study trips to local food stores and select certain food items, e.g. fruits or vegetables.• Are the goods produced locally? How far

have they been transported?

Discussion:• What changes can be implemented to

achieve the sector goals?• Why are some people vegetarians?

Benjamin Mühlichen,Germany

Suggestions for schoolwork withBaltic 21 sector: Agriculture


The individual learner should have the know-ledge, values and skills to be an active, demo-cratic and responsible citizen and to participatein decisions at the personal level, as well as atdifferent levels within society, locally and

globally, in order to contribute to creating a sus-tainable society. Learners in vocational educa-tion should also have skills and competencesrelevant to their future professions.

Malene Priske Meier,Denmark

Baltic 21 sector: Education

Political sector goal – Education (Schools) :

15LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Preparatory work:• Is education for sustainable development

part of the overall goal, the plan of , andthe set of values in your educational institu-tion?

• Who is responsible for achieving the overallgoals?

• Are all subjects in education equally re-sponsible for sustainable development?

• How does your school administration sup-port work for a sustainable future?

• Does your school have awards that showthe school works for sustainable develop-ment?

Practical work:• Perform an eco-audit on your school. Per-

haps using a questionnaire, investigate thefollowing topics:

• Biodiversity: Does your school have greensurroundings and/or a green school-yard?How is the area maintained? What speciesof plants or trees grow near your school?Are there any old trees? How far from yourschool is the nearest green area, such as apark, a forest, a field, the beach? How oftendo classes go there?

• Buildings: What materials were used toconstruct your school building? Do youhave access to open-air areas? What sortof heating and ventilation system is used?

• Consumption of water, energy, electricity,paper and other resources at your school:How much water, energy, etc. is consumedper year per person? What are the sources?

What happens to the waste? How muchmoney is spent per year on each item? Ifpossible: compare with previous years andwith other schools.

• Food: Does your school have a canteen?Does the canteen serve organic food?Where do the raw ingredients come from?

• Transport: How do students and teachersget to school each day: What percentagewalk? What percentage cycle? What per-centage come by bus? What percentagecome by train? By car? What reasons dostudents or teachers have for their choiceof transport?

• Waste: Are organic waste products com-posted? Are other materials recycled? Aredisposable or non-disposable materialsused, etc.? How much money is spent peryear on waste disposal?

Discussion:• How can your school be made more sus-

tainable?• How can your local progress be

evaluated or indicated?• How can sustainability be

measured? What time-scale is needed?

Suggestions for schoolwork withBaltic 21 sector: Education

Ramona Rozmisa,Latvia


Sustainable energy concerns security of supply,the carrying capacity of the environment, re-source management, economy and safety. Sustainable energy requires an increase in re-newable energy production and an increase inenergy efficiency and energy savings. Sustainable energy supply must not give rise topollution that exceeds the critical loads or

levels of acidification (substitution of high-carbon fossil fuels by low-carbon fossil fuels),eutrophication, tropospheric ozone and global climate change. Hazards of nuclear waste andnuclear energy production should be eliminated.Efficiency can be increased by combined heatand power production and by energy savings.

Angelika Rabiej,Poland

Baltic 21 sector: Energy

Political sector goal - Energy:

17LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

Preparatory work:• What kind of energy production takes place

in your area?• To what extent is your country dependent

on imported energy? In what form, fromwhere and from what sources?

• What indicators can be used to show theimpact on the environment, the impact onbiodiversity, or the impact on human healthby energy production?

• What kind of sustainable energy has beenintroduced in your area?

• What is the general and the political atti-tude to sustainable energy forms such aswind turbines, solar cells, solar panels, bio-gas, etc?

• Has opinion changed over the last five toten years?

Practical work:• How much energy is used for different pur-

poses in your daily life at home or atschool?

• How can the amount be reduced?• Make a study visit to an institution such as

a power plant, a wind-turbine, a combustionstation (= a waste incinerator), a munici-pality with biogas, or a pilot project, andfind out its resources, its efficiency and itspossible impact on the environment, for ex-ample with regard to acidification, eu-trophication, tropospheric ozone and glob-al climate.

• Is work there considered safe and economi-cally acceptable?Does the construction of the buildingchange the landscape or the cultural or historical heritage?

Discussion• What kind of energy savings would

you be personally prepared to make inyour life?

• Does the energy production in yourarea have an impact elsewhere?

Suggestions for schoolwork withBaltic 21 sector: Energy

Dumila Tymecko, Poland

Paulina Siedler,Poland


Long-term strategies should be developed formajor fish stocks i.e. cod, salmon, herring andsprat. Important fish habitats should be restored.Sustainable aquacultures should be achieved.

Sustainable fisheries require sound ecosystems,so that fish stocks can replenish themselves, and the establishment of selective fishing tech-niques.

Above:Paulina Ciesielska,

Latvia

Niklaus Paegle,Latvia

Baltic 21 sector: Fisheries

Political sector goal - Fisheries:

19LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES

Preparatory work:• What species of marine or freshwater fish

do fishermen catch in your area?• Where do the these species breed?• What percentage of marine catches is made

up of cod, salmon, herring orsprat?

• What kind of ecosystemdo these fish need dur-ing a lifetime?

• Which fishing tech-niques are used tocatch fish? Howfar do fishermentravel to catchfish?

• What is meant byselective fishingtechniques?

Practical work:• Make a study visit to a

fisherman’s boat or to a fishauction and investigate the vari-ety of species/biodiversity and the quan-tities. Are the fish for human consumptionor for the fish industry?

• What is the fisherman’s attitude to his job, including the »quality of life«, and thefinancial rewards offered?

• Visit a fish industry and investigate the

products, the amount of natural resources,the economy, etc. Are the goods for the lo-cal market or for export?

• Visit an aquaculture (“fish farm”) and in-vestigate the net production size, the econo-

my and quality of life of the peopleworking at the aquaculture:

Are there any special pre-cautions necessary when

feeding the fish, treat-ing the fish, andtreating the water?Is there any spe-cial legislationregulating the es-tablishment ofaquacultures in

your area?• Interview anglers

on the coast or alongthe river bank about

their reasons and motivesfor angling

Discussion:• What indicators can be used to establish

whether a is viable and replenishing itself?• Are fish generally considered healthy food

in your area?

Janis Presis, Latvia

Suggestions for schoolwork withBaltic 21 sector: Fisheries


Sustainable forestry maintains its biodiversity,its productivity, its regeneration capacity and itsvitality. Sustainable forestry fulfils ecological,economic and social functions and does notcause damage to other ecosystems, be it at local,national or global levels. Consideration must begiven to global carbon cycles, conservation of

biological diversity, and the productive func-tions of wood and non-wood, in particular pro-tective forest management concerning soil andwater. The promotion of wood and wood-basedproducts should emphasise wood as a natural re-newable resource that is environmentallyfriendly.

Edgars Kujatkoskis,Latvia

Baltic 21 sector: Forestry

Political goal - Forestry:

21LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY

Joanna Kuligowska,Poland

Suggestions for schoolwork withBaltic 21 sector: ForestryPreparatory work:• What percentage of your country is covered

by forest? What percentage of this is natural forest?

• Does legislation differ between national andprivate forests?

• What do people generally combine with theforest in your area?

• What do ordinary people use the forest for?• Which tree species are harvested? • What products are produced from wood

from forests in your area?• Is waste wood used for any practical pur-

pose other than fire wood?

Practical work:• Investigate the biodiversity of the forest

e.g. by conducting phenological studies.• Interview people about their recreational

use of the forest (picking mushrooms andberries, roving and camping, mentally relax-ing etc).

• How can annual growth and net productionbe measured?

• What harvesting methods are used – clear-cuttings or individual trunks? At what ageare trees felled for other purposes?

• How does a lumberjack consider his “quality of life” as a forest worker, and ishis financial and social situation accept-able?

• Any threats to forests in your area?

Discussion:• What is your definition of a forest? What

characterises a forest in your area?• What emotional issues are connected to

forests?


Sustainable development means economic, so-cial, technical and environmental improve-ments. Sustainable strategies apply to resources,processes, products and services. Sustainable in-dustry ensures the availability of goods and ser-vices that satisfy human needs and bring qualityof life, whilst simultaneously reducing the eco-

logical impact and resource intensity through-out a lifecycle. Ecological impact should not ex-ceed the carrying capacity with respect to biodi-versity, ecosystems and usage of natural re-sources. Sustainable industry means improvingthe working environment and safety of theworkforce.

Rolands Salmins,Latvia

Baltic 21 sector: Industry

Political goal - Industry:

23LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY

Preparatory work:• Where are industries located in your area? • Why are they located there?• In what way have your local industries in-

fluenced the local environment, its biodiver-sity, the quality of the water and the air?What indicators can be used to investigatethese factors?

Practical work:• Make a study visit to a local in-

dustry, and find out aboutenvironmental atti-tudes concerningproductionprocesses andwaste. Findout for differ-ent productcategorieswhat happens“from cradleto grave”:How are prod-ucts manufac-tured? What re-sources are required?What environmentalhazards does the manufacturingprocess cause? How are the products usedby people who buy them? For how long arethey used? What happens after use of theproduct? Can the product be recycled ordoes it end as a waste product?

• Industries can be awarded “green certifi-cates”: What standards are required to ob-tain such a certificate, and in what waydoes this have an impact on the industry’simage and economy?

Discussion:• Market development and the view and

awareness of the consumer are of great im-portance: Define what is meant by “the po-

litical/green consumer” and to whatextent increasing awareness puts

pressure on industrial goodsto be more environ-

mentally friendly.• “From cradle to

grave” projectshave been carried

out on indus-trial products:What appliedaspects bring“quality of life”to the consumer?

• In what way doproducts “satisfy

human needs” - and inwhat way have the needschanged over the last

decade or two?• Hazardous waste products are often trans-

ported long distances and depositedabroad: Do we need another planet?

Maigonis Preikss,Latvia

Suggestions for schoolwork withBaltic 21 sector: Industry


Sustainable tourism is any form of tourist de-velopment or activity which respects the envir-onment, ensures long-term conservation of natural and cultural resources, and is sociallyand economically acceptable and equitable.

Sound environments should be sustained toconserve the recreational quality of natural andmanmade landscapes. Satisfactory social condi-tions for tourists and the local populationshould be created.

Uldis Mangulsons,Latvia

Baltic 21 sector:Tourism

Political goal - Tourism:

25LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

Preparatory work:• What do tourists do when visiting your

area? • What is the predominant means of trans-

port?• How can tourism be an environmental

threat in your area? • In what ways does tourism have positive

and negative impacts on your local area?• What kinds of physical activity are offered

and promoted in your area?

Practical work:• Bicycle maps have been produced for many

local areas, clearly marking sites of culturalor natural interest. Investigate the map bymaking a bicycle trip and writing aboutyour impressions to the media. If your areadoes not have a bicycle map, make one -perhaps with a demand to local politiciansthat special bicycle routes be created awayfrom other traffic.

• Nature trails can be created around thecountryside: Design a nature trail, makingthe signposts in co-operation with the au-thorities and designing a plan to maintainit. Ask groups of pupils and/or teachers totest the trail and report their experiences tothe local paper.

• Take part in restoring ecologically-import-ant biotopes through thematic activities,summer camps or excursions - be it by

clearing woodlands for endangered speciesof butterflies, planting grass species or cre-ating special paths to protect dunes fromwind erosion. Co-operate with the authori-ties on such a plan.

• Organise fishing trips, horseback safaris,survival trips, etc in co-operation with themunicipality and the local tourist company.

• Design a tourist guide for your area that in-cludes what makes the area special to youas a local resident.

Discussion:• What do you do in your leisure time?• With regard to special biotopes, should en-

dangered species of plants or animals bepresented on posters to the public orshould they be protected by means ofnot drawing attention to them?

• Define the term “ecotourism” inyour local context.

Suggestions for schoolwork withBaltic 21 sector:Tourism

Agata Ciemiorek,Poland


Sustainable transport minimises negative envir-onmental effects, consumption of non-renew-able resources, and the use of land for trans-portation purposes. Sustainable transport retains

its ability to serve economic and social develop-ment in the Baltic Sea Region by establishingan infrastructure that improves efficient trans-port of goods, by rail and sea in particular.

Kristine Leja,Latvia

Baltic 21 sector:Transport

Political goal - Transport:

27LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

Preparatory work:• What kinds of jobs are connected to the

transport sector in your area?• What infrastructure is present in your

area? What transport needs are there?• What are the main negative impacts on the

environment caused by different kinds oftransport?

• What indicators can be used to monitor theimpact on the environment, and on thecultural and historical heritage?

• In what way can transport be a threat tohuman and animal health?

• What are the statistics on annual injuriesand deaths due to traffic in your country?

• Why do people prefer private cars to buses,trains or other forms of public transport?

Practical work:• Find out what percentage of your country’s

land is used for roads.• Calculate how many kilometres your group

travelled in one week and find the differ-ence in cost using different means of trans-port.Try to include environmental aspectsin your calculation.

• Calculate the CO2 emission resulting fromtravelling 100 km using different means oftransport.

• Examine the petrol prices and comparethem with prices of public transport for asimilar distance.

• Construct maps for bicycle paths awayfrom motor traffic. Present the suggestionsto your municipality and design a bicycle

promotion campaign.• Make a plan for your city centre that pre-

vents private cars in the midst of urbandwellings but allows people to go shoppingusing other means of transport.

• Biofuels, ethanol and cars using solar en-ergy have been produced for sustainable en-ergy in the transport sector: Construct a bi-cycle that can make use of wind energy.

• Transport of goods should be by sea or rail:Construct a map in the Baltic Sea Regionthat would create suitable “new Hanseaticroutes”.

Discussion:• How can public transport be made more

attractive?• How can cars be made to be environ-

mentally friendly?• How can the need for transport be re-

duced?

Euna Lazdina,Latvia

Suggestions for schoolwork withBaltic 21 sector:Transport

Chapter 2

28 BALTIC 21 EDUCATION LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Education forSustainable Development in the Baltic Sea Region

By Siv Sellin, SwedenFollowing a Swedish initiative, the Ministers ofEducation of the Baltic 21 countries met inMarch 2000 at Haga Palace in Stockholm. Thepurpose of the meeting was to examine the fea-sibility of creating a network comprising min-istries, appropriate authorities and educationalinstitutions dedicated to the implementation ofsustainable development through education andtraining. As a result of the meeting, the HagaDeclaration was adopted, which included anagreement to develop an Agenda 21 educationprogramme and the creation of the educationsector network with Lithuania and Sweden aslead parties. Agenda 21 for Education shouldinclude: definition of goals, review and evalua-tion of educational activities to promote sus-tainable development undertaken so far, identi-fication of obstacles and gaps, and an actionprogramme. Three working groups were set up:

formal education (schools), higher educationand non-formal education.

As a first step in the work, the relationshipbetween environmental education and educa-tion for sustainable development was discussedin the working groups. According to the HagaDeclaration, education for sustainable develop-ment should be based on an integrated ap-proach to economic, environmental and socie-tal development, and encompass a broad rangeof related issues, such as democracy, gender equity and human rights. This broad approachshould be recognised in both natural scienceand social science, and should complement andbuild on existing initiatives in environmentaleducation. The difference between environ-mental education and education for sustainabledevelopment was further elaborated in theworking group for schools and the result is for-mulated in table 1:

The Haga Declaration

Deals with environmental problems

Environmental problems depend on humanactivities and their impact on the environ-ment

Accounts biodiversity

Desired outcome: A good environment

Actions to protect the environment

Responsibility for the environment

Deals with individual behaviour (environmental ethics)

Environmental education has a local and global context

Taught in some subjects

Deals in an integrated way with protection of the environment, effective use of natural resources, maintenance of the ecosystem, awell-functioning society and a good economy

The problem depends on a conflict betweendifferent human goals - environmental, so-cial, cultural and economic

Accounts cultural, social, economic and biological diversity

Quality of life for today and future genera-tions

Motivation to change lifestyle based on important issues of personal life

Responsibility for the human condition and the condition of the ecosystem

Increases action competence, including competence to develop moral criteria, andstimulates public participation in decision-making

Education for sustainable developmentshould be applied and grounded in the localeconomic, social, cultural and ecological context and community, followed by regional,national and global contexts

Integrated in all teaching and learning and in all school life

Environmental Education Education for Sustainable Development

29BALTIC 21 EDUCATION LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5


The Haga Declaration also emphasised thateducation for sustainable development shouldbe pursued at all levels of education and also in-cluded in all curricula or equivalent instrumentscorresponding to the level of education. Sucheducation should be based on broad scientificknowledge and be both integrated into existingdisciplines and developed as a special compe-tence. It demands an educational culture direct-ed towards a more integrative process-orientedand dynamic mode emphasising the importanceof critical thinking and social learning as well asa democratic process.

Each working group was responsible for con-ducting surveys of existing practices and provi-sions. The working group for schools, consistingof one representative from each country in theBaltic Sea Region, formulated a common frame-work for evaluation. It was seen as important tostudy the situation in countries with respect toboth general and educational goals concerningenvironmental care and sustainable develop-ment. In addition, the way environmental edu-

cation and education for sustainable develop-ment was actually provided in schools with re-spect to content, organisation and methods wasto be studied. In order to identify all obstaclesand gaps, questions were asked concerning com-petence of staff, support, partnerships and materials.

The survey found that a single-subject ap-proach still seems to be most common inschool. Scientific knowledge and scientific studies appear to be the most important part ofenvironmental education, and transmittingthese facts still seems to be a common methodin schools. Among all educators there seems tobe a lack of understanding of the concept of sus-tainable development and particularly know-ledge about how to integrate economics and so-cial aspects with the ecological aspects. In manycountries, the curriculum design creates obs-tacles to covering the needs of environmentaleducation/education for sustainable develop-ment in regular education.

There are, however, many indications of de-

GoalsThe following goals were formulated for

schools:The individual learner should have the know-ledge, values and skills to be an active, demo-cratic and responsible citizen and to partici-pate in decisions at individual, as well as atdifferent levels within society, locally andglobally, to contribute to creating a sustain-able society. Learners in vocational educationshould also have skills and competencies rele-vant to their future professions.

This will require the following:• Legal provisions that clearly include educa-

tion for sustainable development • Incorporation of education for sustainable

development in regular teaching and learn-ing activities in school and as the basis ofall school life

• Educators with relevant competence to in-clude sustainable development in theirteaching

• Suitable learning methods and a learningenvironment conducive to sustainable devel-opment.

31BALTIC 21 EDUCATION LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

velopment towards education for sustainable de-velopment. Many methods are being used thatcould transform educational culture into a moreintegrative and dynamic mode in line with theHaga Declaration. Being in touch with the realworld and building action competence are im-portant components of education for sustainabledevelopment. Efforts in many schools to relatetheory to practice in making the school envi-ronmentally friendly and in working with thelocal environment are promising examples ofsuch work.

To fill the gaps identified in the survey, an ac-tion programme was formulated.

The aim here is to give strong political sig-nals, to develop competence, to stimulate theproduction of materials, and to initiate and pro-mote research and development.

The second meeting of Ministers of Edu-cation, January 2002The Ministers of Education from the countriesof the Baltic Sea Region, namely Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia,Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden,met at Haga Palace in Stockholm on 24-25January 2002 for their second meeting.

The purpose of the meeting was two-fold: toexamine the results achieved by the Baltic 21Education Sector Network and its three workinggroups in respect of the task given at the firstministerial meeting at Haga Palace in March2000; and to adopt an Agenda 21 for Educationfor Sustainable Development in the Baltic SeaRegion, Baltic 21E.

At the meeting, the ministers adopted theAgenda 21 for Education in the Baltic Sea Re-gion (Baltic 21E), endorsed the major commit-ments, goals and action programme containedin Baltic 21E, and resolved to ensure an effi-cient implementation of Baltic 21E.

The Baltic Sea Project in the implementa-tion of Baltic 21EUnder the joint action area “Research on anddevelopment of education for sustainable devel-opment”, two actions are formulated in the fol-lowing way.

• Encourage international co-operation regard-ing research and development of educationfor sustainable development, and support andinitiate networks for experience sharing andjoint activities at all levels

• Stimulate and support different approaches ineducation covering an interdisciplinary ap-proach, ways of including aspects of sustain-able development in different subjects, in-volving education in a local context, as wellas collecting and disseminating examples ofgood practice

For more than ten years, the Baltic Sea Projecthas played an active role in stimulating and ini-tiating networks of schools in the Baltic Sea Re-gion. At the same time, development of teach-ing methods in environmental education andeducation for sustainable development in linewith Baltic 21 has been stimulated and also pro-duced good results. The Baltic Sea Project cantherefore be seen as an important actor inspreading good examples and in taking part inthe important development work in Baltic 21.


By Kaisa Lindström, FinlandTo constitute a learning process and develop-ment towards active citizenship, the followingkey elements should be considered:

1) Information: Information on opportunitiesshould be given to projects, local problemsand other activities that students could workon to learn information techniques as well asenter into dialogue and network with othersinvolved in education for sustainable devel-

opment. The knowledge achieved should bemade widely available and disseminated bydifferent means, such as twinning and net-working. Wide sharing of information is alsoa criterion of democracy.

2) Motivation is crucial for all kinds of learning.When a person starts a learning process, mo-tivation largely depends on the expectationsof the learner and on the nature of informa-tion previously obtained. Inner motivation


From ”The Long Way toSustainability”

Johannesburg 2002

Measuring Progress – Key Elements

33MEASURING PROGRESS - KEY ELEMENTSLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

grows through experience, new interpreta-tions and the usefulness of the knowledgeand skills gained.

3) Training: The challenge of education for sus-tainable development is how to show thecomplex nature of the societies we live in to-day, how to make ecological, economic, po-litical and technical processes transparent,and how to facilitate a holistic approach toenvironmental problems. A reverse chronology of the time perspectiveis needed: the past the present the fu-ture. The present situation, knowledge orproblem is always in dialogue with the pastand the future. Therefore, historical aspectsas well as tools for future research have to beincorporated.

4) Learning is a constructive process: Thelearner constructs knowledge and interpretsit according to his/her own former knowledgeand according to his/her worldview. Know-ledge can be fully understood only when it isused. Personal experiences have a strong ef-fect on the whole learning process.

5) Cultural activities can be linked to aestheticeducation for sustainable development; theyenhance appreciation of one’s cultural her-itage and teach practical and traditionalskills. At the same time, cultural activitiesbuild a platform for learning to understandother cultures.

6) Competence development is crucial for put-ting theories into practice. The challenge forlearners is to commit themselves to compe-tence development and to the learningprocess. A learner needs competence (theory,

skills) in order to proceed with the learningprocess, gaining more competence in theprocess.

7) Projects are practical working environmentsin education for sustainable development.Projects include networking, an authenticsituation and competence development. Pro-jects can be large, involving many partners,or small-scale ventures geared to influencingconcrete conditions or to addressing a localproblem. Projects with partner schools in theBaltic Sea Region expand the learning envir-onment on education for sustainable devel-opment, which leads towards internationalco-operation and cultural understanding.

8) Availability is an essential element. Localnetworks and local action groups provide a context for the personal learning process, a platform for working together and an op-portunity to be part of a social network. Part-nerships between companies, educational in-stitutions and non-governmental organisa-tions should be promoted. The Internet andvirtual, open and distance learning environ-ments offer a wide range of new opportuni-ties for acting in a global network.

Maria Mensonen,Finland


By Kaisa Lindström, Finland

Schools are recommended to make an an-nual evaluation and discuss in a transpar-ent and democratic way:• What has actually happened? What have we

done, experienced and achieved?• What can we learn from our experience?• How can we better distinguish between our

sphere of interest and our sphere of influence?• How can we be more proactive?• What actions should we take in the coming

year?• How should we adjust our vision?• What are our goals for the coming year?

The following checklist may serve as atool and can be further elaborated locally

1) InformationDoes the school/organisation have a document,e.g. an action plan, a school policy, a set of val-ues etc, which provides a framework for imple-menting education for sustainable development?Is it written in a language and style which every-one in the school can understand? Quantity becomes quality: What kind of infor-mation is available and how many articles,brochures, course descriptions have been used?How are the goals formulated?

2) MotivationInitially, motivation comes from the informationand knowledge that the learner has, or through

2.1 Evaluation model of the process of change in attitudes:

This model can be used at three levels: thepersonal, the team or the organisation level.Discussion regarding the phases where indi-viduals, teams or organisations are placed inthis process will serve as a tool for evalua-tion.The commitment to education for sus-tainable development can only grow throughthe reflective and interactive process of indi-viduals and communities.

Step 1 Think that the individual, the team orthe organisation knows the main things about education for sus-tainable development

Step 2 Know that person, the team or organi-sation does not know enough abouteducation for sustainable development

Step 3 Know about education for sustainabledevelopment

Step 4 Understand sustainable developmentStep 5 Put knowledge into practiceStep 6 Develop new models and innovations

to promote education for sustainabledevelopment

Suggested Methods for Self-evaluation (Indicators)

35SELF-EVALUATIONLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

the perception of problems, needs or events.Later, the usefulness of newly-acquired know-ledge and skills maintains the motivation. The criteria here are quality of information andlinkage between theory and practice.Changes in attitudes – criteria become visible inaction. Awareness of and responsibility for pro-moting sustainable development are closelylinked to competence and opportunities to influ-ence conditions.

3) TrainingHow do the key elements and the overall goalsbecome visible through training?Is access equal for all? What methods are used intraining? Are people committed to promotingeducation for sustainable development?

4) Learning Do we have open learning environments? Do we have a holistic approach? Is there interaction? Do we manage creative learning?

5) Cultural activitiesDo the school culture and ethics promote educa-tion for sustainable development?Do the creative subjects, such as arts, crafts anddesign play a role in promoting sustainable de-velopment? What aesthetic view is presented in educationfor sustainable development?Does education for sustainable development dealwith the multicultural aspect?Is education for sustainable development a toolfor strengthening identity? Does education for sustainable development re-quire co-operation and networking skills?

6) Competence developmentHow many authentic situations and opportuni-ties are there for showing the competencegained?Are communicative and social competences ele-ments of the competence development?How many innovations are there in day-to-dayoperations and in education, teachingmethods, learning materials and co-operation?Does education for sustainable development in-clude and develop problem-solving skills?Competence development is not valuable in it-self, but becomes so in actions and interactions,and in authentic situations where a person isable to use the action competence acquired.

7) ProjectsHow can projects be designed to take the goalsof education for sustainable development intoconsideration? How can projects be evaluated in terms ofachieving development goals?

8) Opportunities How many opportunities are there for educationfor sustainable development? What is the qual-ity of these opportunities?

Mára Alksne,Latvia


By Per Eliasson, SwedenHow do you heat your house? How is food pro-duced on the farms in your neighbourhood?How have the landscapes – forests, fields andwaters - changed during the last one hundredyears?

The answer to these questions will probablybe that your house has been heated by oiland/or coal, and that farms produce food using ahigh input of artificial fertiliser and machinerydriven by diesel oil. The landscape was muchmore diversified a hundred years ago – i.e. therewere different species of tree, smaller fields, andmany small ponds and watercourses everywhere.

If you want to know in what direction youare going, you need knowledge of at least twopoints: a point in the past and a point in thepresent. Only then can you have a fair idea ofwhere you will be in the future. We thereforeneed a knowledge of the past to have some reasonable idea of the future.

