The beginning of the expedition is right around the corner

While our daily life is getting filled up with Christmas music and the scent of gingerbread, our minds are mostly occupied with the thought that the beginning of our expedition is just around the corner. On March 11, 2024, we will set out from Lithuania with a grand mission. We will do much more than just hike. For 9 months, covering roughly 6000 km across 8 countries on foot, we will carry the message that our Baltic Sea is crying for help.

We will spread public awareness and create a sense of community among all the countries around the Baltic Sea. We will unite politicians, businesses, scientists, and the public to transmit the message that while our sea is in a poor environmental state (ranking among the top 5 most polluted in the world), there are ways to reduce our negative footprint. 

On the bright side

Our hike is not a protest – we hike in peace. In partnership with the intergovernmental Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – HELCOM, we will encourage states to take urgent action by implementing the Baltic Sea Action Plan, signed by the countries in 2007. And in September 2024, we will invite all residents of the Baltic Sea states for a ‘Baltic Sea Embrace’, joining hands along the coast to symbolically hug the sea.

We will organize coastal clean-ups in eight Baltic Sea countries, inviting local communities to come together and reduce marine litter in their coasts, as well as engage in discussions and events about our sea. We will gather representatives of science, government, business, and citizen communities to workshops – ‘living labs’ to find the most suitable ways to reduce the negative impact on the Baltic Sea in each location. The conclusions will help better protect the sea after the expedition.

During the expedition, we will establish the Save the Baltic Sea charity fund that will allocate funds to scientific research and public education about protecting the Baltic Sea. The lasting legacy of the expedition will be augmented by a documentary film created during the journey.

A team of 10-15 people will hike around the Baltic Sea. At stops, scientists, government officials, NGO representatives, environmental activists, and local communities will join in. Anyone wishing to hike with us for a day or more can also join along the way: you can register to become part of the supporting hiking team by filling in the registration form.

Support is greatly needed

Although we will only set out in March, the expedition is already alive. We work as a team of almost 30 people, tackling numerous tasks and challenges daily. This October, we started with a crowdfunding campaign and outdoor posters that you could see on the streets of Lithuanian cities. We are grateful to all who have contributed, and those still wishing to do so are invited to become a hero of the sea at https://savebaltic.eu/support/

Our patrons and supporters

We are immensely grateful for the vast number of people who believe in us, support the idea, join our mission, and truly care for the Baltic Sea. We want to say a big thank you to the expedition’s patron, President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus, and the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania. To our partners – the European Commission’s EU4Ocean Coalition, Klaipeda University Marine Research Institute, the Lithuanian Environmental Protection Agency, LKA Travelers Club, Po bangom (Under the waves) team, Vilnius Psychotherapy House, Polish Institute of Oceanology IOPAN, Latvian Institute of Hydroecology, Estonian Marine Research Institute, embassies of the Baltic Sea countries, and more. To our public outreach partners ‘Delfi’, ‘Berta&agency’, ‘Blue Oceans PR’. To business sponsors ‘Oxylabs’, ‘Amston’, ‘Sorainen’, ‘Thermowave’.

We hope that in the next post, the network of our expedition friends will expand. And we are rolling up our sleeves for more work.

Let’s raise waves of change!

The Expedition Team