Energy production and energy use is one of the critical issues that must be solved for a sustainable future. It is also one of the keys for adaptation and mitigation of climate change. This workshop will focus on energy mostly in the local context and how to achieve a transition to a fossil fuel free energy system. We will review the entire spectrum of energy sources and look at how to improve energy efficiency. The workshop will rely on expertise from Uppsala University, one of the European Centres for Research on renewable energy systems, from Uppsala municipality and county, and the BUP network.

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Sustainable Water Management: Water use and management
 

Period: 12.10 - 30.11. 2010, Tuesdays at 17.30-20.00

Place: Åbo Akademi University, Tehtaankatu 2/Fabriksg 2

Teacher: doc. Egon Nordström

Aims and contents: To give a professional knowledge on the state of the water resources in the Baltic region, their present use and management, and the challenge of creating sustainable water-use in the Baltic Sea drainage area.
This part focuses on how water is used. The sectors agriculture, municipal water supply, and industry are treated from both quantitative and qualitative aspects. Practical management options are also presented with case studies.
Entry requirements: Students are recommended to have studied the previous Baltic University courses: The Baltic Sea Environment and /or A Sustainable Region or similar. Requirements for successful participation are a basic knowledge of chemistry as well as environmental sciences.

There will be a limited number of participants (15) attending this course

Enrollments: at the latest 28.9.2010 to the Open University, Åbo Akademi, Tehtaankatu 2, on the web http://www.abo.fi/fc/anmalningsdb/

This course is a specialist course in the Baltic University Programme.

Concepts of Sustainability

Period: 6.10-15.12.2010 (distance education, no group meetings)

Teacher: MSc Sinikka Suomalainen, MSc Ea Blomqvist

Course content: Concepts, definitions and dimensions of sustainable development. Indicators for sustainability, cases from different parts of the world.

Aim: To give a general understanding how the process of sustainable development has proceeded, to know about the international background documents. To learn about how to measure sustainability, to show good cases in practice, to discuss sustainability from several viewpoints and to relate it to own life.

Learning methods: individual and group tasks, quizzes and writing an essay. Deadlines for tasks are 2 weeks per module (there are 4 thematic modules).

Study material: material on the internet, papers from Environmental Science - understanding, protecting and managing the environment in the Baltic Sea region.2003. Ed. Rydén Lars. Chapter 25, Tage Sundström, Lars Rydén. The Baltic University Press, Uppsala 2003. All study materials are available electronically.

Enrollment: at the latest 23.9.2010 to the Open University, Åbo Akademi, Tehtaankatu 2, on the web http://www.abo.fi/fc/anmalningsdb

Spring Term 2011

A Sustainable Baltic Region

Time: 26.1-6.4.2011, Wednesdays at 17.30-20.00

Place: Åbo Akademi University, Tehtaankatu 2/Fabriksg 2

Teacher: doc. Egon Nordström

Content: How to develop a sustainable Baltic region. Energy, material flows, sustainable agriculture, forestry and marine resources, sustainable industrial production and technology, transports, habitation, sustainable economy, ethics and law for sustainability.

Learning methods: Studies in a group lead by a tutor, written exam. Study material includes booklets, videotapes.

This course is an undergraduate course in the Baltic University Programme.

Registrations: at latest 12.1.2011 on the web or to the Open University, Tehtaankatu 2, phone Maria Saxén, 02-215 3281.
 

Sustainable Water Management in the Baltic Sea Basin: Waterscape

Period: 1.2-29.3.2011, Tuesdays at 17.30-20.00

Place: Centre for Continuing Education

Teacher: doc. Egon Nordström

Aims and contents: To give a professional knowledge on the state of the water resources in the Baltic region, their present use and management, and the challenge of creating sustainable water-use in the Baltic Sea drainage area.
This part treats the waterscape, i.e., water resources, such as rivers, lakes, groundwater, wetlands and the Baltic Sea with its shore, coastal waters and open sea. Both basic process knowledge and physical and economical geography aspects on the water resources is given in this part.

Entry requirements: Students are recommended to have studied the previous Baltic University courses: The Baltic Sea Environment and /or A Sustainable Region or similar. Requirements for successful participation are a basic knowledge of chemistry as well as environmental sciences.

Target audience: The course is of special interest for students with a background in e.g. geology, soil science, environmental engineering and chemistry, hydrology, ecology but other study areas may also be relevant.
Mode of studies: Studies in a group led by a tutor teacher, lectures, case reports, probably video conferences

Form of assessment: Paper/Presentation/Examination

There will be a limited number of participants (15) attending this course

This course is an advanced course in the Baltic University Programme.

Registrations: at the latest 19.1.2011 to the Open University, Åbo Akademi, Tehtaankatu 2, on the web, or phone Maria Saxén, 02-215 3281
 

Sustainable Water Management; River Basin Management

Time: 5.4-24.5.2011, Tuesdays

Teacher: doc. Egon Nordström

Requirements: Previous participation in A Sustainable Baltic Region or similar level of knowledge and basic knowledge in chemistry is required.

