GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR 2020The Baltic Sea 2049 - how to get there

”Education is important. But it is we who are the problem, not the children, and we can’t wait for them. We need to reach and influence the adults, because it is them who will still affect the society during the coming decades.”

”We will have to learn to live with climate change. It is not going away. It is a conti-nous process, and it is already happening.”

”The need för communication is vital.How do we ’translate’ science and

facts so that people understand and care? How do we put into

words what people need?”

”Fast changes in legislation require brave leaders. But we can’t just sit and wait for the politicians. We can all be role models. When citizens and businesses demand change, legislation will follow. It is all a question of attitude.”

”How do we find a balance between simplicity and high tech? Do we need to electrify and digitalize everything? What if we create a society so complex that we forget the simple hands-on-solutions so we can’t even get water from our own well without electricity?

”Do we have the hands-on knowledge we need in times

of crisis? We need to talk about resilience on a household level.”

GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR Mariehamn 15-16th January 2020

The Baltic Sea 2049 - how to get thereIn januari 2020 – before the austerity of the Corona-virus hit the world – around 40 participants from Åland islands, Finland and Sweden gathered for the annual seminar Get to know your neighbour in Mariehamn. During two days we were looking into the future, making a road map for our jour-ney for the next three decades to come. Our starting point was the vision ”Life around the Baltic sea 2049 – glimpses of a possible future”. What innovations do we need? What kind of legislation and social support is required? What infor-mation and attitude change is essential? And what will we not do in 2049, of all things that we take for granted today?

Lotta Nummelin, Manager of Östersjöfonden, and Erica Scott, Advisor in Strategic Sustainability, facilitated the workshops: small group sessions in different constellations in a strictly guided process of very open questions: a deli-berate mix of structure and creative space. - The Master Road Map, the timeline of Post-it’s with solu-tions on different levels, is actually an enormous inventory of ideas. What tools do we have? What needs to happen? And how do we make it happen? says Erica Scott. - The ideas range from hightech and economic systems to farming and inner leadership. If even only half of the suggestions would be implemented in the societies around the Baltic Sea this area would look totally different from now. The question is only: How do we get everybody onboard, from leaders to ordinary people, and do it?

The idea of creating a road map is about visualizing and clarifying the transition most of us on an intellectual level already know is vital: ”This is what we need to accomplish, as human beings and as a society, to reach our vision”. The transition is thereby translated to a concrete story that gets

processed by more and more people, and so can reach out, inspire and engage. - The vision was already in place, big and extensive. This time we went more and more into detail. The finale of the seminar was an Open Space session, where ideas were boiled down to individual projects with budgets and time schedules, says Lotta Nummelin.- We wanted to make use of the participants’ shifting competences and interests. Some are involved in tangible water projects, others work for authorities and organi-sations on overall strategies. We wanted to find ways of working where everybody could contribute and both give and take, says Erica Scott.

A workshop could also be seen as a metaphor for much larger contexts. How could organisations or societies be go-verned to find the sweet spot where transition is possible?- We need to investigate a leadership and a legislation su-ited for a complex time of fast changes and big challenges on a systems level, says Erica Scott. - And we need to practice switching perspectives between the big picture and local and hands-on small things, says Lotta Nummelin. - The Corona-times we live in is not just a crisis, it is a possibility, says Erica Scott.- In the midst of every change a little vacuum emerges. A lot of what we have been taking for granted has been thrown up in the air, and our world view has loosened up. New space is created, not yet named. In this situation we can actively choose not just to go back to how things used to be, but instead seek further and move forwards, together creating a new story to reach our vision.

”There is a tension between rules and bans, and more free-

dom and flexibility in order to favor new solutions. It’s two opposite tools.”

”There is a risk of polarisation between those who have the knowledge and those who don’t. The elite and the others.

’We’ and ’them’. How can we include everyone, in our society and globally?”

”The technology exists. Why is it so difficult to get it out there, and use it on a larger scale?”

”It’s interesting to see it is not so many Post-it’s on ’What we don’t do anymore’. It says something about us and our time. We are more interestd in finding new solu-

tions than in stopping doing things we are used to.”

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- Think of yourself or your children in relation to the vision and the timeline. What will life be like around the Baltic Sea in 30 years from now? What do you want it to be like? How do you want to contribute? What if...?- On www.ostersjofonden.org you can find all the material from the workshop as well as the vision: ”Life around the Baltic Sea 2049 – glimpses of a possible future”.