How can the historical perspective be used inenvironmental work?

Since the economic development of Europe

and America has become the blueprint for de-veloping countries such as India and China, theproblems of global pollution and resource deple-tion will continue. The economic developmentof Europe and America has been based on anindustrialisation where the use of cheap fossilfuels has increased exponentially.

The motivation for the poor countries toadopt a new strategy for economic develop-ment, while the rich countries at the same timecling on to their old strategy of ever-increasingresource use, is weak. When the USA, which isresponsible for 25% of the world’s oil consump-tion, refuses to discuss international limitationsfor the use of fossil fuels, it sets a bad exampleto other countries.

In order to understand the degree of thechanges needed, we must look back and askhow this strategy of ever-increasing usage of re-sources was introduced. This is best donethrough local environmental history studies.When did our city start using coal and oil forheating, for production and for transport? Whydid this happen? What were the consequences?

Learning from the past for the decisions of the future

MAN

ENVIRONMENT

PAST PRESENT FUTURE

Environmental History and the Time Dimension

Always use a timeline inenvironmental history

37ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORYLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Students working with environmental history:

• start from environmental problems of today- they do not study the past independentlyof the present

• have a perspective of the future - they arenot satisfied only with a better understand-ing of the present situation but want to cre-ate action competence for the future

• can accomplish practical results - they donot use their results only inside the schoolbut present them to the community in orderto change the situation

• use chronology as an important tool both inexplanations and in narratives - they therefore avoid looking at questionsas "eternal"

• start from conflicts about the environment- they thereby avoid both a biased naturalscience and a moralistic perspective

• look at people as active actors in history- they are therefore not satisfied with struc-tural explanations but seek the causes be-hind people's actions

• start with studies of the local environmentin order to draw conclusions about otherareas from their results- they do not start with the great trends inworld history in order to illustrate this on alocal level

Ideals of environmental history studies conducted by students

How was food produced on our farms before thearrival of industrialisation? How was nutritionused? When were fertilisers introduced, andwhat were the consequences?

How is the use of fertilisers and fossil fuels inour agriculture connected to industrialisation?What happened to the diversity of landscapeswhen these new methods were introduced?Why?

When we have the answers to these questions,it will be possible to discuss what we think ofthe future. Then we can also link our conclu-sions to the global situation. Is this a sustainabledevelopment for the whole world? If not, whatchanges are necessary here in our local commu-nity? What would the consequences be?

In this way, environmental history can con-tribute to an analysis of sustainable develop-ment on both a local and global scale.

Lecture by Christine Jakobsson, Sweden

“Baltic 21 is an overall framework for regionalco-operative efforts in promoting sustainable de-velopment,” Christine Jakobsson said, “and theBaltic Sea Region is the only region in theworld which has adopted a common fisheriespolicy with quotas which works,” she continued,giving an example of the work being carriedout.

She told the audience that work within thesectors encompassed by Baltic 21 is being car-ried out with two countries at the forefront –one from Eastern Europe and one from WesternEurope – or by a common organisation.

Within each sector as well as across all sec-tors, a string of joint actions are being imple-

mented. Among the most important, ChristineJakobsson mentioned increased production anduse of bioenergy and other renewable energysources, plus the establishment of demonstra-tion areas and pilot projects for proving sustain-able development in practice.

“Here you can show people the effects of dif-ferent experiments and form a basis to discussthe pros and cons of various ways of trying toreach the common goals,” she said.

Another important joint action is to getcities to work together when buying differentkinds of things:

“Did you know that 65% of all decisions onwhat to buy – and where – within the publicsector are taken at community level?” she asked.“This means that it is very important to raise

Chapter 3

38 PERSPECTIVES LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

PerspectivesBased on lectures held at the “On the Threshold – Baltic 21” conference in Sønderborg, Denmark in June 2000,summarised by journalist Bjarke Larsen, Denmark

Baltic 21: An Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region - with special reference to the agricultural sector

the awareness of sustainable development onthis level.”

As an example of how this can be done suc-cessfully, she mentioned traffic lights. Someyears ago, a public contest was held in this arearesulting in a new kind of traffic lights, whichshine brighter but use less electricity than the‘old fashioned’ kind.

Where the circles meet

Christine Jakobsson underlined the importanceof not just working with the environment whentalking about sustainable development. Eco-nomic sustainability and social sustainability areof equal importance. If you draw a circle foreach component, genuine sustainable develop-ment occurs in the area where the three over-lap.

“The reason we may not have succeededenough in some areas so far might be that wehave not worked in the areas where the threeoverlap,” she said.

Overall goals and indicators Christine Jakobsson emphasised the overallgoals within Baltic 21 (page 8) and introducedexamples of indicators.

Within each sector, several indicators willhave to be used to see if development is movingin the right direction. One such indicator is lifeexpectancy at birth or the gross domesticproduct (GDP) per capita.

“All these indicators show us that there arevery big differences between the countries inthe Baltic Region, and that we have a long wayahead of us,” Christine Jakobsson said.

39AGRICULTURAL SECTORLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Fig 3.2Life Expectancy inBaltic 21 countries.For each country, therate for women is atthe top, and at thebottom for men.

Fig 3.1Infant mortality ratein Baltic 21 countries

Sustainable development is where the three circles – economy – society - environment - overlap


Agriculture as an exampleChristine Jakobsson then turned her attentionto the agricultural sector and spoke of the goalsfor the work in this area:

“Agriculture contributes significantly to thesociety of the future. Sustainable agriculture isthe production of high-quality food and otheragricultural products and services in the longrun, taking into account economy and socialstructure in such a way that the resource base ofnon-renewable and renewable resources is main-tained.”To achieve this important subgoal requires that:• farmers’ income be sufficient to provide a fair

standard of living in the agricultural commu-nity.

• farmers practise production methods, includ-ing biodiversity, which do not threaten hu-man or animal health or degrade the environ-ment, and at the same time minimise the en-vironmental problems that future generationswill have to assume responsibility for.

• non-renewable resources gradually be replacedby renewable resources, and that re-circula-tion of non-renewable resources be max-imised.

• sustainable agriculture meets the needs of foodand recreation, preserves the landscape, cultu-ral values and historical heritage of rural areas,and contributes to the creation of stable, well-developed and secure rural communities.

• the ethical aspects of agricultural productionbe safeguarded.

Each of these goals has been discussed – some atgreat length – in order to reach workable agree-ments and solutions. According to ChristineJakobsson, the ethical aspects, for instance, areimportant to include, and she drew attention tothe many cases of Mad Cow Disease and otherproblems with food quality.

Success criteriaIn all these areas, Baltic 21 examines the direc-tion in which developments are moving. Onesuch indicator is the number of livestock animalper hectare in BSP countries.

“When we compare progress with the goalsachieved, it is important to notice that politicalgoals are not always realistic goals,” ChristineJakobsson stressed. She mentioned, for instance,that there is a goal to reduce nutrient outlet by50%. This has not been achieved anywhere inthe region, but a reduction of 25% has beenreached in several places.

Fig 3.3Livestock density in Baltic 21 countries. In some coun-tries, a steep decline took place in the years immediatelyfollowing the end of the communist era.

41AGRICULTURAL SECTORLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Overall goals and actionsAccording to Christine Jakobsson, the overallgoals of the work in this area are:• to build sustainable structures. • to improve the viability of agriculture in the

region. • to strengthen farm management with respect

to aspects relating to environment, biodiversi-ty, landscape, cultural heritage, social and eco-nomic issues.

• to create demonstration watersheds withtraining/educational programmes.

• to improve agro-environmental legislation.

To reach these goals, the following actions havebeen prioritised:

• Provision of education and training.• Creation of demonstration watersheds with

demonstration farms in a network in thecountries.

• Development of a ”Virtual Research Institute”for sustainable agriculture

• Elaboration and implementation of agro-environmental legislation and policies.

“Education and training is the number one goal.And this goes not only for farmers. It is equallyimportant to raise consumer awareness and toeducate and inform politicians, advisors andeverybody else,” Christine Jakobsson said.

AleksandraPisarska, Poland


Lecture by Jens-Otto Andersen, Denmark

Public focus on food quality“Normally when we walk, we do not pay atten-tion to our legs. But when we break a leg, wesuddenly realise how important the leg is andhow complicated it really is to do a ‘simple’thing like walking. Today, this is the situationconcerning food quality. There is tremendouspublic focus on food quality and many peoplefeel that we have – so to speak - broken a leg inthis area.”

Those were the opening words of Jens-OttoAndersen when he gave a very pedagogical lec-ture to the BSP participants on the subject“Sustainable Agriculture, Food Quality and Human Health”.

His conclusion, with which he also started, isthat there is a very close connection betweenthe quality of soil, plants and human beings:“Mother Nature is extremely complex, and to-day we do not know enough about how sheworks,” he said, also warning the students not totake his words for granted:

“Other researchers will paint a different pic-ture. Think for yourself, ask questions, investi-gate.”

Young rabbits dying at birthJens-Otto Andersen told of a famous researchfinding in 1975 when pregnant female rabbitswere fed different kinds of food. This resulted invery different death rates for the newborn youngrabbits:

Of the mothers fed conventional fresh food +

vitamins, 50% of the newborn rabbits died. Ofthose only fed conventional fresh food, 51%died. But of those fed organic fresh food, only27% died.

“These results raise a big question: Why dowe see this difference? In my view, the conclu-sion is that there is a close connection in theway we farm, in food quality and in humanhealth; a very close connection,” Jens-Otto An-dersen said.

Not insulting conventional agriculture“I do not want to insult conventional agricul-ture as such. Conventional agriculture is manydifferent things, just as you can find good aswell as very poor examples of organic agricul-ture. There is a great variety in both cases,”Jens-Otto Andersen stressed.

Young rabbits dying at birth

1: Conventional fresh food + vitamins

2: Conventional fresh food

3: Organic fresh food

Sustainable Agriculture,Food Quality and Human Health

1 2 3

43FOOD QUALITY AND HUMAN HEALTHLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Healthy plants?He then went on to talk about healthy plants.Using wheat as an example, he showed the au-dience how plants become less capable of de-fending themselves against fungus attacks if thesoil is fed too much nitrogen (fertiliser). Farmerstherefore start using pesticides in order to pro-tect the plants, thus initiating a vicious circle:

“It is quite normal in modern agriculture to use180kg of nitrogen per hectare. Research hasshown that wheat is several times more vulner-able to fungus attacks when you use this amountcompared to only using 90kg. This means thatthe farmer always has to apply pesticides. We ar-tificially create sickness in the plant.”

Intelligent plantsJens-Otto Andersen went on to talk about themany components in nutrients and in plants –both primary nutrients, like minerals, carbohy-drates, proteins, amino acids, fats and vitamins,and secondary nutrients, like aroma, taste, phenols, alkaloids and flavonoids – some of the

latter providing human beings with protectionagainst cancer.

“The plant can resist fungus attacks by pro-ducing a high concentration of caffeic acid.When the plant senses that a spore from a fungus has landed on a leaf, it produces so muchcaffeic acid in that specific area that it actuallykills a small area around the spore,” Jens-OttoAndersen explained.

Healing ulcers in ratsHe then told of another scientific experimentshowing the importance of caffeic acid:

Two groups of rats were starved for 24 hoursin order to empty their stomachs. Then the ratshad acid injected into their stomachs in order tocreate an ulcer. Afterwards, one group was fed aginger extract with a high concentration of caf-feic acid, while the other group was not giventhis food. After some time, the rats were killedand dissected, and it was clear to see that thegroup fed caffeic acid was capable of healing theulcer much better than the other group.

A positive circleJens-Otto Andersen used this experiment toconclude that there is an important circle of inter-dependence in nature:

• Sustainable agriculture yields healthy soils.• Healthy soils yield healthy plants.• Healthy plants yield healthy animals and hu-

man beings.

Fig 3.4Relationship between fungus attacks on wheat and theamount of fertiliser (kg N)

Healing of ulcer betterwith ginger phenols


Lecture by Peter Laut, Denmark

“Climate is the sum of many things: the temper-ature and the way it shifts during the year; rainand its distribution annually and globally; thenumber of hours with sunshine; the degree ofcloud cover and so on. All this is climate, andeach separate factor can change – and doeschange.”

“Many people cannot imagine any change inthe climate. They are used to ‘their own’ cli-mate and think that climatic changes are some-thing that happened 100,000 years ago. This isnot true.”

Those were the opening remarks of ProfessorPeter Laut of the Technical University of Den-mark when he gave a very lively lecture on thegreenhouse effect and the risk of global climatechange, where he succeeded in explaining thesesometimes very complicated and complex issuesin a very pedagogical manner.

Constant changes

Peter Laut started by showing a graph illustra-ting past changes in climate and temperatureover Antarctica during the last 400,000 years.One could clearly see four distinct epochs withrelatively high temperatures each lasting ap-proximately 20,000 years – and each followedby an ice age, a glacier period.

“We are now living in the 5th warm period,but this one is different from the previous be-cause the temperature remains constant at a rel-atively high level,” Peter Laut explained andcontinued:

“All civilisations that we know of have de-veloped within this period and therefore we allthink that temperatures will be constant. NO!Stockholm will once again be covered in thou-sands of metres of ice,” the professor told theaudience.

Many public misunderstandingsThroughout the lecture, Peter Laut took uppublic misconceptions about the greenhouse effect, which one hears again and again in themedia or in one-on-one discussions. One ofthem is that ‘global warming will prevent an-other ice age’.

“NO! This is not true: the effects of globalwarming will last maybe 500 years – then theice age will come,” Peter Laut said.

Another ‘public misconception’ is that naturewill regulate itself and always try to return to astable ‘middle position’. But again Peter Lautsaid “NO! : Nature is accustomed to greatchanges.”

Fig 3.5Climate changes in the

pastTemperatures over

Antarctica during thelast 420000 years

Scale: °C relative to thepresent

The Greenhouse Effect and the Risk of Global Climate Change - Status 2000

45GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGELEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Temperature IS risingPeter Laut showed a graph with the mean tem-peratures in the Northern Hemisphere over thelast 1,000 years. The graph clearly indicates thattemperatures have been rising steeply since themiddle of the last century.

“Global warming during the last 100 years isbetween 0.4 and 0.8 degrees Centigrade. Theglobal temperature is definitely rising,” PeterLaut concluded.

The “natural” greenhouse effectPeter Laut then went on to tell about the

natural greenhouse effect and the man-made in-crease in temperature. Greenhouse gases ac-count for 0.4% of the volume of the atmosphere– but they play a crucial role in determining thetemperature on Earth.

The greenhouse gases can absorb and re-emitheat radiation from the surroundings. Thismeans that these gases absorb the heat radiationwhich goes up in the atmosphere, hold the gasesfor a little while and then re-emit them in an-

other direction. This process goes on continu-ously and the result is that most heat radiationeventually returns to Earth.

The effect of this process is that the globalaverage temperature is +15 instead of -18 – adifference of 33 degrees.

Fig 3.6Northern Hemispheretemperatures over thelast 1,000 years.

Fig 3.7The “natural”greenhouse effect andthe man-made increase


“The amounts of greenhouse gases have beenconstant for 10,000 years and there is no scien-tific debate about the greenhouse effect in itself.It is NOT a theory. But in the last 50 years, theamounts of greenhouse gases have increased inthe atmosphere. This means that more heat isbeing sent back to the earth, which means thetemperature will rise,” Peter Laut said.

“The crucial question of course is ‘how much’it will rise. That of course is very difficult to cal-culate. The best scientific estimate is 2-4 de-grees over the next 100 years”.

The energy budget of the EarthPeter Laut then used another method to explainother aspects of the greenhouse effect, showingwhat happens to 100 units of sunshine enteringthe Earth’s atmosphere.

Out of 100 units, 22 units are reflected byclouds, 8 units are reflected by the Earth’s sur-

face, 20 units are absorbed by the atmosphere,and the remaining 50 units reach the ground,where they are converted to heat.

For the temperature to remain stable, theEarth has to rid itself of these 50 units and thisis done in the following way: 7 units are takeninto the atmosphere by thermal winds, 23 unitsare absorbed by the atmosphere through evapo-transpiration, and the last 20 units leave theEarth as radiation.

The problem is that the last 20 units aremade up of a balance between surface radiationeminating from the Earth and back radiation re-entering the surface thanks to the mechanism ofthe greenhouse gases described previously. Thebalance maintained by the Earth’s climate sys-tem during the previous 10,000 years of stableclimate has been 115 units leaving the surfaceand 95 re-entering, thus creating a surplus of 20units.

Fig 3.8The energy budget of the

Earth. Global annualmean (Unit: 3.42 W/m2)

47GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGELEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

The man-made increase in the amounts ofgreenhouse gases means that the amount re-en-tering the surface has also increased from theold equilibrium value of 95 units, causing tem-peratures to rise.

What will happen?Based on current scientific knowledge, PeterLaut estimates that there will be a global warm-ing of approximately 2-4 degrees, that the sealevel will rise 0.5 metres (causing, for instance,50% of all agricultural land in Bangladesh todisappear), and that there will be changes inrain and snow patterns.

“These last changes may be the most import-ant,” Peter Laut said.

Rising CO2 concentrationAnother public misconception is that there isno reason to worry about the rise in CO2 in theatmosphere. ‘CO2 is good for the plants,’ peoplesay.

“That is true – but what if the plants cannotgrow because the rain pattern has changed?” Pe-ter Laut asked, adding that the CO2 level in theatmosphere was rising steeply. During the last400,000 years, the level has constantly been be-tween 300 ppm in the warm periods and 200ppm during the ice ages. Today, however, thelevel has reached 364 ppm, and all indicatorspoint towards a further rise to a level of 700-1000 ppm within the next generation.

What should be done?Peter Laut went on to tell about some of theimportant gases making up the atmosphere,where they come from and what can be done tominimise the man-made changes. His two con-clusions were that it is important to reduce theemissions of greenhouse gases as much as possi-

ble, and that it is equally important to prepareourselves for a warmer climate.

To do both things, it is important to havemore international conferences like the ones inRio and Kyoto in 1992 and 1997, respectively,and to continue to do scientific research.

“What will all this lead to in the real world?”Peter Laut asked, and pointed towards the audi-ence:

“It is YOU – the young generation – who willhave to decide many of the important questionsas voters, politicians and taxpayers. YOU willalso have to do most of the work as scientists,engineers, administrators and economists.

“And YOU will experience the climatechange yourselves and be able to judge if wehave done enough to diminish it,” Peter Lautsaid, concluding his lecture.

Pawel Piatek,Poland


Lecture by Jakob Kjøller, Denmark

Jakob Kjøller visited Vietnam in 1998 when heworked as an intern (doing voluntary work) ona development and environmental project inVietnam. He told about his trip, the countryand first and foremost the project, showing andcommenting a series of slides. This gave theBSP participants an inspiring, global angle totheir work. Some of the aspects touched upon,problems discussed and facts mentioned byJakob Kjøller are listed below.

The Hoa Binh Dam in VietnamEven though the environmental problems thatVietnam is facing are very different from thoseof European countries, and certainly of Den-mark, the solutions and the ways of dealingwith the problems are sometimes the same.

In Hoa Binh on the Black River, the Viet-namese government has built the largest damand hydropower plant in Southeast Asia. Thelake stretches 230 km along the Black Riverand the water level has risen 60-70 m at most,leading to flooding of huge land areas. Morethan 58,000 people have lost their agriculturalland and have had to move up into the moun-tains. It took five years to build the dam, whichwas finished in 1984. It took seven years to fillthe dam, and this was completed in 1991.When the dam was finished and the water start-ed rising, people from the local authorities cameto all the villages and put red sticks in themountainside 50 m up. They then told peoplethat in seven years the water would reach that

level. However, people refused to believe thisand moved their houses 5-10 m at a time. Manyof these houses have been moved several times.Vietnamese people are relaxed and easy-going:’Don’t worry about future problems’. They oftensay: ’When the water rises, wait until the waterreaches your feet and then run.’

Most of the people who have had to moveare ethnic minorities.

In 1993, this hydropower plant produced45% of all the electricity produced in Vietnam.This is environmentally ’good’ energy, whichdoes not worsen the greenhouse effect. There-fore, it is not easy to say if these dams are goodor bad: They are really bad for the people whohad to move, but good for the environment inother terms.

Some people moved further away from thelake and many villages are only accessible onfoot, as there are no roads, no electricity, etc.

Ecological problems in VietnamThe building of the dam also meant that morepeople had to live on a smaller area of land,which has increased the consumption of re-sources. One of the biggest problems in this partof Vietnam is that the people cut down forest inorder to make a living and to cultivate the land.Today, many people have to cultivate hillsideswhere there is less water for irrigation. At thesame time, there is less land per person and people are not familiar with appropriate methods for cultivating sloping land nor do they have the right types of crops suitable forthis land.

The Global Perspective in Environmental Work

49THE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVELEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Many people in the mountains have for genera-tions used what is known as slash–and-burntechniques. This is actually a very sustainablemethod:

People burn the forest and cultivate the landfor a short period of time. They then leave it fora long period while the forest regenerates. Un-fortunately, when the population increases,more people have to live off the same area, andthe forest is unable to regenerate.

When the soil is left bare, it leads to soil ero-sion. The top layers of the soil are where all thenutrients needed by the trees and vegetables arefound, and when it rains, these top layers arewashed away, leaving sandy and bad soil. Suchareas are very difficult to cultivate again.

Soil erosion is a serious problem. It also leads tosilitation of rivers and lakes, which means moreflooding when it rains. Furthermore, the HoaBinh power plant is now only expected to lastfor 50 years, compared to the prediction of 100years when it was built.

Deforestation has meant that today less than20% of Vietnam is covered by forest. In 1960,the figure was 40%. Every year an area of 2000km2, i.e. 40 km by 50 km, is cut down.

One reason for this is the population growth,which is more than 2% a year, with 40-45% ofthe population in Vietnam under 15 years old.During the Vietnam War, bombs and chemicalsdropped by the Americans, such as Agent Orange, also killed many trees.

The CARE project areaof the Hoa Binh Dam inVietnam


Another reason is poverty. Vietnam has experi-enced high economic growth during the last 10years, but this has mainly benefited people liv-ing in cities, not the 80% of the populationwho live in the countryside.

The CARE projectThese are the problems that the CARE Den-mark project in which I was involved in had toaddress. The importance of this is that, eventhough the environmental problems are verydifferent from the ones we have in Europe, thesolutions are not necessarily very different.

The purpose of the project is to improve theenvironment and stop environmental degrada-tion by giving families, households and villagesa better standard of living and alternative in-comes.

The local authorities in Vietnam tend to usea top-down approach. This means, for instance,that they forbid people to use or cut down theforest. The problem is that that is not a sustain-able approach; at least, not in the way I definesustainable: sustainable for both people and na-ture. People have to be able to make a living.

To solve the problems, it is necessary tochange the practices and agricultural tech-niques, especially of the people who used to livein the valley and cultivate rice paddy fields.The circumstances have now changed becauseof the dam, which means that the project alsohas to change.

One project activity is hedgerow planting:bushes or small trees planted in horizontal rows.They keep the soil together, which allows farmers to cultivate the soil in between on apermanent basis. This way the farmers do nothave to clear new land.

In addition, the project has created somenursery gardens, and in the first six months of

1999 more than 400,000 seedlings were pro-duced, ready to be planted.

Another good alternative is homestead gar-dens. The project introduces new varieties andnew kinds of vegetables that are suitable for thelocal area and for the new circumstances. Thisprovides an alternative to cutting down moreforest.

Another good source of income is animalhusbandry of different kinds: pigs, cows, bees,fishponds and chickens. The project providesnew species and teaches people how to keep an-imals. For example, people usually have pigsroaming around free in the village. By helpingpeople to build pigsties and breed pigs properly,it is possible to use pig manure as a natural fer-tiliser in, for example, the homestead gardens.Better husbandry also promotes better hygieneand fewer diseases.

The planting of fruit trees is another highlysuccessful activity. Fruit trees are good becausethey prevent soil erosion and provide a good in-come.

In each village, a Village Development Board(VDB) is elected. The VDB decides how to dothings and what kind of activities need to bedone in each village: planting trees, buildingdrinking-water systems, or carrying out pig vac-cination campaigns. It is important to ask thepeople on the board what kind of activities theywould they like in their village, what kind oftraining they feel they need, etc. This is the keyto making the project participatory, and to en-suring that the project activities address theneeds of the people.

Sustainable developmentand local competenceOne of the most important aspects of develop-ment project activities is that they are sustain-

51THE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVELEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

able. A project like this lasts for only 3-4 yearsin each village, after which time the activitiesmust be able to continue by themselves.

To ensure the sustainability of the project,the people in each village set up a Village De-velopment Fund (VDF). If a person decides, forinstance, to breed pigs, he/she can borrow themoney from the project to buy piglets and buildfences, etc. Then after some years, when theperson is able to sell the pigs, he/she has to re-pay this money to the VDF. This way, there is arevolving fund in the village, which can lendmoney out again.

In each village, model farmers are chosen bythe project. They carry out the activities in aproper way; they are models for other people.The idea is that if you can get some people todo something new, and other people see that itworks, it is easier to get other people to do thesame.

Very often the local knowledge is available;people do not need foreigners or experts to im-prove everything. One model farmer, for ex-ample, took some of the tall, thick and hollowbamboo canes, cut them and made a small holein the bottom. He then put them in the soilnext to the fruit trees – and voila! He no longerneeded to water them as often because the wa-ter dripped out of this bamboo cane very slowly.

For me it has been a fantastic experience andpersonally very rewarding to visit all these vil-lages. And it is very personally rewarding. It is aprivilege. Mostly because you feel welcome, andyou actually work together with these people. Ido not think that we could be more different –a student from Denmark and a farmer fromVietnam – but we worked for the same cause.Together. Especially when I said that I was anintern and not paid: That gave respect.

Beyond povertyWhen you stay for four months in the samearea, you start to see beyond the poverty. In thebeginning, I mostly noticed the poverty, thesmall houses. After a while, I became used to itand started to see that people lived ordinarylives like you and me in many ways. I have ex-perienced that behind the poverty and misery isa very strong and friendly people with anenormous vitality and energy. Vietnam is one ofthese countries where you just walk around inthe streets and smile because people just lookhappy.

I think that a project like this in Vietnamshows that it is actually possible to influencethings in a good and positive way. A countrylike Denmark spends $14 billion on develop-ment assistance every year. This is a good ex-ample because it shows that it is actually pos-sible for us in the richer part of the world tohelp change things for the better in other parts.


Lecture by Nanna Jordt Jørgensen, Denmark

Nanna Jordt Jørgensen, who is from Sønderborgand presently studying anthropology at the Uni-versity of Copenhagen, started by presentingherself and the organisation she heads.

‘Nature and Youth’. This is an environmentalorganisation connected to the Danish Societyfor the Conservation of Nature. It is open toyoung people between the ages of 8 and 25, andit has approximately 600 members, of whom300-400 are active.

“In ‘Nature and Youth’ we believe that ifyoung people come out to see and experiencenature, they will also want to preserve and pro-tect it. Therefore, we try to get the youngstersinvolved in a lot of different activities likehiking, camping and bird watching,” NannaJordt Jørgensen said.

