SKBIC' web site

Dear friends, 

We are glad to inform you that now we have our own web site in the English and Russian languages -

www.skbic.ru 

WELCOME!

W.A.S.T.E. project: teachers from Petrozavodsk, Apatity and Sestroretsk took part in a study visit to Helsinki on environmental education

         At the end of March 24 teachers from Petrozavodsk, Apatity and Sestroretsk took part in a study visit to Helsinki on environmental education within the W.A.S.T.E. project.

Within the program of the trip participant visited Centre of recovery of materials in Helsinki founded in 1990. This Centre accepts different used things (furniture, dishes, clothes, books and so on) free of charge and then sell them at low prices. This Centre conducts it activities on the basis of sustainable development.

Moreover, within the program participants visited one of the biggest centers of waste utilization in the North countries, waste classification yard Ämmäsuo and landfill. Participants got information on the process of waste sorting, treatment and utilization, and secondary industry of paper, cardboard, metal and glass.

Also participants had a meeting with the representatives from the state specialized educational institute SYKLI. The main goal of SYKLI is to extend ecological knowledge, develop clients’ activity according to the principles of sustainable development.

And then participant had an opportunity to visit ecological school “Lapwing”, school Helsinki University-owned and private kindergarten Sotkankoto. Activities within these organizations are based on the principles of sustainable development, environmental protection and proper waste treatment. 

SKBIC Steering group meeting took place in Petrozavodsk

On the 28^th of February SKBIC Steering group meeting took place in Petrozavodsk. Official delegation from the County of Västerbotten which consisted of 6 members of Steering group arrived to participate in the meeting. Tatiana Klekacheva, SKBIC executive director, made presentation on SKBIC activities in 2011. Steering group gave high appraisal to SKBIC activities in 2011 and emphasized importance of SKBIC. Besides Steering group meeting, members of Swedish delegation had opportunities to visit the Ministry of economic development of the Republic of Karelia, the Ministry of Nature Management and Ecology of the Republic of Karelia, Administration of Petrozavodsk, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Karelia, the Ministry of culture of the Republic of Karelia and Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 

Implementation of the W.A.S.T.E. project continues

Every day major cities of the North-West Russia produce several tons of waste, most of which is delivered to landfills, polluting the environment and harming human health. It is estimated that 70-80% of this waste can be recycled.

In the Nordic countries the problem of waste management is solved by high cost of disposal in landfills and strict legislation which requires sorting and recycling of waste.

The experience of the Nordic neighbours is being studied by some Russian regions, which start to introduce a new system of waste handling. Thus, within the NCM project “Waste awareness: Sorting, Treatment and Education” several training events were held in Sestroretsk and Petrozavodsk on 8-9 February.

The seminar in Sestroretsk brought together representatives of municipalities, experts of environmental NGOs and business companies. Speakers from Finland and the Russian cities participating in the project (Petrozavodsk, Sestroretsk and Pskov) shared their experience in implementing a system of selective waste collection and education technologies; spoke about the current situation in disposal of solid waste. Great interest was aroused by the young environmental activists from St. Petersburg who presented “Battery” project on dealing with hazardous waste.

Events in Petrozavodsk were arranged for different target audiences: experts from the Environmental School of Finland (SYKLI) conducted a training for teachers of schools and kindergartens in Petrozavodsk - the project participants which carry out educational programs for children on waste handling.

The W.A.S.T.E. project involves 13 schools and 5 kindergartens in Petrozavodsk, in which activists of “Green Wave” NGO conduct interactive training sessions and games. Both Nordic and Russian partners agree that environmental awareness should be raised from childhood.

Teachers were neither forgotten: for them the Centre for the Development of Education in Petrozavodsk held a training course on sustainable use of resources. At the end of March 2012 teachers from Petrozavodsk, Apatity and Sestroretsk will take part in a study visit to Helsinki on environmental education.

A separate meeting was held for the representatives of Petrozavodsk communal services, which either already installed containers for separate waste collection on their territoties or are planning to do so. Important issues were discussed with the representatives of city enterprise Avtospetstrans – how to charge for disposal of selected waste, what are the best options for the installation of containers, how to raise awareness of the citizens.

In total about 120 people participated in the events in Petrozavodsk and Sestroretsk.