INFORMATION, ATTITUDES,RESEARCH,COMMUNICATION,EDUCATION

THINGS WEDON’T DO ANYMORE

INNOVATION;TECHNOLOGICAL & SOCIAL

LEGISLATION,TAXES,REGULATION,SUBSIDIES

2020-2021 2022-2024

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S VILLAGE COMMUNITIES”GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR”Exploring and communicating methods to start up communities in villages, districts and neigh-bourhoods:Strengthening local communities, promoting inclusion, integration and trust...... by facilitating spaces to meet, talk to each other, share and co-own, collaborate and play.

PARTY BANK- DEALING WITH STUFFSharing and lending household items like glas-ses, plates, mugs, table cloths and decoration items, so that everybody doesn’t have to own a big party set of everything. We need to explore ways to make use of stuff we already have instead of buying more.FB-page for network sharing? Ware house model run by a private company, municipality or NGO’s?

THE BALTIC SEA AS ALEGAL ENTITYA mock trial for the Baltic Sea, treating the Baltic Sea as a person to change attitudes and make people care.The idea of nature having rights is a game chang-er and a change of perspective. Local cases could be tried. People in the End Ecocide movement need to be involved. Who is the voice of the Baltic Sea?

”STAYCATION”MEANINGFUL VACATIONSustainable, all inclusive vacation close to home or in the Nordic region, with meaningful activities but also space for stillness and silence.A way to develop and encourage a sustainable tourism in the Baltic region. A network of tourism actors is needed.Volunteers and students could be engaged to arrange classes and activities.

MEDITATIONCHANGE FROM WITHINReal change starts on the inside. We need to create time and space for self contempla-tion and mindfulness. Confident, prospe-rous people do not need stuff or prestige to be happy. Untouched nature could be used for meditation and reflection, and silence is a free and natural resource.Meditation and mindfulness should be part of the school curriculum. How do we reach other people?

Good examples on small/ local solutions. Public awareness of improvements made: We can do it!

Educating people in ”self-confidence”-> less consumption.

More networking and cooperation between different fields and disciplines.

Basic income trial period.Allow innovative solutions for water & sewage in households.

Recycled nutrient incentives.LCA transparency for production, goods, services e.g Åland Index.

Loans: offer sustainability counsel-ling before approving.

MORE IDEAS?

MORE IDEAS?

Food products primary valued according to nutrition levels.

Common digital platform to include citizens in decision-making.

Help people get involved in their food production, e.g. permaculture designs for household gardens or ”hired” cows/ sheep on common places

Deployment-led innovation: get out and try ideas in reality quickly, return to lab to readjust, try again...

Phone apps for monitoring eco budgets.

We don’t fly for fun.No over-consumption.

MORE IDEAS?

Food communities. Advice on how to prepare the ”odd” foods stuff.

Free ”Water saving kit” to all households

Research on soil fertility on Åland: Where are we at?

Education on water. Water saving week in school. National transforma-tion campaigns about water usage.

Extended monitoring of ground water levels and quality. Regional map with areas extra sensitive to water shortage.

Downshifting allows a more rural lifestyle and decentralized systems.

Hight demands on sustainability in im-ported products.

Carbon budgeting in the public sector.

Ban on toxic pesticides and herbicides.

Easy-to-use ratings of stuffs impact (for customers).

Storage of water in the landscape (e.g wetlands).

”Volunteers brigades” to sup-port and integrate people, and make people needed.

Focus on solutions with little need for permis-sion - if we want rapid change.

Smaller grocery shops: less pro-ducts, closer to customers.

Pre-buying your local food.

Monthly environmental budgets. Chip-reading technologies within waste management

Household rainwater use.Collection hubs for freight/ goods transports for optimizing cargo: A ship, truck, car och train cart should never be empty.

Pump cleaned wastewater back on land, not to sea.

No more free freight in goods.No plastic packages, no fossil based polymeres.

Digital system of measuring freshness status in food to diminish food waste - and price reduction accordingly.

Educate water amassadors for schools, companies etc.

Better support for decisionmakers

to protect our marine areas.

Fields near the sea should have protection zones and irrigation ponds for nutrients.

No tax reduction for fossil power or fuels.

Ban stuff that has a too short life span. Special label for circular products: how long has the product been used?

New system for waste water treatment.

Recyclable packaging.

No greywater from boats.

No more exploration of new oil fields.

2025-

More ways of CO compensa-tion. Easier ways. Local ways.

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2040-2049-2029 2030-2034 2035-2039

COMMUNICATIONFOR BALTIC SEA PROTECTIONDeveloping methods and channels to communi-cate research results to politicians, cities, practi-tioners, citizens etc. in order to get more research results applied in practice.By working interdisciplinarily, involving e.g. rese-arch institutes, cities, NGO’s and communications researchers, we can learn from each other and reach out in ways people can understand.