One up-coming is called ‘Let’s make a bet’.‘Nature and Youth’ dares the Danish govern-ment to make a bet on whether the young gen-eration in Denmark – by making a dedicated ef-fort – in eight months can manage to save moreCO2 than the Danish government has commit-ted itself to doing over the next eight years.

Both idealistic and pragmatic“Why get involved in an organisation like Na-ture and Youth?” Nanna Jordt Jørgensen asked.

“My own motives have changed over theyears. In the beginning, I was attracted by theoutdoor life and the social life. Then I got in-volved in environmental work, was an activist

organising demonstrations, etc and tried to in-fluence decisions. Today, I am active in interna-tional organisational work, because I found outthat in order to gain influence you have to en-gage in other kinds of political work than justdemonstrating.”

“I have learned that it requires a lot of pa-tience to do this kind of work because you haveto attend so many meetings (and hence, ironi-cally, do not have time to go out into naturethat much!). I have also learned that democracyworks in many different ways, and is often notstraightforward.”

“You must have goals in order to achieve any-thing, but you must also be pragmatic,” NannaJordt Jørgensen told the audience.

You CAN make a difference“Working in an organisation like Nature andYouth gives you a great opportunity to partici-pate in the democratic process. For me, demo-cracy is not just voting every four or five years;democracy also means taking active part in civilsociety.”

“People in Denmark are often not interestedin doing this. Most organisations lack members– especially active ones. Why?” Nanna JordtJørgensen asked and tried herself to give part ofthe answer:

“People do not think that their engagementmakes a difference. They say that environ-mental problems have to be solved on an inter-national scale and then they leave the work tothe politicians. But this is not true. You CAN

Non-Governmental Organisations,Democracy and Action Competence

53NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONSLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

make a difference locally. Many campaigns startlocally and end up as national and internationalissues,” Nanna Jordt Jørgensen said, giving anexample of such a success started by her own or-ganisation:

“Some years ago, we started to put focus onthe use of pesticides in private gardens. Wehanded out leaflets in front of shops selling thepesticides, and we wrote letters to the newspa-pers and to politicians, etc. We started very lo-cally here in Sønderborg, but today it is a na-tional issue which is being debated in Parlia-ment and other places.”

Lots of fun“The Bet’, which I told about earlier, is a politi-cal campaign that will be carried out in severalcountries. By working internationally, your workcarries more weight. Today, working interna-tionally is necessary. It is hard work, it is time-consuming – but it is also a lot of fun. And inthe end it works!” Nanna Jordt Jørgensen con-cluded.

In ‘Nature and Youth’ we believe that if young people come out to see and experi-ence nature, they will also want to preserve and protect it. Møns Klint will be oneof the first National Parks in Denmark.


Lecture by Marie Søndergaard Larsen

Marie Sønderborg Larsen graduated just beforegiving her lecture as a student from SønderborgCounty High School (Amtsgymnasiet), and ap-peared in her white graduation cap. She attend-ed ‘the green class/ the UNESCO Baltic SeaProject class’ and became a member of Sønder-borg Youth Council. She began her lecture bytelling how and why she got involved in theMunicipal Youth Council:

“Our ‘Green Class’ visited a school in Estoniaas part of BSP networking. We were differentfrom each other in many ways, but I especiallynoticed the way young people in Estonia feltabout democracy, particularly their belief thatthey could not have any influence. This mademe realise how privileged we are in Denmark.So when I came back to Sønderborg, I went toa meeting about the Youth Council, whichyoung people had been trying to establish in themunicipality for some time.”

The Youth Council consists of 15 members,five of whom are elected by all the youngpeople in the town. Schools and organisationsappoint the last 10 members.

“We prefer not to have members of the YouthCouncil who are also members of political par-ties. We want to have individual opinions andpersonalities that speak for themselves andother young people,” she said.

A hard startMarie Sønderborg Larsen said that the YouthCouncil had a difficult beginning because themembers felt that the old, ‘professional’ politi-cians were always on their backs whenever theystrayed slightly from the path of mainstreamthinking.

“Today, the Youth Council works fine. Weexpress our opinion whenever there is an issuethat involves or affects the young generation inthe municipality. The politicians do not alwaysfollow our suggestions, however, but we are partof the dialogue,” Marie Søndergaard Larsen said.

“The politicians do not know enough about

From BSP to Municipal Youth Council

55MUNICIPAL YOUTH COUNCILLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

the life of a young person today or what we ex-perience in the streets at night when we go outto party. They have many prejudices, which in-fluence the decisions they take.”

You need a sharp tongueAs an example of the work in the Youth Coun-cil, Marie Søndergaard Larsen mentioned themany refugees and immigrants in Sønderborg:

“We have worked together with some of thegroups they have formed in order to get ‘old’and ‘new’ Danes to mix more instead of headingoff in two separate directions.”

“I have learned to be patient. It takes a longtime to get things through.”

“Politics is interesting. But the game of theold politicians is hard to play if you do not havea sharp tongue,” Marie Søndergaard Larsen told

us based on some of her experiences from spend-ing more than two years in the Youth Council.Even though it has sometimes been hard, she ishappy about what she did:

Don’t lose faith“I would not have missed any of it, and I canonly encourage all of you to do the same and totry to start a municipal youth council in yourown school or town.”

When asked about what a first step in thatdirection should be, she answered:

“Be a group, stand together, don’t lose faithand make sure you talk to some of the politi-cians ahead of the first meetings.”

“Stay faithful to the idea and stick together.Then you’ll succeed.”

Sønderborg Town Hall


Lecture by Hans Henrik Bruun,Denmark

Hans Henrik Bruun lectured on biodiversitywith special emphasis on what this term reallymeans. He also used a major part of the lectureto explain various methods for determining bio-diversity in the past, thus putting a historicalperspective on the environmental debate.

Ecological disaster – but for whom?One of his points was that it is important to re-member that the vertebrates (human beings andanimals) only make up one group in nature –and that it is a very small group compared to in-sects, fungi, etc.

“It is also important to remember that whenwe talk about, for instance, an ecological disas-ter area, it may be an ecological disaster for hu-mans and other vertebrates, but heavy metalsare not necessarily dangerous for fungi or plants.As a matter of fact, when I visited an ecologicaldisaster area in the Ural mountains in Russia,we found many fungi which are threatened withextinction in Europe to be thriving in this area,

because it was a virgin forest hardly touched byhuman hand,” Hans Henrik Bruun said.

Big variationsHe gave the audience examples of how trees

like beech and spruce have spread in Europeover time and went on to show the big vari-ation in nature in two Baltic countries of thesame size: Estonia and Denmark.

What favours biodiversity?“What circumstances favour biodiversity?” HansHenrik Bruun asked, and highlighted the threemost important:

• A mature ecosystem• Long maturity since immigration• Long continuity of patch of forest/grassland

“Especially the time factor is important. So ifyou have to make a choice, you should alwayschoose to preserve the oldest patches of nature.This is where the greatest biodiversity is,” HansHenrik Bruun said, concluding his lecture,which included a series of slides.

On Biodiversity

Denmark EstoniaArea 43,000 km2 45,000 km2Population 5.2 million 1.5 millionForest as % of area 12% 42%Wetlands as % of area 4% 20%

57ON BIODIVERSITYLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Andrius Smetona,Lithuania


»Stones for Bread« at CathrinesmindeTeglværksmuseumAt Nybøl Nor, an area of glacial age deposits ofclay, later to be exploited as an important re-source material, lies Catrinesminde Teglværk(brickworks). The area today is part of Sønder-borg Museum – the perfect setting for an out-door performance presented as “EnvironmentalHistory Theatre”:

Stones for BreadPlaywright Jacob Clausen, Director Ole Sørensen

First play - EveningIt is Walpurgis Night, Thursday 30th April 1198

Cultural Activities

They will get bread – if they make stone

59CULTURAL ACTIVITIESLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

A peasant village. A young girl has had a pecu-liar dream, a premonition of something that willchange their lives. It is a dream about earth, wa-ter, wind and fire. Strangers appear in the vil-lage: the mighty master of Broagerland and theAbbot of Ryd Abbey. They bring with them asecret; the secret of how to change clay intostone. A church is to be built on the spot, andclay must be dug. A clairvoyant woman warnsof devilry and misfortune.

Out of curiosity, and because of the opportu-nity for regular work, the peasants embrace thisnew concept. They will get bread – if they makestone.

Second play - Early morningIt is May Day, Friday 1st May 1545

Men and women appear from the woods. Theyhave been dancing on Walpurgis Night.

One of the girls has put a clay figure in thekiln to be fired. She is eagerly waiting to see theresult. There is dancing and storytelling. Thestories concern the king, who is being kept un-der house arrest at the castle in Sønderborg.The lords have usurped the king’s power. Sud-denly the king arrives on the scene. It is KingChristian II. He is popular among the people.The lord lieutenant sends the king back to de-tention. Then it is back to work. The kiln mustbe attended to, and the girl receives her clayfigure.

Third play - MorningIt is Friday 1st May 1744

The village people work and play. The overseerat the brickworks keeps watch to make sureeverything is running smoothly. A couple of

boys get too boisterous and race around, tippinga wheelbarrow. They get into trouble and aresent back to work. The children must attend totheir duties, especially those who have alreadybeen confirmed. A cargo of Flensburg-stylebricks is being loaded on board a ship. There isa shortage of bricks in Copenhagen followingthe great fire. Some of the bricks will beshipped out to the West Indies.

A horse-drawn cart arrives carrying bricks.On the back of the cart is a pregnant woman inlabour. An argument arises between the workersand the overseer of the brickworks.

”We don’t just want to trade bricks for bread– there’s got to be a bit of happiness as well.”

A horse-drawn cartarrives carrying bricks.


The sun sets behind theopen-air theatre stage at

CathrinesmindeTeglværk.

Fourth play – MiddayIt is Friday 1st May 1896

The hubbub of everyday life goes on at theworkers’ houses. There are children playing andwomen working. The men lay sleepers for thecarriages. There are new machines, new kilns.The brickworks is buzzing with life. Demandsfor higher wages are the order of the day. Afamily of newcomers arrives – to work at thebrickworks. There is a certain amount of dis-trust. The children are the first to make friends.There is an accident involving the children. Asocialist agitator arrives and talks about rightsand demands. It is 1st May. There is a stirringamong the assembled throng.

Fifth play – AfternoonIt is Saturday 2nd May 1936

The new machine means that everyone mustwork hard and fast. More and more hands be-come redundant. Right now the new machine isidle, as nobody can get it to work. There aresounds of shouting and complaining. Twovagabonds turn up and lift everyone’s spirits.They say whatever suits them. The brickworksproprietor has arrived. The old foreman is fired.He will be replaced by a younger man whoknows all about machines. A woman – thedaughter of the old foreman – has been sittingthroughout the play working with clay. There istalk of a dream, something that will changeeverything. The wheel has come full circle andeveryone is united in song.

61CULTURAL ACTIVITIESLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Midsummer’s Night 2000It is 21 June and time to get rid of the witches! According to the legend Midsummer’s Night is a nightwith special powers. Water in holy springs cure people oftheir illnesses, but also evil forces are out. Witches fly ontheir broomsticks to Blocksbjerg, and to keep them awaypeople light bonfires.To actually put a witch onto the fireis a tradition that started in the 18th century.It is part of the tradition that people gather to sing.Holger Drachmann’s »Midsummer’s Night« (1885) fromthe comedy »Once upon a Time« is part of the traditionand of Danish culture.

By Birthe Zimmermann

For the enhancement of action competence,workshops on the Baltic 21 sectors or on inte-grated sector work serve this purpose. Part of aperson’s involves being able to inform othersof the outcome and results of one’s work.

All participants at the “On the Threshold –Baltic 21” conference had to be prepared beforethe activities took place. Each workshop wasconsidered an integrated unit, and the work-shop members therefore consisted of students,teachers, co-ordinators and politicians co-

Chapter 4

62 DEMOCRACY LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Presenting your work to others leads to empowerment and action competence

Democracy as a Necessary Prerequisite

Inform Others of Your Work

63LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 WORKSHOP: HEALTHY FOOD

operating and working together. The workshopsthus had participants of mixed age groups, opinions and nationalities.

Included in the workshop tasks was a photocompetition, where each workshop had a cam-era with 36 shots and was asked to nominate itsbest photo in the following three categories:1. “On Baltic 21” 2. “Among friends” 3. “?” – Define the title within your workshop

and state why you named it accordingly.”Preparing the dialogue with politicians was like-

wise an integrated task. Participants developedskills on:• how to formulate questions• how to address questions in a panel forum• how to follow up on an unsatisfactory answer• how to ask for concrete answers.

The outcome of the process was a resolution tobe discussed in plenary and finally agreed uponand signed officially by representatives from allworkshops.

Preparatory work:• How big is a typical farm in your country?• How many people work on a typical farm?• How many animals and what kinds

do you have?• What kinds of products are the animals

used for?• What kinds of crops are cultivated and

what kinds of products are they used for?• What kinds of fertilisers are mainly used,

and what kinds of pesticides are necessary?• What is the general attitude to farming and

the job of a farmer in your country?

Contents:• Plant growth and domestic animals in Da-

nish agriculture were dealt with.The work-shop gave examples of research and techni-cal aids used in Danish agriculture.

• In the laboratory, experiments concerningplant production were performed: How doplants grow and what are their needs? Howdo you combat weeds? How are pesticidesdecomposed? These experiments were partof the workshop product.

• An excursion was made to Gråsten Schoolfor Agriculture to study methods used inmodern Danish animal husbandry, e.g.insemination, automatic milking and feed-ing, and milk examination as a means ofprevention. A field trip to study experimentsin plant cultivation was made to RønhaveExperimental Farm.

List of Workshops

1. HEALTY FOOD/NOVEL FOOD


Water as a necessity of life!

Preparatory work:• Describe the surroundings of your school:• What kind of green areas are there? How

are they kept - and by whom?• Does the staff use pesticides, fertilisers

and/or machines? • If so, what kinds of pesticides, fertilisers

and/or machines?

Contents:• This subject covered biodiversity and green

areas and gave ideas how to create new ex-periences and green pleasures: parkinggrounds, ditches, flower beds, playgroundsand green areas around schools. Secondary

schools and institutions are often poorlymaintained.The staff often use fertilisers,pesticides and machines for manual treat-ment.Technical solutions affect the biodi-versity.

• The workshop focused on questions like:• How can we change the practical mainten-

ance of green areas in order to recreate thebiodiversity? How can we recreate agreater diversity of plants and animals, andhow can we get more green experiencesaround the schools?

• How can we design a beautiful piece of na-ture without using fertilisers and pesti-cides?

2. BIODIVERSITY & GREEN AREAS

65WORKSHOP: ENERGYLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

A solar kitchen wasmade out of a satellitedish, which was used forcooking, for example, avegetable soup.The photowas published in the dailynewspaper Politiken –here igniting into flameswithin seconds due toradiation heat.

Preparatory work:• How are houses heated in your area? • Where do the resources for heating come

from?• Are there any renewable energy supplies

(wind turbines, solar energy, biogas, etc) inyour area?

• What means of transport are used in yourarea?

Contents:• Investigations were made to see how the

football field could deliver the heating sys-tem for the host school, Sønderborg CountyHigh School (Amtsgymnasiet), through9km of pipes placed 1m below the soil sur-face.

• The solar car Denmark III, which has racedthe Australian plains, was presented anddriven at rather high speed around theschool carpark. How the solar panels madethe car move was dealt with in theory.

• The participants constructed a solarkitchen stove out of a satellite dish, andserved a vegetable soup.

• Experiments were made with biofuels:“Gasoline” production took place by meansof grinding rapeseed, and extracting and fil-tering the rapeseed oil. A car with an en-gine specially constructed for using rape-seed oil drove on the resulting product!Rapeseed is carbon dioxide neutral – and itworked!

3. ENERGY FOR THE NEXT MILLENIUM


Preparatory work:• Imagine yourself among other youngsters,

preparing a creative performance in whichthe drama team criticises, questions andprovokes. We choose a subject by using oneof the Baltic 21 sectors as our startingpoint. We then plan the scenes and producethe masks, costumes and scenery sets. Re-hearsals - naturally - must be done before»the grand show«.

• It is part of the workshop’s philosophy thatall details, ideas and creations must be pro-

duced in close co-operation between theparticipants and the two drama instructors.The final result - and its success - dependson your ideas!

• Only the framework is set.The »ECO-DRA-MA« will be performed on part of thepedestrian street in Sønderborg town cen-tre.The full length of the pedestrian streetis approximately 400m.

• Emotionally, what do you see as the mostpressing problem in connection with pollu-tion?

• Bring some kind of documentation: a story,a newspaper cutting, a personal experience,or an object that is typical or has symbolicmeaning.

Skills needed for participation:• The work in the drama workshop was based

on training specific control of mimics, ges-tures and body language as the platform onwhich a variety of simple but dynamicallyexpressed spectacles were sculptured.

• The participants must therefore have a nat-ural desire to use their own body as an in-strument for dramatic expression. Besides,it is absolutely an advantage not to betimid in participating in public perform-ances where many people watch you »perform”.

4. ENVIRONMENTAL DRAMA

Environmental drama performance

in Sønderborg’s pedestrian street

67WORKSHOP: TOURISMLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Representatives from the Caribbean SeaProject (St. Lucia) atSønderborg Harbour

Preparatory work:• What kind of tourism takes place in your

area? Define what you understand by “sus-tainable tourism”!

Contents:• The participants attempted to find answers

to the following questions:• What is meant by sustainable tourism?• What kind of activities does Sønderborg of-

fer visitors and tourists in the town and itssurroundings?

• What kind of environmental problems orconflicts might emerge from the tourist ac-tivities?

• What is the Blue Flag and what does ittake to keep it?

• What can be done to achieve or developsustainable tourism?

– Is Tourism sustainable on Als?Study visits were made to the beach to com-bine two aspects: the Blue Flag and theSandwatch project, the latter being a pro-gramme implemented as part of the UN-ESCO sister project, the Caribbean Sea Pro-ject.The Blue Flag station near the Sønderborgyacht harbour offered perfect opportunitiesfor snorkelling and underwater observations,and, when demanded, for publicising the fre-quent measurements and results from waterquality investigations, such as the number ofthe indicator bacteria Eschericia coli. Discus-sions took place on how to treat and handlesewage from boats and ships, as well as prob-lems related to polishing and painting boats.The local camping grounds were visited for

further discussions on tourist behaviour re-lated to water consumption and waste.Complementary activities relating to coastaltourism on the small tropical islands of theCaribbean Sea were incorporated into thisworkshop.Students involved in the Caribbean Sea Pro-ject monitor different aspects of beaches ontheir islands, including accretion/erosion,waves and currents, pollution, types of uses(e.g. bathing, fishing, tourism), access tobeaches and visitor facilities. After analysingtheir results, the students will design and im-plement projects, together with their schoolsand communities, to improve the environmentaround their beaches, both for island resi-dents and tourists. With tourism being themain industry in many Caribbean countries,issues relating to tourism’s sustainability andimpact on local cultures are critical topicsthat can be related to tourism in Sønderborgand the Baltic Sea countries.

5. IS TOURISM SUSTAINABLE

Preparatory work:• Imagine an apple tree, a small one, not

taller than 2m high : Describe to the othersHOW you would treat the apple tree. Yourtask is to express man’s treatment of na-ture in the way you treat the apple tree.Think positively as well as negatively. Youmay wrap, cut, exhibit, bind, etc.

• Make a similar sketch if the object was - afish, a flower, a human being, etc.

Contents:• The workshop used the sea, the forests, the

fields and the open landscapes around Søn-derborg as a background for the set design.

Participants worked in a conceptual waywith their own ideas on new and transbor-dering layouts for a positive poster tradi-tion.They used themselves as actors and modelsin the creation of set design highlights innature.They used photography, computers, colourcopy, artworks, paint, glue, costumes, recy-cled materials, cars, trees, and the beach.

• Collages, drawings, photos were made andthe result was a workshop factory pro-ducing high-quality layouts for posters andpostcards for future use in the BSP.


The Art & Design work-shop challenged the others, asking them,

“Can our products carrythe Nordic Swan for

environmental-friendlyproduction?”

6. ART & DESIGN - A CONCEPTUAL WORKSHOP

69WORKSHOP: NATURAL HABITATSLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Waiting for biodiversity,Fjordmosen on Als

Preparatory work:• Is there an example of “restoration of na-

ture” in your local neighbourhood?• If so, bring a description, a folder, a photo

to show to the others and explain thereason.

Contents:• Denmark has been cultivated for thousands

of years as most other countries in theBaltic region.The land has been deforested,and ponds and bogs have been dried outdue to filling and drainage. Creeks andrivers have been regulated.The coastlinehas been changed by coastal protection andland reclamation. Pollution from traffic,tourism, industry, agriculture and forestryhas altered the quality of the ground andthe water. In Denmark, eutrophication isprobably a greater problem than emissionsof environmental poisons.

• Heather has turned into grassland, lakesand rivers have become overgrown and thefish have disappeared.

• Habitats for many plants and animals havebeen restricted or have disappeared.The di-versity of living species has been reducedslowly but steadily, and the intricate naturalfood web has been disturbed. While peoplehave become richer and richer, nature hasbecome poorer and poorer.This process willcontinue unless we do something about it!

During the last decades, we have become in-creasingly aware of the fact that the protec-tion and restoration of habitats are necessaryif we want to stop the decrease in the diversi-ty of living species. Protection of single

species has no meaning if there is no suitablehabitat left!

In this workshop, the participants studied anexample of restoration of a natural habitatentitled Fjordmosen in the forest Nør-reskoven, and suggested answers to the fol-lowing questions:• Why restore natural habitats?• Where can it be done?• How can it be done?• Who is involved?• How long does it take?• How can changes be monitored?• How should the area be closed or open to

the public?• What do local people think of the project?• How can it be financed?

7. RESTORATION OF HABITATS


Photo competition:Among friends

Preparatory work:• Where do people get fish in your local

area? From angling? From shops?• What species of fish can you buy in the

shops? Are the fish local, or have they beentransported a long distance? Define whatyou understand by “sustainable fishery”.

Contents:• The participants visited the Blue Flag Sta-

tion and went snorkelling to examine theconditions and to discuss species caught inDanish coastal areas.

• Excursions were made on local fishingboats, and the catch was used for dissec-

tions of pelagic and benthic species to de-termine their place in the food chain.Thequantity of fish and the methods of fishingwere dealt with in relation to discussions onquotas and net sizes.

8. THE BALTIC SEA FOR FOOD!?

71WORKSHOP: FOREST MANAGEMENTLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Severe damage to the Danish forestsoccurred due to anextreme hurricane on 3 December 1999

Preparatory work:• What kind of forest do you have in your lo-

cal neighbourhood? Make a list of treesand plants, and define what you understandby “sustainable forestry”.

Contents:• “Sønderskoven” is a forest situated in the

immediate vicinity of Sønderborg.Theworkshop used the wonderful facilities ofthe Nature School “Egetofte”, situated inthe forest.The forest is right on the beachof Sønderborg Bay. Most of the trees arebeech, but there are also areas with oaktrees, spruces and other trees.

• Participants carried out investigations ofthe biodiversity of the forest floor in thebeech wood, and also performed mathemat-ical calculations on wood, measuring andgauging trees and productions.

• Severe damage to the Danish forests oc-

curred due to an extreme hurricane on 3December 1999. Observations of differ-ences in damage done to deciduous treesand conifers were made and discussed.

9. SØNDERSKOVEN – FOREST MANAGEMENT & PRODUCTION


Preparatory work:• What industries are there in your local

area? What kind of environmental prob-lems do they cause?

• Define what you understand by “sustainableindustry”.

Contents:• The political goals for a sustainable indus-

try were used in discussions with employers

in Danish industries and workers’ represen-tatives on strategies used to implement theideas.

• Study visits were made to local factories,to JF producing agricultural machinery andto municipal waste treatment and recyclingstations.The Danfoss museum was visited,Danfoss being a one-man enterprise thatdeveloped into Denmark’s biggest industryever, with branches worldwide.

10. FROM RESOURCE TO PRODUCT TO RUSTY HEAPS – OR?

Recycling waste – Sønderborg ASA station

73WORKSHOP: VIDEO DESIGNLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Video group at work at Amtsgymnasiet iSønderborg (CountyHigh School) – competing with Danish national television

Preparatory work:• Film is an effective way to spread a

message. It will not just tell the facts; afilm will appeal directly to the feelings ofpeople. Reflect upon how the political goalsin Baltic 21 can influence the set design ofthe documentary video.

Contents:• Participants worked with the following

skills:• how to write a script • how to videotape

• how to conduct an interview,• how to handle a camera• how to handle a microphone• how to edit

They presented parts of their video to thepublic in the town centre.

11. DOCUMENTATION - VIDEO DESIGN


Preparatory work:• Reflect upon how you would like to docu-

ment the conference through the construc-tion of a webpage with the Baltic 21 goalsas your starting point. A knowledge of Eng-lish and basic computer skills are required.

Contents:• The participants worked a great deal with

computers and learnt the basics of websitedesign:• how to format pages with HTML tables • how to edit and adjust pictures and pho-

tos for website presentation • how to create websites• how to publish a CD with conference

documentation.

12. DOCUMENTATION - WEB DESIGN

Photocompetition:

Among friends

75WORKSHOP: ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORYLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Preparatory work:• Why does the historical dimension play an

important role in defining “sustainability”?

Contents:During the last 300 years, people have com-pletely changed the ecosystems around theBaltic Sea.A global and industrial market economy withimport of fossil fuels, fertilisers and materialshas replaced the local and agricultural sub-sistence economy of the 18th century. Withthese imported goods, it is possible for thelarge majority of the people to live in citiesand work in industry or service instead offarming in the countryside.The other side ofthis development is urban problems with pol-lution of air, pollution of water, problems inagriculture and problems in forestry with adecreasing biodiversity and eutrophication ofthe sea as two major consequences.But in the 18th century fossil fuels such ascoal, and industries such as ironworks andbrick factories were the answers to a crisis.By using coal and iron, the people of thosedays tried to secure a sustainable develop-ment for the future. In the years that fol-lowed, they learned that this was not a goodsolution.The participants investigated the changes in

industry and urban planning over the lastcentury in order to understand the situationof today.The workshop contained a presentation of thefollowing: an explanation of environmentalhistory, A forest walk in Sönderskoven(1800-c. forestry), an excursion to Dybböl(agriculture) and Cathrinesminde (brick-works), and a citywalk in Sönderborg (townlocation, coastline, old town, industrialisation,German period, Danish period).Each group dealt with one of the fourthemes:1. Substitution of material (Cathrinesminde)2. Urban planning (Sönderborg)3. ”Old sins” – deposit sites (Skratmosen)4. Urban industry (The Solo factory, whichproduced margarine from 1889 to 1998)

Our aim was to make the participants awareof the importance of: Learning from the pastfor the decisions of the future.Each group examined the theme and definedthe conflict as it was at the time.They thenstudied the history (written materials wereprepared in advance) and tried to find the an-swer to the question: Who made the decisionsand the historical premises of the decisions?From there the group discussed how the deci-sions would be made today.