W.A.S.T.E. Waste Awareness: Sorting, Treatment, Education

The project “W.A.S.T.E. Waste Awareness: Sorting, Treatment, Education” is based on the experience gained from the previous project “Introduction of waste sorting methods in Petrozavodsk”, which was initiated in 2009 by Petrozavodsk City Administration within the frames of an environmental campaign.

As a result of the first stage of the project, pilot house yards in Petrozavodsk (Republic of Karelia) were equipped with new vandal-resistant containers for paper, plastic, glass and tin for further recycling, and residents of the chosen houses started separate collection of solid waste.

Raising the environmental awareness of the residents became an important part of the activities. Also within the frames of the project several trainings for representatives of communal service companies and study visits to Finland and Denmark were organized aiming at introducing the Nordic experience in waste management. The project was coordinated by SYKLI, Environmental School of Finland, who offered their expertise in ecological education and training of specialists.

Successful implementation of the project attracted much public attention and a favourable environment has been created for continuing the work in this direction. The W.A.S.T.E. project was initiated in order to involve other regions of North-West Russia into cooperation and to spread the positive experience of waste treatment further. Other districts of Petrozavodsk, as well as the Kizhi open-air museum and Sestroretsk municipality, will be involved in the pilot activities. The opening of the Waste Info-Center in Petrozavodsk and launching a web-site on environmental protection and information campaigns in schools are also scheduled in the project plan.

 

Both projects were supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers within the Knowledge Building and Networking Programme for the North-West Russia.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

1. Preparatory stage. Negotiations among partners, adaption of the final activity plan: September-November 2011

2. Kick-off seminar in Petrozavodsk: 30 November 2011

3. Practical work. Installation of containers for separate collection of waste in Petrozavodsk and Sestroretsk: November 2011-February 2012

4. Preparatory work and Opening of the Waste Info-center in the premises of Avtospetstrans municipal company in Petrozavodsk: January-May 2012

5. Educational component. Seminars and trainings in Sestroretsk, Petrozavodsk and on Kizhi Island: September 2011-June 2013

6. Study visits to the Nordic countries, workshops:

·         Finland (Helsinki) – ecological education in schools: March 2012

·         Finland (Helsinki, Turku) and Åland – cultural objects and challenges of waste utilization: May 2012

·         Finland (Helsinki) and Denmark (Copenhagen) – establishment of a system of waste collection and recycling: autumn 2012

·         Finland (Helsinki) and Norway (Oslo) – utilization of hazardous waste: spring 2013

 

7. Information campaign: April 2012-April 2013

8. Evaluation: May-June 2013

9. Final conference in Petrozavodsk: June 2013

10. Auditing and reporting: September-October 2013

PROJECT PARTNERS

Administrative partner:

Swedish-Karelian Information and Business Center, Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia

Partners:

Petrozavodsk City Administration

Avtospetstrans Municipal Waste Management Company, Petrozavodsk

Center of the Development of Education, Petrozavodsk

The Kizhi State Open-Air Museum

Sestroretsk City Administration

Apatity City Administration

Murmansk City Administration

Pskov City Administration

 

SYKLI, Environmental School of Finland, Helsinki 

Norrebro Environmental Center, Copenhagen, Denmark (Miljøpunkt Nørrebro)

Association of Waste Management Companies of Norway, Oslo (Avfall Norge)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Dear Friends!

Swedish-Karelian business and information centre wishes You all the best in the coming year!

The Memorandum of Partnership between the Government of Karelia and Västerbotten County Administrative Board concerning establishing and development of eco-efficient communities is signed

The Memorandum of Partnership between the Government of the Republic of Karelia and Västerbotten County Administrative Board (the Kingdom of Sweden) concerning establishing and development of eco-efficient communities is to be signed in the Ministry of Economic Development on November, 23. On the part of Karelia the document was signed by Valentin Luntsevich, Deputy Head of the Republic of Karelia, senior adviser for Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) Henrik Forsström signed it on behalf of Sweden.

Valentin Luntsevich has expressed gratitude to the Swedish party for their initiative and support in promotion of modern projects concerning introduction and propagation of ecological and energy-saving technologies in Karelia. "Signing of the Memorandum of Partnership on the eve of the international forum Investments in the Future to be held in the republic completely corresponds to the idea of this important action for Karelia," – Deputy Head of the Republic said.