SMART ENERGY ÅLANDAN ISLAND MODELDeveloping an energy grid that is scalable and can be diversed in small grids: an island model in full scale that can be used as a reference in other regions.Åland is a good test region: an autonomous area with the infrastructure needed already in place. A pilot project is a chance to show what is possible even if it is not profitable yet.

LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL PEOPLEDevelop an app to make local products and producers visible: Easily searchable, easy to buy, easy to sell, no intermediaries. Applicable in different regions.

LOCAL CAR SHARINGPushing for mobility alternatives in municipalities and showing it is possible to live on Åland without owning a car. Involvning a diverse group of test users for the project. Inspiration: the app Whim in Helsinki and Dörpsmobil in Northern Germany.

NETWORK FORVISUAL COMMUNICATIONConveying complex knowledge efficiently to pe-ople by graphics and images should be standard.Good visual communication is more easily under-standable than words and numbers, and promote a shared view of what is going on in society.Ideas: Creating a network for visual practitioners, a platform for users, a tool kit for creating visual presentation, seminars and lectures.

THE LAKEEDUCATION PROGRAMAn integrated education program to show how a lake is affected by human interaction. The virtual lake ages 100 years in a week, and thrives or de-cays according to how the students choose to treat it. Do they, for instance, put money or sustainabi-lity first? The virtual part could be combined with IRL field studies, movies, social play etc. A mail group was formed around the project to develop it further.

25-30 hours working week: 4-5 hours a day.

Greater acceptance of shared commodities.

Abroad travels only by train, bus, bike or sailing boat.

Electric air transport on 1 hour routes.

No for profit schools or health care.

Meditation. Know the world through yourself.

Land ownership reform similar to great partition

Eco-friendly ships, vessels, maritime traffic.

We love more, relax more and are more nice to each other.

All electric cars are V2G.

No more loss of biodiversity.

Aid and advice on how to plan, fund, undertake smart new buildings or renovate old ones.

MORE IDEAS?

More remote work and telecommuting to reduce commuting and travelling and revive rural areas.

Subsidies to small, circular food producers.

Make staycation a trend, house

swapping in the Baltic region.

No more over 30 hour working weeks.

Public sector has switched completely to sustainably produced, healthy food.

Local ”banks” for borrowing tools, sports equipment etc.

Teaching out in nature.Information about sustainable food produc-tion and consumption easily accessible.

Developing household scale systems for total nutrient recirculation.

Further development of Maas (Mobility as a service) in urban areas.

Buildings serve many purposes, e.g. prosumer connected to energy ecosystem.

Phosphorus from sewage.

All new buildings have double piping, separating black water from grey water.

Legislation for all fish farming on land.

Different needs mean different regulations for people who live in urban and rural areas.

No more loss of farmers and fishermen.

All power free from subsidies.No more overfishing our oceans and lakes.

No advertisement for useless stuff.

Teach survival skills in schools.

Shared autonomous vehicles.

Capetown water restriction (50 l/Pid)

Alternative fuel for heavy machinery.

No more privately owned cars. Instead: community cars.

All compost should be seen as a resource: No more hazardous substances used in farming or household- and hygiene products.

We circulate our stuff.

We live smaller.

New financial system - local currencies.

Self-sustaining mini cities.

All homes have power and thermal storage for balancing.

We don’t flush with drinking water.

We don’t degrade soil. There is an end date for fossil fuels.

MORE IDEAS?

MORE IDEAS?MORE IDEAS?

MORE IDEAS?

MORE IDEAS?

What on earth are we waiting for when it comes to transiti-oning to a sustainable society? Don’t we have the neces-sary technology? Don’t we know what needs to be done? Yes, in many cases we do. At the 2020 version of Östersjöfondens seminar Get to know your neighbour the participants come to another conclusion. The challenge is rather how to reach out with existent innovations and ideas on a larger scale. It is not lack of technology that is the problem, but our own attitudes. Hence, the big question is: How can we communicate problems and solutions to people – from decision-makers and companies to citizens – in ways that touch, engage and lead to action?

- As communication and attitudes was brought up so strongly at the seminar, I came to think of the filters we all carry around, says Lotta Nummelin and explains: - Every person sees the world through his or her own filter: Her idea of what is true and important or even possible. Our filters are a mix of what we have learned and experienced, our individual properties, thoughts and beliefs, our fears and longings. Depending on how our filters are conditioned, we react differently to news about for instance the climate change or the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. All facts and information of the world won’t make a difference if our filters can’t let the message in. The key to the mind shift we need in order to change our society is to work with peoples filters. Only when enough people can comprehend and understand the situation on a deeper level, the transition can be fast and profound.

