PRESS RELEASE: Crown Princess Victoria is pleased with the multi-sector cooperation to save the Baltic Sea

 

Today, the Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) organized a warmly-spirited Baltic Sea Living Room event as a part of the Swedish Crown Princess Victoria’s and Prince Daniel’s visit to Turku. Along with the royal couple, present were different organizations that have made a commitment to work for a healthier Baltic Sea.

Crown Princess Victoria was delighted with the commitment to the Baltic Sea made by her former school, Enskilda Gymnasiet, in Stockholm. Karin Franzén Bohman, the principal of the school, presented the joint commitment with Munkkiniemen yhteiskoulu (located in Helsinki, Finland) and Ingrid Jespersen Gymnasium (located in Copenhagen, Denmark) at the Baltic Sea Living Room event.

The three Nordic schools will emphasize issues concerning the Baltic Sea in their curriculum. They will also organize science projects and arrange a Baltic Sea Day once in a year where students and teachers will clean polluted shores and hear experts explain the state of sea.

“We are very pleased that Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel are so strongly supporting our cause. In the Baltic Sea Living room, we experienced that everyone – students, business managers and the Crown Princess – can do their part to save the Baltic Sea,” says Mathias Bergman, Secretary General of the Baltic Sea Action Group.

“For example, public affairs and communications partnership Eurofacts is doing very important work by assisting us to organize the next Baltic Sea Action Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. They are helping the Baltic Sea by giving us the expertise we need.”

At the end of the Baltic Sea Living room event, Crown Princess Victoria received a Guardian of the Baltic Sea necklace and Prince Daniel received Guardian of the Baltic Sea cufflinks. The jewelry is designed by two talented women Heini Lehto and Noora Kunttu who wanted to do something concrete for the Baltic Sea.

“After we heard about the BSAG, we decided to donate EUR 100,000 to the foundation. But first we had to raise the money. This is how we came up with the idea of designing and selling ‘Guardian of the Baltic Sea’ jewelry,”Noora Kunttu says. Only thirteen months later the pair has already donated half of the sum. And this is done on the side of their day jobs as interior decorators.

The royal couple was excited about the gift. Prince Daniel even took the cufflinks to use right after receiving them. Crown Princess Victoria has announced earlier that protecting the Baltic Sea is one of the key issues in her work.

For further information, please contact:

Mathias Bergman, Secretary General, +358 50 380 7155, mathias.bergman@bsag.fi

Anna Kotsalo-Mustonen, Development Manager, Founder, +358 500 200 480,anna.kotsalo-mustonen@bsag.fi

Pieta Jarva, Communications Officer, +358 50 338 1096, pieta.jarva@bsag.fi

www.bsag.fi.

Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG)

”The Baltic Sea is our employer”

Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) is part of Foundation for a Living Baltic Sea. BSAG works effectively to save the Baltic Sea through deliberate projects. Constructive cooperation with authorities and private sector is based on scientific research and the views of the specialists. BSAG follows the HELCOM’s (Helsinki Commission for Protecting the Baltic Sea) Baltic Sea Action plan, focusing on problems concerning agriculture, maritime activities and hazardous substances.

In February 2010, BSAG organized a Baltic Sea Action Summit together with the Finnish President and the Prime Minister. The Head of States and more than 140 companies and organizations around the Baltic Sea made concrete commitments for wellbeing of the Sea. BSAG continues to work on new commitments and follows the old ones. The next Baltic Sea Action Summit will be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2012.​