13. ENVIRONMENT HAS A HISTORY - USE OF RESOURCES

Learning from the past for the decisions of the future

MAN

ENVIRONMENT

PAST PRESENT FUTURE

Always use a timeline in environmental history


Do we know enough?Question: Do politicians get enough informa-

tion about environmental problems?Answers:• It differs very much. Some politicians are

very active in many ways; they work in

different groups and so on. Others are lessactive. It depends very much on the individualpolitician, but I think each person has a re-sponsibility to get as much information aspossible before making decisions.

• In Denmark, politicians receive a lot of infor-

By Journalist Bjarke Larsen, DenmarkAll the politicians from the BSP countries par-ticipating in the conference, along with most ofthe politicians from Sønderborg Town Council,were present in the assembly hall on Wednesday21 June 2000, ready to answer questions and en-ter into a dialogue with the students.

After working with their subjects for almostthree days, the students had spent some timepreparing questions and were eager to get intodialogue with the politicians.

Some of the questions asked and the answersgiven are listed below:

Students were eager to get

into dialogue with thepoliticians

Politician Simo Korpela,Meri-Pori lukio, Finland,

gives an answer

BSP Students and Dialogue with Politicians

77DIALOGUE WITH POLITICIANSLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

mation from the Ministry of the Environ-ment, the debate in newspapers, from variousinterest groups and from the county.

Question: What basic knowledge should politi-cians have for taking decisions on the environ-ment?Answers:• We cannot all be professors, and all people

should be represented in city councils andother democratic institutions. Many work aspoliticians for their own interest and do notearn much money.

• In my opinion, politicians should have a uni-versity degree and speak at least one foreignlanguage.

Question: How do you use the knowledge of thepast to make good decisions for the future?Answers:• I come from a town with a river which used

to be heavily polluted with copper. But today,many things have changed, because we foundout what had been put into the river in thepast, and we were able to do something toclean the river.

• It is a natural part of our decision-making inthe harbour where I work to look at our ex-periences from the past when we decide whatto do for the future.

Question: Should people have special trainingin order to own a forest in the same way youneed special training to become a farmer?Answers:• In Finland, we have ‘city owners’ – people

who live in the cities and own a small forestas a small, part-time job.They sometimesknow very little about how to take care ofthe forest, and this is a problem.

• I do not think it is necessary to introducespecial training as long as the authorities aremonitoring you and as long as there are lawsand regulations telling you what is allowed.

How to promote organic food?Question: What can be done to create a

stronger demand for organic food?Answers:• Higher profits for farmers will make them in-

terested in growing organic crops. But overlyhigh prices will discourage consumers frombuying.

• Politicians can do a lot:They can decideabout prices for fuel and labour taxes andthey can put taxes on pollution, etc.This allinfluences the prices of organic and non-or-ganic products.

• In Finland, we have had examples of shopsagreeing to take less profit for organic prod-ucts in order to keep prices down.

• Consumers do not like to buy things which donot look good, are covered in brown spots,etc. And I think the organic producers have aproblem here.

PesticidesQuestion: Do you use pesticides at home

yourselves?Answers:• Only once a year in some spots in my garden

where the weeds are very bad.• In Poland, this is not a serious problem be-

cause people do not have the money to buypesticides.

• I am a farmer and I only use a little in myprivate garden.

Metal in household garbageQuestion: In Sweden, each household has

to sort the garbage into separate parts, putting


metal in a special place. In Sønderborg, you donot take the metal out of the garbage. Why isthis, and will you do something to change this?Answers:• In Denmark, we have very little metal in the

household garbage because we do not havecans for beer and soft drinks. We only havebottles and they are collected and recycled.Because of this, there is so little metal left inhousehold garbage that it is too expensive tocollect.

Global solutions neededQuestion: Why do you move chemical indus-

try to other countries instead of making itcleaner?Answers:• We cannot force them (chemical plants) to

stay. If they want to move, they can do so.Therefore, it is an international problem, andwe should try to get the same standards allover the world.

• We need global solutions. I know of onechemical plant that has moved several timesbetween France and England – each timegetting economic support from the govern-ment in the country they moved to, and alsomanaging to lower the wages. It is a bigproblem.

More and better fish in the BalticQuestion: What will you do to improve the

quality of the fish sold in the shops?Answers:• Fish raised on aquafarms cause a lot of

problems and should be avoided.• Consumers should demand only very fresh

fish.

Question: What is the future of in the BalticSea?

Answers:• It has been going down for 20 years, rapidly.

But it is very difficult to solve all the prob-lems. One thing is sure, though: Your genera-tion has to do more than the previous onehas done.

• I come from a town in the middle of Sweden.We have a river which used to be one of themost polluted rivers running into the BalticSea. Lots of heavy metal in the water. Butnow it is being cleaned up.This will help theBaltic to become cleaner and a better placefor fish.

Money makes the world go roundQuestion: Which aspects are most import-

ant when making decisions about tourism:environmental, social or economic issues?Answers:• Money makes the world go round!• Money decides everything, I have found out.

And this is very bad.• What politicians will you vote for: the ones

giving you bread or the ones giving you cleanair?

• Tourism often destroys nature. In my party inSweden, we are trying to figure out a price tobe paid by the tourist industry for using na-ture. But it is difficult to come up with agood solution.

The dialogue had to end at 4.45pm when thebuses had to leave for the town centre in orderfor the students to see the drama workshop per-formance on the pedestrian street. Several stu-dents still had more questions ready, and it wasevident that many had been very serious intheir preparation for this session, and thatmany now had the courage to stand up in pub-lic and debate with politicians.

79RESOLUTIONLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

ResolutionAltogether, 400 students, teachers, politiciansand co-ordinators from 21 countries on fourcontinents who participated in the »On theThreshold – Baltic 21« BSP 2000 conference inSønderborg on sustainable development in theBaltic region have adopted the following resolu-tion. The text has been compiled by input de-livered by the various workshops that each fo-cused on one of the seven sectors within : Agri-culture, Energy, Fishery, Forestry, Industry,Tourism and Transport. The text reflects whatactions should be taken in the various sectors inorder to ensure a sustainable development inthe Baltic region in the years ahead.

Healthy Food/Novel FoodFor a sustainable agriculture, we need:• Education of farmers in handling manure and

fertilisers.• Decrease in the use of pesticides and develop-

ment of sustainable methods to eradicateweeds, diseases and vermin.

• Laws for animal welfare and governmentalsupport to the farmers to help them follow thelaws.

• Education about healthy food/novel food forconsumers, leading to stronger demands fororganic products and making organic agricul-ture attractive to farmers.

Biodiversity & Green AreasFor students: Dialogue between politicians andstudents is very important. Invite politicians tocome and see what you do and what you haveon your mind. If you do not say anything, they

will not know what you are thinking and feel-ing.For politicians: If you have not heard anythingabout student efforts to preserve the environ-ment, then go to the schools and see it for your-selves. Help them get in contact with you.Politicians must ensure that ordinary peoplelearn about sustainable agriculture and the dan-gers of using fertilisers and pesticides by educa-ting experts who can teach the people.For all: • Do not destroy all natural life when planning

a new settlement. • Save large amounts of different plants and an-

imal life. • Use compost instead of fertilisers. • Decrease the use of pesticides and herbicides.• Inform the people about sustainable agricul-

ture through the media.

Workshop representative signing the resolution at Sønderborg Town Hall

Resolution - a next step towards sustainability


Energy for the Next MillenniumWe would like all the countries in the BalticSea Region to introduce one no-driving day andone no-shopping day every year in the cities.

Sustainable Tourism:The most important thing for sustainabletourism is to achieve a balance between eco-nomics, society and environment. Tourists andtourist accommodation providers should selectproducts and services which are least damagingto the environment: saving water and electrici-ty, sorting waste for recycling, using eco-friendlycleaning agents, and motivating staff towardsincreased environmental awareness.

There should be a dialogue with the publicbefore taking decisions about building newtourism facilities or changing old ones.

Restoration of Natural HabitatsIn recent years, much has been done around theBaltic Sea to improve the environment. Never-

theless, pragmatic needs are still dominatingand the role of biodiversity in our daily life isundervalued. Protection and restoration of nat-ural habitats is part of a sustainable develop-ment. To maintain biodiversity in the world, wemust accept our responsibility for the Baltic.Therefore, we want the politicians in the Balticto allocate resources – money as well as inspira-tion and practical support to volunteers – toprotect and restore threatened ecosystems in theregion:• All rivers and lakes• Swamps and meadows• Dunes, heather and hills• Coastal strips and archipelago• Old forest growths• Heritage landscapes

To fulfil the requirements of Agenda 21 on bio-diversity, high-quality environmental educationand a rise in public awareness is necessary on alllevels.

The Baltic Sea for Food – SustainableFisheries• I want my fish to be fresh and unpolluted!• I want to be able to fish different fish species!• I also want future generations to be able to

enjoy the beauty of the Baltic Sea and its bio-diversity!

• I want future generations to be able to fishand eat the delicious fish caught in the BalticSea!

Forest ManagementForests beautify a country and bring unity be-tween people and animals. Therefore, we needto keep our forests safe, beautiful and clean.This also improves the financial value of theforests. Before making decisions concerning the

“Rings in the water”

81RESOLUTIONLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

forests, we need be educated on ecology. Morelarge areas should be planted with different treesto encourage biodiversity.

Sustainable IndustryPeople should take a first step by co-operatingwith producers and offering them suggestions onhow to produce in a more environmentally-friendly manner.

Environmental HistoryWe keep making the same mistakes as our par-ents did, and we are losing the environmentalwisdom of our grandparents. Therefore, it is im-portant to study historical cases and spread theinformation to all in the region. This will result

in a strong connection between the past and thefuture, so that we do not repeat mistakes or losethe environmental wisdom of previous genera-tions.

Signed at Sønderborg Town Hall on Thurs-day 22 June 2000 by students, teachers, co-ordinators and politicians representing allworkshops.

Poster for public display

By Niels Madsen, DenmarkTeaching sustainable agriculture to studentsEsrum Møllegård’s Centre for Nature & Envir-onment is located in northern Zealand, 50 kmnorth of Copenhagen. For the last 10 years wehave acted as a nature and environmentalschool. Part of our work is environmental edu-cation of visiting school classes. Most of our ac-tivities are single-day activities, where we usethe surrounding nature for investigations. Con-cerning our programme on agriculture, we con-sider it our main task to open students´ eyes tomodern agricultural methods. We take intoconsideration the effect agriculture might haveon the environment, and we discuss the alterna-tives to modern industrialised farming.

Farming in the 21st centuryA few generations back most people werefarmers, but in Denmark today less than 2.6% ofthe working force are farmers. Most people livein urban areas and have no contact with farming. Visiting a farm is normally not the first wishthat comes up in a Danish student’s mind whenthe class is planning an excursion. Why is that?What thoughts come to students’ minds whenwe talk about farming? Do they imagine mudand dirty boots, and a smelly, messy place withrusty machinery everywhere, or do they imaginebirds singing in the sky, cute animals, fresh air,beautiful landscapes, harmony and no stress?

Of course, students differ in their opinion,but most of our visiting students only have a

82 LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Chapter 5

BEST PRACTICES

Best Practices on Sustainability from schoolsin the Baltic Sea Region

Agriculture

vague idea of what farming in the 21st centuryreally is. This in itself makes it important to in-clude farming in teaching. The general lack offirst-hand knowledge about farming also goes forthe daily work on a farm. Students do not knowthe names of ordinary agricultural machinery,nor do they know what the machinery is usedfor. Many students are not even familiar withthe common crops and domestic animals.

Many students may think that agriculture isnot important for them. For me, however, thereare four basic facts in opposition to this atti-tude:• Agricultural products are very important for

Danish export. • Altogether 65% of the total land area is used

for farming. Consequently, farmland com-pletely dominates the Danish landscape.

• Agriculture has a major impact on the envir-onment.

• Agricultural practices influence the quality ofthe food we eat.

Visiting a farm with a school classFirst of all, the farmer takes the students on aguided tour of his farm. The students often askquestions such as: “How can you work in thissmell?”, “How much milk can a cow produceper day?”, “Do you give all the animals names?”,and “Do you make a lot of money fromfarming?” Some questions seem more relevantthan others, but they all express an interest inthe farm visit, which makes them all relevant.

Agriculture and environmentWhen we discuss the influence of agriculture onthe environment, students often know that fer-tilisers and pesticides may have a negative im-pact. In Denmark, the increased use of fertilisershas resulted in environmental problems for the

83LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 AGRICULTURE (DENMARK)

Farmland dominatesthe Danish landscape

84 LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5BEST PRACTICES

aquatic environments and for the groundwater.Also; the manure from livestock leads to envir-onmental problems. The spreading of liquid ma-nure has to take place during plant growth, andthe spreading results in an extremely strongodour in the countryside, especially in thespring.

The pesticides used to prevent fungus and in-sect attacks on plants, or derivates after partialdegradation of the herbicide or insecticide, haveby now been found in many wells for drinkingwater. The result is increasingly less cleandrinking water for the future.

What students normally do not think about isthe influence that farming practice has on thelandscape. During the last decades, the typicalDanish farm has changed from a small familyfarm to an increasingly bigger industrial farm,almost like a factory. The traditional farm wascharacterised by having many small fields with awide variety of crops. Over the last decades, thefarms have grown enormously big with a fewlarge fields with wheat, barley or rape as the on-ly crops. The crops chosen often depend onwhat crops are subsidised by the EU. The result has been that many small biotopes

have disappeared; biotopes like ponds, livinghedges, small groups of trees, stone dikes, etc.This is done to prepare the fields for bigger ma-chinery.

The development removes important corri-dors, leaves very little space for wild plants andanimals, and leads to loss of biodiversity in theagricultural landscapes.

Animal welfareThis is a topic that can rouse the emotions ofyoung people. Of course, no one approves ofcruelty to animals, but most of us buy meat de-rived from animals raised in stable systems thatdo not allow normal animal behaviour. Doesthis not make us guilty of cruelty to animals?

We think it is an important discussion to takeup. Our experience is that young people oftendo not think of the connection between buyingmeat in shops and animal welfare.

The historical fact is that livestock haschanged from many different kinds of animalsto a very specialised production of only one typeof animal, such as pigs for pork meat, cows formilk production, or poultry for meat or eggs.

Traditionally, the farm had a balance betweenthe size of the livestock and the crops that thefields could produce. Farms were normally moreor less self-sufficient.

Today, farms with large-scale animal produc-tion import large amounts of fodder, which hasoften been produced abroad, for example in Ar-gentina or Brazil.

Modern stable systems are factory-like, andoften they only provide animals a minimum ofpossibility for normal behaviour.

The question now is if this is done in order tobe cruel to the animals? Of course, farmers arenot cruel people, but like every one else, theywant a decent income from their work, and to

Drainage water from farmland

contains nitrogen, phos-phorous and pesticides

85LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 AGRICULTURE (DENMARK)

do this, they have seen it as their only possibili-ty to make production increasingly effective.

What lesson can students learn? Our sugges-tion is that it is up to the consumers to secureanimal welfare by buying animal products pro-duced under conditions that respect the naturalbehaviour of animals.

Sustainable farmingThe results of an evaluation of modern farmingmay show that it is good business for thefarmers, but that it may not be a sustainable wayto farm in the long term. The environmentalproblems caused by modern farming may cost ahigher price to repair than what is actuallyearned on the farming. Maybe this price willhave to be paid by the next generations!

After the discussion of all these problems, itis natural to look for alternatives to modernconventional farming that have a less severe im-pact on the environment.

The most successful alternative to conven-tional (also called traditional or industrialised)farming until now has been organic farming.From the start 20 years ago, the number of or-ganic holdings has risen to 3,500, cultivating alittle less than 7% of the total agricultural areain Denmark.

In short, organic farms do not use pesticidesor artificial fertilisers.

There are also rules that set the minimumstandards for animal welfare.

The important discussion is not to makepropaganda for one type of farming practice, butto discuss what difference the practice makes tothe environment, to us, to domestic animals, tothe landscape, etc.

The practical element – “safari at grass root level”Our experience is that students best understandthe differences between farming practices bymaking their own examinations. We make ex-aminations on two different farms. Normally, wechoose a conventionally-cultivated field, and forcomparison, an organically-cultivated field. Wediscuss if any differences found can be explainedby the farming practice.

The lesson learned from many different kindsof environmental education activities is that itis easier to attract attention to animals than toplants. We therefore concentrate on insects,worms and other bugs. Often, it is a big surpriseto students how many different animals we can

Animal welfare can rousethe emotions of youngpeople


find in the soil.Earthworms as bioindicators: A high popula-

tion of earthworms is actually the most import-ant indicator for farmland in biological balance.Worms are important for the decomposition ofdead plant materials and manure, and also forgood soil structure.

The best way to catch earthworms is to digup a quarter of a square metre in the field, putthe soil on a plastic sheet, and then break thelumps of soil up by hand. The number of worms

per m2 may vary from 0–500.Like all other biological systems, a high diversi-ty is a sign of good and stable conditions as wellas a good indicator of the total number of ani-mals.

Weed plants are important for the animal di-versity in the fields. A diverse population ofwild plants in the crops will make it possible formore species of birds and insects to survive.Therefore, we normally compare the number ofwild plants per m2 with the plant diversity.

The number of birds is twice as high in or-ganic fields as in conventional fields.

It is often difficult to evaluate what studentslearn from a visit to a farm. Some will remem-ber the impressions of having seen a newborncalf, some the feeling of touching an earthwormfor the first time.

Our general impression is that farm visits areexcellent eye-openers, not only to some of theenvironmental problems in our country but alsoto the fact that we can influence the develop-ment by the choices we make when buyingfood.

Of course, some students will worry all theway home about whether it is possible to washoff the mud from their jeans, or whether theother passengers in the bus think they smell …

A soil sample from the topsoil is placed in the funnel. Alamp over it will gradually heat up the soil, causing theanimals in the soil to try to escape the heat by crawlingdownwards. Finally, the animals will fall down into theglass under the funnel (within 24 hours).The animals canthen be observed under magnification. Large springtailsare an indicator of good biological conditions.

87LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 EDUCATION (FINLAND)

By Kaisa Lindström, Finland

“A Silver Lady”- metaphor for educationfor sustainable developmentOne Estonian story deals with a silversmith whonever succeeded in finding a wife. After livingalone for years, he decides to make a wife fromsilver. So he makes a very beautiful silver wife,and he is very proud of himself. But when hehas lived for a few days with this silver lady, hestarts to become frustrated. There is no hope forcompanionship, and no possibility to share hisideas or everyday life matters with his new wife.He realises that without a mind, without a heartand without a spirit, his silver lady is just use-less!

Words such as sustainable development andglobal citizenship seem to me similar to the sil-ver lady - they are grand words but they have nospirit!

Folk high schools have special tools that cangive this spirit to the »silver lady«.

I attended the World Summit on SustainableDevelopment in Johannesburg in August-Sep-tember 2002, and in a panel discussion one par-ticipant analysed sustainable development as in-cluding three parts: ecology, society and spirit. Ithink the idea of giving spirit to the silver ladyis very Grundtvigian. It is our responsibility todo so. Teachers and group leaders still do notknow what sustainability really means: We needmore teacher training. If teachers are not aware,how can they instil the necessary spirit?

We need better definitions of sustainable de-velopment, but it is useless to cry out for weakdefinitions. Nobody can come and tell us whatthe sustainable future looks like; we need to find

the ideas together! When trying to find alterna-tives for the future, we can make choices andstart to work for the best alternative.

Otava Folk High School is one of 91 folkhigh schools in Finland. They are rooted in theDanish folk high school movement, which start-ed in the middle of the 19th century. Finnishfolk high schools see themselves as free and in-dependent institutions outside the official edu-cation system. Each folk high school is free toemphasise its own values, ideology and pedago-gical objectives. Residential folk high schoolsoffer long and short courses (from a couple ofdays to one year) and they can also provide con-sultancy and other services relating to their edu-cational profile.

According to legislation, folk high schools arealso authorised to offer certificate-oriented edu-cation and training, although the main empha-sis is on non-formal education.

Education – Finnish Folk High Schools

Otava Folk High School’sgeneral education teamworking with the annualself-evaluation plan ofeducation for sustainabledevelopment


Grundtvigian folk high schools in Finland areconsidered to have the following dynamic crite-ria:• they fulfil and complement the formal school

system by bridging educational gaps• they expand the variety of courses and educa-

tional programmes, e.g. they are responsiblefor educational biodiversity

• they offer alternative ways to learn• they challenge the methods used in the formal

school system by offering alternative ways tolearn.

Otava Folk High School is a typical modernGrundtvigian folk high school, which is basedon the following Grundtvigian values:1. The perspective of relative truth: truth can

only be found by discussing together with

others and by looking at phenomena fromdifferent perspectives.

2. Open dialogue and interaction: dialogue is away to learn together

3. Democracy and empowerment: the first twovalues are not possible if someone wieldspower over others.

4. The perspective of time: trialectic time viewsthe past, present and future as tied together. We need “roots” to strengthen ouridentity and “wings” to face what is distantand strange.

The relative truth perspective highlights theneed for knowing and reflecting on the differentviews of sustainability. The issues represent ex-tremely complex social, political, economic,ecological, aesthetical and ethical aspects. To-gether, they clearly dictate a more sustainableapproach to future development.

Open dialogue and critical thinking have always played a role in folk high school ped-agogy. Dialogue means interacting, exchangingideas, and learning together. Open dialogue is abasis for social and collaborative learning.

Critical thinking means challenging the present situation, defining the problems and re-flecting upon our opinions. We learn about theissues involved and consider whether things canbe done differently, and then we act togetherwith others to change the present situation.Critical thinking also needs competence, andparticipants become competent by participatingin the process.

Democracy and empowerment: In Grundt-vigian thinking, democracy includes the demo-cratic society as well as the question of how tobe democratic. This requires an educational/-learning environment where power grows frombelow and moves inwards from the edges to the

Otava Folk High Schoolstudents dealing withwater samples taken

from Lake Saimaa

89LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 EDUCATION (FINLAND)

centre. Equality is crucial in this process.Open dialogue and open interaction play im-

portant roles in increasing democracy andequality. Empowerment is a result of a demo-cratic learning environment, and leads to ac-tion. Involving politicians in the dialogue ofsustainable development is important in orderto show how democracy works and what globalcitizenship means.

Networks and action groups provide fruitfulground for education for sustainable develop-ment: They provide a context for a personallearning process, forums for working together,and an opportunity to become a member of asocial network.

The trialectic time perspective builds a basisof sustainability. Present knowledge, a presentsituation or a present problem is always in a dia-logue with a past and a future. Today’s problemsare yesterday’s solutions. Environmental prob-lems have increased as part of the developmentof human society. And the decisions we makenow may cause problems for the future genera-tion. But we can also learn from past mistakes.By showing that remote issues have local ex-pressions which one can influence, it is possibleto balance “distant” and “near” as well as pro-mote empowerment.

As residential institutions, folk high schoolsoffer an authentic environment for educatingfor sustainable development. They can behaveas a microcosm of a sustainable community itselfor find ways to go from plans to action.

Otava Folk High School offers many kinds ofeducation programmes, from self-directed non-formal courses to vocational training and OpenUniversity courses. Its main area of expertiselies in modern media and open learning envir-onments. According to the Otava core idea, theschool is committed to promoting sustainable

development and global citizenship, and to finding alternative ways for learning. Theschool aims at finding new target groups (groupswith special needs) and at challenging methodsof the formal school system, for instance de-veloping participatory methods.

How does Otava Folk High School promote sus-tainable development?• By running an accepted programme for educa-

tion for sustainable development, where keyelements and indicators have been writtendown.

• By having sustainable development men-tioned in its core idea and in the curricula.

• By having taken the task of educational bio-diversity and filling educational gaps seriously.

• By having a self-evaluation system for educa-tion for sustainable development according tothe indicators mentioned earlier (see chapter2)

• By being active in projects which offer authentic learning opportunities for educationfor sustainable development, i.e. the GlobeProject, the UNESCO Baltic Sea Project, theActive Citizenship Project, and the Grassroot-Leonardo Project

• By having taken on a role to activate otherfolk high schools in Finland and to promotenetworking with them.


By Franziska von Gadow, Germany

Indicators for a sustainable developmentin the city of FlensburgThis project was developed by 10 students atAuguste-Viktoria-Schule in Flensburg, a townin northern Germany about 5 km from theDanish border. The students were about 18years old. With their results they wanted toshow politicians and other people who are re-sponsible for the administration of the town thecurrent development of Flensburg towards sus-tainability.

They used 24 indicators, which are listed be-low. In examining the indicators, the studentsgained very good experience as well as anoverview of the ecological, social and economicsituation of their own city. They began to feelresponsible for their city and had a better feel-ing for the local Agenda 21 and its global aims.

The indicators are:• Waste Minimisation: household waste meas-

ured as kg per person per year.• Municipal waste measured as kg per inhabi-

tant per year.• Handling of non-renewable resources: land

utilisation measured as % of entire acreage• Conservation of the level of renewable re-

sources: water consumption measured as litreper inhabitant per day.

• Use of energy: electric power consumptionmeasured as kW/h per inhabitant.

• Mobility measured as number of vehicles per1,000 inhabitants.

• Even distribution of work: unemployment ratein numbers of men and women and in %

• Degree of self-sufficiency: percentage of re-gional products at the farmers’ market.

• Balanced economic structure: employees pay-ing social security.

• Stability of the price level: price index ofrentals measured as cost per square meter.

• Sound structure of official budget: municipaldebt in DM per inhabitant.

• Operational pollution control: enterpriseswith an eco-audit in numbers.

• Fair division of income: number per 1,000 in-habitants receiving assistance.

• Level of training and education: number per1,000 employees.

• Balanced population and settlement structure:number per 1,000 inhabitants relocated.

• Cultural offers: participants in further andcontinuing education per 1,000 inhabitants.

• Health: number of overweight children.• Volunteer commitment: number of registered

associations per 1,000 inhabitants.• Democratic commitment: voter turnout in %

at municipal assembly elections.• Commitment to international justice: munici-

pal expenditure for joint development in % ofthe municipal budget.

• Women’s participation in public life: % women in the municipal assembly.

• Living conditions: municipal expenditure forimproving the environment of children andyouth.

After about four months of work, the studentspresented their results to the public in May2002. They hope that other schools will followand do the same research in their own town inorder to obtain data for comparison:

Education

EDUCATION (GERMANY) 91LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Household waste measured as kg per person per year Electric power consumption measured as kW/h per inhabitant

Water consumption measured as litre per inhabitant per day Health: number of overweight children


By Anna Figiel, Poland

Teacher’s reflectionsWith colleagues teaching biology, chemistry andcomputer science, we have been working to-gether with students in the Project since 1989.Each project has been prepared by approximate-ly 20–30 participants, who have worked ingroups of two to four members. The groups haveworked on various topics within one singlefield.

We have worked with ‘Environmental Histo-ry’ and dealt with two main topics: ‘Energy’ and‘Food’. The energy topic included co-operationwith biology and chemistry teachers Gudrun

Ejlertsson and Clas Edlund from Österport-skolan in Ystad, Sweden, and Agnete Waagsteinand Bodil Pedersen from Stenhus Gymnasiumin Holbaek, Denmark, and also with chemistryand physics teachers from Carl Schurz Schule inFrankfurt am Main, Germany. The topic onfood was dealt with in co-operation with Sten-hus Gymnasium only. The historical aspect wasapproached through information taken frombooks, archives, surveys and interviews withelderly people who remembered the informationneeded.

