9
Months of hiking
8
Visited countries
~6000
Kilometers
Each of us, sometimes unwittingly, contributes to this unfortunate statistic. Yet, by joining hands, we can save our precious waters and the life within them for future generations.
This is the main message of our historic hike around the Baltic Sea that will take place in 2024, with a principal goal to catalyse action for reducing marine pollution in 8 Baltic Sea countries.
RAISING AWARENESS
We will set on a hike with a unique communication campaign to raise waves of change on an international level, with an aim to draw public attention to the current state of the sea and ways to contribute to its improvement.
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Together with Baltic Sea science institutes and environmental organisations, we will invite the citizens of each country to take a closer look at our sea and its issues, as well as engage in citizen science activities and cleanups.
CO-CREATING SOLUTIONS
‘Living lab’ workshops will gather local stakeholders and community representatives to search for the most suitable ways to reduce negative impacts on the Baltic Sea in each location.
The official, high-level expedition launch event will take place at Vilnius Town Hall on March 8, 2024, bringing together representatives of Save The Baltic Sea partner institutions, sponsors, and ambassadors from Lithuania.
I’m writing my last weekly blog with rain pouring down outside and the autumn landscape rolling past the bus window under a cloudy sky. I must come back to Lithuania for some time in order to join the final kilometers of the expedition at the end of November. I left with a whole sea of […]
Read more
The 33rd week of the expedition began with a farewell to Tallinn. We saw Giedrius off on his hike, and then Dovilė, Edita, and I, after working at our hotel in Tallinn, went in search of a place to stay. We decided that if we couldn’t find anything suitable, we’d try camping in tents. The […]
Read more
Dirbtinio intelekto sugeneruota nuotrauka su www.canva.com free online AI generator Dauguma esame girdėję posakį: „Esi tai, ką valgai“, tačiau šis posakis pastaraisiais metais įgijo visiškai naują prasmę. Nauji mikroplastiko tyrimai, atskleidžiantys pražūtingas absorbcines plastiko savybes, kelia susirūpinimą tiek žmonių, tiek ekosistemų sveikata. Plastiką, kaip medžiagą, ne visada lengva atpažinti. Bėgant metams, gamintojai sukūrė įvairių būdų, […]
Read more
AI generated photo: free online AI generator of www.canva.com We are what we eat, and plastic consumption has taken on a whole new meaning in recent years. Concerns for both human and ecosystem health are arising from new microplastic studies, as we start to comprehend their catastrophic absorption abilities. Plastic doesn’t always look or sound […]
Read more
How many kilometers could you walk in a day? What about over two days? Now, imagine walking 30 kilometers every day for an entire week. Covering that distance is one thing, but the real challenge begins when you return, exhausted, and sitting down at the computer to share your thoughts (even though you’re eager to) […]
Read more
Hi, I’m Ieva. I joined the expedition in July as a volunteer Communications Coordinator. I love hiking and other active forms of spending my leisure time in nature. So I decided to join and experience the expedition’s daily routine firsthand. Time flies, and both my mind and heart struggle to keep up with the quickly […]
Read more
I’ve been on this expedition for over two months now, and this is my first weekly article. Wow – my first time! There have been a lot of firsts for me here, so this time it’s about just that: firsts. It just so happens that when I joined the expedition, everything has turned upside down […]
Read more
At some point during the expedition, time seemed to double its pace. When we get two days off, it feels like just one, and before we know it, we’re back to sharing our weekly blog. Yesterday, we celebrated the 200th day of our journey. Since we mark an anniversary every five days, the number itself […]
Read more
What a week it has been. Arriving on Wednesday 4th September, I am only seven days in and have already experienced my first ‘pirtis’ (a three hour sauna session including being slapped with a ‘whisk’), hiked 40 km in one day, learned about pranayama yoga, and spoken with Finnish locals about their natural marine spaces. […]
Read more97% of the Baltic Sea is affected by eutrophication – excessive amounts of nutrients that cause
algal blooms.
This results in the development of dead zones – lifeless areas with not enough oxygen for marine animals
to survive.
The excess nutrients reach the Baltic Sea from unsustainable agriculture, improper disposal of industrial waste, and even household waste coming from cities and villages far away from the coastline.
Source: HELCOM 2023 State of the Baltic Sea Report
Cigarette butts, plastic bags, bottle caps, ghost nets and other litter can be found in most Baltic Sea beaches.
This litter not only affects the aesthetics of our environment – it may directly harm wildlife, release toxic substances and break down into tiny pieces of microplastics that can be ingested by animals and travel along
the food chain.
Municipal waste is another important source of microplastics: microfibers released when washing synthetic clothing are among the most common types of microplastics found in the Baltic Sea.
Source: HELCOM 2023 State of the Baltic Sea Report
Pharmaceuticals, pesticides, heavy metals, and oil products are only some of the hazardous substances that reach our sea and are detrimental to the health of marine organisms. These contaminants are often slow to degrade and are accumulated by animals such as fish or seals.
Hazardous substances can enter the sea due to human activity, such as overuse of pesticides in agriculture or improper disposal of chemicals, which cannot be effectively filtered by wastewater treatment systems.
Source: HELCOM 2023 State of the Baltic Sea Report
Explore the virtual version of the art installation “The Sea Begins Here!”