In September, 2010 Västerbotten County Administrative Board has suggested to continue teamwork on modernization and improvement of municipal infrastructure of Karelia. Sweden, as a part of the Baltic region, has initiated various ecological projects and aspires to combine efforts of neighbouring countries of the region in their implementation as effectively as possible. The parties have already put into effect a number of activities in the sphere of central heating, power saving, refuse and sewage collection - in the period from April to August of 2011 work in Karelia was focused on the project of Energy Plan for the City of Kostomuksha. Financial and technical support of projects is rendered by Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO), other sources of financing are also involved.

During the meeting in the Ministry of Economic Development representatives of Nordic Environment Finance Corporation have told about results of the energy plan project. In particular, executive director of SWECO Systems, Kjell Blombäck has noted that on results of the research the loss of energy on objects of infrastructure in Kostomuksha exceed losses on similar objects in the north of Sweden four times. The Swedes suggest Karelia to use their energy-saving technologies, models of recycling of consumed heat, the system of rational planning according to devices of strict assessment of energy consumption.

According to the signed Memorandum, Energy Plan for the City of Kostomuksha is considered a pilot project built so that it is was possible to be used in other regions of Karelia as the main energy plan indicating the activities necessary for power-saving and power-efficiency of regions of the republic.

Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) intends to continue financing of small projects within the framework of Eco-Efficient Communities project relying on results of previous researches. It is supposed that expert work in projects-to be will be performed by companies from Västerbotten and engaging Swedish companies working in the sphere of municipal infrastructure. In the future NEFCO will also make efforts to use other opportunities to finance corresponding investment projects.

Russian-Swedish project “Women’s entrepreneurship from West to East” has been started in Umeå

In November, 17-18^th, the first pre-project meeting within the framework of the project of SKBIC “Women’s entrepreneurship from West to East”, planned to function during 2011-2013, took place in Umeå. Project’s purposes are development of women’s entrepreneurship, stimulation of women to organize and promote own business and equal in rights participation of women in economic life. Group of Russian participants, which consisted of representatives from Association of women-entrepreneurs of the Republic of Karelia, Administration of Petrozavodsk, Karelian Centre on gender researches and Karelian Regional Movement of women, Women’s organization Yaroslavna in Kostomuksha, Karelian Women’s NGO Amal and tourist agency Druzhba, visited such organizations which give support to entrepreneurs as BIC Factory, Leia Accelerator and Coompanion-Kooperativ utveckling.

During the meeting with the representatives from BIC Factory main directions of the activities of the Centre were presented to the group. BIC Factory is a business incubator for entrepreneurs up to 40 years old where they have opportunities to use premises, equipment and so on. This business incubator which consists of 17 companies (21 persons – 10 of them are women), gives entrepreneurs opportunities to conduct own business, exchange knowledge and business ideas, use common network of contacts and attract new clients. Moreover, entrepreneurs have opportunities to get consultations about economic activity within own company, work with documentation and training courses. BIC Factory promotes young entrepreneurs to the market.

 Representatives from Leia Accelerator presented information on main activities and companies which work within the project Leia Accelerator. Leia Accelerator helps entrepreneurs after 40 years old, having business more than 3 years, to organize own business by putting  premises and necessary equipment at entrepreneurs’ disposal, holding training courses and giving consultations on different issues and to develop and promote own business. Leia Accelerator includes 24 companies from different spheres: journalism, design, healthcare, translation activity, publishing house, migration issues and others. 50% of all companies in Leia Accelerator belong to women. Leia Accelerator is a project financed by EU Program, Umeå Commune and Region of Västerbotten. Representatives from Leia Accelerator will be main experts in the project “Women’s entrepreneurship from West to East”.

Also the group of participants had a meeting with the representatives from “Coompanion-Kooperativ utveckling”. Advisor of “Coompanion-Kooperativ utveckling”, aimed at giving support to entrepreneurs in organization and development of cooperative companies, Doris Brändström  told about main activities of the company and basic principles of cooperative companies in general. “Coompanion-Kooperativ utveckling” conducts its activity in different spheres – healthcare, education, cultural aspects, social issues (childcare, care for elderly people and others) – and helps private persons and groups of people to organize and develop own business in these spheres.

Project participants have got an opportunity to mark out and compare positive moments in structures and activities of organizations and companies aimed at development of women’s entrepreneurship in order to form a plan of future activities within the project and create a project expert group.