Energy:We started the work from the given topic. The

Polish and Danish students discussing energy, history and

environment in Holbæk,

Denmark 2002

Energy

93LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 ENERGY (POLAND)

students had to define their topics, such as ‘TheSun and Solar Energy’, ‘Thermal Energy’, ’Vitamin D’, ‘Calories and Fashion’, etc. Stu-dents were very creative in the topics theywanted to prepare. I noticed an increasing ea-gerness during their work. They had to presentinformation to the teachers about what theywere going to do, and then we discussed how todo it. As the work progressed, new ideas ap-peared. In this way the work became very vividand students became more and more involved.Sometimes they had to obtain special permis-sion from the school authorities to gain accessto some documents, offices or factories intowhich not everybody is allowed. This madethem more curious and proud. They were ableto become more familiar with research methodsand felt a little like real scientists.

As some of the students took part in morethan one project, I could observe that they weremore skilful when working on the second one.They were more experienced and more self-con-fident. They knew what was good for the pres-entation, and what grabbed the attention of theaudience. That is why they started working withcomputer CDs, which gave them the opportuni-ty to make a more interesting presentation,which was also less stressful than talking andshowing the data on an overhead projector.

In my opinion, this kind of group work, in-cluding co-operation with students from othercountries and using foreign languages, is a greatchallenge. It gives people the opportunity toconnect scientific investigations and to makestudy visits, for example to power plants, facto-ries, and museums, both in our own country andin the country we are co-operating with. Stu-dents become aware of the ecological problemsconnected to the topic and the background forsustainability. They can find out what has been

done during the last hundred years in the areathey are investigating, they can discuss whetherthe changes have improved the situation or not,and they can suggest what could be done in thefuture.

What did not work in our projects? In general, we did not have special class lessonsfor our work, and consequently the studentscame from different classes. It was almost impos-sible to gather all of them at the same time.They worked on their own and discussed theproblems either after the lessons or during thebreaks. It would have been much easier if therehad been a special ecological class. The onlytime the whole group was gathered together wasfor the presentation of results in the schoolAula (assembly hall) for our headmistress, someteachers and English-speaking students as prepa-ration for travelling to another country. Thenwe spent the time together abroad. The nexttime we could meet each other was when ourguests came to us, presented their work and weorganised some events together. Anyway, thiskind of work with young people gives a lot ofpleasure to both students and teachers. Theymake friends, and very often they maintaingood relationships for a long time, not onlywriting letters or e-mails, but visiting each otheras well.

Students’ reflectionsOlga Madejska, Anna Karczewska, and Magdalena Leman tell about their project on vitamin D.

We gathered data on vitamins and healthynutrition. Our sources were mainly the Internet,biology textbooks and encyclopaedias. Welearned about the importance of vitamin D forbone growth and the necessity for the human


organism to obtain and absorb calcium. Welearned where and how vitamin D is producedand its main sources. We also became familiarwith the terms ‘ healthy’, ‘balanced diet’ and‘osteoporosis’ - which is the result of the lack ofcalcium in the bones.

Preparing this project gave us not only factualknowledge about vitamins, but also about co-operation between students and the possibilityto support each other, and with mutual helpreach a certain goal.

We think such projects give young peoplegreat opportunities: to learn about other coun-tries and cultures, to learn how to work as ateam and also, which is maybe the most import-

ant, to learn something about ourselves and theenvironment on which we depend so much.

How we started the workWe started working in the Ecological Club al-most immediately after entering NowodworskiSecondary School. During our biology classeswe learnt all about the club, and students whowanted to join could sign up for it.

What was the study about? What themes were included?The title of the project was “Energy, Environ-ment, Man and History”. When talking aboutenergy, all sorts of energy were taken into con-

Energy is also utilised inthe human body. Krakowand Holbæk students in

Copenhagen

95LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 ENERGY (POLAND)

sideration. The topics were not only about en-ergy used in industry, such as solar or geother-mal energy, but also about nutrition and energyin our bodies. The projects took up such themesas “How the organism uses energy”, and“Anorexia and Obesity - Different Diets”.

What were the results of the discussion?First, we dealt with alternative sources of en-ergy. Both Polish and Danish students raisedthis issue. The most interesting thing for me wasthe ideas of solar energy and wind energy pro-duced by wind turbines. While visiting Holbaekin Denmark, we could see wind turbines, thissource of energy being quite popular there dueto the appropriate climate. It turns out to be anextremely good way of obtaining power, since itdoes not pollute the air at all. The same goes forsolar energy. Solar energy is already used incountries where the climate allows for it. Unfor-tunately, in Poland, none of these ideas are pos-sible for two reasons: climate and money, sincebuilding wind turbines or screens for catchingsolar energy is expensive. In Poland, anothermatter of concern is that not many people careabout the environment compared to westerncountries. It will probably change in a few years,but now (2003) the situation is not very good.

The second part of the project was about theway the human organism utilises energy. I foundthis part more interesting since I think we arealways more curious about the way our bodyfunctions. Moreover, the part concerning differ-ent diets enabled us to understand what healthyor unhealthy food we eat. It was a great oppor-tunity to learn more about it and, if necessary,to change our habits so that we become healthi-er. What is more, we saw what the human or-ganism does with the nutrients it receives andalso what makes people become slim or fat, as

probably not everyone knows the reasons forthis.

Success or failureMatylda Stryczniewicz tells about exchange visits:

Exchange visits are valuable, and twinningwith partner schools abroad is a very good wayto learn about different subjects connected toecology. It is for sure more effective than sittingat school. We always remember things betterwhen we prepare something out of our own in-terest.

During this project, all the topics related tothe energy in our body were extremely interest-ing for me and that is why I am really glad Icould take part in the exchange.

Beoita Joiwis,Poland

By Sigitas Zudys, Lithuania

InitiativeActivities towards sustainability in the second-ary school of the settlement of Raguva began in1999 within a national project entitled SchoolAgenda 21. The main goal of the project is toencourage students to identify, investigate andtake action to prevent and solve environmentaland related problems in their own community.It includes • integration of sustainable development/real-

life problems into the school curriculum• initiation of practical activities stimulating

changes of lifestyle • partnership with community organisations

The pupils' initiatives and their participation inplanning the learning process and school life areessential components of the project.

During the 2002-2003 school year, childrenfrom Raguva Secondary School chose severaltopics for practical activities, i.e. changes inconsumer habits, energy saving, improvement ofthe living environment, and waste manage-ment. The problems selected were discussed alsoby the team of teachers and incorporated intorelevant curricula for the following subjects: ge-ography, Lithuanian language, chemistry,physics, technology and biology. Links with na-tional standards according to the age group wereclarified. In this way practical activities wereconnected with the learning in the classroom.This also brought an extra value to the educa-tion process.

InvestigationEnergy is essential to improve the quality of life.In our daily lives we use energy for many pur-poses: to light and heat the buildings we liveand work in, to cook food, and to make variouselectrical appliances work. It makes life com-fortable for us, but is it enough to be a con-scious consumer?

Energy efficiency has been identified as a pri-ority area for the Energy Sector of Baltic 21 (seepage 16). What can be done to achieve thispurpose at school and at home?

An investigation into electricity consumptionwas initiated by the eco-group, consisting of 9students aged 13 to 17: • How much electricity do we use at the school? • How much does it cost?• What electric appliances consume most

energy?• Are our habits in using electricity sustainable?• What efficiency measures could be imple-

mented?These were the questions asked by pupils.

The background information on various ways to produce energy was discussed in the class-room. Production was related to economic, so-cial and environmental issues. Problems andperspectives connected with the decommission-ing of Ignalina Nuclear Power Plan (the mainprovider of electricity in Lithuania) were covered as well.

The eco-group performed an electricity auditof the school.

According to the assessment, electricity is

96 BEST PRACTICES LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Energy Efficiency Measuresin Raguva Secondary School

97ENERGY (LITHUANIA)LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

used primarily for lighting the school premises. At the school there are: • 108 luminescence bulbs, installed power

2,600 W• 630 heat bulbs, installed power 91,210 W• 70,806 kWh in total was consumed for school

lighting during 2002• The total cost for the electricity consumed in

2002 was 20,476 LTL (5,930 EUROIn some classrooms the illumination does notmeet the hygiene requirements because thepower of the bulbs used is lower than required.

In the beginning children were satisfied withtheir behaviour. It was expected that the mostimportant (and simple) measure is just to switch

off the light and other electric appliances whenthey are not needed. However, after the workwas finished, children found space to improve

My life style AssessmentA / S / N

1

2

3

4

I choose theoptimum light

A - always, S - sometimes, N - never

I clean the bulbs and lampshades regularly

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

13

12I use the electricstove efficiently

I watch that light and electrical appliances are switched offwhen not used/needed

the power of light bulb

the type of light bulbthe location of light bulb

there is enough space for aircirculation behind the fridgeI clean the cooling pipesI observe that the temperature isan optimum onedo not put warm and hot food intofridge/freezerI do not leave the fridge/freezerdoor open for longI choose the heating elements according to the size of the potI use the convenient heating levelWhile cooking I coverthe pots with lids

I use therefrigeratorefficiently

The pupils also evaluated their personal lifestyleaccording to the following questionnaire:


their habits as well.The challenge was to find out how to save

electricity and at the same time improve hy-giene conditions. It should be done not only bybehaving appropriately, but also by implement-ing new efficiency measures at the school.

The pupils collected and analysed informa-tion about the characteristics and efficient useof various appliances. The parameters of avail-able light bulbs were particularly investigated.

Different locations of the lamps were consideredto provide appropriate illumination. Thecolours of walls and the position of windowswere taken into account. It was decided to in-stall additional switches in order to switch offthe lamps close to the window or turn on thelight at the blackboard. The municipal special-ist in energy and a doctor were invited as con-sultants. Recommendations for changes inschool lighting were developed.

ResultsIt was decided by the eco-group to carry out thefollowing experiment:

Two identical classrooms, geography andphysics, were selected. In the geography lab, allheat bulbs were replaced by energy-saving ones.Electricity consumption in each classroom wasregistered over a period of one month. The ge-ography lab was used for approximately 36hours, the physics lab for approximately 38hours. The result was surprising, even for thosewho measured the results. The difference inelectricity consumption was tremendous, i.e. 87 kWh and 17.3 kWh. It is estimated thatinvestments in new light bulbs will be returnedwithin 5-6 years.

A reconstruction plan for school lighting sup-ported by the relevant calculations was submit-ted to the municipality.

Families of the eco-group members were in-formed about the activities at the school. Ninefamilies decided to carry out an energy audit athome, based on which they started to imple-ment various energy efficiency measures.

The eco-group presented their results at aconference at the community centre of the set-tlement of Raguva. Schoolchildren, communitymembers and officials from the municipality ofthe Panevezys region participated.

The electricity meter inthe classroom was readregularly for one month

99ENERGY (LITHUANIA)LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Various aspects were discussed: • What energy efficiency measures are realistic?• Why is it important for me to use less electric-

ity? • Will it affect my living conditions and health?• What economic benefits will be achieved?• What is the purpose of energy saving for my

family and for the local community? • How does it contribute to the saving of natu-

ral resources and to the protection of the en-vironment?

The pupils found the practical activities inter-esting and stimulating, as it made them thinkmore about the consequences and the broad im-pact of their personal lifestyle.

They also pointed out that they enjoyed work-ing together in the eco-group, and co-operatingwith their parents as well.

Pupils discuss the bestchoice of light bulbs


By Hans Jørgen Bruun Olesen, Denmark

• Is it OK to catch fish in order to producemedicine?

• It is OK to catch fish in order to produce fish-meal for animals?

• Is it OK to catch fish for food?• Is it OK to catch fish? • Is it OK to discharge waste water into the sea?• Is it OK to place wind turbines in the sea?• Is it OK…

Esbjerg Gymnasium is situated in Esbjerg, onthe west coast of Jutland facing the North Sea.Fishery was one main reason for establishing the

city, another was the need after World War IIfor a major harbour facing westwards towardsEngland, traditionally one of the main marketsfor Danish dairy and other agricultural products.Fishery still plays a very important role for theentire society. South of Esbjerg, all the way toHolland, lies the Wadden Sea, a precious andspecial tidal zone with a unique biodiversity andwith outstanding ecological importance, notleast for migrating birds, such as waders andgeese.

To understand fishery and sustainable use ofthe oceans, and to discuss some of the questionsabove, we introduced our 1st year students(aged 16) to the following studies:

Sustainable Use of the Sea- for food, for medicine, for energy ...

101FISHERIES (DENMARK)LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Fisheries:The students were divided into three groups,which all managed the following three elementsduring a full 8-hour day: 1. A visit to the Aquarium at the Fishery and

Maritime Museum in Esbjerg to study fishspecies, fish adaptation, camouflage and be-haviour.

2. A visit to the local fishmeal factory - one ofthe main industries in the local area. The students spent two hours on the workingprocess. They followed the fish from thecatch, determining the species, and findingout what is done with the fish in the factoryand what the end-products are, e.g. fish oilfor medicine, and fishmeal for domestic animals and fish farming.

3. A fishing boat trip to study fishing tech-niques. Fishing with trawl for fish and an-

imals close to the sea bottom. The studentsidentified the fishes and animals caught.

In consultation with fishery organisations, weare able to elaborate further on the following:• The different species caught • Problems related to the catch - such as dioxin

in fishmeal, but also the cost of removingdioxin from fish, e.g. 100 million DKK to re-move 1g of dioxin!

• The quantities caught• The methods used - how they catch the fish:

blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and shrimp • Regulations - net mashes and quotas • Comparisons between Danish fishery and

other North Sea countries.

Wadden Sea examinationsThrough visits to the Wadden Sea, we perform

Low tide at theWadden Sea. Someplants are welladapted as pioneersto create marshlandby growing directlyin high-salinitywater


the following tasks:• We investigate the species of animals. • We measure the water level at low tide and

high tide, and the consequent tidal impact onthe flats in the working period.

• We find out where the animals live and theplants grow, compared to the "normal" waterlevel.

• We find out what the animals eat. • We make food chains. • We compare fishery.• The students also make examinations of the

marshlands.

Waste water treatmentIn Esbjerg, we have two waste water treatmentplants providing mechanical, biological andchemical treatment. The objective is to followthe water cycle from tap water (drinking water)to waste water, to the waste water treatmentplant, and to the recipient, the Wadden Seaand the North Sea.

We study and discuss the effects of waste wa-ter in the sea.

The students think the visit is smelly, butthey are very interested in the processes.

Offshore: energy and oil pollution Objective: to study the effects of the offshore oilindustry on marine organisms and on beachesused for recreation. Unfortunately, there is oftenoil pollution somewhere in the world that wecan compare with.Wind turbines in the sea is a new issue: Thereare 60-80 wind turbines constructed in theNorth Sea: While we achieve energy without pollution,what is the impact on fishery, on tourism, etc?We also try to look at some of the issues from ahistorical perspective.

Here is what the students Dennis Jensen,Niels Ole Jessen, and Flemming Nguyenthought of the fishery studies:

At the ‘Fisheries and Maritime Museum’ inEsbjerg we did some research on the behaviourand adaptation of fish. The only importantthing to a fish is finding nourishment withoutbeing eaten itself. That is why fish are endowedwith different qualities such as camouflage,speed, the ability to make sudden attacks, etc.Other examples of adaptations are the agilityand streamlined build which fish have de-veloped. These qualities can be used for huntingas well as for defending itself.

Dissection:At the laboratory section at the ‘Fisheries andMaritime Museum’ in Esbjerg, they gave us twodifferent fish: a sculpin (Myoxocephalus scor-pius) and a herring (Clupea harengus). Our as-signment was to find similarities and differencesbetween the two fish.

Our first observation was the form of the fish:the herring is more oval while the sculpin is al-most triangular. Let us take a closer look at theherring. The shape of the herring shows that itis a fast fish that swims a great deal. The small

103FISHERIES (DENMARK)LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

size of its head facilitates this activity. Furtherconclusions could be drawn after examining theinside of the fish. A striking difference betweenthe two fish was that no swimming bladder wasfound inside the sculpin. A swimming bladdershows that the herring is often near the surfaceof the water, where such fish also feed.

We very quickly discovered that the sculpinlives on the bottom of the sea. Its stomach con-tained a funny little lump, which later turnedout to be a crab. The fact that it has neither aswimming bladder nor contains various kinds ofaquatic plants tells us that it lives on the bot-tom of the sea. We can also conclude thesculpin feeds by making sudden attacks, wheregreat speed is required to catch its prey. How-ever, the sculpin is a poor long-distance swim-mer, which is indicated by the size of its gigan-tic head.

Fishing:On “E1 Claus Soerensen”, which took us on ourfishing expedition: in the waters between Fanøand Skallingen, we caught the following fishand animals at a depth of 7-8 m: Flounder(Plaichthys flésus), whiting (Merlangius merlan-gus), sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius), pipefish(Siphonóstoma týphle), butterfish (Phólisgunéllus), viviparous blenny (Zoarces vivipa-rus), sand goby (Pomatoschistus minutus),beach burbot (Cárcinus maenas), swimmingcrab (Portúnus depurátor), edible crab (Cáncerpagúrus), hermit crab (Eupagúrus bernhárdus),shrimp (Crángon vulgáris), and starfish(Astérias rúbens).

We think it has been an interesting assignment,and we can conclude and answer the openingquestions:

• Yes, it is OK to catch fish in order to producemedicine. Medicine might even be more im-portant than food and fodder. If fishery is notsustainable and the fish cannot regenerate,then fish for food should be reduced.

• It is OK to catch fish to produce fishmeal ifthe animals that are fed with fishmeal also eatfish in nature! But if animals are fed with fish-meal and fish is not part of their ordinary diet,then we oppose it for ethical reasons!

• It is OK to catch fish for food as man has eaten fish throughout history. We need food,but the fish stocks should be able to regener-ate.

• It is OK to catch fish as it is healthy food.There is a problem with quotas because fisher-men catch too many fish and have to throwthem overboard. These fish will die, so thetechniques have to be made less harmful.

• It is OK to discharge waste water into the seaafter proper treatment. Waste water must nothave a negative impact on the ecosystem, andwe have to get rid of it somehow.

• It is definitely a splendid idea to place windturbines in the sea. It is less harmful thanVestkraft power station!

• It is OK to have fish farms if the species is en-dangered. But there is a problem of nutrients,antibiotics and other pollutants being dis-charged from the farm, so the water quality ofaquafarms has to be controlled.

104 GODE EKSEMPLER LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

By Mette, Ditte, Bettina, Mie, Regitze,Sabrina, Maiken, Jannie and Carina, Denmark

We have worked with the subject of »fishery«in Nexø. There is a factory there that producestins of cod roe, smoked cod liver and fish ballsmade of cod meat. The production of cod liverstarted during World War II, when fishermenwere instructed in how to land the cod liver andmake cod liver oil.

The development of Nexø harbour was exam-ined. The harbour saw two major enlargementprojects in 1964 and 1979, and was described asthe »centre of fishery in the Baltic Sea«. Thefollowing years saw major activities in the har-bour. At the end of the 1980´s, however, the ad-venture was over, brought to an end by the im-position of strict quotas. Today, there are onlyabout 50 cutters fishing from Nexø.

The main species caught are cod, herring,

flounder, sprat and salmon. How much the fish-ermen are allowed to catch depends on the quo-tas, which are determined every year in Warsaw.However, fishery has stabilised in recent years.

A marine biologist told us that the conditionsfor cod are rather good, but more oxygen wouldimprove the conditions together with stormsfrom the west, which would bring fresh salt wa-ter into the Baltic Sea. The worst pollution iscaused by nitrogen, and this will only improvein 20-30 years if the pollution stops now.

We also tried to have a look at the future:How can we have a more sustainable fishery inthe Baltic Sea? Some of the answers are: lesspollution, less use of fertiliser in agriculture,more water treatment plants, larger meshes intrawls and nets, and sufficient quota. The chairman of the Fishermen’s Association ofBornholm and Christiansø thinks that the situa-tion will not change much in the years to come.

When no herring is caught in the Baltic Sea, it has aninfluence on the traditional recipes of Bornholm, a culturalheritage of importance for tourism

Fisheries in Nexø, Bornholm

Poster exhibition in the gym

105FISHERIES (POLAND)LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

By Maria Adamiak and Andrzej Kropidowski,PolandOur school is in Kolobrzeg, a beautiful town sit-uated in the mid-western part of the Polish sea-side at the mouth of the Parseta River. It is asmall but busy fishing and merchant port with anumber of tourist boats and a marina. Thereare about five hundred 12–15 year-old studentsat our school. We have worked on ecology andenvironmental projects for a couple of years.We take part in national and international edu-cational programmes and work for sustainabledevelopment, and our school has been involvedin the Baltic Sea Project since 1999. Fishery hasbeen chosen because it is very important for thedevelopment of our town and region.

About the research:Fifteen students were involved and five researchgroups formed. Each group was given a specifictask. The groups visited some fishing boats, afish processing plant and a fish farm, and inter-viewed some anglers and people involved in thefish industry. Here are the results of their research:

Sea fishingPolish fishermen work not only in the Polisheconomic zone but also in the Swedish, Danishand German zones in accordance with interna-tional agreements. The most important fishspecies are cod, herring, sprat, plaice, mackerel,salmon and eel. Salmon and eel are migrant –marine and freshwater fish. The salmon feeds inthe sea and reproduces in rivers, especially theones that lead into the Baltic Sea – the Parseta,the Slupia, and the Wieprza rivers. The eel

feeds in rivers and reproduces in the SargassSea. The optimal environment for the repro-duction of the cod is the deep waters north westof the island of Bornholm and north of theGdansk Bay. The coasts of the Pomeranian andGdansk Bays, the beaches and rocks of Ger-many, Denmark and Sweden are the main re-production areas for the Baltic herring.

The most important fishing techniques andfishing gear are bottom trawls, bottom pairtrawls (cod catches), pelagic trawls, pelagic pairtrawls (herring, sprat), drifting nets (salmon)and hooks: bottom (plaice, eel, cod), under sur-face (salmon). The sprat accounts for thebiggest percentage of marine catches (70-80%).It is mainly used for industrial needs to producefodder. The other species are used as food soldfresh in shops, but most are processed in fishprocessing plants, where the fish is smoked,

Fisheries in Kolobrzeg

Fishery is very important for Kolobrzeg


frozen or breaded. Preserves, salads, fish spread,canned food, marinades and pickled fish are alsoproduced. Some products are sold locally, andsome are exported.

Marine fishery is very important for our townand its people. Lots of people work as fishermenand their families depend on their incomes.There are several fish processing plants in theregion, where a few hundred people are em-ployed. Although they do not earn much money, they are happy; they can make a living,and they hope not to join the ranks of the un-employed, currently 30% of the population.

AquafarmsThere are several ‘fish farms’ in our area wherecarp and trout are bred. The trout needs clean,well-oxygenated, cool water. It is very vulner-able to infections and therefore it is much more

difficult to breed than the carp. It is fed withwet food (sea fish) and dry food (granules madeon the basis of fish meal imported from Den-mark). Because of abrasions trouts become in-fected with mycosis, sometimes suffering gill in-flammation. When the temperature of the waterfalls below 10ºC they can get the VHS diseaseand that is the end of the farm, as there is no ef-fective remedy for the disease. The fish fromaquafarms are bred for food, and are especiallypopular here at Christmas.

AnglingAngling is very popular in Kolobrzeg due to thedesire for hunting, for recreation, for sports andcompetitions. Anglers fish in the Parseta Riverand in the sea. They catch salmon, salmontrout, pike, bream, perch, roach, burbot andother fish. All the species (except for the eel)reproduce in the river or on the old riverbeds.Most of them feed in the river. The salmon andthe trout feed in the sea, the perch and theroach in both the river and the sea. Only 10%of fish is caught for economic reasons.

Sustainable fishery – Protective measures takenDelimitations on catches are set by the Ministryof Agriculture and the Development of RuralAreas. Poaching has to be effectively preventedand stopped. Fish stocks of salmon and troutsalmon have to be continuously replenished.

Other protection acts• Delimitations of type and amount of fishing

gear depending on the size of fishing boat (thelength of nets, number of hooks, diversity).

• Waste water from fishing boats is passed on tospecial locations and then recycled.

• Every owner of a fishing boat needs to work

107FISHERIES (POLAND)LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

out his own ‘Oil spill protection plan’.• Any attempts to interfere with river ecosys-

tems should be stopped/banned (dams, riverstraightening, etc).

Fish stock viability indicatorsFish stock research is carried out mainly by theSea Fishing Institute in Gdynia. The quality ofeggs, fry and scales is examined. What is im-portant is not how many eggs hatch into fry, buthow many fry grow large enough to be caught.Environmental research – the salinity of waters,the amount of oxygen, the amount of food(plankton, other fishes), water pollution.

The fishing forecastAccording to scientists, catches in the BalticSea should not exceed one million tonnes ayear. The amount caught should not endangerthe sea’s biological balance. The Baltic fishstock consists of small pelagic fishes, i.e. herring, sprat – 80%, cod – 10%, and otherspecies – 10%.

The catches presented in the forecast for2003 (about 120,000 tonnes) in the Polish Eco-nomic Zone will not be increased after 2004.

There will probably be more limitations on codcatches. The stock of cod is rapidly decreasingdue to overfishing and fishing out small fishes.Fishery is a very important aspect of our lives. Itgives us work, income, food and pleasure. Wewho live by the sea are well aware of this.Along with tourism, it is the core of the re-gion`s economy. But we should be very carefulwhen exploiting the resources of the sea asthere are limits everywhere.

The biggest dangers are water pollution andoverfishing. It is quite natural for people whoare in the fish industry to get as much as pos-sible from the sea.

At the same time, paradoxically, they realisethat overfishing will lead to the end, but theyare unable to stop it.

Therefore, others have to take action to stopit for them. More and more people should careabout the sea and its limited resources, and thenput pressure on their parliamentary representa-tives to take the necessary steps against theproblems mentioned.

Fish species Minimum size in cm No fishing allowed Net mesh in mm Plaice 25 15.02 – 15.05 105 - 130

Cod 35 01.06 – 31.08 105 - 125

Herring 16 Herring 32 / sprat 16

Salmon 60 01.06-15.09 / outside 157

4-mile zone

15-09-15.11 inside 4-mile zone

Trout salmon 50

Eel 40


By Kaidi Karu, Mari Sarv, Diana Revjako andteacher Mall Schmidt, Estonia

Kohtla-Järve Gymnasium is situated in Ida-Viru-maa, where there are many different industriallandscapes because of the oil shale and chemicalindustry. We were told about orchids whichgrow on our ash mountains through previous re-search work conducted by students from ourschool. We decided to find out if orchids alsogrow on other industrial landscapes.

