Support for John Nurminen Foundation’s work for the Baltic Sea
The John Nurminen Foundation works to combat eutrophication of the Baltic, the most serious problem facing the sea. The Clean Baltic Sea projects are financed through private donations and public funding. The John Nurminen Foundation was founded in 1992 to safeguard the cultural heritage of Finnish seafaring and maritime history.
Nordic Morning supported John Nurminen Foundation and its Clean Baltic Sea projects in 2015. All of us working in Finland and Sweden for Nordic Morning consider the Baltic “our sea” owing to its geographical location, and we want to contribute to its cleaner future.
Tuula Putkinen, Communications Director at the John Nurminen Foundation, says: “The foundation benefits from corporate partnerships in many ways. A number of companies support us financially – in other words, they donate money to our Clean Sea Fund. Pro bono work, as well as expertise and services we would otherwise need to pay for, are extremely valuable to us. We are also very grateful that our partners communicate through their own channels with their stakeholders about our achievements, thus increasing awareness of the Baltic Sea.”
Nordic Morning supported the foundation in a very concrete and visible way by printing its annual report free of charge. We donated other printed materials, such as the foundation’s Christmas cards and brochures, as well.
Innovative projects
In 2015, the foundation launched innovative initiatives, such as the Local Fishing Project. Through the directed fishing of cyprinid fish, it aims to recycle a significant amount of nutrients from the marine ecosystem to solid ground. During the pilot phase of the project in 2015-16, a functioning production chain is being built in cooperation with stakeholders from Finland’s Turku region. In the second phase, nationwide coverage for the production and marketing of local fish products will be created.
The NutriTrade project was launched in September 2015. The project involves establishing a voluntary nutrient trading scheme for the Baltic Sea area, enabling efficient reductions in discharges as well as “phosphorus neutrality” for participating stakeholders, such as municipalities. While the project is lead by the foundation, other partners include the Natural Resource Institute Finland, the University of Helsinki, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Studies (SLU).
Text: Sari Kuvaja, Corporate Responsibility Advisor