BSP: Newsletter 2000:1:p10 Newspaper Cuttings

Denmark The Flame Burns ... School children learns ...		Lithaunia The Greens criticized ... Coast is being cleaned ...
Latvia Crude oilers' investments ... Despite protests an asphalt factory...		Estonia Estonian Ash Mountains ... get rid of Minks Solar radiation changes...

The students at Amtsgymnasiet work for a sustainable future. They hope to participate in next year's conference on Baltic 21 in Sønderborg. One group fermented a sugar beet and mixed the alcohol with petrol to improve the octane number, and to make clean exhaust fumes. "It would be nice if big petrol firms did so - and maybe politicians could make them", the students remarked.

This concerns primary, secondary as well as the upper secondary schools concludes an investigation recently made. When asked if they have dealt with environmental problems in environmental education only 40% 9 graders and 60% in upper secondary schools answer yes. Students know little when questioned on issues such as the green house effect, ecological farming, the wetland restoration act and human consumption. The investigation also shows that with increasing knowledge students achieve self confidence enough to suggest how to solve the problems.

The "Greens" organised a protest action by the Government to say, that they don't agree with the development of the military grounds. Only nine members of "Greens" took part in it because to set up bigger picket in Lithuania you need a license from the local administration.

The soldiers base their arguments on the misty NATO standards and the needs of the military power to be created. The military grounds would be built in the forests. The total space for that would make about 26 thousand hectares. There are preserves in the territory of the military grounds in Lithuania. "I have never heard that it would be the grounds in the preserves" - said R. Braziulis, President of the Lithuanian Greens Movement. He also said that the number of the grounds should be decreased anyway not increase.

The "Greens" say that to solve this problem in a civilised way they are no longer up to. However they will never refuse any possibility to start the protest actions either.

The municipal services of Palanga and Neringa had to clean the seaside of the Baltic Sea which was polluted with oil products (substances) in a stretch of 100 km between Sventoji and Nida cities. They found a lot of solid slabs of heavy oil from 20 to 50 cm in diameter. A large amount of the polluted sand was to be cleared out. The waves often wash up some algae and reeds caked with oil along the seashore. The Environment Safeguard services of Latvija were informed about the situation. All the products of pollution were gathered into sacks and delivered to the dump of oil products in Kiskenai village. It hasn't been discovered yet where the products of pollution had come from in the open sea.

The grease originated from oil and diesel fuel was also found. It is considered the local fishermen disposed them of.

Prepared by students Simas Streikus & Vytautas Kacerauskas from 11 class
(teacher Virginija Dmukauskiene) Kaunas Vydunas Secondary School

The powerful transit business company of the crude oil "Ventspils Nafta" has already joined in the standards of the European Union with its aspirations to be environmentally friendly . These endeavours demand many investments from the enterprise as to the ecological security of the reservoirs of crude oil and crude oil products, their surchanging linked with the scaffold bridges of the railway and landings as well. Last year the "Ventspils Nafta" invested 4.7 million lats in projects pertained to the environment. The most important investments were in the security of water resources, the treatment of sewage and air protection. The positive attitude of "Ventspils Nafta" has been proved due to the fact that no serious leaks or accidents connected with crude oil and crude oil products have occurred during recent yeras. This year the company has allotted almost the same amount of money as last year for environmental security projects.

Despite inhabitants' protests, the building of a new bituminous concrete factory has started just 500 metres from the settlement of Skulte, 1.5 km from the Nature Park Beberbeki. One third of Skulte's inhabitants object to the project due to potential environmental pollution, noise, waste and other problems related to the new building. The nearest house is only 300 metres from the factory. The stadium where pupils and adults play sports is right next to the factory. the chairman of Marupe Martins Bojars states that the agitation of the inhabitants is absolutely unfounded. The factory will be equipped with modern filters to prevent air pollution. The factory will work according to the principle "without-any-waste" technology. The dust will not get into the air, but return to the pulp of asphalt through pipes. The factory will work on gas with the cleanest energy exhaust.

With the help of the Finnish-Estonian Phare Project, there is a possibility to produce a fertiliser named "Viru Ramm" from the left-over wastes from the Kivioli oil-shale industry, by mixing them with turf and activated water. This fertiliser is suitable for agriculture. The inventor of "Vira Ramm" is the Estonian scientist Toom Pungas.

Due to this project Kivioli chemical factory has been reopened, employing 350 people and producing 200 tonnes per day. The large Finnish fertiliser distributor "Biolan" is also interested in the possibilities of trading this new product.

EESTI PÄEVALEHT, February 4th 2000
Summarised by Helen Pau, 10c at C.J. Jakobson Gymnasium, Riia 91, 71009 Viljandi Estonia

Because there is a wish to bring the European weasel to Hiiumaa, there is a need to clean the island for American minks as they are stronger and may destroy the weasels. The leader of the project, Tiit Maran says that there might be a few more minks, but they will do little harm. The European weasel is one of the most endangered animals and due to American minks it might be extinct within 15-25 years. Hiiumaa will probably get rid of minks!

EESTI PÄEVALEHT, January 28th 2000
Summarised by Merlyn Hõbemäe, 10c at C.J. Jakobson Gymnasium

The weather station in Tartu has carried out meteorological observations in the last 50 years, and from data collected here, we can see how volcanoes influence the solar radiation that reaches Estonia. There has been less solar radiation in recent years due to a number of low clouds. Snow periods have shortened and leads to less reflection back from the earth. Heat radiation stays trapped and consequently the average temperature increases. Due to the sun's radiation it is possible to predict the outburst of the volcanoes Pinatubo and El Chichoni.

EESTI PÄEVALEHT, February 11th 2000
Summarised by Merle Kink & Villu Sepp, 10c at C.J. Jakobson Gymnasium

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