We divided the industrial landscapes into fourgroups according to origin1. Ash mountains created by the chemical in-

dustry in Kohtla-Järve2. Ash mountains created by the power station

in Ahtme

3. Gangue mountains near Kohtla-Järve4. Recultivated open pits in Kohtla-Nõmme

We arranged six expeditions to these industriallandscapes in June and July 2002, in an effort toidentify what species of orchids grow there. Asthe orchids are under nature preservation, wecannot collect them. Nevertheless, we took pic-tures of the plants that we found, marked theplaces where they grow on the maps and chart-ed the landscape.

The industrial landscapes are recultivated(wooded) and the oldest forests are about 40years old.On chemical industry ash mountains we foundfive different kinds of orchids: Orchis militaris,Dactylorhiza incarnata, Orchis maculata, Epi-

Forestry – Orchids and Biodiversity

Technogenic landscape:Ash mountain created bythe chemical industry in

Kohtla-Järve

109FORESTRY (ESTONIA)LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

pactis atrorubens and Epipactis helleborine.On power station ash mountains we found

three kinds of orchids: Dactylorhiza baltika, Epipactis palustris and Epipactis helleborine.

On Kukruse gangue mountains only one sortof orchid – Dactylorhiza baltica – was observed.

In the quarry areas in Kohtla we found moresorts of orchids than at the other places: Cypripedium calceolus, Dactylorhiza fuchii,Plathantera bifolia, Listera orata, Epipactisatrorubens and Epipactis helleborine.

We found altogether 11 different species oforchids. Two species belong to category II, and9 species to category III of the nature preserva-tion plant list.

The occurrence of orchids is most varied in the parts of industrial landscapes that arewooded. Sinivoore gangue mountains are covered with plants halfway up, but orchids donot grow there. Also, orchids do not grow in

treeless parts of the power station ash moun-tains. Therefore, orchids like to grow on the in-dustrial landscapes, where the soil is full of lime.

Orchids from industrial landscapes have nonatural enemy – such as wild boar, which eattheir tubers. That is why we found about 200Orchis militaris plants in a 2,500 m² area ofchemical industry ash mountain.

Recultivated industrial landscapes changethe scenery, and they can be used for sports andhiking. Hikers and people who appreciate na-ture enjoy the blooming of the beautiful orchidsin industrial landscapes.

In the future we plan to take soil samples, thegoal being to examine the soil ecosystems in thetechnogenic landscapes in the hope of under-standing why orchids like technogenic land-scapes.

Orchis maculata thrives on the chemical ash mountain

Students from Kohtla-Järve Gymnasium search-ing for orchids on woodedash mountains


By Risto Hamari, Finland

Langinkoski upper secondary school in Kotkahas participated in the Baltic Sea Project since1989 when the project was still at the planningstage in Finland. Ever since, the school has par-ticipated in different activities of the project.The work culminated in 1992 when the schoolwas responsible for arranging the first interna-tional conference of the Project entitled “Stu-dents Working for the Baltic Sea”. This confer-ence marked the end of Finland’s host period(see page 4).

Within the framework of the Baltic Sea Pro-ject, two topics have attracted major interest inLanginkoski. One is the River Kymijoki, whichruns into the Baltic Sea just near the school,and the other topic is forests. The importance offorests is self-evident in Finland, and in thecounty of Kymenlaakso even more so becausemany wood processing industries are situated

here. The area is well known for its pulp andpaper industry as well as its sawmills. Most fami-lies depend on forests for their living, directlyand indirectly. Accordingly, educational aspectsof forests and running waters have been ourmain contribution in national and internationalco-operation, the Baltic Sea Project included.

All the main types of boreal forests are pres-ent near our school: dry upland forests with Cal-luna vulgaris and Vaccinium vitis-idaea as thedominant species; moist upland forests dominat-ed by Vaccinium myrtillus, and grass-herbforests dominated by Oxalis acetosella. Thestudy of forest ecosystems includes analyses oftrees, bushes, herbs, birds, mammals, insects andother invertebrates.

There was great interest in developing envir-onmental education more in the direction of ed-ucation for sustainable development. Encour-aged by the National Board of Education in Fin-land, the school asked other interested schoolsto join in an EU project announced by DG XI(1997-2000). There were many interestedschools/institutions throughout Europe and theproject started with a network of six nations andabout 30 schools/institutions. Several schoolsworked together in local units, which partly ex-plains the high number of schools in the pro-ject.

The aims of the SUSDEED project were am-bitious: to study and clarify the concept of sus-tainability in education, to create Europeanmodules for education for sustainable develop-ment, and to improve the environmental man-agement of schools.

Finnish Esker forest

SUSDEED – SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATION

111FORESTRY (FINLAND)LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Schools and universities in interaction In order to fulfil the first task, a decision wasmade to write a book about the development ofthe concept of “sustainable development”. Dr.J. Raumolin from the University of Helsinkikindly accepted the task of writing the book.He also participated in all the meetings duringthe project and the participants obtained infor-mation about the process.

One of the most interesting parts of the pro-ject, at least for the participants, was the prepa-ration of teaching modules. Every single unit(consisting of one to seven schools/institutionsworking together) chose an aspect which wasboth relevant and interesting from their pointof view. Of course, thorough discussions tookplace on the proposals made by the participants.The attempt was to cover several aspects of sus-tainability and at the same time create a logicalentity. In our Kotka unit, seven schools and in-stitutions worked together, and the students visited each of these institutions during thecourse. The theme for the course was sustain-able forestry. All the different aspects of thewhole lifespan of the wood were dealt with -from the seed to waste products:

Forest ecology - Management in forestry -Multiple use of forests - Forest aesthetics - In-dustry based on forest products - Logistics oftimber, pulp and paper - Woodwork - Lifecycleassessment of products.

Our results on forests were formulated in asmall booklet, “The Forest Course”. The resultswere included in the final booklet together withall other contributions, which dealt with vari-ous aspects of sustainability, such as sustainabletourism: the impact of tourism in wetlands(Rantalakeus unit in the Bothnian Bay), andthe influence of tourism on local people (theunit in the Canary Islands, Spain).

Urban areas were studied in Greifswald, Ger-many. Interest here focused on the reconstruc-tion of an old, historical city centre. In Leeds,Great Britain, the restoration of a park area af-ter construction works was the topic of the fol-low-up study.

The Baltic Sea was in focus in several places.In Kokkola, Finland, the quality of the waterswas studied in an aqua course. In Kempele, Fin-land, the swift change after the land uplift andthe use of primary meadowlands for grazing wasone of point of interest. In Kotka, the study ofwater purification systems in the pulp industrywas part of the forestry course, and in Landskro-na, Sweden, the topic was marine ecology. InGreifswald, the harbour area linked the unit’sinterest to the Baltic Sea as well.

Other important themes dealt with includedenergy saving (Alzey, Germany), recreation areas (Ludwigshafen, Germany), traditional and

Field work in the Finnish forest


ecological agriculture (Landau, Germany), bio-logical diversity (Lyon, France) and environ-mental news in local radio networks (Canary Islands unit).

As a result of all these activities, the booklet“Environmental Courses and SustainableSchools” plus a CD-rom was published and dis-tributed to the participants.

DiscussionSustainable development is a very complicatedconcept. Accordingly, education for sustainabili-ty is difficult and needs innovative perspectivesthat are interdisciplinary in nature. Conven-tional school work does not adequately supportthis kind of approach.

One of the criticisms made at the end of theproject was that most of the activities had to beextracurricular and only a limited number ofstudents wanted or could take part in them.One of the schools could not activate studentsfor the practical work at all, even though theirplan was quite interesting and should have beenmotivating. The conclusion is that more flexi-bility is needed if school work is really to form asignificant part of the project activities.

In some cases the results gained from thestudy were obvious: The environment is in badcondition. The official parameters out of theschool also express the same. It is hard foryoung people to understand why nothing hasbeen done – as they say - to improve the situa-tion. There is still a great deal of lip service paidin the field of environmental policy!Many positive reactions could be mentioned.Students participating in the project expressedtheir interest for working in a different way fromthe school´s everyday routine. Teachers were in-spired by the international co-operation and bythe opportunity to find out what others are do-

ing in education for sustainable development.Their sincere hope was to continue the projectand strengthen the relationship between newpartners. Unfortunately, and because of changedprocedure in the EU, this was no longer possibleunder DG XI. One of the positive experienceswas also the help of modern technology in facil-itating communication between the participat-ing units.

Multiplier effectOur results serve as inspiration for new activitiesand the creation of a network of schools work-ing for a better Gulf of Finland. In this networkmore than 10 Finnish, Estonian and Russianschools co-operate as a regional network for bet-ter conditions in the Baltic Sea. Their interestis directed to the rivers running into the BalticSea.

The SUSDEED project report

113INDUSTRY (POLAND)LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

By Danuta Madroszkieiwcz, Poland

Glogow is one of the main towns situated in theGlogow - Legnica Copper Basin. Copper isfound in soils in a one-metre layer covering al-together 600,000 km2 and stretching from GreatBritain, Holland and Germany to our positionin Poland. Today, extraction and processingtakes place only in Poland, where the soils con-tain approximately 3% copper. Copper is usedindustrially due to its enormous conductivity,especially in the electricity and electronic in-dustries.

The smelting and flotation processes, howev-er, are harmful to natural environments, espe-cially aquatic ecosystems, and also to the air,the soils, and consequently to the whole foodchain: plants animals man. Copper inman causes health problems, such as nausea anddiarrhoea, and with increasing concentrationsthe liver tissues and other organs may be dam-aged.

Our school decided to examine the soils inour local area as part of a joint Comenius pro-ject with Polokowice, another UNESCO ASP-net school. Our ecological classes followed thespecial educational programme called “Protec-tion of Environment” with the main objectivebeing to prevent environmental pollution andidentify solutions. Two copper smelters, Glogow I and Glogow II, are situated 7 km tothe west of Glogow, in an area called Zukowice.Glogow is heavily polluted by dust and gas,which blows directly from the smelters and iscarried by western winds. Glogow is thus con-stantly exposed to chemicals from the smelters,despite the fact that Glogow has many parks

and trees that serve as natural filters.We tested soil samples from the town of Glo-gow, from an area near Glogow I in Zukowiceand in a protected area called Dalkow Hills.

We found many heavy metals - copper (Cu),lead (Pb), zinc (Zn) - in the air, in the waterand in the soils. The situation is gradually im-proving because of considerable financial sup-port for environmental protection. The area near Glogow I was most contamin-ated. The samples were taken from a specialstrip of soil surrounding the industrial plant. To reduce the pollution problems, the area hasbeen densely forested with poplar trees, espe-cially Populus canadensis and Populus serotinaas these species are tolerant to air pollution. Noother vegetation can grow here except somemosses, algae and a few species of grass -Agropyron repens for one. Heavy metals causesoil degradation due to the harmful effects ofheavy metals on all living organisms.

Dalkow Hills is called “Glogow’s green lungs”because of its many forests and nature sanctu-aries.

Within the programme we dealt with thestructure and texture of soils, processes of im-portance for making soils, degradation factorsand nature protection.

The waste problem is also connected to soils,and therefore we arranged a meeting with towncouncil officials. The officials gave a presenta-tion of the recycling plant: Every inhabitant inGlogow produces 340 kg of waste annually. Wewent to the municipal dump - a sad sight. Wesaw litter drifting, not segregated at all. Therewas a pile of industrial waste, too, called “Sniez-ka”, which is the name of the highest peak in

Soils in Poland


the Polish Sudety Mountains!We also went to the after-flotation reservoirs

“The Iron Bridge” with the remains from thecopper-enriching process. The process severelydamages the environment despite the fact thatthe reservoirs look interesting from a bird’s-eyeview (further information in Learners’ Guide 4,Rivers, page 186).

We have therefore started collecting waste forrecycling products, such as aluminium cans andpaper!

To sum up our work, we presented our resultsat the International Earth Day, where the dramaperformance “Ecological tramps - how to re-cycle” showed that the participants had gainedknowledge through the work.

We summed up our ideas on Polish soils in thefollowing resolution:

To protect Polish soils we should:• educate consumers on healthy food.• eliminate the cultivation of plants for human

consumption near contaminated areas and in-troduce industrial plants such as flax (Linum)and/or trees.

• prevent fruit and vegetables being grown incontaminated areas and bring in productsfrom uncontaminated areas.

• propagate crop rotation and sustainable methods for removing weeds.

• minimise pesticides and fertilisers, and in-crease knowledge on organic farming.

Sustainable development?

At least the white stork can still be observed

in Polish fields

115INDUSTRY (POLAND)LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Poster made by studentsfrom Zespol SzkolOgolnoksztalcacych No. 6, Gdansk, Poland

Do we need another planet?


By Anna Obukhovskaya, Irina Krichevskaya,Alexei Pryalukhin, Maria Melnikova, PolinaIgnatyeva and Xenia Zakharova,St. Petersburg, Russia

The hustle and bustle of daily routines surroundus as we run through the streets of our nativecity, not noticing its beauty. There is historynear us, yet we do not hear its pulse. Manypeople speak with love of this city, even withoutknowing it well: How is it possible to appreciatewhat you know so little?

Where should we begin? St. Petersburg is so big, so different and so fullof contrasts. It is the powerful current of theriver Neva; it is majestic architecture, goldenspires reaching the sky, temples and monu-ments. It is silence and beauty along its riverbanks and city channels, relaxation and time forreflection in the corners of its many gardens andparks.

But it is also the hostile cosmopolitan industrialcity of grey concrete blocks, huge factories andplants, hidden behind long characterless walls;it is chimneys and emissions, busy harbours withnever-ending traffic.

Our school, no 179, is located in the north-ern part of the city. It is rather big with 1,300pupils from the 1st to the 11th form. The build-ings are well-equipped with laboratories andcomputer classes. Our main focus is on the com-bination of environment and medicine, huma-nities and economy.

Many students in the 8th form and onwardswho are interested in medicine, ecology and sci-entific research join the “Senior Pupils’ Club”.Research work is done voluntarily and outsideordinary lessons, and is difficult and demanding.However, our students are guided by teachersand researchers in a personally-oriented waybased on project work, investigations and tech-nology, and their motivation is very high.

Before joining the Senior Pupils’ Club, pupilshave certain obligations at different class levelsdesigned to gradually develop their attitude to-wards sustainable development.

When pupils enter the 5th - 7th forms theyhave a project on “Energy Saving”, and eachautumn and spring the 7th and 8th forms con-duct a clean-up operation of the park areasalong the banks of the Murinsky Stream, ap-proximately 1-2 km away from our school.

They also clean up the area of the importantmemorial park of Piskaryovskoye, 12 km fromour school. Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemeteryis the necropolis of Leningraders who died dur-ing the 1941-1943 siege. During the siege more

Industry – Invitation:Travel St. Petersburg with us

St. Petersburghas majesticarchitecture

117INDUSTRY (RUSSIA)LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

than 740,000 people in St. Petersburg died ofstarvation and more than 16,000 people werekilled in air raids and bombings. Today, delega-tions from all countries bring flowers to thisplace.

All our school projects share the same ob-jective: to activate students and to make themresponsible so that they understand the necessi-ty of knowledge as a key to solving economic,environmental and social problems.

Let us begin our trip around St. Peters-burg – and travel the microbes around usFor three years we have observed and analysedthe sand of sandlots in children’s playgrounds.We have conducted bacteriological and toxico-logical analyses and we found that sand is muchpolluted: Toxic substances are present, as well as

nitrates, produced as a result of microbes de-grading organic material.

After replacement of the sand with freshsand, the level of nitrate pollution decreased 2-3times. But already after three months, the pollu-tion level was the same as before.

Our conclusion is that pollution of sand hap-pens very quickly.

Travel the air of St. PetersburgFor evaluating the air quality we used bioindica-tors such as asymmetry in birch leaves - necroses- dryness in needles and lichen species.

Using these parameters we estimated that theair quality in St. Petersburg varies, but in gener-al it is not very good. In reality, the pollutionlevel is very high!

Flower festival: Atprimary level, at theage of 7-10 years,children learn aboutnature, grow greenplants in their class-rooms, clean theschool premises andtake care of trees.


Travel the waterways of St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Greatin 1703. Our poet A. S. Pushkin called St. Pe-tersburg “The Water Element” as there are morethan 40 rivers and channels in the city. Often itis referred to as the Palmyra of the North or theVenice of the north, a poetic metaphor that isquite justified.

All the rivers feed into the main river, theNeva, which forms a delta in St. Petersburg andruns into the Gulf of Finland. The Neva, there-fore, has significant anthropogenic influence -from the huge Lake Ladoga, and from all otherrivers flowing into it, such as the Ochta, theOkkervil and the Zhernovka. Waste substancesfrom industries and household drains that arereleased into streams and rivers will enter theNeva, and the navigation and number of shipson the river also has an impact.

Monitoring the quality of the water of the

River Neva shows an increase of organic sub-stances and hazardous substances, such as phenols, manganese, copper and lead.

Water flows into the Neva from many otherrivers, one of them the Ochta. Numerous facto-ries are situated along the banks of the Ochta,among them the three largest chemical manu-facturers of the north-west region: the chemicalfibre factory, the medical polymer factory, andthe layered plastic factory. In addition, there areshipbuilding industries, metal working enter-prises, and two huge productions, the Instituteof Rubber and the Institute of Applied Chemistry, as well as many others.

Monitoring the river upstream from a greenzone with beaches, boat stations and no indus-tries, we find that the banks are clean, withoutdumps and dust, with trees and bushes, creatingfavourable conditions for people’s relaxation.

Following the river downstream, numerous

Waste water treatmentplant in St. Petersburg

119INDUSTRY (RUSSIA)LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

drains cause the sandy bottom to become mud-dy, the water to have an unpleasant smell andbe covered in petrol spots, and benthos plantsto disappear. When we reach the entrance tothe Neva, we find empty shells of molluscs, aswell as molluscs with an abnormal shape!Chemical analyses show the presence of very little oxygen and an excess of iron, copper, man-ganese, phenols, nitrates and petroleum.

To check the results, we grew cress–salads,which showed a clear decrease in sproutingseeds, proving the presence of pollutants in theinvestigated samples.

In other rivers it seems that conditions haveworsened when we use our bioindicators for esti-mating the water quality. The reproduction rateof algae has lowered, and the effect on Daphniais lethal! After travelling the microbes, the air and thewaterways of St. Petersburg, it is now time topresent our report:

Some of the consequences may influencepeople’s health. Using the bioindicators andchemical analyses, the students are able to ob-serve the changes and to use the results to fore-see the outcome of the changes. They are able

to use their knowledge in different situations,they are able to develop collaboration skills insolving problems, and they are able to under-stand that the local activity influences otherssometimes even far away.

The students inform others of their workthrough participating in ecological olympiadsand in seminars on ecological conditions.

Education for sustainable development is necessary to meet the challenges of the 21stcentury!

The students informothers of their work – here in the schoolassembly hall

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

background 7 days 12 days

number of algae in cubic mm

Control

Ekateringofka

Sm olenka

Zhdanovka

Algae are influenced by industrial and household waste in St. Petersburg rivers

Dynamics of changing the number of algae (Scenedemus quadricauda) in tests from the rivers


By Malin Davelius, Sofie Renemar, VeronicaGustavsson and Sanna Elstad, Sweden

Pelle and Lisa have planned a boat trip in theStockholm archipelago for the summer. Nowthe time has finally come to depart. They go tothe Waxholm boat in Stockholm. It is crowdedwith happy and expectant tourists. Lisa andPelle stand in the rear gazing at all the islandsthat the boat passes. All of a sudden they catchsight of the smoke that quells out of the funnelon the boat.

“That smoke can certainly not be doing na-ture any good,” says Pelle.

An elderly woman comments that she hasbeen working for 20 years as a technician in theWaxholm company. She informs Pelle and Lisathat the boats consume five million litres ofdiesel fuel every year.

“Oh, that is a lot,” says Lisa, “How manyboats are there?”

“We have 20 boats and they sail a total of35,000 hours every year. Mind you, the exhaust

is nothing compared to what cars emit into thesurrounding atmosphere.”

“I see. We learnt at school why cod are hav-ing difficulties surviving in the Baltic Sea. Welearnt that the NOx that cars emit increases theeutrophication of the Baltic Sea as well as acidrain, and that problems thus occur in nature,even in the archipelago.”

“Well, that is true, but there are other prob-lems. You see, when the boats move off, a lot ofbottom sediment is suspended into the watercolumn; the sediment contains poisons andheavy metals that harm life in the archipelagomore than the emissions. The stern waves alsohave a negative impact on nature and the noisefrom the boats disturbs bird life in the area.“Well, I did not know that,” says Pelle.

As a result, we chose boat tourism in theStockholm archipelago as our topic, and we in-vestigated islands that represent the Stockholmarchipelago, i.e. that differ in size and numberof visitors, etc.

We had help from the Archipelago Establish-ment, the Environmental Protection Agency,and Värmdö Municipality in finding answers tothe following questions:• Do tourists know of the “Every Man’s Right”

in Sweden?• Are the rules followed?• How are tourist informed?• Is waste sorted? At source?• Is waste removed from beaches and camping

sites? If so, how often?• How does tourism affect animal life?

Tourism – Pelle and Lisa in the Stockholm Archipelago

121TOURISM (SWEDEN)LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

On the islands investigated we had help fromhotels, restaurants, camping sites, youth hostels,etc. to answer the following questions:• How many people visit the island every sum-

mer?• What percentage of visitors are Swedish and

of foreign nationality?• Is waste sorted?• How are the houses heated?• What kind of sewage system is used - a loo or

water closet?• Is waste water treated?

The Waxholm boats link the islands, and areused not only for tourism but also for everydaynecessities and delivery of goods, as well as forbringing waste ashore. We asked the companythe following questions:• In what way do the Waxholm boats affect ani-

mals and nature?• What kind of fuel do the boats need for their

energy supply?

Finally we asked various grocery stores the fol-lowing questions:• Do you compost your wet waste?• What happens to the other waste products?• Do you have a grill bar? If so, what do you do

with the oil?• How is waste taken away?

We can make the following conclusivecomments:Islands with a minor tourist impact know themost about environmental issues.• Island residents protect nature by sorting

waste and by composting.• Grocery stores are small, and therefore sorting

waste, etc is manageable.• Restaurants: The bigger, the less sorting! Big

restaurants have no sorting procedure, smallrestaurants sort waste into plastic, paper andcompost.

• Youth hostels, camping cabins and summercottages have signs with waste-sorting infor-mation.

• Youth hostels have loos that are composted.• Electricity or wood are energy sources for

heating houses, but as visitors mainly come inthe summer, this is no great issue.

• According to the Archipelago Establishment,animal life is not very affected by visitors. Theanimals know where people move around, andthere are protected islands with restricted ad-mittance. There are special clean-up actions,especially after big holidays, as broken glassand even plastic rings pose a threat to ani-mals.

• Tourists seem to have learnt how to acquireknowledge on how to behave, and most visi-tors know of the “Every Man’s Right”, sounique to Sweden. The Stockholm archipela-go is unique, too.

Helen Litvinova,Russia

122 LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5GODE EKSEMPLER

By Teresa Kaminska, Poland

Our school, Junior Secondary School No. 1, inUstka has developed its own curriculum for thesubject »ecology and tourism« for some yearsnow. Our curriculum is based on activities con-ducted in the open area. We combine ecologicaleducation with our interest for walking tourism.

We have been interested in the topic of alter-native energy since the first wind power stationwas built in our region. To find out more aboutit, we met with the architect of the first windfarm in Poland. We also participated in an eco-logical seminar in Duninowo devoted to thetopic of renewable energy in our area. We alsolearned about some activities of solar and geo-thermal power stations by meeting their owners.We informed them, as well as the local newspa-per, about our activities at school within thefield of ecology and tourism.

Ustka is situated on the coast, in the regionthat has the best parameters concerning wind.It is an excellent location for wind power sta-tions, and the winds blow as much as in Den-mark and northern Germany. According to thewind zones into which our country has been di-vided, it is only our region and the northeastpart of Suwalszczyzna that have such advanta-geous conditions.

Among the countries wanting to join the EU,Poland is the first one to formulate »A Strategyof Development of Renewable Energy«. Ourcountry has also met all the obligations imposedby the EU. It is now the task of our Ministry ofEnvironment to implement this strategy.

In accordance with the instructions of theEU, 8% of electric power produced in Poland by2005 has to be »white energy«, i.e. coming fromrenewable sources such as wind or water powerstations. By 2010, the figure should be 12%.

YesterdayIn the past, people in this region obtained en-ergy only by burning pit-coal. With time, a fewsmall water power stations have also been built.

The first information we have about windturbines comes from the 18th century. Theywere single wind power stations used for drivingwind turbines to grind grain in order to obtainflour.

In the 1980’s near Darlowo, at Kopan Lakeand in Zarnowiec, plans were made to build anuclear power station. Construction began inZarnowiec and work rapidly progressed. In Dar-lowo, this led to the creation of the first CitizenCommittee in Poland, also known as “TheWatch”, which organised a huge protest against

The first Polish wind turbineswere built in

Cisowo in 1999

Tourism and Energy

123LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 TOURISM AND ENERGY (POLAND)

the establishment of the nuclear power station.The protest was a success and construction workwas halted. Since that time ecological seminarshave been organised every two years in Dar-lowo. Where the nuclear power station was in-tended to have been built, wind turbines arenow being constructed!

The decision about the location was precededby two years of research on wind strength in theentire region. Positive results confirmed theprofitability of wind power stations and enabledthe National Environment Protection Fund toallocate favourable credits. This attracted in-vestors, who purchased the land in the area forthe purpose of building power stations there.

It took quite some time to convince the localauthorities of the benefits of investment. Theirdecision was partly influenced by the possibilityto employ local people in the construction ofthe plant as well as in the work connected withlaying electricity cables in the ground. Thesewould be additional workplaces.

Finally, in April 1999, in Cisowo, a smallplace about 35 km from Ustka, the first windfarm in Poland was built. It consisted of fivewind power stations.

TodayAt present, most Polish wind power stations arelocated in our region. It is still the biggest clus-ter of wind power stations in Poland. In Cisowo,four more mills have now been erected, while afew kilometres away, another farm consisting ofseven power stations has been built.

Unfortunately, wind power stations in Polandstill have very limited application. This is duepartly to the extremely high cost of buildingthem and partly to the defective regulations cur-rently in force in Poland. These are the mainreasons why the power stations are on the verge

of bankruptcy, as electricity companies do notbuy electricity from the mills. Therefore, foreigncompanies ready to invest in power stations inPoland are hesitant to carry through with theirplans.

TomorrowIf new regulations do not deter foreign compa-

nies, then over 100 wind power stations with2,000 turbines will be built in our municipalityalong the entire Polish coast. They will be farmscomposed of a few wind turbines, situated 500-600 m away from residential areas.

These farms will take into account bird routesand will also be a safe distance from NationalParks.

Tourist routeOver the years a change in the local people’s at-titude towards the power stations has been ob-served. Initially, they were hostile to them,claiming that they would disturb and alter thelandscape, make considerable noise, and scareaway holiday-makers.

Will there be morethan 100 mills herein the future? Windturbines in Cisowo2002


With new technology, the noise created by thewings of the mills has become less troublesome.It has also turned out that the stations do notscare tourists away; on the contrary, they attractthem. There is even a tourist route called the»Wind power stations’ route« in the area.