Schools and the education system have an important role to play in the transition. - But for now, we can’t just wait for the children and the future. We need to affect peoples filters today. The question is: How can we do that? How do we access and touch both our common learned world view and peoples individual driving forces? says Lotta Nummelin. - I think a seminar like Get to know your neighbour, and the material created there, offers a possibility to dig into our own filters. ’How do I react to the questions and the ideas that came up?’ ’What do I think is important?’ ’Why do I assort what I hear in a certain way?’ ’What do I want to do with what I’ve learned in my position?’ We need to help each other out in digging into our human habitual filters, in order to dare to make the big changes the world needs.

As Lotta Nummelin was scribing every single Post-it from The Master Road Map of the seminar to the documenta-tion available on Östersjöfonden’s webpage, she was also reflecting on their content.- One might think of some of the ideas that ’we have heard this a thousand times’. But what if these old goodies are the real golden nuggets? What if we have good reasons return to the the same ideas over and over again? What if they are interesting, possible to implement, but still not in place? And if so: Why aren’t they implemented? Are they too expensive? Is there a problem with legislation? What would be the next step? The global mobilization against COVID-19 shows us that fast change is possible if we can agree on what needs to be done.

”We need to help each other examine our filters”

”There will be local differences: from scarcity to divergence. Ownership will be more important,

maybe even here: Who may drill a well? Who has the right to water?”

”How much carrots do we grow? How much of that do we eat ourselves? How much do we export - and how much do we import?”

”Smartphone applications could be used to simplify local markets and sharing economy, from

car pools to buying and selling crops or prey.”

”How do we come to a point where NOT owning a car is default? Is it a question of attitude or legislation? Convenien-ce rules, like when less parking lots lead to more bicycling, or public transport is connected to bicycle rental. We also need to find the advantages beyond sustainability.”

-- We do have a lot of the knowledge we need. If we pull in the same direction we will find the technology we need, and the change can be fast. But first we need to access our own ’filters’. So says Lotta Nummelin, Manager of Östersjöfonden.

”The technology exists, and a lot of good ideas. The main problem is not lack of innovation, but how to get it out there on a large scale.”

”Tax the problems to fincance the solutions. Taxing can be used as both carrot and whip.”

”It’s all about resource efficiency. Using less. Reusing. Rationing (locally). Storage. Prizing.”

”We need a change in how we see resources and use them, like rain water and waste water.”

”Small farms with cattle on pasture is more sustaina-ble and good for the bio-diversity, but less profitable. And the people willing to pay more for sustainably produced meat become vegetarians.”

”Today the problem is too much. The range is excessive, and everything is always available. Do we really need everything we think we need?”

”Some people are very concious customers, others don’t care at all. How do we reach the large group of people in between?”

”What is the local degree of self-suffi-ciency? Sweden has 50 %, Finland has 79 %. What about Åland? How many pe-ople can we provide for? It also depends on what time of the year a crisis strikes.”

”Who owns the land? It needs to be available for more people.”

”We need a new economic system, with less paid work, basic income and more voluntary work.”

”Products with a short life span should be banned.”

”Chipreading technology could simplify sus-tainable choices by chiplabelling products.”

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- Bring this folder to your next coffee break or staff meeting. Focus on what is interesting for you, and discuss your own possible role in the process. Have fun! Be creative! Make your own timeline.- Put the timeline on the door in the bathroom, where people have time to read it over and over again and reflect on it.- If you find something really interesting – engage in it! If something is missing – complete it!

”Many solutions already exist, like double piping and separation of grey and black waste water. But it is also a question of attitude change. Legislation

can’t come to early.”

”We need to re-organize who

owns what.”

”We wanted to put a lot of Post-It’s at the left on the time line (soon), but

controversial issues take longer.”

”Energy subsidies must end. They hinder the development.”

”We need legisla-tion for sustaina-ble land use.”

”When it comes to food a lot of things could be done very soon.”

Innovations in waste management, pure waste flows and more circularity.

”The EU has an important role to play when it comes to legislation.”

”We need to decentra-lize energy systems.”

”Ban free freights.”

”Encourage sustainable transportation.”

FOOD

ENERGY &TRANSPORT

WATER &SEWAGE

MATERIAL &RESOURCES

PUBLISHER: ÖSTERSJÖFONDEN TEXTS, GRAPHICS & FORMAT: GISÉLA LINDE PAINTING: JONAS WILÉN

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