INTERNATIONAL BALTIC SEA CAMPAIGN
”SAVE OUR SEA”

31 August - 16 September, 2023

“Save Our Sea” is a joint effort of the European Green Capital 2023, Tallinn, along with Helsinki and Let’s Do It World. The aim is to bring attention to the Baltic Sea’s environmental problems and empower the people living along its shores to take action and clean up its beaches. The programme will start on Baltic Sea Day, 31 August 2023, and end on World Cleanup Day, 16 September 2023, with an array of awareness-raising activities and hands-on actions taking place throughout this period. 

The project will engage the Baltic Sea cities and their residents in Finland, Aland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany.

The Mayor of the European Green Capital 2023, Tallinn, and the Major of Helsinki invite all cities neighbouring the Baltic Sea to join in the international campaign, Save Our Sea.

Sponsons: Tallinn – European Green Capital 2023, Tallinn City Government, Let's Do It World NGO, Photopoint, and Frontwave.

FACTS ABOUT THE BALTIC SEA

  • Medicine pollution

    About 25% of samples taken from the Baltic marine environment contain the pain reliever diclofenac. Certain ringed seals have been unable to give birth due to the accumulation of such environmental toxins in their bodies.

  • 100 species of fish

    Cod populations in the Baltic have crashed and not recovered. The once flourishing European eel has been fished to near extinction and the Baltic Harbour porpoise, our only cetacean, has only around 500 individuals left.

  • Cigarette butt pollution

    One cigarette butt can contaminate up to 1000 litres of water. Cigarette butts make up half of the waste that ends up in the sea around Tallinn.

  • 9 countries and 85 million people

    The Baltic Sea is lined by 9 countries, with a combined population of over 85 million people highly dependent upon its wellbeing.

  • Limited circulation

    It takes up to 30 years for its seawater to be fully replenished by the North Sea.

  • Dead zones are growing

    The Baltic Sea is one of the most intensively used on the planet. Over 97% of its waters are now impacted by eutrophication due to human activities on land, with dead zones covering an area 1.5 times the size of Denmark.

  • Constant noise

    2000 large vessels sail in the Baltic Sea at any given time. The resulting underwater noise is categorised as either continuous or impulsive and can lead to environmental impacts —causing, in particular, direct harm or disturbance to noise-sensitive species.

  • 3000 fishing nets in a year

    Up to 3000 fishing nets are lost into the Baltic Sea each year, posing threat to fishes, birds and other animals.

Read more

NEWS

Featured
Baltic SOS: Documentary
Baltic SOS: Documentary

New documentary, Baltic SOS: Campaign for a cleaner sea, demonstrates the power of a collaborative process that addresses the pressing issues confronting the Baltic Sea – pollution, trash, and eutrophication.

Throwaway – a History of European Trash!
Throwaway – a History of European Trash!

‘Throwaway’ is an international exhibition project that unearths the hidden history of waste across Europe, while simultaneously highlighting its significance as a marker for social change. The exhibition’s stories display the profound changes in how we have dealt with rubbish throughout the years, casting light on the way we think, or don’t think, about waste.

NORDIC AND BALTIC COUNTRIES UNITE FOR A COMMON CAUSE: PRESERVING THE BALTIC SEA

Region-Wide Campaign "Save Our Sea" Aims to Tackle Environmental Challenges in the Baltic Sea.