However, as long as our regulations discouragethe purchase of energy from alternative powerstations, it is difficult to talk about profitability.

In connection with the date when our coun-try will join the EU, there is hope that the issuewill soon be resolved.

Ustka students presenttheir research on

wind turbines at the »On the Threshold -

Baltic 21« conference inSønderborg, June 2000

125LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 TRANSPORT (LATVIA)

By Anda Deksne, Latvia

In our school every secondary-level student isrequired to choose and complete a research pa-per during the three years of their studies. Stu-dents are free to choose the theme of the paper,with many choosing environmental–relatedthemes.

The research paper in question had beencompleted as an extracurricular project in the

students’ free time. The research was carried outduring one academic year by two secondaryschool students, Liga Birsa and Valdis Celmins.

Before embarking on the research work, thestudents gathered basic information (in biologyand chemistry lessons) on air contents and airpollutants, as well as the problems of air quality.

Of course, more information was needed, andthus the students did a detailed study of refer-ence literature on air quality, as well as on the

Students measuringexhaust fumes

Transport: Exhaust Fumes – Research on Traffic Pollution


contents of exhaust fumes and their harmful in-fluence on the environment and all living or-ganisms.

The objective was to perform experimentsaimed at measuring the contents of harmful sub-stances in the exhaust fumes of cars of variousages and countries of manufacture.

In the experimental part of the paper, thestudents measured the concentration of carbonmonoxide (CO) and non–reduced hydrocarbonsin exhaust fumes. To complete this task, theywent to the technical inspection centre of theRoad and Traffic Safety Department.

The investigation showed that the contentsof the exhaust fumes is not dependent on thecar`s age, but on the petrol feeder`s adjustment.About 4-9% of cars fail the test, which appliesto cars of various ages (years of manufacture1980 – 1990).

The students also attempted to measure theamount of hard particles in exhaust fumes. Forthis purpose they constructed a special ‘device’– consisting of a vacuum cleaner, a paper filter,a Bihner funnel and a pipe connected to thecar`s exhaust pipe.

The chosen cars were run for five minutes ata low revolution rate (idle run). With the helpof the vacuum cleaner, the fumes were pumpedthrough the filter, where the hard particles wereabsorbed. After filtration, each filter wasweighed. The result showed that every car in

five minutes emits 50–700 mg of hard particles.The amount of hard particles depends on thecar`s age and make, and whether the has a cat-alytic converter or not.

The research group students involved severaljunior pupils in their investigation work. Theyhelped in counting cars, for the purpose of esti-mating the traffic load at the major junctions ofthe local town Rujiena. They counted the carsfrom 7 am to 7 pm. The calculation shows thatthe number of vehicles passing a junctionreaches 1,500 – 2,300 in 12 hours.

One part of the project was a public poll onair pollution. 78% of the pollees were con-cerned about the air pollution and considered itas a serious problem in the rural areas. The ma-jor polluters in Rujiena were considered to betraffic and the local boiler houses.

The students took more delight in the practi-cal part of the research than in the literaturestudy and the result analysis. However, it was arewarding job, because the project group couldpresent their work to their school peers, as wellas take part in a nationwide competition.

The problem was that not all owners were responsive and willing to take part in theexhaust fume test with their vehicle, because it was necessary to have free access to the elec-tricity source in order to operate the vacuumcleaner.

127LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 FROM WORDS TO ACTION (ESTONIA)

By Urmas Tokko, Estonia

Tartu Tamme Gümnasium is the biggest schoolin terms of pupils and staff in the city of Tartu –with about 1,300 pupils from grades 1-12 and100 members of staff. Altogether, we have morethan 50 rooms in the school building.

Naturally, different kinds of paper productsmake up the main waste in a school. Therefore,sorting waste into at least two groups is ex-tremely real and natural in Estonia at the mo-ment. “This may be a good and simple begin-ning, but it is not enough,” we thought whenwe started the project. School is the most suit-able place for this kind of beginning: pupils, asfuture citizens of the world, should be taught

about the importance of the environment froman early stage. The environmental awareness ofpupils will influence families and eventuallyother enterprises, such as the parents’ work-places.

The slogans “From Words to Action” and“Think Globally, Act Locally” should have a real meaning!

Students from Form 11B, a special naturalsciences class, were the main participants in thisproject. Financial support was applied for fromthe SAS & Coca-Cola Environmental Founda-tion and also through a project competition onsustainable development called “Keep the cityclean”, organised by Tartu Municipality.

Our local decision-makers found our idea

Sort your waste, please:Mixed waste (greenlabel), Papers only (redlabel) and Plastics only(blue label)

From Words to Action “So Was” helps us sort the waste

128 LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5GODE EKSEMPLER

worthwhile implementing and they gave us aproject budget of approximately 1700 Euros.Not much, but a start.With this money we now have three differentbins in every classroom and public room in thelarge school building. Each bin is labelled witha clear message in a coloured label that the stu-dents designed using a special computer pro-gram.

We also learnt about how to sort garbage, andwe also made an attractive information standfor our fellow pupils.

The sticky labels were ordered via the Inter-net from Tallinn, and were sent to us throughthe post: Modern society! In addition to the la-bels for rubbish bins, we have now placed infor-mation labels around the school to raise people’s

awareness: “Did you leave the lights on?” and“Consume rationally!” to mention two.

Thus, investment into environmentally-friendly management of waste and rubbish wascombined with education for sustainability ofpupils and grown-ups connected to the school.

We had a rather funny problem getting theright boxes. As we needed more than 160 boxesin different colours, no store had these all instock. So we ordered the boxes from theNetherlands through an Estonian firm, but atfirst we got boxes that were twice the size! Weeventually got the right-sized boxes, but thecolour was not what we had been expecting.The students pointed out that the coloursshould be in harmony with the colours paintedon the walls, and that as red might attract moreattention, it should be used for the most fre-quent type of waste.

As a preliminary result of the project, we canmention both positive and negative things. Interms of feedback from room cleaners, we areglad they that they have not complained aboutthe additional work for them (More rubbishbins!). Our teachers and pupils are generallysatisfied and pleased about the “new” situation,and teachers are happy to educate pupils onhow to sort waste in their regular lessons.

We have as yet not noticed any intentionalincorrect sorting of waste.

Nevertheless:1. Quite a lot of mixing still takes place. We

think this is due to both carelessness and thenormal hustle and bustle of school life.Therefore, more effort should be made to educate pupils.

2. The big outdoor containers next to theschool building are being used also by localpeople. They just throw their waste into the

“Did you remember toturn off the tap?”

129LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 FROM WORDS TO ACTION (ESTONIA)

school’s containers no matter where they hap-pen to be.

3. Our plastic boxes are perhaps not solidenough for the number of youngsters usingthem.

Still, we think we have made a good start in ourefforts to promote a more sustainable develop-ment! We also think our efforts are the first oftheir kind in Estonian schools.

Why “So Was”?The title can be understood in at least two dif-ferent ways.

First, it can be “So it was” – with the sen-tence marking people’s indifferent attitude toenvironmental problems in the past. The sen-tence also embraces the widely-held view of in-dividuals that “I personally can’t do anything inthat field”. This way the title of the project isan optimistic glance into the future, where wepay more attention to environmental problemsand our attitude towards them.

Second, the words “So” and “Was” mark thebeginning of the English words ‘SOrting’ and‘WASte’.

The title thus gives a direct indication of thecontent of the project.

In addition, “So Was” has a meaning in Ger-man, where “NA SO WAS!” would typically besaid to express surprise. SO WAS is something

extraordinary, adorable, amazing or unbeliev-able.

The title thus asks a question which addressesa number of dilemmas under discussion nowa-days. For example, does sorting waste into differ-ent dustbins cause less damage than by NOTsorting waste? We believe so. Mixed garbage istaken to the local dump. But if sorted, paper istaken to a paper factory in Tallinn, and plasticto a firm in Tallinn, where foreign companiesbuy it as a resource material for producing an-other form of plastic!

Paper and plastic for recycling in their separate containers

By Martin Jarrath, Germany

This is the story of the “Agenda 21 NOW!” In-ternational Internet Conference, a joint initia-tive of Anna-Schmidt School, Frankfurt amMain, and Kandel Comprehensive School, Ger-many

The story begins in 1996 when the Internetstarted to noticeably reach schools in Germanyand elsewhere. Schools started to connect tothe Internet and a wealth of new possibilitieswas offered for lessons in all subjects. But whatabout the content?

The idea The idea for “Agenda 21 NOW!” comes out ofa network. It emerged during the annual Ger-

man UNESCO ASPnet schools meeting in Sep-tember 1998, when school representatives dis-cussed ideas for an action day on education forsustainability in 2000. We decided to introducethe Internet as a useful means of communica-tion for educational purposes.The main ideas were:• To focus on the contents, not on the techni-

cal aspect• To combine the new technical possibilities

with traditional methods of interculturallearning: give students the opportunity tocome into personal contact with studentsfrom other countries and communicate oncertain topics for a certain period of time

• To do something with a long-lasting effect• To make use of the existing networks we are a

130 LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Chapter 6

FROM LOCAL TO GLOBAL

From Local to GlobalAgenda 21 NOW! International Internet Conference

The “Agenda 21 NOW!” story

131LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

part of, i.e. the UNESCO ASPnet and theBaltic Sea Project.

Step one:Title The title should be a worldwide call for partici-pation in the Agenda 21 process, to make thegoals of the Agenda 21 come true. This led tothe term “Agenda 21 NOW!”.

Step two: BasicsWe wanted every participant to be able to findout easily who he/she was having a discussionwith. We wanted this information to be reliableand to avoid misuse of personal data.

We wanted high-quality discussions amongwell-prepared participants. Hence, we had toprovide a website where the participants wouldfind materials and linked sites for their prepara-tory work during school lessons and elsewhere.

We wanted easy-to-follow, yet serious discus-sions. This led to the idea that contributionsshould be content-related: At any time it shouldbe possible to see logical connections betweenthe contributions; for example, which answerbelongs to which question.

We wanted the participants to feel safe andconfident in the conference. Therefore, theconference is open for registered participantsonly and for a limited time only.

We wanted easy access: Students from allover the world should be able to participate,provided they have access to an Internet com-puter somewhere, be it at school, at home, at afriend’s house or in an Internet café.

Last but not least, we wanted students fromall countries to be able to fully participate in allparts of the conference regardless of computer

equipment and age of modems. This excludes,for example, video conferences. A demand formodern equipment would exclude manyschools, especially in poorer countries, anddeepen the digital gap.

Step three: Preparing a conferenceIn preparation of the conference, we needed anicely-designed website that invited teachersand students from all over the world to partici-pate. The website should clearly announce theplace, date, time and theme of the Internet con-ference, it should provide materials for theteachers and students to prepare for the confer-ence, and it should contain links to websiteswith conference-related information.

During the conference itself we made avail-able virtual Internet conference rooms with acontent-related order of written contributions.One click on the author’s name should showthe most important data of the author - name,age, town, country, e-mail-address, etc. This al-lows contacts and further discussions among the

Teachers supervise and students work asmoderators

AGENDA 21 NOW!

132 LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5FROM LOCAL TO GLOBAL

participants, also after the conference.Through the use of PHP communication soft-

ware, we could offer participants real-time com-munication – with spontaneous questions andanswers. We considered this to be highly attrac-tive to the young people, and a very skilled up-per secondary student, Thomas Detsch, createdthis PHP communication software according toour expressed needs.

Step four: Finalising the structure We wanted the structure to be that of an ordi-nary conference:

It must have a specific date, and a specificbut limited duration. As regards duration, 24hours was chosen to allow students around theglobe to discuss at a local time of the day, and e-mails in advance enabled registration and infor-mation to be given beforehand.

On registering for the conference each partic-ipant receives a password and can enter any ofthe conference rooms after passing the gate.

Each conference room has a moderator, whohas been specially prepared for the task.

The discussions take place in real-time, witha new contribution visible to all participants inthe same conference room only seconds after ithas been posted.

The conference allows participants to takepart in several discussions at a time.

Step five: How to find participantsE-mail announcements to schools within theASP and BSP networks spread the informationeffectively, and from these two networks the in-formation is distributed worldwide.

Step six:The operational team The preparatory team designs the website,writes editorials, makes texts and pictures and

establishes contacts to newspapers, radio andtelevision.

Step seven:Waiting for registrations The registration period starts approx. threemonths before the conference. The number ofregistrations per day is usually very low in thebeginning– which concerned us enormously atfirst – and then increases to reach a maximumon the day of the conference itself. All registra-tions are manually checked to avoid misuse.

Step eight: ModeratorsModerators (upper secondary students) workduring the conference by asking questions tostart discussions, by possibly changing the direc-tion of a discussion, and by politely asking par-ticipants to follow the rules when necessary.Teachers assist as supervisors when help is need-ed. E-mails are co-ordinated and distributed sothat moderators do not have to check e-mailsthemselves during the conference.

A technically-skilled upper secondary studentserves as webmaster in case technical problemsoccur. A catering team, a task force and a secu-rity team provide all the necessary services, suchas food, tools from the nearest computer store,and protection of the hard-working moderatorsfrom the crowd during the conference.

Experiences The first conference took place in June 2000:The conference team in Frankfurt am Main, at Anna-Schmidt School, was extremely ex-cited when the time for the opening drew near.The conference started on time at 00:00 U.T.C.(2 am in Frankfurt). And it worked! A numberof participants in different corners of the worldhad seemingly been waiting for this beginning,and we witnessed an hour of good discussions

133LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 AGENDA 21 NOW!

with many people. It was really fascinating! In the early morning a severe thunderstorm

cut us off from e-mails for a couple of hours anddamaged the computer system in our school. Wewere forced to continue the moderation of theconference with two laptop computers. Imaginefour moderators sharing two small computers!This continued for three or four hours until thetechnical problem could fortunately be solved.For a while though, the situation looked techni-cally very disappointing.

Fortunately, our webserver was situated inEngland, and the conference itself was thereforenot affected. The only problem was that inFrankfurt we were more or less prevented fromtaking part. Once technically reinstalled, wefound that the discussions had continued beau-tifully in the meantime, even without or withjust a few moderators involved. Nevertheless,we then had a pleasant time with interestingdiscussions during the rest of the afternoon,cooling down in the evening. The team was ex-tremely motivated, the co-operation during the24 hours was excellent, and the conference wasreal fun for all of us.

Lessons learnt from the first conferencein 2000Apparently, it was attractive for students fromall over the world to log into discussions withothers about a topic of relevance to their future.We had many hours of interesting discussions.

The Internet conference gave students ofcountries such as Uganda the opportunity to –for the first time in their lives, as they wrote –come in contact with students from other coun-tries!

A wonderful and highly motivated team ofabout 50 students and teachers had run the con-ference for 24 hours, sometimes faced with seri-

ous technical problems (thunderstorm damage),but able to ensure that at all times there hadbeen a conference.

Moderators were important for the discus-sions, encouraging others to make a contribu-tion, setting focus on important aspects, changing the direction of a discussion, and, onone occasion, politely asking somebody to fol-low the rules.

The quality of the discussions was mixed:Many were interesting, some even very intense.But there were also others that were not very serious and of poor quality. The best discussionsemerged when talking about a concrete prob-lem, or a special situation that encouraged dif-ferent opinions. The improvement of the discus-sion quality was considered as one of the majorchallenges for the next conference(s).

Technically, the virtual Internet server wehad was inadequate for the demands of such aconference. Moreover, such a conference serverurgently needs a shield against Internet attacks.There are always people on the Internet who tryto digitally attack such a conference, for ex-ample by so-called Denial-of-Service-Attacks,which might totally block the conference server.

Agenda 21 NOW! 2001 – 2003:Ways toimprove the conference Since 5 June 2000, Agenda 21 NOW! has takenplace three more times, once every year.

Professional IT supportInformation about our Internet conference hasbeen spread worldwide. Hence, our conferenceis a target for hackers who try to digitally attackour Internet server. Since our second conferenceon 22 March 2001, CEMA AG, an IT companyfrom Mannheim, Germany, has hosted our con-ference on a stand-alone physical server using

134 LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5FROM LOCAL TO GLOBAL

state-of-the-art security technology. Nearly4,500 attacks, reaching a maximum of 86 persecond during the conference on 3 April 2003,have proven the necessity of such professionalsupport. It would really be feasible to set upsuch technology in a school; it requires special-ists from an IT company!

The co-operation with CEMA AG has simply been excellent. You could very well saythat the people from CEMA AG have becomemembers of the Agenda 21 NOW! team!

Moderator trainingThe quality of a discussion is to some extent de-pendent on the quality of the moderation. Mod-erators need to be prepared, and since our sec-ond conference we have asked all moderators toattend a short theoretical and practical training

course in moderation one or two weeks beforethe conference.

Who should the website be for? For students? For teachers? The first conferencegave a clear answer: for teachers. It is the teachers who have to be attracted by our e-mail-announcements and encouraged to takea look at our website. If they consider our web-site to be interesting (and attractive) – we knowsuch decisions are often made within seconds –they may decide to work on Agenda 21 NOW!topics with their students in one of their courses. There is strong evidence to suggest thatmost registrations are made because a teacherhas told his/her students to do so. To make awebsite for students would mean creating a to-tally different design and presenting the con-

The 2001 theme was Water

135LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 AGENDA 21 NOW!

tents in a totally different way. It is a good question whether this could really work,whether topics dealing with sustainability andAgenda 21 could in general be so attractive thatmany students would deal with them in theirleisure time totally voluntarily and without anyspecial recommendation by a teacher.

This shows the important role of teachers intimes of IT and modern media. Furthermore,teachers are multipliers, moderators of learningprocesses, and the ones who choose and intro-duce (new) topics into a learning process – ornot, as the case may be.

ExpertsIt is nice to experience so many people from somany different countries having intense discus-sions together. We thought it might be evennicer – and more interesting! – to additionallyhave experts talking to the students in the In-ternet conference rooms. Experts – if wellknown locally or even internationally – mightattract more people to take a look at our confer-ence or to take part. And their contributions inthe discussions have notably enriched the dis-cussions. One of the experts of the 2002 confer-ence was Prof. Bert Bolin, professor of meteoro-logy at the University of Stockholm, formerchairman of the International Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC) and author of the introductoryarticle in the BSP Learners’ Guide “Air Qual-ity”. Since the third conference on 25 April2002, participants have had the opportunity todiscuss with several international experts duringthe conference.

The conference theme“Agenda 21 NOW!” is the title of our project,and since Agenda 21 is such a huge plan of ac-tion, we have decided to focus on selected as-

pects in every conference. Therefore, each con-ference is devoted to a special theme.

In 2001, the theme was “Water”, as the con-ference took place on World Water Day, 22March. In 2002, it was “Floods and Deserts”, fo-cusing on the probable or possible effects ofglobal warming. Both these themes, looking atthe number of participants, were well accepted:1200+ participants in 2001, 1900+ in 2002. In2003, the theme was an experiment: “Bordersand Diversity – Can we live together sustainablyin a globalising world?” Borders between coun-tries and inside countries, maybe even in ourheads, still exist world-wide, on all continents.How can we respect each other, respect the di-versity of human culture and maintain peace ina globalising world?

The total number of participants (1500+) waslower than in 2002, but all moderators con-sidered the quality of the discussion contribu-tions notably better than the year before. Theconference on 3 April 2003 took place during

A catering team of stu-dents provide the neces-sary food, and also washthe dishes

136 FROM LOCAL TO GLOBAL LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

the war in Iraq, and our conference room“Peace after War” about the consequences ofthis war was by far the most frequented confer-ence room of the entire conference.

Expansion and co-operationAt the 2003 conference, the growing Agenda21 NOW! team consisted of about 70 teachersand students from two schools situated in tworather different places (about 150 km apart).The co-operation has been enriching for boththe people from Frankfurt and from Kandel.The two schools are not competing but genu-inely co-operating as one team.

Does the Agenda 21 NOW! Internet con-ference reach its goals?We have seen that a considerable number ofparticipants have taken part repeatedly in ourconference. There are schools which have been

with us in all four conferences. We think – andhope! – that Agenda 21 NOW! is being con-sidered as an interesting way to make use of thenew possibilities of the Internet in lessons ofnon-technical subjects, such as English, socialscience, geography, biology, history and others.This way we hope to accomplish our goal thataction moves from local to regional to global!

Agenda 21 NOW! started as an experiment;an example in extremely easy content-orientated international co-operation usingmodern media. Apart from anything else youmight say about Agenda 21 NOW!, we hopethat to most participants it has been what it hastruly been to us, the Agenda 21 NOW! team: • a lot of work• a lot of fun • a continuous opportunity to learn from and

about others!Therefore, the story will be continued.

137FROM LOCAL TO GLOBALLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Ideas change the worldonly when they’re shared.Poster at World Summit,Johannesburg, 2002

138 LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5APPENDICES

Appendix IThematic Workshops on Baltic 21 Sectors- a list of instructors and participatingschools

Sustainable Agriculture:Healthy Food/Novel Food

Instructors:Mette Frølund, teacher of biology and chemistry Køge Gymnasium, Gymnasievej 4,DK-4600 Køge

Bjarne Nielsen, teacher of biology and physical educationContact e-mail: [email protected]

Participants from the following schools and authorities:• Estonia: Kohtla-Järve Grammar School,Tallinn

Lilleküla Gümnasium,Tartu Nature House, Viljandi Secondary School

• France: UNESCO Paris• Germany: Anna-Schmidt-Schule, Frankfurt am Main• Latvia: Nauksenu Secondary School;

Rujiena Secondary School; Vecpiebalga Regional CountryGymnasium

• Lithuania: Jonuciai Secondary School; Sitkunai BasicSchool

• Poland: II Liceum Katowice; Liceum No. 1, Krakow; IIILiceum Glogow; Szkola Podstawowa No. 23, Wloclawek

• Sweden: Soltorgs Gymnasiet, Borlänge; Haraldsbo Gym-nasiet, Falun; Gripenskolan, Nyköping

• St. Lucia: UNESCO Caribbean Sea Project• Malawi: UNESCO Zambezi River Project

Spatial Planning:Biodiversity and Green Areas

Instructor Bo Jonø, project adviser Græskobbel 5 DK-6440 Augustenborg, DenmarkContact e-mail: [email protected]: www.jonoe.dk – Visit Baltic 21 for further confer-ence information

Participants from the following schools and authorities:

• Denmark: Sønderskovskolen, Sønderborg; GedserNaturskole

• Estonia:Tallinn Lilleküla Gümnasium; Uulu BasicSchool; Viljandi Municipality; Vinni Pajusta SecondarySchool, Virumaa

• Finland: Simon lukio • Latvia: Riga School No. 49 • Russia: Junior Ecological Centre of Kirovsky, St.

Petersburg• Spain: UNESCO West Mediterranean Sea Project,

Valencia• Sweden: Norrevångsskolan, Eslöv; Saltsjöbaden,

Stockholm

Sustainable Energy:Energy for the Next Millenium

Instructors:Kim Maron, teacher of biology, chemistry and technology Amtsgymnasiet i Sønderborg, Grundtvigs Alle 86,DK-6400 Sønderborg, Denmark Contact e-mail: [email protected]

Mogens Winther, teacher of astronomy, physics and maths Amtsgymnasiet i Sønderborg, Grundtvigs Alle 86,DK-6400 Sønderborg, Denmark Contact e-mail: [email protected]

Participants from the following schools and authorities:• Denmark: Bodilsker Skole, Nexø• Finland: Meri-Porin lukio, Pori; Pedersöre Gymnasium;

Otava Folk High School; Helsingin Luonnontiede lukio• Latvia: Rujiena Secondary School; Ilgociema Secondary

School, Riga• Lithuania: Klaipeda Tailors School• Poland: Zespol Szkol No. 1, Gdansk; I Liceum, Krakow;

III Liceum, Glogow • Russia: School No. 9, Gatchina; Kolpino School• Sweden: Falun Municipality; Hjalmar Lundbohmsskolan,

Kiruna; Soltorgs Gymnasiet, Borlänge

Baltic 21 Overall Goals:Environmental TheatreInstructors:Inge Brink, teacher of drama, French and physical education Amtsgymnasiet i Sønderborg, Grundtvigs Alle 86,

139LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 APPENDIX 1: WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS

DK-6400 Sønderborg Denmark Contact e-mail: [email protected]

Tom Hansen, teacher of art and drama Sønderskovskolen, Grundtvigs Alle 100, DK-6400Sønderborg, Denmark Contact e-mail:[email protected]

Participants from the following schools and authorities:• Bulgaria: UNESCO Blue Danube River Project • Denmark: Bodilsker Skole, Nexø; Sønderborg

Municipality• Estonia: Kohtla Järve Municipality; Kohtla Järve

Grammar School; Lihula Gymnasium • Germany: Anna-Schmidt-Schule, Frankfurt am Main• Latvia: Salacgrieva Secondary School; Riga Secondary

School No. 66; Limbazi Secondary School • Lithuania: Klaipeda Tailors School; Klaipeda

Construction School; Jonuciai Secondary School • Poland: II Liceum Katowice; Szkola Podstawowa No. 3,

Ustka; Zespol Szkol No. 6, Gdansk; III Liceum Glogow• Russia: School No. 9, Gatchina; Kaliningrad Eco-centre;

School No. 179, St. Petersburg

Sustainable Tourism: Is Tourism Sustain-able on Als?

Instructors:Hannah Ørnsholt Ring, teacher of biology and chemistry Køge Gymnasium, Gymnasievej 4,DK-4600 Køge, Denmark Contact e-mail: [email protected]

Dr. Gillian CambersUniversity of Puerto Rico, P.O. Box 9011,Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 00681Contact e-mail: [email protected]

Participants from the following schools and authorities:• Bulgaria: UNESCO Blue Danube River Project• Denmark: Sønderborg Municipality; Struer Gymnasium• Estonia: Lihula Gümnasium• Finland: Meri-Porin lukio, Pori; Langinkosken lukio,

Kotka• France: UNESCO Paris• Georgia:Tbilisi Classical Gymnasium• Latvia: Vecpiebalga Regional Country Gymnasium;

Liepaja Secondary School No. 10; Lielvarde SecondarySchool

• Lithuania: J. Luksa Gymnasium, Kaunas; Lapes BasicSchool

• Spain: Colegio Mare De Deu Del Carmen• Poland: Glogow Municipality; Zespol Szkol No. 6,

Gdansk• Russia: School No. 9, Gatchina• Slovenia: Osnovna sola Cirila Kosmaca, Piran; Gimnasio

Gian Rinaldo Carli Koper, Koper• Sweden: Gripenskolan, Nyköping; Chapmanskolan,

Karlskrona; Nynäshamn Gymnasium, NackaGymnasium; Skolverket, Stockholm

• St. Lucia: UNESCO Caribbean Sea Project

Baltic 21 Overall Goals: Conceptual Artand Design

Instructor:Søren Møller, teacher of art and design Amtsgymnasiet i Sønderborg, Grundtvigs Alle 86, DK-6400 Sønderborg, Denmark Contact e-mail: [email protected]

Participants from the following schools and authorities:• Denmark: Amtsgymnasiet i Sønderborg; Bodilsker Skole,

Nexø; Ministry of Education, Copenhagen• Estonia:Tartu Nature House• Finland: Kotka Municipality; Helsingin Luonnontiede

lukio, Helsinki• Germany: Anna-Schmidt-Schule, Frankfurt am Main• Latvia: Northern Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve,

Salacgreiva; Liepaja Secondary School No. 10• Lithuania: Klaipeda Tailors School• Poland: I Liceum Krakow; II Liceum Katowice • Sweden: Nynäshamn Gymnasium; Skolverket, Stockholm

Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry,Spatial Planning - Restoration of Natural Habitats

Instructors:Knud Johnsen, teacher of biology and geography Rungsted Gymnasium, Stadion Alle 14,DK-2960 Rungsted Kyst, Denmark Contact via website: www.rungsted-gym.dk

Peter Uhl, teacher of biology Esrum Møllegård, Klostergade 12, Esrum,DK-3230 GræstedContact e-mail: [email protected]

140 APPENDICES LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

Participants from the following schools and authorities:• Denmark: Amtsgymnasiet i Sønderborg• Estonia: Nature House,Tallinn; REC Estonia• Finland: Helsingin Luonnontiede lukio, Helsinki; Simon

lukio; Meri-Porin lukio, Pori; Langinkosken lukio, Kotka• Germany: Anna-Schmidt-Schule, Frankfurt am Main• Latvia: Limbazi Secondary School No. 1; Northern

Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve, Salacgrieva• Lithuania: Vytautas Didysis Gymnasium, Kaunas; J.