Registration: Not later than 23.3.2011.
 

Partnership and participation for a sustainable tomorrow: continuing the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

DATES: Aug 29^th - Sep 1^st, 2010

MAIN THEME: "Learning for a sustainable tomorrow" - reorientation of the education system for ESD

PROGRAMME: There will be keynotes by leading experts in the field of ESD and competencies needed for the future. There will also be thematic sessions to explore various ESD-related themes and task force sessions to discuss the roles of various actors in the education system in mainstreaming ESD.

VENUE: Scandic Bergen City Hotel, Bergen, Norway. Room reservation can be done through the conference registration form.

TARGET GROUP: Education policy makers and education authorities • Local policy makers and local authorities • School leaders/ head teachers/principals/ managers of schools • School ESD partners • Teacher trainers • Teachers • Education researchers • Inspectors

ORGANIZERS: the SUPPORT project, the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training and the Municipality of Bergen

REGISTRATION: To register, please fill out and submit the registration form. (Direct link: http://support-edu.org/BergenConf_Registration )

FEE: The conference fee (€ 300) and the meals package (€192) is a total of € 492. This includes:
Conference materials
Access to all conference and works sessions
Poster space in poster exhibition
Lunches Monday - Wednesday
Coffee/tea in all breaks
Welcome dinner on Sunday Aug 29^th can be added at € 38, giving a total of € 530.
Dinner on Monday Aug 30^th, at "Fløien Folkerestaurant" on the mountain "Fløyen", is hosted by Bergen Municipality.

Conference dinner on Tuesday Aug 31^st is hosted by the Norwegian Directorate of Education and Training.

See the conference website for more information, on for instance call for posters and articles, travel advice and the programme. The SUPPORT secretariat will try to answer all your questions about the conference!

For more information see the Solutions web site.

The Declaration and Conclusions confirm the strong commitment by the Member States to the implementation of the Strategy. The Commission is invited to coordinate, to facilitate, to disseminate and to report on the actions undertaken by the Member States and the associated stakeholders, in accordance with the subsidiarity principle. The Strategy documents and more information about its preparation and the implementation process can be found on the EUSBSR website.

This book does not set out once more to raise the alarm to encourage us to take radical measures to head off climate chaos. There have been any number of books and reports in recent years explaining just how dire the future looks and how little time we have left to act.

This book is about why we have ignored those warnings, and why it may now be too late. It is a book about the frailties of the human species as expressed in both the institutions we built and the psychological dispositions that have led us on the path of self-destruction. It is about our strange obsessions, our hubris, and our penchant for avoiding the facts. It is the story of a battle within us between the forces that should have caused us to protect the Earth - our capacity to reason and our connection to Nature - and those that, in the end, have won out - our greed, materialism and alienation from Nature. And it is about the 21st century consequences of these failures.

For information see Requiem for a Species

The Symposium is addressed to scientists and professionals in order to share their expert knowledge, experience and research results concerning all aspects of navigation, safety of navigation and sea transportation. The goal of the TransNav is to bring together experts from the field of navigation, transport, ocean engineering and maritime technology to discuss on the state-of-the-art and to present new research findings and perspectives of
future developments with respect to the conference themes.

The Organizing Committee welcomes the online registration and submission of abstracts and full papers through the Symposium homepage for oral or poster presentations at the Symposium. Authors of papers are invited to submit filled application forms to the Symposium Office at our web site together with papers’ abstracts for consideration by the Scientific Programme Committee.

Then you should apply to the Bachelor Degree Programme in Integrated Coastal Zone Management at Novia University of Applied Sciences in Raseborg in Finland. The application is open right now, between 31 May - 11 June it is possible to apply. It is a four year programme, 240 credits and it will give you a Bachelor of Natural Resources degree. You will be able to work with coastal planning, environmental coordination in governmental bodies and businesses, sustainable development of urban and rural areas, environmental consultancy, Environmental Impact Assessments etc.

You may just enter http://admissions.novia.fi/ and select Integrated Coastal Zone Management and submit your application.

If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact:
Anna Granberg
Senior lecturer
Raseborg Unit

EURENSSSA 2010 is one week open-air meeting of environmental sciences and ecology students from all over Europe which this year will take place in Latvia from 18th – 24rd July 2010. It is organized by the members of Student Association of geology, geography and earth science in collaboration with the faculty of Geography and Earth sciences (the University of Latvia) and Institute of Energy Systems and Environment (Riga Technical University).

For more information download the invitation (pdf-file) or vistit the Eurenssa 2010 web site.

Every year since 1992, the Alpbach Summer School on European Integration, which is run as part of the European Forum Alpbach, has offered a compact yet comprehensive course on the law and policies of the European Community (EC) and the European Union (EU).

This year the Alpbach Summer School on European Integration (ASSEI 2010) welcomes students from Republic of Belarus, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, and Ukraine. Students from other countries interested in European integration issues are also welcome.

For more information see the Announcement and also the Application form (Word-files).