Workshop:

Restoring Waters in the Baltic Sea Region -
A Municipality Strategy to Capture Local Benefits

Date: March 17, 2015
Time: 10.00-17.00 (coffee from 9.30)
Location: Jurmala Baltic Beach Hotel, Jurmala, Latvia

 The Baltic Sea is at a critical juncture. Eutrophication, caused by excess nutrients entering the water, is one of the major threats to the sea, coastal areas and inland waters.  Despite progress in reducing nutrient load and some local improvements, the state of the Baltic Sea continues to deteriorate.  In order to reach sustainable nutrient levels and begin restoring the waters, local initiatives led by the 1,500 municipalities in the catchment area will play a critical role.

At this joint event, municipalities and support organisations will join to discuss the report’s findings and concrete action ahead. 

Detailed programme and registration information can be found here!

Programme outline:

Welcome

Part 1 – A Healthy Baltic Sea: Opportunities and Tools for Municipalities

In a new report published by The Boston Consulting Group, the multiple benefits a municipality can capture by restoring the waters in the Baltic Sea region are highlighted, together with a municipality strategy for how to navigate and prioritise among the many proven measures. The Baltic Sea Challenge initiative gives tools and advice for water protection work in municipalities and welcomes municipalities to join the network. Solution Sessions provide cases on sustainable wastewater and stormwater management.

Part 2 – Roadmap to Success

Highlighting a few of the best cases from around the region, this session aims to provide participants with roadmap on how to get started in their local water quality improvement projects. What has worked and what has not? What can we learn from these cases?

Part 3 – Clear Waters Ahead

The first two parts of the day aim to provide an overview of the economic and environmental opportunities that municipalities can capture through investments in improved water quality, a landscape overview of the many solutions available and finally a concrete road-map forward based on others' experience. The final session aims to jump one step further, and to lay a foundation for the action that is needed.