Luksa Gymnasium, Kaunas• Poland: Dep. of Environmental Protection; II Liceum

Katowice • Russia: Junior Ecological Centre, St. Petersburg• Sweden: Haraldsbo Gymnasium, Falun; Gripenskolan,

Nyköping

Sustainable Fisheries - The Baltic Sea for Food?

Instructors:Hans Jørgen Bruun Olesen, teacher of biology Esbjerg Gymnasium, Steengaardsvej 345, DK-6705Esbjerg Ø, DenmarkContact e-mail: [email protected]

Kurt Berthelsen Kristensen, NGO representative from“Levende Hav (Oceans Alive)”, DenmarkContact e-mail: [email protected]

Mikael Himberg, former teacher of fisheries Finlands fiskeri- och miljöinstitut, Fiskeriskolvägen 72 /Kalakouluntie 7220 610 Kirjala, FinlandContact e-mail: [email protected]: www.kala.turku.fi/english/index/htm

Participants from the following schools and authorities:• Denmark: Bodilsker Skole, Nexø; Sønderskovsskolen,

Sønderborg • Estonia: Kohtla Järve Grammar School;Tartu Nature

House• Finland: Suomen Kalatalous-ja, Kirjala• Germany: Anna-Schmidt-Schule, Frankfurt am Main• Georgia:Tbilisi University, Dept. of Physics: Black Sea

extension of SEMEP - South East MediterraneanProject

• Lithuania: J. Luksa Gymnasium, Kaunas• Poland: Zespol Szkol No. 6, Gdansk

• Slovenia: Osnovna sola Cirila Kosmaca Piran; GimnasioGian Rinaldo Carli Koper

Sustainable Forestry - ForestManagement and Production

Instructors:Karin Jepsen, teacher of Danish and biology Sønderskovskolen, Grundtvigs Alle 100, DK-6400Sønderborg, Denmark Contact e-mail: [email protected]

Kerstin Lennerstedt, BSP resource person Småskolevägen 1, S-22 467 Lund, Sweden

Risto Hamari, principalLanginkosken lukio, Allintie 10, Kotka, FinlandContact e-mail: [email protected]

Participants from the following schools and authorities:• Denmark: Bodilsker Skole, Nexø; Ministry of Education,

Copenhagen• Estonia:Tallinn Lilleküla Gümnasium• Finland: Langinkosken lukio, Kotka; National Board of

Education, Helsinki• Germany: Schulzentrum am Heimgarten, Ahrensburg• Latvia: Ilguciema Secondary School, Riga; Vecpiebalga

Regional Country Gymnasium• Lithuania: Zemyna Gymnasium, Vilnius; Klaipeda

Construction School• Poland: Szkola Podsatwowa No. 3, Ustka; Szkola

Podstawowa No. 23, Wloclawek • Russia: Kolpino School; School No. 476, St. Petersburg;

School No. 9, Gatchina; Pskov Bilingual Gymnasium• St. Lucia: UNESCO Caribbean Sea Project

Baltic 21 Overall Goals:Video Design

Instructor:Bengt LittorinTaraxacum Media, Sweden Contact e-mail: [email protected]

Participants from the following schools and authorities:• Denmark: Bodilsker Skole, Nexø• Estonia: Lillekülla Gümnasium,Tallinn• Finland: Helsingin Luonnontiede lukio, Helsinki; Meri-

Porin lukio, Pori; Otava Municipality• Germany: Anna-Schmidt-Schule, Frankfurt am Main

141APPENDIX 1: WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORSLEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5

• Lithuania: Lapes Basic School• Poland: Zespol Szkol No. 6, Gdansk• Sweden: Nacka Gymnasium; Polhemskolan i Lund

Baltic 21 Overall Goals:Web Design

Instructors:Niels Bjerre, webmaster of www.bsp-dk.dk (and previouslyof www.b-s-p.org) Danmarksgade 16, DK-4874 Gedser, DenmarkContact e-mail: [email protected]

Martin Jarrath, teacher of geography, chemistry and com-puter scienceAnna-Schmidt-Schule (member of UNESCO ASPnet),Gärtnerweg 29, D-60322 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyContact e-mail: [email protected]

Participants from the following schools and authorities:• Estonia: Kohtla Järve Grammar School; C.R. Jacobsens

Gymnasium, Viljandi; Lilleküla Gymnaisum,Tallinn• Latvia: Riga Secondary School No. 49• Lithuania: Klaipeda Tailors School; Kaunas Anima Basic

School• Poland: Zespol Szkol No. 6, Gdansk• Sweden: Polhemskolan i Lund; Gripenskolan, Nyköping;

Nynäshamn Gymnasium

Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry, Industry- Environment Has a History!

Instructors:Christian Bo Bojesen, teacher of history, latin and classical educationAmtsgymnasiet i Sønderborg, Grundtvigs Alle 86,DK-6400 Sønderborg, DenmarkContact e-mail: [email protected]

Niels Kornum, teacher of biology and physical education Amtsgymnasiet i Sønderborg, Grundtvigs Alle 86,DK-6400 Sønderborg, DenmarkContact e-mail: [email protected]

Dr. Per Eliasson, environmental history co-ordinator Lärarutbildningen Malmö högskola, Malmö, SwedenContact e-mail: [email protected]

Participants from the following schools and authorities:• Estonia:Tartu Nature House;Tallinn Lilleküla

Gümnasium• Finland: Pedersöre Gymnasium; Otava Folk High

School; Langinkosken lukio, Kotka; Ministry ofEducation, Helsinki

• Germany: Frankfurt am Main Municipality; UNESCOGermany

• Latvia: Carl Bro Ltd. Environment Consulate; LielvärdeSecondary School

• Lithuania: Kaunas Anima Basic School; Klaipeda TailorsSchool; Klaipeda Construction School; AzuolasSecondary School, Varena

• Poland: I Liceum, Krakow; II Liceum Katowice• Russia: Kolpino School; School No. 179, St. Petersburg;

Kaliningrad Eco-centre• Sweden: Chapmanskolan,Täby; Haraldsbogymnasiet,

Falun; Hjalmar Lundbomskolan, Kiruna;Norrevångsskolan, Lund; Gripenskolan, Nyköping

Sustainable Industry - From Resource toProduct to Rusty Heaps - or?

Instructors:Dan Sterup, teacher of Danish and biologyBodilsker Skole, Pederskervejen 11, DK-3730 Nexø,Denmark (resigned in 2001)Contact e-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

Per Werge, teacher of history and geographyNykøbing Falster Katedralskole, Poul Martin Møllersvej,DK-4800 Nykøbing Falster, Denmark Contact e-mail: [email protected]

Participants from the following schools and authorities:• Denmark: Bodilsker Skole, Nexø; Ministry of Education,

Copenhagen• Finland: Puolalanmäen yläaste ja lukio; Pori

Municipality• Great Britain: Luton Sixth Form College, Bedfordshire• Latvia: Ilguciema Secondary School, Riga; Valmiera

Gymnaisum• Lithuania: J. Luksa Gymnasium, Kaunas• Malta: Carlo Diacong Junior Lyceum• Poland: Gdansk Municipality; Glogow Municipality; III

Liceum Glogow• Russia: Kolpino School


Appendix IIACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Photos:Page 4 Jan Zimmermann, DenmarkPage 4 Participant in the World Summit on Sustainable

DevelopmentPage 49 Charlotte Haslund-Christensen, CARE DanmarkPage 53 Ole Malling, DenmarkPage 54, 58, 66 ,67, 73, 76, 79, 83, 84, 85, 101, 104,

116, 117, 118, 119, 124, 137 Birthe Zimmermann, Denmark

Page 55 Birgit Kristensen, DenmarkPage 59 Karri Jutila, FinlandPage 60, 61, 70, 72, 80, 81 BSP workshop

participantsPage 62, 68 Søren Møller, DenmarkPage 63 Sara Åkerlindh, SwedenPage 65 POLFOTO, Lars Skaaning, DenmarkPage 69, 86 Peter Uhl, DenmarkPage 71, 110, 111, 112 Risto Hamari, FinlandPage 74 Vesna Milinkovic, SloveniaPage 87, 88 Lasse Lindstrøm, FinlandPage 92, 94 Bodil Pedersen, DenmarkPage 98, 99 Sigitas Zudys, Lithuania Page 105, 106 Ralal Cieslak, PolandPage 108, 109 Mall Schmidt, EstoniaPage 114 Danuta Madroszkieiwcz, PolandPage 120 Mats Lindfors, SwedenPage 122, 123 Teresa Kaminska, PolandPage 125 Anda Deksne, LatviaPage 127, 128, 129 Urmas Tokko, EstoniaPage 131, 134 Walter Koser, GermanyPage 135 Ute Grönwoldt, Germany

Drawings:Page 1 Liis Laugas, EstoniaPage 6 Zane Zardina, LatviaPage 11 Alex Tulina, RussiaPage 12 Pierre Geisler, GermanyPage 13 Benjamin Mühlichen, GermanyPage 14 Malene Priske Meier, DenmarkPage 15 Ramona Rozmisa, LatviaPage 16 Angelika Rabiej, PolandPage 17 Dumila Tymecko and Paulina Siedler, PolandPage 18 Paulina Ciesielska and Niklaus Paegle, LatviaPage 19 Janis Presis, Latvia

Page 20 Edgars Kujatkoskis, LatviaPage 21 Joanna Kuligowska, Poland Page 22 Rolands Salmins, LatviaPage 23 Maigonis Preikss, LatviaPage 24 Uldis Mangulsons, LatviaPage 25 Agata Ciemiorek, Poland Page 26 Kristine Leja, LatviaPage 27 Euna Lazdina, LatviaPage 32 From “The Long Way to Sustainability”,

Johannesburg, South Africa 2002Page 33 Maria Mensonen, FinlandPage 35 Mára Alksne, LatviaPages 39,40 From www.baltic21.orgPage 41 Aleksandra Pisarska, PolandPage 47 Pawel Piatek, PolandPage 57 Andrius Smetona, LithuaniaPage 95 Beoita Joiwis, PolandPage 100, 102 The Fishery and Maritime Museum,

Esbjerg, DenmarkPage 115 Alicja Chyla, Julia Wojciechowska, Malgorzata

Bogulecka, PolandPage 121 Helen Litvinova, Russia

Language editing:Steven GardnerMinistry of Foreign AffairsAsiatisk Plads 2DK-1171 Copenhagen KDenmark

Authors and contributorsElizabeth Khawajkie, International Co-ordinatorAssociated Schools Project Network UNESCO,7 Place de Fontenoy75352 Paris 07 SPFrance

Andris Mikulis,Riga Special Secondary School no 66, Latvia

Chapter 1Compiled from www.baltic21.org byBirthe Zimmermann, former general and national BSP co-ordinatorAmtsgymnasiet i Sønderborg, Grundtvigs Alle 86,DK-6400 Sønderborg, DenmarkContact e-mail: [email protected]: www.amtsgym-sdbg.dk

143LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Chapter 2 Siv Sellin, chairman of working group 1 (schools) in Baltic 21 Education, former general and national BSP co-ordinator National Board of Education, Stockholm, SwedenContact e-mail: [email protected]

Kaisa Lindström, principal, member of working group 3(non-formal education) in Baltic 21 Education Otava Folk High School, Otavantie 2,50670 Otava, Finland Contact e-mail: [email protected]

Per EliassonLärarutbildningen Malmö högskola,Malmö, SwedenContact e-mail: [email protected]

Chapter 3Bjarke Larsen, journalist Presto, Blegen 11,DK-6400 Sønderborg, Denmark Contact e-mail: [email protected]

Christina Jakobsson, former general secretary Baltic 21 Secretariat,S-103 33 Stockholm, SwedenContact e-mail: [email protected]: www.baltic21.org

Jens-Otto Andersen, visiting assistant professor Royal Danish Veterinary and Agricultural School,Bülowsvej 17,DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark Contact e-mail: [email protected]: www.kvl.dk

Peter Laut, professor Technical University of Denmark, Building 376,DK-2800 Lyngby, DenmarkContact e-mail: [email protected]: www.dtu.dkFig. 3.8 from: JT Kiehl and KE Trenberth 1997 Earth’sAnnual Global Mean Energy Budget. Bull. Am. Met.Society 78-(2) 197-208

Jakob Kjøller, voluntary CARE Danmark member Danish Refugee Council, Borgergade 10, P.O.Box 53,DK-1002 Copenhagen V, DenmarkContact e-mail: [email protected]: www.flygtning.dk

CARE DenmarkNørrebrogade 68B,DK-1165 Copenhagen N, DenmarkContact e-mail: [email protected]: www.care.dk

Nanna Jordt Jørgensen, former chairman of ”Natur og Ungdom”Contact e-mail: [email protected]: www.natur-og-ungdom.dk

Marie Søndergård Larsen Holstedvej 20, Bolbro,DK-5200 Odense V, DenmarkContact e-mail: [email protected]

Dr. Hans Henrik Bruun, senior researcher Danish Forest and Landscape Research Institute, HørsholmKongevej 11,DK-2970 Hørsholm, Denmark Contact e-mail: [email protected]

Chapter 4(see appendix I)

Chapter 5Niels Madsen, teacher of biologyEsrum Møllegaard, Klostergade 12, Esrum,DK-3230 Græsted, DenmarkContact e-mail: [email protected]

Kaisa Lindström, principal Otava Folk High School, Otavantie 2,50670 Otava, FinlandContact e-mail: [email protected]

Franziska Von Gadow Auguste-Viktoria-Schule, Südergraben 34,D-24 937 Flensburg, GermanyContact e-mail: [email protected]

Indicators listed in »Guidelines,Indicators for a Local Agenda 21«(Leitfaden – Indikatoren im Rahmen einer lokalen Agenda 21)FEST - Forschungsstätte der EvangelischenStudiengemeinschaft e.V., Schmeilweg 5,D-69118 Heidelberg, GermanyContact e-mail: [email protected]


Anna Figiel, teacher of biology Nowodworski Secondary School, Krakow, PolandContact e-mail: [email protected]

Sigitas Zudys, principalRaguva Secondary School, Panevezys region, LithuaniaContact e-mail: c/o Laima Galkute, [email protected]

Hans Jørgen Bruun Olesen, teacher of biology,national BSP co-ordinator Esbjerg Gymnasium, Steengaardsvej 345,DK-6705 Esbjerg Ø, DenmarkContact e-mail: [email protected]: www.e-gym.dkWebsite: www.bsp-dk.dk

Mette, Ditte, Bettina, Mie and Regitze, Sabrina, Maiken,Jannie and Carina Bodilsker skole, Pederskervejen 11,DK-3730 Nexø, DenmarkContact e-mail: [email protected]

Maria Adamiak and Andrezej Kropidlowski Zespol Szkol No. 2,Kolobrzeg, PolandContact e-mail: [email protected]

Kaidi Karu, Mari Sarv and Diana Revjako, students Mall Schmidt, teacherKohtla-Järve Gümnasium, Katse 2,Kohtla-Järve,30327 EstoniaContact e-mail: [email protected]

Risto Hamari, principal Langinkosken lukio, Allintie 10,Kotka, FinlandContact e-mail: [email protected]

Danuta MadroszkieiwczIII Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace, Ul. Obozowa 3,67-200 Glogow, PolandContact e-mail: [email protected]

Dr. Anna Obukhovskaya and Dr. Irina Krichevskaya School No. 179, Ushinskogo Street 35-11,St. Petersburg, RussiaContact e-mail: [email protected]

Malin Davelius, Sofie Renemar,Veronica Gustavsson and Sanna Elstad, Nv2b, studentsSusanne Mellvig, teacherNacka Gymnasium, Griffelvägen 17,S-131 40 Nacka, SwedenContact e-mail: [email protected]: www.nacka.se

Teresa Kaminska, teacher of biologyJunior Secondary Shool No. 1Ustka, PolandContact e-mail:[email protected]

Anda Deksne, teacherRujiena Secondary School, Riga Street 30,4240 LatviaContact e-mail: [email protected]

Urmas Tokko, teacher of biology and chemistryTartu Tamme Gümnasium,Tamme Puiestee 24A,Tartu, 50404 EstoniaContact e-mail: [email protected]

Chapter 6Martin Jarrath, teacher of geography,chemistry and computer scienceAgenda 21 NOW! co-ordinatorKandel Comprehensive School, Jahnstr. 20,D-76870 Kandel, GermanyContact e-mail: [email protected]: www.agenda21now.org

IT sponsor of Agenda21NOW!CEMA AG Manheim, GermanyWebsite: www.cema.de

145LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 INDEX

Indexaction 3, 6, 9, 28, 29, 31, 34, 35, 37, 38, 41, 52, 62, 79, 89,96, 107, 130, 135, 136action competence 6, 29, 31, 35, 37, 52, 62activity 25, 50, 52, 103Agenda 21 3, 6, 8, 28, 31, 38, 80, 90, 96, 130, 131, 134,135, 136agriculture 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 63, 69,75, 79, 82, 83, 104, 112agro-environmental legislation 41air 7, 9, 10, 23, 75, 78, 82, 95, 97, 113, 117, 119, 125, 126algae 113, 119angling 19, 70Antarctica 44Aquafarms 78, 106archipelago 80, 120, 121ash mountain 109atmosphere 8, 45, 46, 47, 120attitudes 6, 23, 34, 35

Baltic 21 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 28, 31, 38, 39, 40, 62, 63,66, 73, 74, 79, 96, 124Baltic Sea 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 33, 38, 54,67, 75, 78, 80, 82, 89, 92, 104, 105, 107, 110Baltic Sea Project (BSP) 3, 132, 135beech 56,71bet 52bicycle 25, 27birch 117biodiversity 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 29, 40, 41, 56,64, 69, 71, 75, 80, 81, 84, 88, 89, 100biogas 17, 65Black Sea 140body language 66Bulgaria 139brickworks 58, 59, 60, 75Brundtland, Gro Harlem 10

caffeic acid 43car 15, 65, 126CARE 49, 50carbon dioxide 65carrying capacity 8, 16, 22chemicals 49, 113chronology 33,37climate change 16, 44 ,47coal 36, 75, 122community 29, 37, 38, 40, 89, 96, 98, 99communication 112, 130, 132compost 79, 121

competence 6, 9, 29, 30, 31, 33, 35, 37, 50, 62, 88competence development 33,35conflict 29, 75consumer 23, 41, 96consumption 19, 26, 36, 48, 67, 90, 91, 96, 98, 114culture 6, 30, 31, 35, 61, 135cultural activities 33, 59, 61

dam 48, 50democracy 6, 8, 9, 10, 28, 32, 52, 54, 62, 88, 89Denmark 4, 6, 9, 10, 14, 31, 38, 42, 44, 48, 50, 51, 52, 54,56, 65, 69, 72, 76, 78, 82, 83, 85, 92, 95, 104, 105, 106,122dimension 9, 75dioxin 101diseases 50, 79diversity 8, 18, 26, 34, 62, 68, 84, 86drama 64, 66, 78, 106, 112, 135drinking water 10, 84, 102dump 113, 129

education 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33,34, 35, 41, 80, 82, 85, 87, 89, 90, 96, 110, 112, 122,130education for sustainable development 34, 87ecology 81, 87, 95, 105, 111, 116, 122ecological disaster 56economic growth 50economic development 3, 36efficiency 16, 17, 96, 98electricity 15, 39, 48, 80, 96, 97, 98, 99, 123, 126empowerment 6, 62, 88energy 6, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 27, 38, 46, 48, 51, 65, 90, 92,94, 95, 96, 98, 99, 102, 111, 121, 122, 124energy budget 46environmental awareness 3, 80, 127environmental education 3, 6, 28, 30, 31, 80, 82, 85, 110environmental history 36, 37, 75environmental impact 9, 13environmental management 110environmental protection 3, 113equity 28Estonia 9, 10, 31, 54, 56ethanol 27ethics 29, 35esker forest 110European Union (EU) 110, 112eutrophication 16, 17, 69, 75exhaust fumes 125, 126exhibition 104

fertiliser 36, 43, 50, 104

146 LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5INDEX

Finland 3, 4, 9, 10, 31, 32, 34, 77, 87, 88, 89, 110, 111,112, 118fish 18, 19, 68, 69, 70, 78, 80, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104,105, 106, 107fishery 70, 78, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106fisheries 6, 9, 10, 11, 18, 101, 102, 104, 105fishing 18, 19, 25, 67, 70, 101, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107fish meal 106fish stock 19, 107floods and deserts 135fodder 84, 103, 105food quality 40, 42forest 15, 20, 21, 49, 50, 56, 69, 71, 75, 77, 80forestry 6, 9, 10, 11, 20, 69, 71, 75, 110, 111forest management 20fossil fuels 16, 36, 75France 78, 112fungus attack 43

gas 113Georgia 139, 140Germany 4, 9, 10, 31, 90, 92, 105, 111, 112, 113, 122, 130,133ginger phenols 43glacier period 44global 3, 6, 8, 16, 17, 20, 29, 33, 36, 37, 44, 45, 47, 49, 75,78, 87, 89, 90, 130, 136global citizenship 87, 89global warming 44, 47, 135goal 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 40, 41, 94, 96, 109,136grassland 56, 69green areas 64greenhouse effect 44, 45, 46, 48Gulf of Finland 112, 118

Haga Declaration 6, 28, 30, 31health 9, 10, 13, 17, 27, 40, 42, 99, 113, 119heavy metals 56, 113, 120homestead gardens 50human health 13, 17, 42hygiene 50, 97, 98Hymn 7hydropower 48

Iceland 9, 10, 31industry 6, 9, 10, 11, 19, 22, 23, 67, 72, 75, 78, 95, 102,105, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 116influence 34, 35, 51, 52, 54, 55, 73, 83, 84, 86, 89, 104,111, 118, 119, 126, 127information 32, 34, 35, 76, 77, 81, 92, 93, 96, 98, 111, 114,121, 122, 125, 128, 131, 132, 133

Internet 33, 93, 128, 130, 131, 133, 135, 136Internet conference 130, 131, 133, 135, 136investigation 96, 126

Johannesburg (Joburg) 3, 4, 32, 87, 137

land 7, 8, 13, 26, 27, 47, 48, 49, 50, 69, 83, 90, 104, 111,123Latvia 7, 9, 10, 31, 125learner 14, 30, 32, 33, 34learning 29, 30, 32, 33, 35, 88, 89, 96, 130, 135lichen 117life expectancy 39lifespan 111lifestyle 6, 29, 96, 97, 99light bulb 97Lithuania 9, 10, 28, 31, 96local Agenda 21 90local newspaper 122

Malta 141Malawi 138media 25, 44, 79, 89, 135, 136metals 56, 113, 120Midsummer’s Night 61moderator 132, 134motivation 32,34,35,36, 116municipality 17, 25, 27, 54, 98, 120, 123, 127

nitrogen 43, 84, 104non-governmental organisation (NGO) 140North 9, 10, 100, 101, 102, 105, 118Northern Hemisphere 45Norway 9, 10,31nuclear power 96, 122, 123nutrients 43, 103

oak 71oil 36, 65, 101, 102, 104, 108, 121orchid 109organic farming 85, 114ozone 16, 17

peace 135, 136pedestrian street 66, 78pesticides 43, 53, 63, 64, 77, 79, 83, 84, 85, 114petrol 27, 119, 126petroleum 119phosphorous 84plastic 86, 118, 121, 129Poland 4, 9, 10, 31, 77, 92, 95, 105, 113, 115, 122, 123politician 76

147LEARNERS’ GUIDE NO. 5 INDEX

pollution 8, 16, 36, 66, 67, 75, 77, 90, 102, 104, 107, 113,117, 125, 126poultry 84poverty 50, 51production 12, 13, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, 31, 36, 38, 40, 63,65, 68, 71, 84, 85, 96, 104

quality of life 19, 21, 22, 23, 96question 42, 46, 75, 84, 88, 125, 129, 135rabbit 42rapeseed 65rapeseed oil 65recycling 72, 80, 113, 114, 129renewable resources 8, 12, 26, 40, 90research 31, 33, 43, 47, 63, 90, 93, 102, 105, 107, 108,116, 123, 124, 125, 126Rio Declaration 6role 3, 31, 35, 45, 75, 80, 88, 89, 100, 135Russia 9,10,31,56, 116

satellite dish 65self-evaluation 35,87,89silver lady 87Slovenia 139Spain 111, 138, 139social development 3, 26solar energy 27, 65, 95solar kitchen 65Southeast Asia 48St. Lucia 67, 138, 139, 140strategy 36, 122SUSDEED 110, 112sustainable development 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 15, 28, 29, 30, 31,32, 33, 34, 35, 38, 39, 75, 79, 80, 87, 89, 90, 96,105,110,111, 112, 116, 119, 127, 129, 142Sweden 4, 6, 9, 10, 28, 31, 77, 78, 92, 105, 111, 120, 121

taxes 77theatre 60, 139tourism 6, 9, 10, 11, 24, 25, 67, 69, 78, 80, 102, 104, 107,111, 120, 121, 122, 139toxic 117traffic 10 ,25, 27, 39, 69, 116, 125, 126training 28, 35, 41, 50, 66, 77, 87, 89, 90, 134transport 6, 9, 10, 11, 15, 25, 26, 27, 36, 65,125transportation 26treatment plant 102, 118

ulcer 43

vaccination campaigns 50variation 56

video 73, 131, 140Vietnam 48, 49, 50, 51Village Development Board (VDB) 50vision 34vitamin 93, 94

Wadden Sea 100, 101, 102Walpurgis Night 58, 59waste 15, 16, 17, 21, 23, 67, 72, 80, 90, 91waste water 100, 102, 103, 106, 118, 121water purification 111water quality 67, 103,119webmaster 132, 141wetlands 111wind turbine 102, 103, 110, 122, 123, 124wind power 122, 123, 124World Summit on Sustainable Development 3, 87, 142

youth 55, 90, 121youth council 55

Zambezi River 138

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